1) Key West Fishing Near Shipwrecks

It is no big secret that the Florida Keys have long been known throughout history for stealing mighty ships from the high seas. Thankfully, wrecks are a thing of the past, but the ghosts of what lurks beneath the surface make for fabulous fishing locales. An abundance of amberberjacks, permit, snapper and grouper, congregate around the wrecks all season long.

2) Harbor Fishing

Unlike many many of the waterways in the United States which are man made, in the Florida Keys, most of them are natural. Though few of them have been dredged by both the shipping industry and U.S. Navy. These are ideal locations to pull up your boat, drop anchor and enjoy a little peace and fishing. Various species can be found in these spots including cobia, permit and tarpon.

3) On the Reef

The coral formations around Key West are some of the healthiest not only off the coast of the continental United States, but around the world. Everything thrives here, because the reefs act as a shield against storms, it is a haven for bottom fish like snapper and grouper. The Gulf side of the reef is home to several species of schooling fish such as mackerel and yellowtail snapper. If you play your cards right, you may even reel in an impressive kingfish or barracuda.

4) The Romance of Bridge Fishing

Not everyone wants to spend the afternoon bobbing around the high seas on a boat. The Florida Keys are rife with beautiful historic bridges, and Ernest Hemingway loved to spend the afternoon perched on a bridge, dreaming up his next literary masterpiece with the fish nibbling at his line. Long Key Bridge, the Toms Harbor Bridges and the west end of the Old Seven Mile Bridge are great places to pack a lunch, slap on some sunscreen, and let the day take you away.

5) Deep sea Fishing

For the more ambitious, taking advantage of the bordered geography of the Florida Keys means a big pay off. While the Gulf of Mexico and the Straits of Florida provide the ultimate environment for healthy reefs, the water also plunges to a whopping 1,500 feet or more, meaning a more varied array of fish species than any other type of Key West fishing. White marlin, sailfish, spearfish, kingfish, dolphin, wahoo, tuna, barracuda, grouper and jacks are just a sampling of what you might find at the end of your reel.

There may be 101 reasons to come to Key West, but for the avid angler, Key West Fishing is reason enough to pack your bags and enjoy sun, surf and the thrill of the breaking one of those world records!

For more information on a Key West Fishing Charter, Call 877-885-5397 today!

Towards the Atlantic Ocean, charter excursions have seen some success seven to sixteen miles offshore. Some fabulous fighting game-fish, including Blackfin Tuna, Sailfish and Wahoo have been hitting the live bait. If you want these fish to hit hard, our captains are recommending using Herring or Pilchards in one hundred to two twenty-five feet depths. Mutton Snapper Bottom Fishing has also been successful on the Atlantic side. Captain Bill Wallace of the charter, Outcast, reports a fruitful half-day excursion, claiming six Dolphin Fish and a couple of Sailfish.

Approximately nine to nineteen miles out in the Gulf, captains are reporting that the King Mackerel are going for live bait as well; Blue Runners and Herring have been the most successful bait. Anglers are snagging Mackerel ranging up to forty-five pounds. The Coolwater's Captain, Tony Miller, recently had a client claim a forty-three pound trophy.

The forecast calls for some excellent offshore angling off Key West this weekend.

We've seen some sporadic success catching Wahoo lately, leading our clients to catch forty-five pound and twenty-five pound specimens. Slow trolling with live Blue Runners and Goggle Eyes also worked well on the Wahoo.

Further deep sea, we continue to see some Sailfish. Recently, our captains have been guiding our Deep Sea Charters to fish for Blackfin Tuna near one hundred and fifty foot to two hundred and fifty foot deepwater wrecks. We've been cast netting in the grassy flats for live Pilchers and using this baitfish to chum and bait our lines to catch fifteen to thirty pound Tuna.

This week, the north winds should remain favorable for Deep Sea Fishing to the south of Key West. We'll also be for some Light Tackle action while free lining with live Pilchers for two to six pound Yellowtail Snappers. We've seen the most success by using twelve to fifteen pound test on light spinning rods.

