Key West Fishing Reports
Updated fishing reports from the Lower Florida Keys & Key West
Archive for Florida Keys Fishing
October 10, 2008 at 1:41 pm · Filed under Florida Keys Fishing, Key West Flats Fishing, Key West Sport Fishing, Key West Deep Sea Fishing
October is always a great turning point in the weather and the fishing in the Keys. The temperature becomes tolorable again and there is nearly always some perfect opportunities for great fishing on the flats and in the offshore waters.
Bonefish and permit are among the top species on the flats this time of the year. These fish represent two of the three species to complete a grand slam. The other is a tarpon which are still available in the scaled down version weighing 10- to 50- pounds.
Bonefish are available all over the Keys. From the Marquesas to Key Largo these silver ghosts of the flats are a pleasure to fight and no matter how much they weigh they are a perfect fish for light tackle and fly fishing.
A go-to bonefish fly pattern would be a foxy clouser or tan and white clouser. It works well on sand bottom and darker bottom flats too. For spin fisherman they can enjoy casting a light spinning outfit with 10- pound test line and a live shrimp. Sometimes a split shot is needed to get the shrimp to land just perfect and not be swept away by the current.
Permit fishing is at one of its peaks this month through November. Large permit come up on the flats to feed during the strongest points of the tide. I live crab or an immitation in the form of a fly are your best opportunities.
The offshore waters begin a transition this month. Deep sea fishing will be filled with tremendous opportunities to catch dolphin, sailfish, wahoo, blackfin tuna, amberjack, kingfish, cobia, snapper and grouper.
Getting out on the water while you are visiting the Keys is essential. Here are a few charter captains to contact for a trip:
Capt. Bennett Taylor - Outer Limits Sportfishing
305-923-1043 - www.keywestcharterboat.com
Capt. Barry Andrews - Eva Marie
www.keywestbaitandtackle.com
Capt. Jay Weed - Lucky Charm
305-304-0208
Capt. Justin Rea - Key West Fly Fishing
Flats Fishing
305-744-0903 - www.flyfishingthekeys.com
Key West Flats Fishing
305-294-3618 - www.keywestflatsfishing.com
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January 29, 2008 at 1:46 am · Filed under Florida Keys Fishing, Key West Flats Fishing, Key West Sport Fishing
The latest cold front has given us a blast of cooler air with temps in the 60s at night. This latest front has not been hard on the fish, harder on the anglers who head offshore to bounce around in the waves.
Inshore fish include permit, jacks, barracuda, sharks, cero mackerel, ladyfish and sea trout. This is the usual winter fare on the flats and in the backcountry basins. An occasional cobia may cruise by the Gulf edge and be found hanging around a lonely coral head. Water temps can reach 75 by weeks end and maybe we’ll see some tarpon. Last week there were plenty of guides who had their shots at tarpon in Key West all the way to Big Pine Key.
Offshore anglers can count on king mackerel along the reef edge plus mutton and yellowtail snapper down deep on the bar. West of Key West was hot for wahoo a few days ago. There are a few tuna on the Sub and End of the Bar areas. Sailfish are still cruising the color change in 180-250 ft. Take your live ballyhoo for a shot at a sail.
Winds are expected to switch to the Southeast tomorrow which can bring in a push of dolphin to the waters just off the Keys. This is a welcome addition to our array of fish in the blue water.
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May 7, 2007 at 5:40 pm · Filed under Florida Keys Fishing, Key West Flats Fishing
The moment you have been waiting for has finally arrived… a few days ago. A strong push of tarpon have moved into our Key West waters bringing much joy to the flats fishing community. A few warm and sunny days gave way to hundreds of tarpon on the move in search of something to eat.
Today the weather turned nasty though and a slight temperature drop and stronger winds may hinder the tarpon activity for a day or so. None the less, they are here and the oceanside basins, channels and deeper flats are filling up with tarpon… and with boats.
Fly fishing for tarpon? Try black and purple in the early morning hours and then switch up to a chartreuse or natural color toad. Keep in mind that these fish are pretty lazy and putting the fly close to their mouth is the key.
Bonefish are showing up in good numbers west of Key West and in the backcountry flats around Sugarloaf Key and the Contents. Many times if you can show these fish a fly they are going to eat it.
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April 22, 2007 at 11:50 am · Filed under Florida Keys Fishing, Key West Flats Fishing
Yesterday the weather was a treat compared to what we’ve been expereincing on and off with blustery winds and churned up water. It was calm with a slight breeze from the north east. Tarpon tend to shun away when there is any bit of north in the wind but several guides did manage to hook a few fish.
Our tarpon season has been off. Although there are tarpon in the area their behavior is not the same is it has been in recent years. Late March usually marks the time when these fish are laid up in the basins. They tend not to want to move too far until the water temperature is over 75 degrees, some say 78 is the magic number.
