Islamorada Florida Keys Fishing Report: ( 11/03/2012 09:57 AM )

Sport Fishing Islamorada Fishing Charters Florida Keys with Captain Rick Killgore: tarpon fishing, flats fishing, offshore fishing

Islamorada fishing Charters Florida Keys near Key West and Miami. Catch tarpon, bonefish, permit, redfish, snook, etc. while backcountry fishing on 17' custom skiff; or catch sailfish, dolphin,  snapper, etc. offshore on 23' Sea Craft.

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800 - 698 - 5773 (305 - 852 - 1131)  &   E-MAIL (Click Here)   rick@fish-killgore.com

 

Past years Fish reports: 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999 , 1998 - 1997

For more periodic reports which reflect what we do on a regular basis, go to 2002 and later. From 2003 to present, having two boats has just been too demanding to do periodic fishing reports.

However, I have started monthly reports starting Nov. 07.

LINKS

Home,    Photo Galleries,    Islamorada Fishing Reports,    Client Testimonials,    E-Mail,    Fishing Seasons,    Fishing Log Highlights 

All about:     TARPON FISHING,    SAILFISH FISHING,    DOLPHIN FISHING (Mahi Mahi),   SWORDFISH FISHING,     BLUE MARLIN FISHING,  &  BONEFISH FISHING,    PERMIT FISHING,    SNOOK FISHING


11/03/2012 09:57 AM

Nov. 3, 2012: Wow, a good fall season, and now some boat work.

TARPON FISHING AND FLATS FISHING:

September was good fishing on the flats and back country. We caught some nice, big tarpon on the fall mullet run. The snook and redfish were not as good this fall in those areas I catch the big tarpon, but the snook and redfish fishing has been very good around the Flamingo area. So we would hit them on the way out or on the way back depending on the tides. The redfish fishing has been very good this year. There have been lots of redfish on the flats and the channels around the islands can be as fast as you put a bait in the water. They are the first fish to make a great comeback after the big blast of cold we had here 3 years ago this winter.

The snook are also making a big comeback this year too. FWC should be opening up harvest for our area next year, Sept. 2013 for any of you all wanting to take some tasty fillets to the local restaurants next year. It's possible they could open it up the first of the year I think I remember reading.

Permit fishing on the flats was good this fall too. Now we have had our first cold front, so as long as the water stays over 70 degrees permit are around. That also applies to bonefish, but they are making a slow comeback. They are around though, just not in the numbers like they used to be.

OFFSHORE FISHING:

It has been a typical fall year, with the muttons and groupers on the wrecks and edge of the reef. We have caught some nice fish this fall, muttons especially. Also the vermillion and yellow-eye snapper have been good too. These are fun because we can catch them on lighter tackle and catch 2 or 3 at a time on the multi-hook rigs we call "chicken rigs."

We have caught some nice cero mackerel while fishing for sailfish. These are some of my favorite fish to catch while live baiting on the surface. They are a great surface bite, sporty fight, and great eating - cooked anyway. All the local restaurants will cook your catch, and any left over makes a great fish salad or fish dip with crackers for the rest of your trip. Just think of the envying eyes on the airplane as you break out your own fresh fish dip and crackers on the way home.

The blackfin tuna has been very good at times this fall, but the sharks where horrendous too. One day we hooked up over 20 nice tunas (10 - 20 pounders) in like 45 minutes of fishing, but only got one to the boat. The sharks were so bad they were all around the boat almost within reach. We would get one blistering run, then CHOMP! It was exciting hooking up doubles every time, but we finally had to give it up. It was just sad to let the sharks get them. One of my friends had the sharks biting the trim tabs and propeller.

There were some good days dolphin fishing too with fish up to 20 lbs. Either they would be around a piece of debris or a turtle, or a frigate would be following them. They were not out far either some days, just 300 - 400 feet deep. There can still be good dolphin fishing, but everyone is waiting for the sailfish to show up. Now since we have had our first cold front, it will be turning on any day now. This time of year here in Islamorada is when you can catch a number of small sailfish in the 20 pound and under size.

SPEAR FISHING:

We had some great days shooting hogfish, mangrove snapper, just legal grouper, cero mackerel and trigger fish. I got a nice 5 pound hogfish, that was 24" overall (19.5" to the fork). Also I saw some big grouper to 35 pounds but just could not get close to them for a good shot. Had a few shots at 15 pounders, but they were long shots and just missed while the grouper just started to move and shooting with cover through sea fans etc. makes for tough aiming. But the groupers were there. One day on one dive I saw 25 to 30 groupers, with 1/3 being legal size, missing 2 groupers through cover on the long shots and chasing a few others never getting close enough. One was a +30 pounder I've been going back to, and he is a sneaky guy. Very elusive, but that is what makes it challenging. If it was easy, what would be the big deal then. That is why I do not chum them personally. The challenge to slip up on them is where it is at for me.

We shot some nice ceros while free diving on the edge of the reef in 60' water. You do not have to go anywhere near the bottom, just less than 30' at the maximum. These cero mackerel are a great fish to target. They are hard to approach, usually a long shot, hard to hit because they are skinny and do not give a big target top to bottom. And unless you get a lucky kill shot, they are a good little fight at the end of the shaft. I had one I was cautiously bringing up and allowing to fight the spear so not to have it yank the barbs out of its back when a 30 pound black grouper came 30' off the bottom to take a lung at it - wow that was impressive! He tried to eat about a 5 pound cero mackerel. We could not find where that grouper disappeared to. That would have been a great fish to spear while free diving 55 feet wow!

