The heat was on this past week, with daytime temperatures creeping into the 90s.
However, the fishing has not cooled down in the least. Calm days have giving anglers every opportunity to pursue any species they could want with dolphin, tuna and tarpon being the main targets for most.
Out in the deep on board the Latitude Changer, former president of the Upper Keys Fishing Club, Capt. Mike Casale, has had a great week fishing for dolphin, tuna and yellowtail snappers off Key Largo.
He reported an increasingly better bite of dolphin that improved as the week went on. He said there were lots of schoolies and not too many big slammers or gaffers, with a few blackfin and skipjack tuna.
Captain Mike stated that the calm conditions have allowed the sargasso grass to form good weed lines found just about every mile past the reef line. During the beginning of the week, the Latitude Changer was finding a great bite in 350 to 600 feet, but as the week went on, the action pushed in to shallower waters from 250 400 feet.
Once they had their limit of dolphin or the action slowed, Capt. Mike would turn his attention to yellowtail snapper. Finding a good bite in 80 to 110 feet was easy, but the extremely clean waters have made the bigger tails picky. When this occurs, Capt. Mike suggested looking for areas with murkier waters or deeper spots to fish.
On the reef fishing the bottom has been very productive for Capt. Chan Warner and his crew aboard the party boat Gulfstream out of the Key Largo Fisheries. He’s been consistently catching good amounts of legal grouper averaging between 12 and 20 pounds, with larger ones caught every day.
Last week they had two 50-plus-pound black groupers find their way into the Gulfstream’s cooler. Mixed in with the groupers have been lots of legal-size mutton snappers averaging 5 to 10 pounds most days, with smaller and larger fish caught during every trip. The best bait has been live ballahoo found in 80 to 90 feet just inside the reef line and speedos fished on the bottom in 90 to 110 feet.
Closer to home, the tarpon season continues to roll on. Fish are being caught all day and night with fly and spin tackle. However, with the calmer conditions and warmer days, the night tarpon bite has not only been more comfortable for anglers, but more productive as well.
Most boats use dead baits like mullet and dolphin carcasses fished on the bottom of channels, passes and bridges. These baits not only caught tarpon, but sharks, rays and grouper as well. Others drift live crabs under bobbers around bridges and channels for tarpon and the occasional permit.
Out in the backcountry, there is plenty to do with redfish, snook and tarpon found around Flamingo and the outer banks of Florida Bay.
Big schools of redfish have been moving around the flats all over the backcountry averaging 4 to 10 pounds. Look for areas with lots of sharks around to help locate the big numbers of fish.
Snook and tarpon have been found in good numbers around areas with good moving water, like creek mouths and shorelines with deep edges and good structure. Live baits like mullet, pinfish and pilchards work great when drifted into productive areas with the current. Otherwise artificial lures like 5- to 7-inch jerk baits, colors white or chartreuse, rigged weedless help locate productive areas.
If you plan on heading into the backcountry, plan on wearing long pants and long sleeve shirts as all the rainfall has produced lots of mosquitoes and horse flies, depending on where you are fishing.
Remember to avoid standing in the lower portions of your vessel, as horse flies love these areas. Instead try standing on your cooler or upper casting deck to help avoid these biting insects.
Those of you who know me, know that to me, fishing is more than just a game, it is a way of life. So fish hard and fish often!
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