Key West Fishing Reports
Updated fishing reports from the Lower Florida Keys & Key West
April 23, 2007 at 2:05 pm · Filed under Key West Sport Fishing, Key West Deep Sea Fishing, Florida Fishing Weekly
KEY WEST - Key West was the host to the 5th Annual World Sailfish Championship this week. For a change high winds were not a factor in this years tournament. In fact the conditions were less than perfect for sailfishing. A calm sea and no current are two things that make pursuing sailfish very difficult.
Despite the flat calm conditions and westerly winds which are usually the kiss of death for our fishing, a record number of sailfish were released. The final tally of documented releases was 538 fish which meant that nearly ninety two percent of the boats caught fish.
Being in the right place was luck of the draw and for the winning team, Get Lit; it was not only luck but a history of tournament fishing that led them to yet another victory.
Captain Ray Rosher and his team pulled off another victory during their three days of fishing in Key West waters. Team Get Lit released a total of 14 sailfish releases during the three days of fishing. Close on their heels was the Steel Magnolia with 13 sailfish releases.
Rosher, captain of Get Lit, along with owner Christopher ‘’Kitt'’ Toomey, and anglers Jon Cooper, Peter Miller, Claudio Martinez and Kelly Mayo returned to Miami with winnings totaling $100,000 and first prize in this year’s tournament.
Carl Masiello, owner of the Spanish Gardens Motel in Key West fished aboard the 33- foot Contender Beautiful Bonds II with owners Nick and Suzie Trivisonno and local guide Captain Tony Murphy. Murphy, who runs charters on his own Contender, Key Limey, is a well-known light tackle guide out of Murray Marina.
Masiello explained that their tactics during the first day kept them close to Key West. Apparently the day prior Masiello and Murphy were out catching some additional baits and caught a glimpse of two sailfish jumping.
“That was a good sign,” Masiello said.
Finding a spot to fish between Marathon and Key West along the ‘sailfish highway’ sounds like an easy feat but factor in 110 boats and the power of the VHF radio and you’ll find that boats seemed to be congregated in specific areas hoping that their bait gets taken.
Suzie Trivisonno had lady luck on her side during this tournament. As an accomplished angler she is not new to tournament fishing. The first day Trivisonno released one fish out of four that they hooked.
The second day she released another sailfish. By that time it was apparent that they should gun for the women’s division on day three.
“The last day it was all up to Suzie,” Masiello said.
Trivisonno finished with four sailfish releases taking third place in the Women’s Division. The top lady angler with 8 releases went to Yalennie Vinas on Persistance and second place was awarded to Angie Wolf on Win-N-Angel. Wolf released 5 sailfish and also was recognized for tagging the most fish.
The World Sailfish event is a great tournament that benefits many charities. For more information about the tournament and for complete results visit their website at www.worldsailfish.com.
Besides a record number of sailfish releases the Key West offshore waters have had some other notable catches this week.
Captain Steve Magee on the Ramerezi out of Charter Boat Row in Key West nearly had an offshore slam this week. His anglers landed a blue marlin estimated at 150- pounds and a white marlin that was 60- pounds. The blue marlin was taken on 30- pound test on a dead bait. Magee was fishing an area called Middle Crack in 835 feet of water.
Magee also noted that several large dolphin were also being caught in the same area.
Reef and wreck fishing has improved. Mutton snapper should be gearing up to spawn in May and June. Permit are still occupying the wrecks and patch reefs in the Atlantic and Gulf but surprisingly there are still large permit being caught on the flats too.
The tarpon may need a little more time to warm up here in the Lower Keys. So far this year there have been only a handful of days where the shallow water tarpon fishing has been good. We’ve got a south east breeze now which will hopefully warm the water up for good and bring the tarpon in to feed.
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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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April 21, 2007 at 3:22 pm · Filed under Key West Sport Fishing, Key West Deep Sea Fishing
Key West was buzzing with offshore anglers this week for the 5th Annual World Sailfish Championship. Headquarters are at Mallory Square in Key West. Despite slow fishing in previous days, the tournament got off to a good start with a total of 169 sailfish released on Day One. For complete results visit www.worldsailfish.com .