You never know what will happen next out here on or in the water, that is exactly what I love about this job and life. This reminds me of another encounter I had this summer while doing a solo drift dive a 100' down. The PUCKER FACTOR was high, but tolerable! Yes it was a shark encounter, pretty big Bull Shark! This was an email to 2 dive buddies and their sons.

I dove the rubble one day alone with my buddy driving the boat and it was murky water 30 - 50' visibility. I did not want to go because of the "murk", but I had seen a +30lb. grouper a couple times the preceding weeks. So the current was to east on surface, so I jump in on the west side to go with the current and on the bottom I got current going against me to the west - bitch, another thing I do not like about the rubble.

I get down there fighting the current, bad visibility, sweating in my mask, all by myself when behind and underneath about 15' a 350lbs. bull shark goes flying by me quite fast with pectoral fins half way down. Shit this boy is fired up, and as I watch him go off to my left to circle around, another 350lb. bull goes flying by me following that bull shark - double SHIT! It peels to the right. Then I look back at the other as it's coming back again, same speed, distance and attitude - shit. Find the other, same thing: close fly by. And again, both again make separate close "swim by" amp'd up - shit.

At first I slowed down my swimming but kept my depth and direction the same. I could keep my eyes on them, because they were below me about 15' and their circle would go down current of me and pass just under me. Each time they would go underneath me their circle would be father behind me, like broadening their search pattern for sent behind me. Thank God I had not speared a fish yet. They passed me each one 4 or 5 times fast, but never got at my depth or made a move up for me, and never really got closer than maybe 12' under me. But that was 8 or 10 passes that was a little nerve wracking. At the end, I could see them out way in the distance zigzagging back and forth, until they disappeared. I kept swimming a little more and looking to make sure they left then I made a slow assent and brief safety stop.

I decided to keep swimming, almost ignoring them instead of confronting them or changing my profile to how they were checking me out. I was ready to poke them in the snout with shaft, but I had no time to put power head on. I'd like to have a fast way to put a power head on. I found out later that a friend had speared some fish there right before I got in the water myself. So they were there looking around for those fish.

Thought I'd tell you this so you have a little more knowledge on what they might do if you see them. Most bull sharks I've seen always split after they see us or me, like they're scared. But they were 100 to 130 lbs., not 350 pounders. We have even speared fish after seeing smaller ones not to be bothered after or on accent.

That is why I have included this little story in my report, to educate anyone on the behavior of bull sharks. The more you know the better you'll be anywhere in the world while diving.
 

August 26, 2012:  What a season it has been!

Wow, I cannot believe I have not done a fishing report since April. Sorry guys, I know a lot of my clients like to follow what we are up to down here in Islamorada, Florida Keys. It certainly is not because there has been a lack of fish; it's because I've had no time between the fishing charters.

I've got a lot of photos and cool HD videos I want to put up in a few weeks. I have dramatic videos of night tarpon fishing, and some interesting spear fishing. Once I master the editing program I hope to get more up.

"TO BE or NOT TO BE" a HURRICANE, ISAAC:

Here I sit during the "Hyped Up" Tropical Storm Isaac, which has given me time to finish my seasonal fish report. Once again the "Over Hyped Media: National and Local" was at it again trying capture and maintain viewers by having reporters everywhere reporting on the first breezes and sprinkles. Ever notice how the networks depict the whole cloud mass in "orange and red" like it's some "Super Storm from Hell?" Ever look on the actual satellite where the only orange and red are the squalls in the feeder bands and around the center, and the rest is green and often large areas of no rain?

For days and days they play the "fear factor" and the storm is just getting formed up hundreds of miles away. It's all about the "Almighty Dollar" and keeping one vegetating on every next word and new nothing video between all those advertisements.  It's like "Waiting for Godot!" Just like my "Waiting for Hurricane Wilma" story about fishing on Fri and Sat. before Wilma hit early Mon. morning (story). Again for this storm, we were out on a scuba spear fishing trip (making money) this past Fri. before Isaac hit Sun. morning. (story)

The mainstream media networks are not only a disgrace as news services, but are "despicable" (I have many other adjectives for them). Not just because of their agenda and deception, but their "sensationalizing and exaggerating" costs me thousands of dollars every fall since hurricane Ivan. Before I had a thriving fall business. But ever since the two years of Ivan and Katrina, every year they are predicting another "record hurricane season" and "over playing" every tropical system. Just think of all the money that is lost in fall tourism from South Padre Island, TX all the way up to Virginia Beach, VA.  It could be billions of dollars, probably more than all the hurricane damage collectively each year. It's absurd. Even a wealthy Canadian client admitted how friends asked: wasn't he worried about hurricanes while fishing in April? Think of that, it's even effecting our business outside of hurricane season! Despicable is not a just word for the media, and they wonder why they are loosing viewership and readership.

