Key West fishing - Kingfish Tournament
KEY WEST – Back to back cold fronts brought some windy weather and temperature change to the Lower Keys this week. Our mild winter weather was swept away by brisk north winds that sent temperatures into the 60s. To many of you that is nothing, but to this Keys dweller for more than ten years it sends me frantically looking for what could be the only sweater I own.
The last real calm day we had was beautiful. If you did not know better you’d think it was July by the calmness and warmth of this January morning. I know you are probably tired of hearing about wahoo in Key West, especially if you are not here catching them. But I’ve been told by many seasoned captains that wahoo like calm weather, and someone should certainly took advantage of this day out in the Atlantic waters off Key West.
Captain Joe Mercurio on the Triple Time had a banner day of wahoo fishing this week. Mercurio reiterated that almost true fact that wahoo like the calm sea.
“When it’s rough they get lock jaw, they just don’t want to bite,” Mercurio said.
Mercurio said these fish hit all throughout the day. They ended up landing nine wahoo that weighed between 30- and 45- pounds.
Captain Joe Mercurio runs out of A&B Marina in Key West. For more information visit his website at www.fishtripletime.com.
The 11th Annual Hog’s Breath King Mackerel Tournament participants were left with a weekend of rough weather to contend with. Many of the 164 boats would run as far as the Dry Tortugas to find their smoker king mackerel. It is uncertain how many boats actually went that far since the seas were an angry 5 to 6 feet.
Team Yo-Zuri reigned victorious in this years’ tournament. The team caught a 61.78- pound fish on the first day of the tournament. Let by Captain Ozzie Fischer this team from Ft. Myers had the win secured after their first day of fishing.
Complete results and photos from the tournament will be available on the Southern Kingfish Association website at www.fishska.com.
The sailfishing is expected to improve after this last cold front. There have been a select few reported this week. Sailfish like rougher weather but conditions and the bait supply still have to be right. The ballyhoo supply has not been as good as it should be, and this may be one of the results of it. The hope is that with this cool-down will prompt the bait supply to venture further south.
Captain Steve Rodger on Spear One reported some exciting action offshore. He was fishing the Atlantic waters with live bait. His anglers hooked 3 blackfin tuna, a sailfish and several bonito. The surprise of their offshore adventure came when they were reeling in one of the bonito and an estimated 400- pound marlin started thrashing the fish with its bill.
“The fish never even knew he was hooked,” Rodger said. Rodger throttled up the boat and chased this fish while his angler reeled trying to gain line and get an angle on the fish. Before they could catch up to the fish and possibly tie on another reel with more line, the marlin spooled them.
Rodger noted that he has never caught a marlin personally but has hooked quite a few.
The near shore waters continue to produce cobia, snapper and grouper. Cobia are being caught in the Gulf waters near any patch reef and smaller cobia can be found cruising the outside edge of the flats in the backcountry. Cobia are especially a good target for light tackle anglers and fly rodders in February.
The shallow water fishing took a bit of a shock with the cold snap this week. Prior to the first front there were several reports of large permit caught on the flats near Key West.
Since permit are more temperature sensitive than some of the other flats species, it may take a few warm days before we start seeing them actively feeding in shallow water again.
In leiu of the permit activity there are still plenty of fun species to fish for on the flats. Captain John Smouse on Shadow Caster out of A&B Marina has found his best fishing action in the backcountry basins near Key West. Smouse has been fishing for sea trout and catching plenty of them.
There is a slot limit on sea trout being between 15- and 20- inches. There is also an allowance of one sea trout over 20- inches which would be considered a trophy.
Smouse says there are plenty of large jacks and ladyfish working the mullet muds with the sea trout.
“You almost have to weed through the jacks and ladyfish to get to the sea trout,” Smouse said.
He’s been using a popping cork made by Cajun Thunder and it has been producing great.
For more information on fishing with Captain John Smouse contact him at 305-587-7669 or visit him at the A&B Marina behind the Commodore Restaurant in Key West.
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