Fall Florida Keys Fishing
In the aftermath of Hurricane Rita in the Florida Keys we will have a waiting period for the flats fishing to get back underway. We were spared some of the damage to our homes but the waters around the Florida Keys certainly took a beating getting churned up by high seas, strong tides and high winds from this hurricane.
Fish react with great instinct before and after a tropical cyclone effects their area. They have a tremendous sense of weather conditions and tend to gorge on whatever is in front of them. I have fished before and after hurricanes before and had great luck on the flats prior to a hurricane. The waters are still clear and the sky tends to be perfect giving us perfect light on our quarry.
Hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th. We don’t usually get effected until August or September but this year was an exception with Hurricane Dennis skirting by in July. Despite these systems effecting our fishing, the waters do clear up pretty quickly and fishing gets back to normal in a week or so.
During the summer months we find tarpon, bonefish and permit to be excellent species to fish for on the flats with a fly rod. Reason? Winds are generally light and for the beginner and intermediate fly angler this gives them a greater chance to hook and land fish on a fly rod.
We are now well into our Fall season here in the Keys and big tides give us great wading possibilities in the backcountry off Sugarloaf Key. I particularly love this time of year for evening fishing for tailing permit and bonefish and will head out there when I can after a days charter to get some fishing in for myself.
Bonefish patterns that work great here in the Lower Florida Keys include the clouser minnow, Foxy Clouser and any smaller shrimp pattern. I can tell you to tie a few different sizes of each fly with different weight barbell eyes. Many of these fish are in very skinny water so the lighter fly and presentation is essential.
For permit, and also for bonefish, a merkin pattern is the best for presentation and realistic movement in the water of a crab fleeing. The summer months provide us with a unique opportunity to fish a ‘crab hatch’ that happens. These tiny blue crabs cling to floating sea grass and other debris and follow the tides inflow and outflow. Permit see this opportunity to feed on a bunch of crabs by waiting in the side channels and outflow areas similar to trout, and just pick the crabs from the surface. For these conditions we need a fly that floats or just suspends below the surface film of the water. If you hit it right, a crab hatch can be an amazing site and a tremendous opportunity to hook a permit on a fly.
As Fall turns to winter the winds will tend to increase here in the Florida Keys. Permit will hang around throughout the winter months and the barracudas, jack crevalle and sharks will move in to replace tarpon and bonefish on the flats. Both tarpon and bonefish are temperature sensative and will vacate the flats if the water temperature drops too much.
I fish a lot offshore for tuna, bonito (false albacore) and wahoo in the winter months on our larger boat. It’s a great opportunity to hook a 20 - 30lb tuna on a fly rod as well as bonito and possibly wahoo. We carry both fly tackle and conventional tackle for those who just want to feel the burn of a screaming reel on a blackfin tuna.
