KEY WEST – The month of October serves as a turning point for our fishing. Cool fronts start to drop down near the Keys more frequently and the action offshore takes a turn for the better.
The offshore fishing has still been inconsistent for pelagic species but the good news is there have been reports of sailfish, dolphin and wahoo being caught off Key West.
Captain Jay Weed on the Lucky Charm out of the Historic Seaport in downtown Key West reported his anglers released two sailfish this week. The sailfish were estimated to be 25- and 35- pounds.
Generally the sailfish that are found in our waters during the fall and winter months are smaller than the fish we will encounter in the spring. Don’t underestimate these smaller sailfish though, they still provide plenty of entertainment when hooked.
Weed’s anglers also landed several small dolphin, a few tuna and bonito and a kingfish on the same morning trip.
“It’s been up and down,” Weed remarked about their luck with fishing this week. “You either find a few things floating or not, it’s hit or miss,” Weed added.
Weed has been fishing everywhere from the Wall, which is about 18 miles south of Key West, to the reef where he’s managed to pick up some bonito, bar jacks and kingfish. He had made the 18- mile trek but found that much of their better fishing was inside of Wall.
One of the other boats in the Lucky Fleet, the Lucky Strike which is owned and operated by Captain Keith Hebert has had similar luck. Hebert reportedly had a nice catch of smaller blackfin tuna, kingfish, bonito and dolphin.
You can reach Captain Jay Weed on the Lucky Charm at 305-304-0208 or visit him in Key West at the Historic Seaport behind Turtle Kraals restaurant.
Captain Tony Murphy on the Key Limey out of Murray Marina also had some luck with blackfin tuna this week. Murphy mentioned that he’d been fishing every day this week and was doing something different each day. Murphy had just returned from a fly fishing trip where his anglers were interested in catching sharks on fly. Earlier in the week he fished the reef for yellowtail snapper.
This time of the year can be tough for offshore fishing. Captains will try several methods of fishing and switch between them in order to show their anglers a good time and bend a rod.
For more information visit his website at www.keylimey.com.
The reef fishing has reportedly slacked off over the past few days. It had been a strong bet for yellowtail snapper and grouper. The warm water of the Gulfstream could be a contributor. The blue water off Western Dry Rocks is reportedly in very close.
Captain Chris Johnson of SeaSquared Charters out of Marathon has been spending some time in the Gulf this week trying to keep his anglers busy.
Angler Curt Kenney of Chicago, IL released several goliath groupers on light tackle gear while fishing with Johnson. Kenney and his cousin, Jack Weiler of Long Beach, CA also caught several nice mangrove snappers and gag grouper.
Although the offshore fishing has plenty of room for improvement, the flats are still providing good action at least during the early morning and evening hours.
The tides have been just right for wading during the early morning tide change in the backcountry off Sugarloaf Key. If you are not in search of rolling tarpon, a hard sand flat at the beginning of the incoming tide is the place to be.
October hopefully brings some cooler water to the flats. Any lower temperatures will inevitably bring more fish back on to the flats.
Some of the most exciting fishing can happen during this time of year. Large barracuda make their way back onto the flats in greater numbers. There are more sharks cruising the flats, stirring up the bottom in search of food. The crevalle jacks will often follow sharks and sting rays so be sure to take a cast or two near them with a floating plug or popper.