If Isaac did hit directly, it would be a minimal hurricane 1 or worst 2 (like Wilma), but it was under Haiti, disorganized by the mountains and it still had to go over Cuba which would continue to hold its strength and organization at bay. Now we had the necessary precautions done: boat out of water, orchids put away, damageable items in open carport were stored inside. But we did not shutter up the house! Our house went through H. George before we bought shutters, but we have them ready if need be and we always plan enough time to evacuate. This was going to be like a long summer squall. By my estimates it was not going to be more than 40 to 60 miles an hour if the path stayed on track, which the NHC forecasters have that down pretty good.  

TARPON FISHING:

It was another great year tarpon fishing in Islamorada, FL Keys. It was good all the way into the second week of Aug. Jason Gardner and his friend Judy caught 2 big tarpon out of 4 on with another strike or two on a short full day on Aug 14th because we got chased off by evening thunderstorms. The tarpon weighed around 90 lbs. and 75 lbs., which are good sizes this time of year. The next evening we did not get a bite, but it could have been because there were some scientists surveying the bottom possibly with a strong sounder they were dragging all around the area. That was the only difference between each day.

A couple weeks earlier we had some great tarpon fishing in the end of July, having multiple hook-ups on half day evening trips. One afternoon we caught 3 tarpon out of 7 hooked up (lost a big tarpon in the pilings) and had 10 or 11 tarpon hitting our baits - all in a half day sunset trip. The next trip we caught a 105 tarpon and a 70 pounder along with a 20 pounder plus a few other hits, again in a half day trip. In 4 trips we had caught a dozen tarpon and had over 20 hooked up, all in half day trips. They were from 105 lbs. down to 20 pounds which is when the small ones start showing up around mid July. They are fun, we just use smaller tackle, # 20 test.

Another highlight was fishing a Palola worm hatch with fly rods from my 23' Sea Craft with Rick Ovalman and his sons, James and Peter. We hooked 3 tarpon in half hour of casting. Rick fought a big tarpon, (over 100 lbs.) for half an hour until it broke off on the bottom. James then jumped an 80 pound tarpon off, and then he hooked and released a 40 pound tarpon on fly. It fought real hard for a 40 pounder. I got some video I’m going to work on editing soon, but I got to learn the new programs.

OFFSHORE FISHING:

We have had some good wreck fishing this past June and July, and good reef fishing. Art Lance and his wife came back again for a couple days fishing. They wanted to catch some eating fish the first day which they did: mutton snappers up to +10 lb., red groupers up to 15 lbs., yellow eye snappers, and vermillion snappers. The next day we tarpon fished.

I've had a number of other groups wreck and reef fishing catching nice mutton snappers; black, gag, and red groupers; big yellow jacks; tunas; big jack crevallis; cero mackerels, mangrove snappers, bigger lane snappers (my favorite to eat), and porgies. I'll post some photos soon.

The dolphin fishing has been pretty good of course, but the tunas were very small the first part of the season this year. Some blue marlin have been caught, and there has been some nice swordfish caught in the day and night fishing is still good too. I'm looking forward to finally getting rigged up for this, day time swordfish fishing. I'll be rigged up with a LP electric reel used as the down rigger, and a stand-up 50 rod for the swordfish fishing. I'm also looking forward to doing some deep dropping. I've caught some nice fish with a good friend the last couple years, and this is a great way to put some great eating fish in the box between dolphin fishing in the morning and afternoon.

I'm one step closer to getting an old LP electric reel rigged up. The other day I finally jumped the connections to my skiff battery and a "jump start" battery (it's a 24 volt reel that requires a slave battery), and it is in good working condition: motor and reel. So I will be wiring up my boat for this 24 volt reel designed for a 12 volt system. How the hell is that?

This reel is designed for a 12 volt system but to run on a 24 volt set up for more efficient draw of amps. The reel uses 4 wires, 2 for each battery. The second battery is a "slave battery" not hooked up to the ground of the ship's system. The slick aspect to this reel is, when the switch is not engaged it is charging the slave battery from the outboard 12 volt system back through the switch. When the switch is engaged, the batteries are operating in "series" - 24 volts. I do not have to bring a slave battery on board. My second bank consists of 2 big gel cells wired "parallel." What I will do is put 2 big on-off switches between the terminal connections. In the off position, the second battery will be isolated from the boat system and functioning as a "slave battery."

BACKCOUNTRY FISHING:

The snook and redfish fishing has been very good back in the Everglades National Park. Scott Coleman and his son came down for some fishing. The second day we got chased around by the weather, but we still managed to catch big redfish and snook. Felix Abiada and a friend came back to fish with me, but instead of tarpon they wanted to test their casting on the flats. After looking for permit and bonefish in the morning (right off the bat we had a shot at at a big tailing permit), we went looking for redfish. On the fourth spot we found them, and for 2 hours they cast at singles and doubles catching just one. But it takes a well placed cast, and we saw 50 to 70 redfish, and some big trout too on the edges of the flat. Gale Porter and his sons, Gale and Griffin got into some fun snook fishing and caught the biggest snook they have ever caught, around 10 pounds. Before the sharks showed up, they were biting as fast as you could throw a bait in the water.

Scott Coleman and his son went permit fishing and tarpon fishing the first day. Because he wanted to do both in the same day, the tarpon were not biting during the day in the morning, but his son caught a big barracuda which all boys love catching. Then we went looking for permit on the flats. First couple spots were empty, but we had tough visibility with overcast skies. Then we hit a flat where every 10 minutes we found a tailing permit or two, no more. For two hours we fished tailing permit, some up to 30 lbs. with big forked tails sticking out of the shallow water. Bill just could not get a good cast off, but he was caught by the thrill of sight casting for tailing permit.