Each cool front we get blows these fish off the mark and therefore we’ve been struggling with trying to find them and get them to bite.
Yesterday shed some hope on the situation. Tarpon have to migrate, they’ve done it forever. We just catch a small portion of the stream of fish heading up the Keys and up the coast of Florida.
What does this mean? Possibly an incredible summer of big tarpon.
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December 9, 2006 at 12:50 pm · Filed under Florida Keys Fishing, Key West Flats Fishing
Winter time in Key West on the flats can be action packed. Sometimes the weather dictates what type of fishing we will do for the day but in the end there is always someplace to find fish.
Some of the top species from now through February will be large barracuda, Crevalle jacks and sharks. All of these fish are a tremendous catch on the flats and they put up a great fight on light tackle or a fly rod.
Barracudas in particular are one of my favorites. They like a tube lure to chase because it resembles a needlefish or fast swimming baitfish. A good tactic is to throw the lure out past the barracuda and let him take notice of it by retrieving it at a quick pace. Once he takes interest in it speed up the retrieve so he never gets a real good look at the lure. Often times the barracuda will chase the lure right to the rod tip and either take it right at the bow of the skiff or turn off and swim away. Once these fish are hooked you can expect them to make long runs and even aerobatic jumps trying to get that lure out of their toothy mouth.
Fly fishing for barracuda is a good sport for beginning to expert fly anglers. There are a variety of flies that work for barracuda on the flats. The flies are all long and slender and are tied with plenty of material will past the hook. Flashy material such as polar flash will get their attention.
Both flies and tube lures must be tied with a wire leader to the line. This ensures that we have a chance of landing the fish.
Barracuda hang out on the flats in the winter to warm up when the water temperature is cold. They will sometimes sit almost motionless in a deeper pothole on a flat awaiting the next baitfish to swim by.
Barracuda are found throughout the Keys and there are plenty of them in the lower Keys, Key West and Marquesas areas on the flats.
For more information on winter fishing please contact us at www.flyfishingthekeys.com.
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August 1, 2006 at 8:48 pm · Filed under Florida Keys Fishing
The outlook for fishing this summer is so much better than last year. By this time last year we had boarded up, evacuated, batten down the hatches, bought supplies, and tested our generator numerous times. There is something to be thankful for, and part of it has to do with the fishing.
I’m grateful for a very good season. It’s winding down a bit and although the fishing has been really great, the schedule allows me to get out fishing on my own and explore some new territory.
This week has been especially great for permit fishing. Fly fishing for permit is already difficult and with our southeast winds clipping along at a cool 15 knots, it’s not easy for the average fly angler to make precise casts all the time to tailing permit.
Although wind is somewhat of an enemy to a fly fishing angler, especially when it’s blowing hard on his right shoulder (for a right handed angler), with permit fishing we almost welcome the wind. It gives the opportunity to sneak up on tailing permit and even is more forgiving when making a strong cast that leaves the fly landing hard in the water.
I tie a fly these days that is deadly for permit but is definately not a flat calm water fly. One the wind is clipping along at 10 knots or so, we’re golden.
I had the pleasure of fishing with an angler from New York, George Polsky. I have to give congrats to both him and his brother for their first permit on fly. It’s a great accomplishment and no doubt has got them hooked on permit fishing altogether.
As for August, the tropical outlook has a few more players in the field we call the Atlantic Basin, but as for fishing… the slam is still a definate possibility.
June 19, 2006 at 10:20 am · Filed under Florida Keys Fishing
Key West has been fortunate this spring and had some of the best weather and fishing in a long time. Sure the fishing here is pretty consistant, but the weather is another story. This week the winds have been fairly calm and after what was Alberto rolled through (nothing much for us but some rain) we had some decent clearing weather and some good fishing.
I had one of the most memorable days of bonefishing this week with a regular client of mine. We managed to hook 17 bonefish and landed 13 of them at the boat. Not to mention a couple tarpon on the line that day as well and we had a pretty banner day. Unfortunatly it was a little to calm to get very close to a permit to try for the grand slam.
Now that is is mid-June, the pressure of so many guides diminishes as more than half of them head out West or up North for the summer months. I never thought fishing here year-round could be so much fun. The fish are less spooky and its easier to get into your “spot” without anyone else within eyes distance.
I can only hope that this tarpon season lasts well into August as it did last year. The first few weeks of August lended us a few nice tarpon in the 70- pound range. As the summer progresses tarpon will start to move out of the area while baby tarpon remain in their hiding places around the backcountry. Bonefishing is a must this time of year. It’s so much fun to see schools of them glide across a sand flat.
Keep in mind that September and October are great for bonefish and permit here in the Lower Keys. It’s a great time of year to be here (set aside the fact that it’s hurricane season) and the fishing is very good.
