In a normal year May is our very best month for Dolphin. This year we’ve not seen the number of migrating Mahi,Mahi we would expect. None the less, by by looking far and wide we have managed to put together some reasonable catches. We have also been fishing the reef edge and have been catching Flag Yellowtail and Mutton Snapper.
Clear blue water and light current has been the predominate condition over the last several weeks with the result that reef fishing has been difficult. We have concentrated our efforts on Blue Water fish. Black fin Tuna have been consistent, particularly biting well in the late afternoons. Sailfish are increasing in numbers and there are also a few Wahoo around. Tight to the reef edge Kingfish and Little Tunny are also biting pretty well.
Fishing during the month of March has been steady if unspectacular. King Mackerel have been a main stay for those seeking action. We have been catching them regularly up to about 25lbs using live bait and 15lb test spinning outfits. These fish are hard fighters on this type of gear. Yellowtail Snapper have also been abundant during the month. This has fit the bill for those interested in good eating fish. Yellowtail require a bit of finesse to hook and then are scrappy fighters. Mixed in with the Yellowtail have been, Mutton Snapper up to 12lbs and a few out of season Grouper as well as Amberjack, Little Tunny and Cero. For our clients who are looking to tangle with big fish, there has been a steady bite of Bull Sharks. We have caught and released numerous Bulls during the month weighing between 300-400 pounds. Dead bait trolling has produced Blackfin Tuna particularly during the later afternoon. Sailfish remain relatively scarce although there have been signs of improvement as the month has gone on. Sailfish should become much more abundent as we move into April.
The wind continues to blow with just the occasional calm day inbetween. Fishing has been fair over the last several weeks. The King Mackerel action is steady in several locations and we’ve been targeting them with live bait fished on 15lb test line, good fun on that light tackle. We have also been producing some outstanding catches of jumbo sized Yellowtail Snapper, fish between 22″-25″ or 3-4 pounds. Great eating fish. We have also been catching a few Mutton Snapper, Cero, Little Tunny, Amberjack. and various Shark species. Sailfish, Tuna, Mahi, and Wahoo remain scarce.
Cold and windy weather has predominated during the month. We have lost a few days to weather and fished many others when conditions were tough. The colder weather has induced better Sailfishing, but by no means as good as it could be. There have also been a few Blackfin Tuna and Wahoo mixed in. King Mackerel are finally arriving in better numbers and have become a dependable part of our catch. The reef edge has been active on days when there is a decent flow of current. Flag size Yellowtail, Mutton Snapper, out of season Grouper along with Tunny and various Jack species have kept the rods bent on days when we had to hunker down and deal with a sloppy sea state. Adequate supplies of live bait whether they be Pilchards, Thread Herring, Goggle Eyes, or Ballyhoo are critical to our success. Bait has been tough this month, requiring a lot of extra work to procure. none the less we strongly believe live bait fishing produces better results this time of year than deadbait trolling.
Cold windy weather has prevailed over the last several weeks. We have lost a number of trips owing to strong winds. On days when we’ve been out, we are catching a mixed bag of species from Snapper to Tuna. No type of fishing has been consistent so we have done a whole variety of different things each day to put a catch together.
Lots of wind, lots of ugly rainy days over the last several weeks. We are finally getting some cold weather which should, over time improve our fishing. There has been no “go to” fishing recently. King Mackerel which we can generally depend on this time of year have been fairly scarce. Blue water fishing has been slow as well, conditions have looked good with a pronounced color change and strong east current outside the reef edge but on many days that area hasn’t yielded many bites. We’ve done pretty well catching big Yellowtail on a number of days and added a little of this and a little of that to make up a catch.
Catching fish has been hard work of late, owing mainly to unseasonably warm water. By remaining flexable about tactics and well prepared to try a whole variety of techniques during the day we have continued to produce some nice catches even in this tough fishing environment. Dead bait trolling, live bait drifting, and anchoring and chumming have all played a role.
Unseasonably warm weather continues to be the main story with regard to Key West fishing. As we move into January and what should be the heart of winter time fishing, two species which we count on this time of year are notably absent or here in greatly reduced numbers- Sailfish and King Mackerel. In both cases it seems that there are good numbers of both of these fish located north of us in the case of Kings and East of us in the case of Sailfish. Both of these migratory fish will stay in their comfort zone until cooler water temps force them in our direction.
Blackfin Tuna have been around in reasonable numbers along with gaffer Dolphin and a few Wahoo. The reef action has been steady for Yellowtail Snapper, Mutton Snapper, Cero, and Black and Red Grouper. Grouper season closed on Jan 1 so for the next several months this will be a catch and release fishery. I have no doubt that when and if cooler weather arrives later in the month we will see some outstanding fishing.
Blackfin Tuna have been the highlight of Dec fishing in the Key West area. The Blackfins are holding on many of the area’s deeper wrecks. We have been live baiting these fish using both Ballyhoo and Pilchards. By throwing net fulls of live chum behind the boat we are able to draw the fish to the surface and create a feeding frenzy which leads to exciting top water strikes. Sailfish remain scarce, the weather continues to be unseasonably warm and most of the Sails remain North and East of us. More Wahoo are being caught as we move closer to the full moon. The Dec moon is always one of the best for Wahoo.
Along the reef edge; Cero, Yellowjack, Yellowtail, Grey and Mutton Snapper are biting with the occasional Black, Red or Gag Grouper thrown in.