SPEAR FISHING:

We have had some good trips. Adam Smith and his friend from Jacksonville wanted to learn how to find and catch lobster, and fish a little if we had time. I showed him the variety of places to catch lobster: grass ledges, creeks, and patch reefs. We got 11 lobster, one below our limit which is good for beginners. Then we went out and made 2 drops and caught 2 nice muttons which made for a feast for royalty.

John Porter came down to lobster and spear fish a little. He wanted to show his step daughter's boyfriend about spear fishing. he did not feel well most of the day, but was in the water most of the time helping catch lobster. They got some nice lobster, big ones too for the Keys. I wish I had my underwater camera for videos, because the water was gin clear and shallow where they caught 6 big ones. John speared a black margate which fired the girl's boyfriend up. We then fished a little and caught one mutton, a hard fighting bonita, and missed a few other bites.

George Morissette and his friend Evan came down to do a little spear fishing and lobstering while scuba diving. George was experience spear fisherman with scuba but from 9 years ago and longer. He sent me some awesome photos of big grouper, snapper, and lobster he's gotten off Melbourne, FL. But he wanted to spend time in shallow water (30' - 40') re-familiarizing himself with the gear and scuba while looking to spear some fish. Evan had never spear fished before. My buddy Brett was the dive master for the trip, certified Evan for Nitrox, and he shot a couple fish for their pot.

It was rough, 16 - 18 knots ENE, the Fri before TS Isaac hit us on Sun. morning with numerous squalls coming through, but we made a day of it while most of my buddies where putting their boats up. We dodged a few lightning storms between dives, and the chop was not a problem getting into the boat. We just tied the tanks off on a rope and drifted them off then pull them in after getting in.

George nailed a nice cero mackerel, but beat himself up a little about missing some snappers. Evan shot his first keeper hogfish and porgy. Brett shot a few mangrove snappers. George started feeling sick, so we could not fish; instead we started moving in shallower. We stopped at one lobster spot and they got 3 keepers. Then we wrapped it up on a nice big coral headed reef with lots of fish, but no lobster, but George said his kids would love that spot. So they had a good day despite the conditions, most people would have never gone. I did not force them, I gave them the option even if we ran out and it was not doable, just pay me for the gas used. They had a full 8 hour day, 3 tank dives each, and a nice bag of fish and 3 lobster tails - all 1.5 days before TS Isaac hit.

 

Easter Morning, April 8, 2012:   Fishing has been "Great!"

With the mild winter, the tarpon have shown up early, in big numbers - and they are biting! One day we released 5 tarpon for 8 on and had at least 15 tarpon smashing our baits. That was with Rick Rosenbloom and his 8 1/2 year old son Eli along with Rick's father-in-law Ernie. Elie hooked his own tarpon, and he caught the first one, about 75 pounds. We got some good pictures I'll post soon. Largest one we released was around 110 lbs., and we lost another at least 130 lbs. Rick and Ernie had a double header on of a pair of 50 pounders, but Rick's came unbuttoned and we caught Ernie's. It was spectacular because for a while we could not keep a bait in the water more than 5 minutes without getting a bite - big explosions on the surface.

I like to show every angler how to hook all their fish no matter what we are fishing for: tarpon, sailfish, slammer dolphin, big mutton snapper, giant amberjack, bonefish, permit, snook etc. The thrill of hooking your own fish, feeling that bait get so nervous, then getting the bite - nothing compares! Plus this truly is the foundation of "sport fishing" - hooking your own fish!

My view on sport fishing, and how I help my anglers get involved and learn how to be better sport fishermen:

Sport fishing is not just reeling in a fish, like on so many charter boats around the world when the mate hands you the rod with the fish on - "it is not sporting!" I also teach you many other fine aspects of fishing so you can handle your own rod throughout the day: 1) how to fight the fish most efficiently, 2) how to deploy your bait in the current, 3) how to put your live or dead bait on, 4) how to tie knots, 5) how to read current, rips, depth by site, edges of reefs, depth sounders marking fish, GPS use - anything or any question that will help you be a better sport fisherman.

It is also one reason I do not use "circle hooks" (unless legally required - which is a farce) - it is not "sporting."  There is no "challenge" hooking a fish properly (ethically) in the mouth with a "proper drop back" whether with live bait or dead bait. All you have to do is let the fish eat the bait "deep" then reel slowly allowing the hook to slowly come back up and hopefully find its place in the jaw bone - "not sporting and minimal skill required!" Second, once the fish is hooked, it can never throw the hook. Bowing to the tarpon, which I recommend for all jumping fish, is not necessary (unless your using light leaders). Again no skill is required to keep the fish on - "not sporting!" Third, you will miss more fish with a circle hook because it can miss the corner of the jaw bone - it's a predictable percentage - "not sporting!" However, when using "J-hooks" there is a big difference between a good angler and a novice in 1) hook-up ratios, and 2) in hooking fish "ethically" (not gut hooking it) which applies to many different species. It is the captain's responsibility to coach a novice when to reel so the sport fish is not gut hooked.

