Key West Fishing Reports

Blue Skies & Cool Temps

Happy Holidays!!!!!!! We are having a great time here in Key West catching a variety of wintertime fish. With the drop in the water temperature the Big Barracudas are flooding the flats just waiting to take well placed Tube Lure. Barracuda fishing in the shallow water is some of the most exciting fishing there is. For those of you that have caught them offshore on heavy tackle you might be wondering what the attraction is. But once you sight fish for them in the backcountry and watch them go from zero to sixty and explode on your lure right in front of the boat you are going to have a new found respect for them. On light tackle the fight is equally impressive: blistering runs and spectacular jumps are just part of their repertoire.
This is also the time of year that the Backcountry Basins fill up with all types of fish. We have been catching SeaTrout. Jack Crevalles, Ladyfish, Bluefish, and Big Blacktip Sharks. This fishing is fun for all skill levels and it can be nonstop action.

Back from Wales

Richard and Stephanie came back for their 3rd year in a row to fish with me on the ShadowCaster. They had a great 1/2 day morning fishing, each catching a Tarpon (hers was bigger) a few Jacks and a nice Cuda. The Barracudas are starting to show up in the shallow flats. They are usually more of a winter time fish, but with our first coldfronts already coming through, the Cudas are enjoying the cooler water temps.
This is the time of year the Tarpon fishing is going to slow way down. Once the temperature drops, Tarpon move on out. But the Permit fishing should remain strong through the month of October and November. These next two months are also a great time to go and do some Bonefishing. I have been seeing quite a few fish at the bottom of the tide.
We should also start to see the Basin Fishing (SeaTrout, Jacks, Sharks, Ladyfish) improve over the next few weeks. This type of fishing is a great time for fishermen (& women) of all skill levels.

Team Hooters

Andrew Brace and his friend, Alan, came down from Tennessee for some great fishing this weekend on the ShadowCaster. Both Andrew and Alan are GM’s of the popular Hooter’s restaurant in Downtown Nashville. (and I thought I had a great job) We managed to dodge a few rain showers and put some fish in the boat. Over the two days of fishing both guys caught several nice snook, hooked four Tarponand got two to the boat, a bunch of Jacks and snappers, 10+ sharks topping 125 pounds, a couple bonefish and one great big Barracuda. There is some Great fishing happening in the tourist “off season” so give me a call to take advantage of some great rates!!!!

Labor Day Weekend

Judy and Dave came down from New Jersey for a pre-wedding getaway and some flats fishing on the ShadowCaster. Congrats on thier upcoming nuptuals in October. The Permit fishing has been great so far this month. We are having some flat calm weather, which makes for awesome “tailing” and “floating” conditions for Permit fishing. Permit will actually float on the surface, with their backs and tails out of the water. Permit fishing is probably my favorite and seeing a dozen or more fish on the surface bobing up and down will surely get your heart racing. Hopefully these conditions will remain for the rest of the month and all those Hurricanes stay out in the Atlantic. Call (305.587.7669) or send me an email to get out on the water and get Hooked-Up.

Summer Fishing

Bob and his fishing buddy Raymond really wanted to catch a Permit and here is a picture of thier double header. Bob went on to release another and Raymond caught and released a Tarpon about 100lbs. David Plummer and his wife came fishing with the ShadowCaster and released two Permit on a 6Hr Trip. So needless to say the Permit fishing has been great this summer.

Sharks are also a great target this time of year. Above is a picture of the business end of a nice size Blacktip Shark. Along with the Blacktips we also caught a alot of Lemons and a few Bull Sharks this past week. The Sharks are weighing anywhere from 30lbs to over 200lbs. Great fun on light tackle in skinny water.

SpringTime

Tarpon fishing is in full swing. The fish showed up a bit late, but what can you do about the Coldest Winter anyone in Key West can remember. But that is all behind us now and Spring Fishing is great. You never know what you are going to catch here in the Key West BackCountry. Above is a 30lb King Mack that hit a live bait intended for the SilverKing. Not what we were after, but a great catch!!! Permitfishing is also great right now and should continue until the fish decide it is time to spawn and move to deeper water.

Look for Tarpon fishing to stay strong through June.

Father/Daughter Fishing

Lola and her Father, John, had a great day on the ShadowCaster during one of our many cold fronts this winter. Lola released all the fish above along with ladyfish, blacktip sharks and a few dozen mangrove snapper. Thanks again Lola and John and see ya next year!!!!

Winter in Key West

It may be freezing in other parts of the country, but in Key West the sun is still shining. Although we are experiencing a colder Jan/Feb then usual it still isn’t snowing!!! Above are some of the winter time SeaTrout that frequent our backcountry during the colder months. They may not be the Mighty Tarpon or Elusive Permit, but they sure taste good and provide us with some great action this time of year. Cold Winter = Warm Spring = Huge Tarpon, that is what we have to look forward too!!!!!

Winter Fishing

With the heavy winds of Ida now passed, Winter is settling in here in Key West. Our days are bright and sunny with winds out of the north. The water temperature is cooling down bringing in our winter time fish. Barracudas are showing up on the flats and this fishery should only get better as the cooler temps continue. There aren’t many fish on the flats as exciting as a Big Cuda. When fishing the shallow waters the fish cannot dive deep, so their only means of escape is going away from the boat. Thus the runs are long and fast. Another winter fish is the Sea Trout, yep we get them down here. Mixed in with the trout are Jacks, Pompano, ladyfish (the poor man’s Tarpon), bluefish, mackerals, and blacktip sharks. Your skill level is not an issue here as this type of fishing is fun for everyone!