KEY WEST  -  Weather plays an important role in the life of any fishing guide. Waking up to the Weather Channel becomes more important than the local Miami news.
By this time in late May the weather is usually settled into a nice pattern of warmth and sunshine with our token afternoon shower. Not this week.
You guessed it. The high pressure to our north and the low pressure down south have created a wind tunnel right over the Florida Keys. It does not make for good fishing conditions at all, but for some guides and charter captains the show must go on and the results are not bad.
The Butler family from St. Pete Beach caught a break earlier in the week while fishing aboard the Outer Limits with Captain Bennett Taylor. John Butler, his wife Rhonda and son Kevin had a great day of dolphin fishing this week.
Taylor was mostly working a rip west of Key West south to 650- feet. Taylor managed to pick off plenty of dolphin in the 15- to 20- pound range. The Butler family also caught a 20- pound wahoo while trolling and released a sailfish. When the day was done the family had landed a total of 25 dolphin, the largest weighing 34- pounds.
But Taylor’s luck with dolphin fishing does not end there. Even during some of the less than perfect weather days this week Taylor has pulled off some amazing fishing.
His latest catch consisted of 14 large dolphin and an estimate 40- pound wahoo.
“You just don’t catch fish like this anymore unless you have a good day,” Taylor remarked.
Taylor was fishing to the east near Pelican Shoal in 550- feet of water. His winning tactic this time was the high flying frigate bird.
Following frigate birds and watching their reaction can be the best dolphin fishing tactic, especially if there are no weed lines forming offshore. According to Taylor, dolphin will work from east to west and the frigate birds will do the same, following the fish’s every move.
“If we are in the right depth following a frigate I can often see the fish coming and sweep the baits in front of them,” Taylor said.
On this particular day the dolphin were high and happy, busting flying fish on the surface.
The one fun part about dolphin fishing is that the lull of trolling and looking for birds, weed lines and rips can quickly turn to chaos when all the baits get hit at once.
Dolphin travel in schools. Most schools will have a bull dolphin which will be one of the larger fish, a few cow dolphin which can be of equally good size, and some smaller juvenile dolphin. Most often the smaller dolphin will hit your baits first leaving  you reeling like mad and trying to minimize the bloodbath that has encompassed the cockpit of your boat.
In the midst of all the mayhem, have a pitch rod ready with a live pinfish or a rigged ballyhoo. There may be a larger bull dolphin waiting in the wake of your boat just looking for something to eat.
For more information on fishing with Captain Bennett Taylor, visit his website at www.keywestcharterboat.com.
Captain Chris Lembo on Incognito reported landing an estimated 200- pound blue marlin this week. The blue was in hot pursuit of a juvenile dolphin which had taken refuge under Lembo’s boat. Lembo pulled in all his gear and watched the blue carefully circle his boat three times before tossing a rigged ballyhoo to the fish and hooking up.
Lembo’s angler put the wood to this blue marlin and had him boat side for a quick photo within 20- minutes. The charter went on to release three sailfish.
Lembo noted that the water outside the reef was crystal clear with nearly 80- feet of visibility. I imagine all these high winds will change that.
“Hopefully we’ll get some current back and the water will get dirty,” Lembo said.
The most peculiar thing that Lembo reported seeing in the offshore waters was a school of large tarpon in 2000- feet. The school was headed south towards Cuba.
For more information on Captain Chris Lembo, visit his website at www.incognitolighttackle.com.