I say the circle hook is a "farce" because I find more snappers and groupers gut hooked since having to use them in the Gulf as mandated by "our all knowing NMFS." The circle hook is not the solution, and when gut hooked or gill hooked it is a lot harder to remove. However, I do see the reason billfish tournaments went to them. It is solely to keep the "unethical tournament fisherman" from gut hooking their billfish, which is the highest percentage of hook-up with J-hooks. I remember fishing the storied Costa Rican sailfish tournament that caught like more than 1500 sailfish, I tied for 3rd, but for 4 days after the tournament we saw dead floating sailfish. The anglers would drop back for 30 seconds, some sailfish would come up jumping being gut hooked and they were still dropping back. I could not believe it. It was horrible. It was the last time I fished that tournament, and the Tamarindo charter boys refused to fish that tournament for years just due to that. They had become staunch believers in lures, just to eliminate the possibility of gut hooking, which was a good decision then. This was the late 80's. So circle hooks are good in this respect. However, in all the live bait and dead bait fishing I did over the years I would say less than 5% were gut hooked, and I say that that still applies to my J-hook fishing today. Plus if a fish is gut hooked, just cut the leader. I once caught a small kingfish with 9 long shank hooks in its stomach, and it was in perfect health. I once fished for Flash Clark, who fished years in Australia. When they killed a grander, they would dig the broken off bills of other billfish out of the stomach lining of those big fish. I think he told me once he got over 30 bill tips out of one fish. They would keep jars of them. However the fish get hurt when gut hooked and when the mate pulls hard on the leader to quickly release the fish, often trying to break the knot instead of gently leadering the fish up to cut the leader close to the fish.

Enough of the rant; back to the report. We have caught amberjacks up to 70 lbs., tarpon up to 120, double header redfish while sight casting, mangrove snapper up to 5 lbs., nice meals for 6 adults of average snapper, big cero mackerel, and now that the vermillion snapper are open I'm looking forward to stopping off for that, maybe tomorrow.

However, the tarpon are here, and I'm really looking forward to the back to back trips of thrilling tarpon fishing. And the dolphin are here too!

Feb. 15, 2012

We just got back from our annual vacation and I'm looking forward to getting back on the water. Tomorrow is my first day of three booked this week. I will get back to how the fishing is. My friends say there have been some sailfish around, the kingfish are biting, amberjacks are showing up, and snappers on the reef are biting. So there is plenty to do, what my clients want to do I'll find out tomorrow. Then we have a couple days flats fishing.


December 6, 2011:

MASSIVE BOAT PROJECT:

Oh my gosh, the time does fly. Just finished 5+ weeks of work on the 23' Sea Craft. The last day of the summer season the fuel tank started to leak due to pitting. It took me one week just to get the tank out of the boat. First I had to remove t-top, console, and hatches just to get at the tank. The console was tricky. I did it in a way not to remove whole wire harness, so it had to be propped to one side and with enough room for the tank to be pulled out. By not removing whole wire harness saved me 2 or 3 days overall, but that took the better part of one day to figure out. It barely gave me enough room to slide the tank out after cutting the foam down the sides and popping it free with a jack and chains to the fuel gauge port with a 4x4 above with jack on it. I literally had to jack it up and jack it out sideways (aft) due to the great resistance by the foam down the sides. This was very tricky.    

It took three weeks to get the tank in, shimmed and screwed down, console down, t-top down (and weld repairs), and all the rigging back. There were a number of other repairs or work I accomplished while the tank and console were up which added a lot of extra time to the project. It was not just replacing the tank. I'm glad I did it but it was a definite bitch of a job, especially at 49 years old. The last 3 weeks were 12 to 18 hours a day, just to get the boat in the water for my charter on 11/28. I finished the night before at 9:30 pm, washing the boat. Three nights I worked as late as 2 am, 1 am, and 12:30 am. And that was all starting at around 6:30 am - 7:30 am. I'd like to figure how many months of work I have on both the boats I fish. Initially the 23'er took 5 1/2 months, 7 days a week, 10 to 12 hours a day, and numerous days working after 12 am to get it in the water 11 years ago This is the glamorous life of a charter captain, every year we have maintenance during the off-season. Some years are worse than others. It was really miserable not being able to go out fun fishing for 2.5 months, which is the only time I get to go with my wife and friends.

BACK COUNTRY FISHING:

I still had some charters back in the Everglades and the fishing was pretty darn good. Scott Long and his 10 year old son caught some great fish in 3 days. Last day Scott caught a 130 pound tarpon. We also caught numerous snook 8 - 10 lbs., and large slot sized redfish. The boy wanted to catch a shark, so after catching snook and redfish during the day, right before we left I sliced up a ladyfish and within 5 min we hooked up and caught a 100 lb. bull shark.

I had another group of guys that came down for 3 days of back county fishing. They too caught 8 - 10 lb. snook, large slot size redfish, and nice sea trout back in the Everglades National Park. We also fished the bridges one day when the wind was too strong for the long run back to the Everglades. They hooked a few nice small tarpon, and caught a few nice mangrove snapper up to 3 lb. These guys ate their fresh fish every night, which they said was a great added bonus to their trip. I cannot remember their names right now, but when I upload the photos I will put in their names.

There were other trips this fall where we caught small tarpon in the creeks, redfish in the channels, and some snook. Of course we catch plenty of sea trout, ladyfish and jacks too when you really want to bend a rod. Sharks are always plentiful too. It's all in the typical day of back country fishing during the fall in the Everglades National Park.

