KEY WEST – October weather can offer us the serenity of light winds and calm seas. This month the weather can also rear its ugliness and give any angler a punishing ride home from a good day of fishing.
We have had a taste of both conditions this week. Fortunately there are enough creative captains and guides that can find a spot to hide and turn an otherwise rough day into a productive day of fishing.
Advice to the visiting angler – be flexible. An angler with a dream to catch one particular fish is honorable, but experiencing the fishery here in the Keys should not be passed up in the meantime.
Through the month of October the Keys go through a transition where the waters cool and different species move into our waters. Deep sea fishing can be a struggle on windy days, especially if you are hailing from the heartland of our country and have never been on a boat in the open ocean.
The answer to a windy day on the high seas is to familiar with reef fishing. Fortunately the patch reefs that protect the Keys are teeming with many species of snapper, grouper, mackerel and sharks.  The reef also acts as a barrier and can make being on a small vessel more tolerable.
Captain Tony Skinner reports that he has been lucky to get out fishing for most of the week. He’s kept busy by targeting baby tarpon.
Many of the baby tarpon holes are protected from the wind, making it easy to fish no matter how hard the wind blows.
“The water is clear everywhere,” Skinner said.
This is great news for anglers who love the flats. Clear water and clear skies equals good sight fishing. Skinner noted that when the clouds move in he heads for light color sand flats where fish are more visible.
Skinner has not only had good luck catching a few tarpon, but permit, bonefish, barracuda and sharks are on his tally for this week.
You can visit Capt. Tony Skinner behind Turtle Kraals at the Historic Key West Seaport or call him at 305-304-2483.
Bonefish have still been the highlight of shallow water fishing this week. Throughout the mid and lower Keys there are so many spots to see and fish for bonefish. In the Marathon area there are plenty of flats that hold bonefish and permit along the Gulf and ocean sides of the 7-Mile Bridge. Working down the Keys, bonefish are reportedly more concentrated on the Gulf-side flats.
Many of the same flats are fishing good for permit. The outer edges of these flats, particularly if they are close to a deep channel, are the best bet for seeing a school of permit and they pop on and off the flat in search food.
Our resident tarpon are thinning out but are still willing to eat a bait offering of live pinfish or mullet.
Capt. Jim Peabody of Reel Therapy Fishing out of Little Torch Key reports some productive days on the Marathon Hump.
“You have to get out there early or late,” Peabody said.
Apparently since this spot is no secret it gets a lot of daytime traffic from Marathon and Lower Keys anglers.
“The up well of the hump helps it hold a lot of bait,” Peabody said.
Lately this area has been holding plenty of blackfin tuna but it can certainly be good for wahoo and sailfish too.
Peabody also reported the yellowtail snapper fishing along the reef has been excellent. Peabody has been fishing in 30- feet of water which he says is a perfect depth to chum these fish all the way to the surface.
Peabody says he uses a mix of dead bait and pinfish when he’s headed to the reef for a charter. As we get into farther into the fall season pilchards will move in to more shallow water and be easily netted in the early morning for use on the reef later that day.
For more information about fishing with Capt. Jim Peabody visit his website at www.reeltherapyfishingcharters.com.