DAY 1
1st place Sea Wolff – 7 sailfish
2nd place Wound Up – 7 sailfish
3rd place Vitamin Sea Too – 6 sailfish
4th place Get Lit – 6 sailfish
5th place Rod Holder – 5 sailfish
169 Total Sailfish Caught
Day 2
Steel Magnolia – 10 (3 the first day)
Miss Britt – 10 (4 the first day)
Sea Wolff – 9 ( 7 the first day)
Get Lit – 9 (6 the first day)
Wound Up – 8 ( 7 the first day)
For you tarpon anglers - the fish are beginning to move on the oceanside of the Keys. Whether this next front makes them disappear again is another story… stay tuned…
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April 17, 2007 at 1:01 am · Filed under Key West Flats Fishing
The electric light show yesterday was just a prelude to the awful weather that struck the Keys. Cold winds moved in after the initial rain and brought temperatures down quite a bit.
As for the tarpon - if we knew where they went when it got cold, we’d go fish there. Unfortunately they do disappear but it was already warm this afternoon and the high winds have subsided so maybe, just maybe there will be hope in some good tarpon fishing for the end of this week.
Permit fishing has a sudden spurt of energy on the flats prior to the weekend. Several reports of permit caught up to 15- pounds. Many are still offshore spawning but they may commute to the flats for some food.
Offshore waters are producing some big dolphin and the reef fishing has picked up a bit with some great mutton snapper fishing. The World Sailfish Championship starts this Wednesday in Key West. We certainly hope for some better numbers in sailfish as it’s been kind of slow so far.
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April 5, 2007 at 9:50 pm · Filed under Key West Flats Fishing
If you are just hanging on the edge of your cubicle seat waiting for the word that we’ve got tarpon in Key West well YES we do! They’re starting to show up now and can be found throughout the backcountry and west of Key West all the way to the Marquesas.
Seaplane basin is a good place to start looking, just be advised of the etiquette for flats fishing here if you plan on bringing your own boat. Be respectful of boats already fishing the area. Most professional guides will pole a long way into position instead of using their motor so they do not push the fish away from neighboring boats in the area. Tarpon may not spook easily but they may be come weary of the noise of a motor.
If you are having a difficult time seeing the tarpon you are not alone. These fish may appear very dark under the surface and will even look purple through some polorized glasses. Your cast should put the fly or bait in the tarpon’s “zone” where he can see and eat it readily and not have to turn or think about eating.
Fly fishing for tarpon is one of the biggest attractions in the area. Fish are migrating, daisy chaining and are resting layed up in pockets in the backcountry flats. If you can show them what they want to see, they’ll eat and then all you have to do is hold on and bow to the King!
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April 5, 2007 at 9:42 pm · Filed under Key West Flats Fishing, Key West Sport Fishing, Florida Fishing Weekly
KEY WEST – Spending a few days on the water in the Florida Keys can often be the perfect cure for the winter-time blues. For those of you stuck in an office cubicle I feel your pain. But don’t feel so bad about being here this week, the wind has been howling, I mean howling, out of the north east and keeping a lot of boats dockside.
The water temperatures have not fluctuated much but the churned up waters of the Gulf of Mexico has made fishing on the flats and offshore somewhat concentrated on the Atlantic waters.
Inshore Gulf-side flats have been fishable on the outgoing tide for permit because they remain fairly clear, but once the tide switches it is a matter of just a few hours before visibility has diminished.
The ocean side flats of the Lower Keys have been fishing good for barracuda. On these somewhat cooler days the barracuda will stack up on the sandy ocean flats. These fish were very active in the beginning of the week. As the days progressed it seemed as though the barracuda were lure-shocked and became leary of flies and lures.
West of Key West the flats are reportedly clear inside the Lakes Passage out to Boca Grande Channel, mostly on the south side. This area has reportedly still fishing very good for large permit. Captain Peter Heydon out of Garrison Bight Marina had three consecutive days of good fishing where his angler landed a permit over 20- pounds on a live crab.
Other great opportunities in the shallow waters include redfish, cobia, large jacks and sharks. Redfish are not abundant in the Lower Keys but when the north winds blow for any amount of time these fish tend to push down onto our flats and also on patch reef areas in the Gulf.
Several captains have made these windy days fun for anglers with an action packed shark fishing trip. Shark fishing should never be overlooked for light tackle anglers as well as fly rodders. It’s a lot of fun to hook these dangerous creatures and feel their arm-burning first run. Spinner sharks are common during the winter months and these strong fish will jump and spin in the air when hooked, hence their nickname. The spinning motion of this shark is one way in which is catches it’s prey.