Gruesome shark attack on 135 lb. tarpon

 

August 14th, 2011:

Damn it, I wish I had the time to do these reports with photos every month. If you could only understand the work it requires just to keep the boats and equipment running 5 to 6 days a week. Or how about 8 full day trips in a 6 day period. That's right, two of the days I fished from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm, then second trip from 4 pm  to 12 am. That means I got up at 5:30 am and to bed around 3 am, twice in one week, and fishing full days all the other days. You got to love it, but it's not getting any easier at 49 years old. I still haven't figured it out, if it's keeping me young or making me older.

TARPON FISHING: 

Tarpon fishing was great once again this year. Had some great nights out there. This was the first year we did not catch a tarpon in the 180 pound class. We caught a few around 150 lbs., but if they are very tired or a shark is in the area I do not measure them to confirm my estimates. We get pictures though of all the tarpon if the clients want to, and that is more important than the measurement unless the measurement is more important to the client.

The tarpon are still around, all the way through the fall. Catching a big one just is not as likely, until the fall mullet run happens in late Sept to early Oct. By a big one I mean a tarpon of 70 to 150 lbs. The smaller ones are 20 to 40 lbs. which are a lot of fun on lighter tackle. Just a week and half ago Gale Porter (Jr., Jr.) caught a 65 pound tarpon on #20 test around the bridge pilings, that was fun.

On the hook-up it jumped wildly running down the bridge a hundred feet or so before turning to go through the bridge. Normal this is not a problem, but we were fishing 3 lines for 3 teenagers to keep all interested. One line got on top of the line of the tarpon, so I had to clear it instead of starting the motor and throwing the anchor line float into the water first. So there was a nerve racking delay, and I had to punch the boat to chase the tarpon before that light #20 test would hit the pilings. Thank God we made it through after this tarpon. Once we got through, he did all the great classic tarpon moves: powerful runs, jumps in the sunset, and dogging it under the boat.

We usually use #30 test just to give us that extra chaff protection if the line gets into the pilings, so this was a significant tarpon to catch around the bridge.

         

If I ever get the chance, I love shark wrestling. Just tie a big bait on the end of a boat line and hang on. These big 500 - 700 lb. hammerhead sharks come right up to the boat. They thrash it, soaking everyone. Like my long time client John Wiedemann says: "It's better than the Chicago Aquarium!"

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

The dolphin fishing has been consistent like always, but this year the big 20 to 30 lb. "slammer" dolphin did not show up in any consistent numbers. But you could always fill the box with fish. There were lots of "gaffer" and "heavy lifter" size dolphin, and the larger blackfin tuna were consistent along with triple tail and wahoo.

         

Chris and Hope Dorsey came back, but this time instead of trying to best their 10 tarpon released one July 14th they wanted to go offshore to fill the cooler. As we ran out we found a floating pallet, and we caught a couple nice gaffers on it. There were a couple nice triple tail, but we could not keep our baits from the jacks and trigger fish. We gave it a good try, but I knew Chris wanted to catch bigger fish too not just good eating fish so we started trolling again. We caught enough dolphin for the box, but it was slow for the fleet on the radio - lots of undersized fish - same for us. I started my way back in after getting over 20 miles offshore

Trolling a weed line the left rigger gets knocked down, I turn expecting a dolphin and a billfish comes out of water shaking and jumping all over. I could not see it's dorsal, just it's belly as it charged the boat. I punched the boat to keep the line tight. Then it made a nice run. Chris had the rod, and I got him up to the bow so we could follow it. It was not more than 50 pounds. It could be a white marlin or even a small blue this time of year, the suspense was gnawing at me. Then it jumped up again, tail-walking right at the boat 150 yards out. I had to floor it in reverse to help keep the line tight. What was it I couldn't see clearly, a white marlin? Then it jumped again now just 50 yards out and I see the sail, sailfish, a great fish to catch while dolphin fishing.

I decide to run in to hit a wreck for snapper or amberjacks, because the dolphin fishing was spotty for keepers. That was a good decision. First drop Chris hooks and catches a nice mutton snapper around 14 pounds. Then we dropped a second time for Hope, and she catches another mutton snapper around 12 lbs. In two drops we catch two big mutton snapper at the end of the day. Now a day that started out tough for dolphin just became a GREAT DAY: one sailfish released, two big mutton snappers, and a good box of dolphin. Photos will be up this week.

It could not happen to a better couple. Chris serves on the front lines in the "War on Terror" in the "Special Forces" for around the last 10 years. Thank you so much Chris and Hope for your all's sacrifice for "our safety and freedom" keeping our enemies at bay a long way away from our country. I am so happy you all had another great day fishing down here with me. You all really deserve it, and you all are a pleasure to fish with.

By the way Chris bragged about Hope's oven fried fish, which she told me how to do. It's great! I'm back to enjoying fried fish because it uses so much less oil. And the clean up is so much easier too.

