The weather continues to be unseasonably warm. As a result many of the fish we associate with cool wintertime temperatures have not arrived in our area or are less abundent. Sailfish for example remain very scarce in the Key West area. None the less, we are fishing for whats around and have been having success with Blackfin Tuna, Cero, Yellowtail and various Jack species.
We have been catching a good variety of fish over the last several weeks. Everything from Dolphin, Sailfish, and Tuna to Mutton Snapper and Grouper. Finally some cooler weather is moving into the Key West area. This will greatly improve fishing as we move into December.
This year temperatures have been slow to fall with the result that the type of fishing we expect to see in Nov has been slow to develop. Finally however in the last week we are experiencing an influx of Blackfin Tuna, Sailfish and Wahoo. Dolphin remain in the area and we are catching them particularly on days featuring easterly breezes. Ballyhoo are congregating along the reef edge and it won’t be long before various pelagic gamefish chasing these baits into the shallow water becomes a daily occurance. One of our favorite types of Key West fishing involves sight casting to these fish as they chase Ballyhoo along the surface. It’s still a little early for Kingfish although we are catching a few along the reef edge. Yellowtail Snapper are biting well along the reef when we have off color water and west current. At this point the more cool weather we have the better the fishing will get.
A mixed bag of fishing action over the last week. A few Dolphin remain around particularly with East and Southeast wind. Sailfish are also showing up in greater numbers along with Blackfin Tuna. On the reef, Yellowtail and Muttons are biting with consistency.
Today we hauled the SOUTHPAW out of the water for her annual boat yard trip. The boat will receive fresh bottom paint, new zinc anodes and a coat of “prop speed” on the underwater gear, including shaft, struts, prop and rudder. The transom will get a new coat of clear awlgrip. We will also be working on a whole punch list of painting and repair projects designed to maintain the SOUTHPAW as Key West’s cleanest, best equiped Charter Boat. We will be back in the water and available for charter beginning again on Oct 20th. See you then!
Fishing over the last month in Key West has been challenging. Our bread and butter fish, Dolphin have often been in short supply. We can rarely remember a season in which the Dolphin fishing has been so difficult. None the less, we have succeeded on many days as the pictures below document. We have also been catching Snapper on our shorter trips.
 Our season is drawing to a close. The Southpaw will not fish again, after the end of July, until October. We know from long experience that the next couple of months are off season for fishing in Key West. It’s just plain too hot and the fishing oppurtunities are limited. We will take some vacation time and have the boat in the yard for yearly maintanence.
Dolphin offshore and Snapper inshore has been the story over the last several weeks. Offshore there are plenty of Dolphin but the vast majority have been on the small size. In addition to Dolphin, a few Wahoo and the occasional Skipjack or Blackfin Tuna make up the catch. In on the reef we had a few very good catches of Mutton Snapper during the last spawn and are now catching Grey Snapper as that species begins it’s spawn.
We try not to sugar coat our fishing reports by overstating the quality of the fishing. The fact of the matter is that the historic peak of Dolphin season has come and gone and overall it’s been a poor season, notable for the lack of any quantity of the large fish which we expect to catch this time of year. There have been reasonable numbers of 5-10 pound fish available on most days and a few Billfish bites. We’ve caught a White Marlin, a Round Scale Marlin and a Sailfish in the last several weeks. On the reef, Snapper and Grouper fishing has been so so. With an upcoming full moon, we will see shortly whether the Mutton Snapper bite.
Dolphin season is well underway in Key West. The action over the last several weeks has been a little uneven, one day good the next day not so good. We have lacked the strong easterly currents which keep the fish moving and push the Sargassum weed into organized lines. Large areas of scattered weed which are hard to fish have been a frequent problem. Along with the Dolphin there have been a few Billfish, Tuna and Wahoo. Inshore the Permit are still forming spawning aggregates along the top of the bar. Snapper fishing for both Mutton and Yellowtail has also been productive when the current runs westerly along the reef.
We always look forward to April as it is often one of the best fishing months of the year in Key West. This year has been a little different. The annual spring Sailfish bite was very brief, and unless we have a rapid change in conditions it will end up being a disapointment. There was only about a week early in the month when the Sailfishing was good. A lack of consistent east current which prevented the formation of a color change and “tailing” conditions seems to be to blame. With the relative absence of Sails we have concentrated on reef fishing for Snapper and Grouper with pretty good results on many days as well as early season Dolphin fishing which has been productive about every other day. We finished in 6th place out of 32 boats in the recent Shell Key West Challenge Fishing Tournament.