Speaking of sharks, the next MadFin Shark Series airs on April 9th on ESPN2 featuring the most exciting catch and release shark event yet. Many of our Key West light tackle guides and anglers are featured. Check it out.
Windy conditions were a factor in the offshore waters this week but it did not keep some of the larger sportfishing boats from giving it their best for the tug of an Atlantic sailfish. Yes, at long last the sailfish bite is picking up a bit.
“It’s about time,” said Captain Bennett Taylor on the Outer Limits.
Taylor’s 41- foot sportfisher has given him an advantage this week by offering anglers a more comfortable ride to the fishing grounds. Earlier in the week there were what is called tailing conditions for sailfish. This term is for when the east wind and east current push the sailfish to the surface and they can be seen “riding” down the waves. It can be a very productive time to fish for sailfish too.
Taylor had several multiple sailfish days. He was using live threadfin herring and utilizing a kite and drifting with the current.
There has been no defined color change and now that the eastbound current has been slowing down, the water is not as clear.
Captain Rush Maltz on Odyssea out of Murray Marina has been hiding from the rough seas in closer to the reef. Maltz had a great catch consisting of 14 mutton snapper and some grouper.
Maltz says these bottom fish can be finicky.
“It depends on whether they want to eat or not,” Maltz said.
Maltz does admit that sailfishing is the easiest thing to do in these rougher seas and high winds. Drifting downwind and with the current he uses both thread herring and pilchards to entice the bite.
In addition to landing a few sailfish this week, Maltz found a few dolphin that were willing to eat too.
So what is in store for April? Historically it is some of the best fishing available. You name it. Fish offshore for sailfish, wreck fishing for permit, flats fishing for tarpon, and reef fishing for grouper and snapper.
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April 2, 2007 at 5:13 pm · Filed under Key West Flats Fishing, Key West Sport Fishing, Key West Deep Sea Fishing
Windy conditions are beginning to subside in the Lower Keys. At long last after nearly two weeks of 20 mph winds we’re getting a break. Blue skies and temps in the low 80s make for a wonderful day.
Permit fishing still remains active with plenty of big permit on the flats feeding like crazy. This will start to diminish towards the middle of the month. Permit take their spring hiatus to the offshore waters to spawn and will return to the flats close to mid-June.
Tarpon fishing should bust wide open any day now. Tarpon are already being spotted in deeper basins and are being fished for on light tackle in the Northwest Channel and in Key West Harbor areas. Look for the backcountry flats and oceanside flats to be flooded with them soon. Fly fishing for tarpon is something that attracts so many anglers this time of year. April through June is considered the high season for tarpon but don’t rule out July as one of the best months to chase the silver king.
Offshore fishing has been increasingly better for sailfish. Sailfish migrate into the Key West area in search food and good water temps. The Gulfstream has moved in close to Key West over the past week and brings more activity in the form of sailfish, mahi-mahi, and other migratory fish. Bottom dwelling fish like snapper and grouper have been fishing okay but with some changes in the current this type of fishing could be a lot better.
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March 20, 2007 at 7:09 pm · Filed under Key West Flats Fishing
The psychology of permit fishing
Capt. Kris Suplee of Marathon is unwinding behind a table at Hurricane Hole Marina. He looks wind-burned and sunburned like the other captains, and yet, there is a certain glow. The look tells me there is no need to rush over to the scoreboard to check the results of the second-annual March Merkin Permit Tournament that concluded Friday.
“I always wanted to see what we’d be able to do with good weather,” Suplee says. He’s referring to his years of guiding Warren Hinrichs, an investment portfolio manager from Jacksonville with an uncanny knack for fooling permit.
In a sport where catching even one permit on fly is considered an achievement, Hinrichs has just caught and released six of the beautifully awkward animals in three days of fly fishing with Suplee. They are the easy winners of the 24-team competition.
Unlike bonefish, whose green torpedo bodies look like they sprang from a marine architect’s CAD program, permit have broad bodies with pointy black fins that are less than optimized for disguise. This big reef fish can’t help coming into the shallows to root for crustaceans, usually crabs. They’re more nervous and wary than bonefish, and harder to fool with a fly.