Gino Alessio, Mike, and another friend got out for a day of dolphin fishing. We found the dolphin and filled the box with enough of them, then decided to go out to try for black fin tuna. The black fin were not biting that week which I told him, but you never know when they can show back upon the local humps. It was blowing around 20 knots that day but there was very little current so it was not rough in 500' but as we ran offshore we got into the current. The 409 hump looked like a miniature "Most Deadly Catch" scene, the waves were steep 6 - 8 foot with the crests blowing over and crashing down the face of the waves. I slowed the trolling speed down, and searched with the depth sounder for any tuna under the surface. On one of the passes we had a rigger get hit and as I turned around I saw another strike but it was long and skinny not a tuna. Then we another crash on the marlin lure, and I saw a 25 pound wahoo thrashing wildly on the #50. I backed the drag off, and let the wahoo run. Mike was closest, so I handed him the rod. It was not easy for Mike, that heavy rod and tossing seas. But he got it up to the side of the boat and I gaffed it.

The big blackfin tunas have been biting quite well all year too. Blackfin tunas in the 20 to 25 pound range too. When you chum them up with pilchards, and get them exploding and jumping out of the water all around the boat - talk about exciting! Catch a few of these on # 20 or #30 test and they will test your metal.

We catch nice sharks offshore while fishing for amberjacks and tuna on the wrecks and humps. That sandbar shark is about 300 lbs. Permit over the wrecks can almost always be consistent action.

              

 

SPEAR FISHING TRIPS:

We've had some good trips this year. Tony Morrelo came down with his girl friend and had a good couple dives. They shot hogfish, muttons and a nice yellow jack. I caught a couple cero mackerel to add to their fish cooler while I followed their buoy while they made the drift dives. That is the best way to spear fish and very few people do it because not many people will follow the spear fishermen in the water with the boat.

We catch a few fish on hook and line too while we are spear fishing. Like between dives I'll anchor up and put out a chum bag for ballyhoo or other bait. Then we'll use that for cero mackerel, yellowtail or mutton snapper, grouper, dolphin, and nice kingfish like the one I caught while we were eating lunch when a friend and I went out diving one day.

 

              

Getting ready for stone crab season. Talk about the best, cooking your own. I got my own simple boil that is awesome, better than any fish house - period!

 

April 19th, 2011:

Oh my gosh, I got to keep on these reports. The fishing has been great! I wish I had the time to write about it all every day or every week.

I have not even had time to keep up on everything else to run this business: I have 4 cast nets to repair (today I'll do 2), drags to smooth up (2 FinNor Lights and 1 Penn 50 TW), finish re-greasing last new Penn Slammer, change oils in 250 four stroke today, fix bait pens, catch more bait, make 3 more bait pens, fix freezer tops, rebuild spare rods, research and buy couple jigging rods and reels and rig with braid, rig up 50 Tiagra for day time swordfishing with electric drill and handle chuck with 110 converter to retrieve bait and lead from 2000' deep if no bite, fishing rigs... - that's it, I cannot list anymore or I'll get frustrated. Like friend says, "Quit Yer Bitchin'," or I got to keep living up to my boat's name, "Crank It Up!"

TARPON FISHING:

Tarpon are here, and have been here. Last week we caught 12 tarpon in three days of fishing, out of having 20 hooked up and on. Joe Conroy and his friend caught 10 out of 14 on in two of the days - that is good catching, above the average. On half day trips we've been catching a couple tarpon for a few or more on. The tarpon have been that average size of 70 - 130 pounds. No monsters yet, which is unusual for March and early April.

From today on, I'm looking at almost 100% tarpon fishing booked, along with a few offshore days mixed in. I still have a few days and half days open, so do not hesitate to call.

For the past month and a half, I've been doing a variety of fishing due to what the client wants to do from offshore fishing to flats fishing.

OFFSHORE FISHING:

The offshore fishing has been pretty good. The big black fin tuna fishing has been very good. We have caught tuna up to 25 lbs. which is a great fight on #20 test. Some of my friends have caught tunas up to 30 lbs. These tunas are on the local humps, so you can always drop down for a big amberjack. While tuna fishing, you should always be ready for a big dolphin or a sailfish to come up in your live bait chum. The dolphin are showing up too. Mostly small ones, but within the last two weeks the 20 to 30 lbs. slammers are coming in.

The vermillion snapper and lane snapper have been biting, and are a blast on light tackle. They make for great table fair, and all the local restaurants will cook your catch. The mutton snappers have been biting on the wrecks, and before that up on the reefs too. We caught a nice 5 pound mutton inshore on a patch reef one day while we were fishing for barracudas to go shark fishing. The cero mackerel have been biting well too, while we have been fishing for sailfish. Unfortunately the sailfish fishing has been very slow for our area, and that is why most of the guys have been fishing for black fin tuna, dolphin, and amberjacks offshore.

FLATS FISHING:

The permit fishing has been excellent. One day we saw over 1000 permit, and we finally caught one. Mostly because it was flat calm which is the toughest conditions to cast crabs at them. I also took a few casts with the fly rod, and I actually got a nip from one. I stripped too soon, not allowing it enough time to get the fly in its mouth. Damn, I have not cast a fly at a permit in maybe 5 years, so I was rusty.

We have found some tailing bonefish, close to home, but have not connected. The tarpon are now migrating into the Keys. One afternoon after permit fishing in the morning, we probably cast at 300 - 400 tarpon and had one make a swing and miss at our crab we were casting. Sight casting is what the clients wanted to do.

