Recent Fishing Reports

Fishing Report, October 28, 2008

When cold fronts stoop down to Florida, two things tend to happen to the Florida Keys and Key West. The first cold front of the year, we saw the first outcome happen: the cold front reached into South Florida but not quite into the Keys. What is at the outer edge of this cold front are storms.

Key West and the Keys were at the edge of the cold front but not within it, so all we got were a series of rainstorms. The second outcome is what is happening this week: winds. Today, we woke up and the temperature was in the lower 60's… we know this is warm for some Northerners, but for us, this is cold! And add the winds that sometimes hit the island in this time of year, and it is really cold! (For us!). A lot of the tour operators have cancelled trips for today, as the winds have reached over 30 miles per hour—which is not particularly accommodating conditions for smaller boats and water activities.

            Several fishing charter captains have not cancelled their trips, however, choosing to brave the winds and try out fishing styles and techniques that become more suitable in this kind of weather. One fishing captain friend of mine says that when the weather gets this testy, he just takes it slow and easy. The key in these kinds of conditions is patience, and often the rewards are greater than on a more typical fishing trip! Yesterday, captains were able to catch tarpon that were quite abundant. Other types of fish they snagged were snook and trout.

So, as you see, do not let these greater winds dissuade you. The decision to go out or not is really up to your captain, since he knows his boat and his abilities and limits the best. But if your captain is ready to get out there and do some fishing, be open to his suggestions for the best fishing trip, as options do become somewhat more limited in these conditions. We promise that the trip will be a memorable one—strong winds are not always as bad as they may seem

October 24th

We had a great fall sailfish bite this week. The sails have been running in deapths of 90-140 feet of water. We have been catching our fish on live thread herring of the kite or flat lining. We have caught at least 1 per trip while offshore.

The Reef has been very productive with big yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, and even Cobia. Whith good west current mixeed with dirty water the fish have had no chance when the proper techniques are being used.

Catching dinner and a few extra has been no problem at all.

01/07/08 Offshore and Light Tackle Report from Damon Santelli

01/07/08 Flats Report from Mike Wilbur

3/12/08 Bennett Taylor Offshore Report

Call 866-684-3474 To book your dates!