Fishing Reports

A week or so ago we were anchored in 125’ of water just outside the reef edge. We had caught 3 Cobia on live baits fished right on the bottom to go along with a few Kingfish and Mutton Snapper.  We decided to leave the spot after the action slowed down and as we began to pull the anchor, here came 4 more cobia tailing down sea right on our bow. The sight of tailing Cobia is a firm reminder that April has arrived and with it the type of spring “sight” fishing which so many of us find exciting.

Variously referred to as a “tailing” condition or fishing the “color change”, experienced locals anticipate this development this time of year. The basic elements which create this situation are, wind out of the East or southeast combined with strong East current pushing into the wind. The color change created between green inshore water and blue offshore water provides a vivid visual indicator of where to fish. Often it is the blended water, the so called “powder” blue edge where the most action occurs. This is primarily a live bait fishery for best results. Live Ballyhoo, Threadfin Herring, Large Pilchards and Goggle eyes are the baits of choice.

In the morning while the sun is still low I typically try to find the most distinct section of the color change and kite fish, keeping my kite baits working either side of the change. Once the sun is high and over head or slightly behind me as the boat faces the east, I like to look around by driving at 8-10 knots towards the east along the color change. On the right days, a steady stream of Sailfish, Dolphin, Tuna and Cobia will be swimming down sea right at you. In addition to these common species, every spring much more exotic fish are seen and baited such as giant Bluefin Tuna, Swordfish, Mako Sharks, and Blue Marlin. In the cockpit we keep a selection of spinning rods ready to spear on a live bait and cast. Good luck with the Bluefin Tuna on spinning gear! If the fish aren’t tailing much on a given day then we go back to soaking baits along the change, knowing that sooner or later we will get a bite from a fish for which the color change acts like a fence line. Indeed the beauty of a color change is that it simplifies your decision on where and how deep to fish, don’t be in doubt- fish the change.

Good luck and tight lines.

Capt. Brad

The first week of March finds us between seasons with very little good fishing to report. Our winter action which consisted of Sailfish, Tuna, King Mackerel, and Cero is about over, but spring action has not yet begun. Water quality along the reef edge and beyond has frequently been poor this winter. As an example of what I’m talking about, consider what I found on a recent trip just offshore of the reef edge. The water was a dull dark green. There was a lot of scattered weed, not the kind that holds fish, but rather the stuff that makes it hard to keep your lines clear. When we anchored down we found that what little current there was, trickling up under the boat, into the wind. That’s a tough condition; no life on the surface, hard to make a Snapper drift, and too weedy to troll. On that particular day we did manage to bend the rod on “snake” King Mackerel, Little Tunny and a few large Blue Runners. The several snapper we hooked were all eaten by sharks before we could get them to the boat.

On days when we have the time and decent weather, we’ve had success making longer runs to areas less heavily fished. With south wind, we’ve run up into the gulf and had some good kingfish action with fish averaging 20 lbs. We’ve also hit various rock piles in the gulf for a mix of Lane, Yellowtail, and Grey Snapper as well as throw back Grouper. A good thing to remember is that just as the Southside patches can provide calmer water on a north wind, so too can the gulf areas provide calmer conditions on the south wind.

The reef edge west of “the end of the bar” has yielded some decent catches providing there is current to move the chum. Big Yellowtail, Mutton Snapper, and legal size but out of season Grouper are all available. Amberjacks are congregating on the wrecks in advance of their spring spawn. Offshore remains spotty, you might find a few Dolphin and the occasional Wahoo or you might not.

Good Luck and tight lines,

Capt. Brad

Finally the wind has slacked off at least for the last week or so which is about all you can expect this time of year. I hope everyone has had a chance to take advantage of the calmer weather and get out on the water.

A pretty good Wahoo bite headlines the recent fishing action. We saw a peak during the Jan full moon but the action on Wahoo remains steady through the dark of the moon and now with the waxing Feb moon. Best areas to encounter Wahoo have been “the end of the bar”, the vicinity of the local wrecks and anywhere between 120’ and 250’ where the water is blue and the current is moving. Trolling wire rigged ballyhoo and lipped plugs or live baiting “speedos” Goggle Eyes, Thread Herring and large Pilchards has produced fish.

King Mackerel have also belatedly moved into our area in pretty good numbers in the last 10 days. The run of Kings is very late this year but welcome for those of us in the Charter Fishing industry as they produce great action for our clients. The Kings can be found on both the Gulf side and the south side of our Keys. Try trolling to locate the fish and then anchoring and chumming to hold the fish.

Snapper fishing has been unreliable of late owing to very clear water conditions and fickle current. Clear water and no current is a prescription for poor snapper fishing on the reef edge, either anchor out in the deep where the clear water doesn’t matter as much, or find the current by moving east or west along the reef edge.

Sailfish action is so so, there are a few Sails lurking around the shallow fore reefs where Ballyhoo are still congregated, keep an eye out for Bait showers which will alert you to their presence. Tight Lines and good luck,

Capt. Brad Simonds