A stiff breeze, slight chop and bright sunshine are the optimal weather conditions for permit fishing. The chop makes it harder for the permit to see or feel an approaching boat; and for the angler the sunlight creates a convenient contrast between their black tails and the grassy background.
“It was a 7 out of 10,” Suplee says of the tournament weather.
That doesn’t mean it was easy, which is fine by Hinrichs. Permit fishing is exhilarating, he says, precisely because it’s hard.
“The permit game is a psychological game. You experience highs and lows very fast,” he says.
Missed casts; hooks that don’t stick; the wandering mind. They happen to Hinrichs too, believe it or not, or maybe thank goodness. The difference might be that he keeps the past out of the present better than most. He credits Suplee with more than finding the fish: “He did a really good job of keeping me focused.”
As for the choice of flies, most anglers, including Hinrichs, target permit with homespun versions of the Merkin fly. With these bits of fibers, feather and rubber strings are trimmed to resemble a crab darting for cover. Some anglers break out secret patterns in especially hard times, but most will rely on the Merkin.
Hinrichs and Suplee are on a roll that probably has nothing to do with the choice of fly. They won last July’s Del Brown Invitational Permit tournament too. It would be unwise to imply they’ve somehow solved the permit riddle, however. Every permit angler knows there will be dry spells, and in fact seated just a few feet away from Suplee is a living, breathing example.
He is Jon Ain, a part-time resident of Sugarloaf Key and a highly-successful permit angler. Ain helped create this tournament when the organizers of the annual Del Brown competition shifted that event to July. Conventional wisdom says March is a good month for permit fishing because the fish are feasting up before spawning offshore in April and early May. Ain was skunked over the three-day event after winning last year’s inaugural competition.
There’s no denying that Suplee and Hinrichs had the most spectacular fishing, but others at the dock are glowing too.
Loren Rea of Sugarloaf Key caught her third permit on fly while fishing with Capt. Edward Michaels of Yankee Town. Rea will go down as the first woman to catch a permit in the event. Her husband, Capt. Justin Rea, guided Brian Byerly to a permit.
In a role reversal, Capt. Peter Heydon of Key West stood on the bow while his long-time friend Bill Heindl of Richmond, Va., poled the boat. Heydon caught his second permit on fly, a 30.5-inch fish that weighed 24 pounds on the handheld “Boga Grip.”
Heydon and Heindl were edged out for the largest fish by David Dalu, an emergency room doctor from Charleston, S.C., who fished with Capt. Scott Collins of Marathon. Their fish also measured 30.5 inches, but they caught it earlier to earn the honors.
Heindl, who is 66, is okay with that: “Being the oldest guide, I don’t care,” he says.
Call it the winning permititude.
Ben Iannotta is a freelance journalist and flats fishing guide. He can be reached at biannotta@aol.com.
For complete results please visit www.marchmerkin.com
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March 1, 2007 at 2:05 pm · Filed under Key West Flats Fishing
All we needed was a few warm days to push the first wave of big tarpon into the Lower Keys. They are literally everywhere in the basins and deeper channels and on the deeper flats too.
This time of the year is best if you wish to fly fish for layed up tarpon. They swim just below the surface and are eager to eat a fly if you put it close to their nose. The tasty toad works well plus many other patterns in Chartreuse and black and purple in the early part of the day or at night.
Fishing should be good from Bahia Honda Bridge too for those who just want to fish at night from land or by boat.
The tarpon run may be short lived with a potential cold front coming on Monday but we’ll enjoy it while it lasts!
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February 26, 2007 at 1:21 am · Filed under Key West Flats Fishing
Were tetering on the edge of March and probably the best part of the season for permit. Today was a picture perfect Florida Keys day. Minimal clouds and just enough wind to get near the fish that roam the flats.
Congrats to Jon Ain of Sugarloaf Key on his 251st permit in fly. Ain is co-founder of the March Merkin permit tournament that will be held March 14-16th at Hurricane Hole Marina in Key West. Ain was fishing with Captain Justin Rea.
Offshore waters have been productive on deep wrecks and just off the reef for big black grouper. These fish are being hooked on live pinfish or on a dead ballyhoo on a downrigger.
The Mad Fin Shark Tournament will be filmed this week in Key West. Participants include Capt. Steve Rodger of Spear One, Captain Tony Murphy on Key Limey and several other notable Key West fishing guides. Look for the series to premier on ESPN this spring.
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