Keys

June 20th, 2007

Fishing report for 6-20-07 from D. M. Navarro @ the World Class Angler in Marathon.

Offshore, the key word is, as expected in early June, Dolphin! They are pouring through and the weather has finally cooperated enough for just about any sized vessel to get out there. I have over 12 different reports of fish caught in the past few days exceeding 50 pounds; tons of stories of fish over 30 pounds and lots of big smiles as they were telling me about them. The best part about the reports is that most of the action has not been that far out, at least for dolphin.

The majority of the reports of good catches have been from 6 to 10 miles beyond the reef line. This is where almost all of the very large fish that I have heard of being caught have been with quite a few of them inside of that; say 150 to 350 feet. These were caught sort of by accident. By that, I mean that they were trolling while they were headed in or out to the deeper water and found a big fish, mostly around nothing at all; no birds, no weeds or any debris in the area. All were caught on high-speed lures such as ‘Billy Baits’ and all were being trolled at over 10 knots while they were traveling. (It just goes to show that fish live in all of the water and not just certain parts of it!)

When you hear the fish are in 600 feet of water, understand this: In most of the Middle & Lower Keys, you will hit 600 feet of water about 5 to 6 miles from the edge of the reef. This depth, 600 to 699 feet, will maintain itself for about the next 8 to 10 miles out. I mention this because it is common for someone to report that the fish were in 640 feet of water. That is not quite as helpful as you may think. 640 feet can be 7 miles out as well as 15 miles out, depending on the exact bottom contour at that exact spot. A distance from shore is much more helpful for knowing where the fish were. Remember that the current changes everything from hour to hour and fish will not always stay in one are for long. It’s not like having a wreck to go to with numbers and all. All offshore fishing requires a certain amount of hunting, even on spots like the hump. The fish are not always going to be there when you are.

Tuna have also been prevalent, with good numbers of them only 8 miles out from the reef. You have to look for the birds working fast from east to west. Get in front of them, (Don’t try to come up from behind or you will push the fish down,) and you will do well with these black fin. The ‘hump,’ which is the only know bottom spot to find tuna has been hammered so bad by all of the boats with the calm seas that the only fish left are probably wearing crash helmets. (I’ve seen bee hives with less activity!) When’s the last time you caught big fish in the middle of 30 + boats within a 3 acre area?

Southwest of the ‘hump’ about 6 to 10 miles is where you should find some very large tunas. Both Skipjack and Blackfin will be here, moving fast to the west but it will seem like an endless supply. In this mess of tuna is where you are likely to find billfish feeding as well. You may also find quite a few porpoise in the area. There have been a few Yellowfin in this region lately too. From here and working west-southwest has always been some of my favorite fishing for a mix of tuna, wahoo, billfish and some very large dolphin or at least large schools of them. It is not for those that do not like to travel well offshore however. Sometimes you may wonder if you should be trolling with lures or cigars!

Both fresh baits as well as lures are good right now for dolphin. With numerous schoolies around, I would lean towards the lures personally. Those that know me know that I use artificial baits exclusively but for those that don’t, you may find that you will have to take tons of it to get through the day. Think about having four ballyhoo out when a bunch of small dolphin hit and have this happen several times to you. Bang, you are out a dozen baits with little or no real keepers to show for it. That is why I tend to teach to run at least two lures with two baits until you find some signs of larger fish. This way, you won’t be out of bait by noon. Not to mention, I have caught more big fish on artificial lures than I ever did on ballyhoo. The fish are close and numerous. Now all you have to do is to take out a second mortgage on your house to get enough money to put fuel into the boat to go fishing.

The reef has had reports this week that tend to show big grouper abound along with tons of yellowtail and mutton snapper that have been along the edge. The normal May run of mangrove snapper has not even started yet, as has happened with many species running late of normal this year. Area bridge channels have been loaded with tarpon but not many snapper yet. This could change in a week or so though. We are on the right moon phase to have our way with many types of fishing now. Look for good activity throughout.

Bayside action has been good in the deeper waters for snapper and grouper but the shallows near the islands have been more challenging with critters. There are good numbers of fish here including trout and nice snapper but as is the rule this time of year, the sharks are also abundant. If you are into shark fishing, this is definitely your place to go and now. You shouldn’t be disappointed just don’t dangle your toes in the water too long or you won’t need any laxative in the near future.

Captain Dave Navarro is a lifelong resident of Marathon, Owner of the World Class Angler in Marathon and captain of the charter boat, “Dave’s Dream.”