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Lower Keys Fishing Report |
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Written by Captain Andrew Tipler
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Lower Keys Fishing Report
West winds and a full moon are generally the kiss of death when it comes to dolphin fishing. In fact the saying goes; wind out of the west stay home and rest. This did not seem to be the case this past week. There were still quite a few fish out there if you covered some territory.
The dolphin bite did slow a little bit over the weekend. The fish were scattered out through the blue water. We found a fish in the high 30’s on Sunday with no signs around. Most fish were schoolies and were located by finding the birds. Having a quality radar helps find birds if you practice tuning it. If you don’t find any signs of life out there try tolling the contours and rips in the 500-700ft depth range. There were even quite a few billfish spotted in those depths so it is a good idea to have something in the spread for a fish with a pointed nose. I like at least one horse ballyhoo or marlin lure on the short corner. Don’t drag more baits than your crew can handle and you will catch more fish than trolling everything you have. Keep in mind that a big fish or two will often require fast boat maneuvering and someone clearing baits. For this reason I troll with 4-6 lines.
Reef fishing was excellent this past week. The Reef Shootout took place Saturday and Sunday. The prizes given away were some of the best I have seen at any tournament; the money was not bad either. If you missed out on this tournament fear not, it will be back next year. There were some impressive fish caught including a grouper just under 40lbs, 17lb mutton, some jumbo yellowtails and a 40lb wahoo. There was a jig division, which was the sleeper of the tournament. Thousands of dollars worth of Williamson jigs went to the winners of this category. Look for reef fishing to get even better as we get further from the full moon. Large yellowtails along the reef and grouper on your deep numbers would be a good bet over the next week. The muttons were the weakest catch on the reef. It seems that most of these fish are out west making babies.
Wreck fishing has also been a good bet, particularly if you landed a bunch of jigs during the reef shootout. Vertical jigs have been getting hit with just a few cranks. Remember to use your sonar when working the jigs. Find an area holding fish and drop your jigs. If you get a hit but no hookup try dropping back through that depth and back again. With a little practice you can learn roughly how deep your jig is and fish the marks on your sonar. I also like a live bait down while jigging. Live pinfish on long leaders might just land you a tasty mutton or something more exotic such as an African pompano.
Flats fishing can be a little frustrating with all the skiffs fishing Oceanside. It can be tough to find an area where you are not encroaching on someone else’s line. With this may boats Oceanside try hitting a bonefish or permit spot and you might just be rewarded with fish that have not seen a boat in a few days. The backcountry tarpon fishing is also getting better and better hopefully taking some pressure off the Oceanside fish. Good luck and good fishing.
Last Cast Charters
scarpa1@bellsouth.net
www.lastcastcharters.net
(305)744-9796
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