Good anglin',

Capt. Damon Santelli

Tarpon is the ultimate fish when it comes to sport fishing in Key West, and there is no better place in the world than here to do fish for them. An interesting fact about the Tarpon is they have a lung and can breath oxygen when surfaced out of the ocean, and can be found in brackish waters because of this biological feature.

If you’re interested at trying your hand at catching one of these fighting fish, then you should check out one of our many Light Tackle Fishing charters. These strong and monstrous fish put up a good fight, and the reward is well worth it.

The best way to catch a Tarpon is to cast a crab into a school of them on a spinning rod. The Tarpon will test you as the angler, and your patience so be sure to be prepared, physically and mentally. Good luck!

Our lucky anglers this week caught huge King Mackerels all week long, but the mackerel pictured for this week’s edition of Catch of the Week was estimated to be around 45-55 pounds.

The Key West King Mackerel normally weighs 5-35 pounds but have been found to exceed over 90 pounds. These fish tend to eat squid, sardine-like fish, jacks, grunts, and minnows.

This week’s “Catch of the Week” for our Key West Top Guide charters is John and Carol. They were visiting Key West over the weekend from Palm Beach County, and booked a charter with Coolcast, and caught an Amberjack.

This Amberjack is particularly interesting because of its sheer massive size. This catch weighed somewhere between 50 – 70 pounds, which they normally are most common to weigh between 20 – 50 pounds. There have been cases of fish reaching 170 pounds.

The Amberjack is notable for having a bluish brown stripe down the lengths of each side, and are found among reefs, wrecks, and oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. These fish tend to be aggressive and are a predator fish, and prey on a variety of fish, like scads and herring, but they also eat crab and squid.

Our catch of the week for April 4 goes to Chris, who was visiting Key West in New York, for catching this beautiful Atlantic Blue Marlin on our Coolwater charter with Captain Damon Santelli, who is all very familiar with the waters of Key West since he has been on them since he was a young boy. This Blue Marlin was estimated to weigh between 50-70 pounds, and almost 5 feet in length!

The larger female Atlantic Blue Marlins have been found to weigh up to more than four times as the biggest males, which rarely exceed 350 pounds. This marlin does not reach sexual maturity until around 2 – 4 years old, and life span differs between sexes. The male Blue Marlin might live up to 18 years and females can reach a whopping 27 years old. Another interesting fact is that the Atlantic Blue Marlin uses its long, sharp bill to injure or kill its prey, normally when the prey is in a school.

To try a stab at fishing the Atlantic Blue Marlin, call to book a charter for your next visit to Key West at +1 (877) 885-5397.

But there is an upside to this, and the good news is in the waters just off of the Florida Keys. April has been prime fishing for sailfish, and there have been several successful charters in catching the wild predator. The Ultra Grand Slam had two charters in one day that were successful in catching sailfish, and they were beautiful. Other than that, the Coolwater charter has been really fruitful in catching Tuna while deep sea fishing in Key West.

In other Key West fishing news, four fishing bridges were closed this month, due to safety concerns. These bridges were once a part of Henry Flagler’s Railway, and are more than 100 years old. They mostly serve as pedestrian traffic, and fishing areas for local fisherman. If you still want some great fishing, then book a charter with us, visit our website at keywesttopguides.com.

Because of these traits, the Mahi-Mahi is sought after by those fishing in the Key West for both sport and consumption. The typical diet of Mahi-Mahi is smaller fish, and they are often attractedto floating debris such as wood and seaweed because of the large ecosystems ofmicroscopic organisms whichattract their preferred prey. The world-record largest Mahi-Mahi ever caught was 88 pounds, and our biggest catch this month fishing in the Key West totaled a whopping 44 pounds; typically any catch over 40 pounds is considered remarkable.

Mahi-Mahi are most often caught between April and July in the Key West. Other species of fish such as Grouper, Blue Marlin, Snapper, Amberjack, and Sailfish are also populous and in season at this time of year. In the Key West, Mahi-Mahi are preferably caught in the deep sea by trolling, but live bait, fly fishing, and sight fishing methods can also be effective. Regardless of what kind of fish you end up with, fishing in the Key West is an amazing experience this time of year. If you wish to have the time of your life by catching a beautiful and delicious Mahi-Mahi, book a charter with us at our website at keywesttopguides.com.