May 29, 2006 at 9:20 am · Filed under Florida Keys Fishing
My first experience with the Palolo Worm Hatch happened almost by accident a couple of years ago. I had some friends in town for a few days of fishing. We had fished the early morning rollers out in the Marquesas but mid-day it was time to go in and rest up for a night trip.
I had heard a prediction of this fabled worm hatch from Jeffrey Cardenas, who owned the Saltwater Angler in Key West at the time. He was one of the pioneers of saltwater fly fishing here in the Keys so his advice was certainly welcome in my book.
I knew what to look for, rolling fish feeding on the surface. But what we saw as we rounded the corner of Ft. Zachary Taylor was nothing short of amazing. Tarpon rolling as far as the eye could see. They were feeding on these Palolo worms.
The sun glistened on the backs of these fish for about two hours and as the sun went down the fish disappeared. Their show was over until the next night.
Palolo worms “hatch” from the hard coral rock bottom of the ocean side of the Keys. I don’t know too much more about it except they travel at lightening speed on the surface and mainly all in one direction - towards the reef to spawn.
Tarpon eat these worms and appear almost lazy and drunk on the surface of the water. They become unafraid of motor activity or being lined by a flyline. They are fixated on the worms.
Last night we had another shot at the worm hatch at Bahia Honda bridge. It was also a spectacle of tarpon feeding and most memorable.
One we start getting into the fuller moon phases the worms will quit and tarpon fishing will get back to normal again.
Permit are coming back to the flats now too, there are more and more around while some are small fish - others tip the scales at 20- pounds.
May 16, 2006 at 12:15 pm · Filed under Florida Keys Fishing
No doubt that this tarpon season has already been a blast. The weather has been perfect for a ether part of April and this first part of May. Of course as I sit here writing there is a terrific downpour of much needed rain outside. Something we don’t like to see as fisherman but this area has only has one half inch of rain up until last night for the year 2006.
We’ve spent many pleasurable days chasing large schools of tarpon this past week. We’ve jumped many, broke a few off and landed a couple of nice sized fish. For many of my anglers this time of year, they’ve done this all before. May tends to be booked nearly a year in advance because it’s prime time for tarpon here in the Lower Keys. These guys all fish with a fly and handle my careful instructions about where the fish are and what their reaction is to the fly.
among the fly patterns in our arsenal this time of year, the Toad has always worked well and since the article in a recent issue of Fly Fishing in Saltwater I think the fish are going to be ’schooled’ about the tasty Toad in that fabulous chartreuse and we’ll have to move on to another pattern of fly to get these fish to bite.
Night fishing becomes a popular event off Key West and around the Bahia Honda Bridge too. Black flies, black death and purple and black are winners in this situation. A black fly against a dark sky to a fish looking up shows up so much better than you may think. Tarpon do feed more freely at night slurping shrimp off the surface of the water.
Another popular event in the Lower Keys is the Palolo worm hatch. These worms hatch out of hard coral rock each year and head to the reef, about 7 miles offshore, to spawn. The phenomenon happens often during the full or new moon of May and June, and often when there is a falling tide towards the evening. Conditions need to be pretty calm for the hatch to come off as expected.
A few days before a worm hatch is about to happen the tarpon will seem to disappear. They know what’s about to go on and they don’t want to miss it. The Palolo worm is a tasty treat for a tarpon and serves as an aphrodisiac and makes the tarpon appear to be almost ‘drunk’.
Tarpon will feed on the surface for these Palolo Worms generally on the ocean side of the Keys. It’s not uncommon to see a thousand tarpon rolling, almost as far as the eye can see.
Fishing during the worm hatch certainly can increase your chances of hooking up but it’s not as easy as you may think to stick one of these fish. Palolo Worms travel quickly, on the surface, and in a straight line. One technique that does work well is to use the “striper strip” method. This entails casting as far as you can and then putting the reel under your arm and trip with both hands, pulling the fly line consistantly. Another method may be to use long consistant strips and as the fly nears the boat, sweep the fly as far as you can.
The Palolo Worm can be identified by it’s similarities to an earth worm. It has a white tip and a red body. A fly that replicates this worm should have a greenish head tied from olive green dubbing with a thin rabbit strip of red.
April 19, 2006 at 9:30 pm · Filed under Florida Keys Fishing
Fishing conditions in the Key West area this week have been very favorable in both deep and shallow water. I’ve spent most of the past week on the flats fishing for tarpon.
This time of year I mainly have fly fisherman in my boat. I’ve had the pleasure of fishing with a father and son team the past couple of days and we’ve certainly had some fun. Tarpon fishing with live bait is probably easier in some respects but more difficult in that the presentation is so much different than with a fly.
At the end of their first day of fishing we had jumped a few tarpon and landed one for each of them. In addition there have been plenty of bonefish throughout the backcountry off Sugarloaf Key.
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