The snook have been good around the bridges and the back country. While tarpon fishing one day with Paul English's son had wanted to catch a snook, so we went to one of my spots close by and caught a nice 30" snook. They missed a few other. Then we went shark fishing. Paul's son once again had wanted to catch a big shark. We had a couple big spinner sharks on up to +100 lbs. which made blistering runs and spinning jumps only to break the leader. They caught a 85 lbs. spinner shark, and a couple smaller ones. Then we saw a big, black, bull shark lurking in the back of the chum line. We sent out a bait, had to pull it away from a couple big nurse sharks then finally the bull shark eat it. We were off to the races. What a great shark. It took about a 200 yard run by the time I got off the anchor. By the time we got up to it, it was 500 yards from where we hooked it. A 40 minute fight ensued until it was subdued next to the boat for nice pictures. I think it was around a 250 pound bull shark. I got to call Paul to get the photos.


Feb. 22nd, 2011:

Wow, it's been 3 months from my last report and it's good to be back and fishing. Once again I return from an epic surf trip in Costa Rica of 2 months, the only break we get a year. A lot of my friends steam with envy I take 2 months off, but I dream of weekends off, national three day weekend holidays, and two or three paid vacations a year during the 10 month blitz we trudge through working 7 days a week. That's right, we work 7 days a week the rest of the year. I'll try to write a little about my surf trip at a later date.

TARPON FISHING:

Tarpon fishing is just starting. They have already arrived according to one of my dear friends who guts it out every winter, instead of going down to visit me in CR to surf, spear fish, and drink while camping out on the beach with "old Capt. Killgore" (we had a great trip a few year ago, and he almost made it down this year but couldn't - so I called him a few time to twist his arm!). He told me the first few tarpon arrived the week before I returned on the first good warm spell of the winter. That is what usually happens in mid - Feb. So as the water gets over 70* F the tarpon will start biting.

OFFSHORE FISHING:

Oh my God, I thought the amberjack we caught on Fri. was "big" which it was, until 2 days later - sorry Pat. I did not realize the significance of this amberjack, until my good friend who used to commercially fish amberjacks told me. He had caught 25,000 lbs. a season for 15 years (do the math). He was impressed with the amberjack we just caught, because he had only caught 6 amberjacks over 100 lbs. My friend said I should have killed it because so few over 100 pounds are caught.

Yesterday, Casey McDermitt (age 15) fought this amberjack for 45 min. on # 50 test stand-up tackle. This amberjack measured 68" to the fork and 38" girth. Before I measured it, I estimated this amberjack to be at least 110 lbs. The "fish formula" measurement puts it at 123 pounds, but they inflate a little as they come up out of the deep. If you take off 2" from the girth (which I think is too much to reduce it by) it comes out to 110lbs.

I think it was a 115 lbs. amberjack. That's Casey (left-center). He is 6' 6" and is a 260 lb. lineman on his JV football team (I feel sorry for the kids across from him). He had great patience and persistence while fighting this amberjack, never frustrated and always impressed with each run.

                                  

Two days earlier my first day back on the ocean with my Sea Craft, we catch the largest amberjack ever on my boat, until yesterday. Pat Dowling from New Jersey wrestles up a 91 lbs. amberjack with no less than my big spinning rod with # 80 test braid. Now we typically catch 30 to 40 lb. amber jacks on this rod with a metal jig, and we catch the bigger 65 to 75 lb. amberjacks on live bait and my big # 130 test stand-up rod. That's what makes this a hell of a catch, with 15 pounds of drag for 25 minutes at least, holding on for dear life on the brutal runs and pumping her up in between the runs with no stand-up harness to hold the rod, that's what makes this an impressive catch. Pat is a big boy, and loved every minute of it.

It is one of the toughest fights in the ocean around here, not just because they are 75 - 115 pound jacks (if you've ever caught a small jack, just imagine it). But it is a sprint of a fight. You can not let up for one second and rest, because you're trying to get the fish to the boat before a +900 pound tiger shark eats it up to its head or just swallows a 40 lb. amberjack whole and cuts the mono leader. How do I know there are some +900 pound tiger sharks out there, my commercial fishing buddy caught one one day after he could not get an amberjack into the boat.

When we go for the big boys, I strap the angler in to a kidney harness and a big stand-up fighting belt which holds the # 130 boat rod so we can get these big amberjacks up as quick as possible. But the day before Casey caught his 115 pound amberjack, my # 130 drag slipped a couple times so since we caught that 91 pound amberjack on that big spinner with 15 pounds of drag I decided to used my # 50 test stand up rod with 15 pound test maximum drag setting. We were lucky we got it up before the sharks got it. Later we lost a nice tuna to a shark.

INSHORE FISHING:

Just as I got back, and was getting ready to start installing my new autopilot on the 23' Sea Craft, I get a call for half day flats fishing on my 17" skiff. So I realize during the call, hey I've fished this boat for 10 years without an autopilot so I can fish next weeks trips without it. I take the trip, and had a great afternoon on the water three days after returning from CR. We wanted to find some bonefish, but the water was 63* on the ocean side flats coming out of the bay. I found an area that was 69* and there were some bonnet head sharks and box fish around but no bonefish. We tried some chumming for bonefish in some deep water to no avail, so I decided to do some barracuda fishing.

We headed out to a small patch reef to cast some tube lures. Dave and his wife Cathy from Connecticut had a great afternoon. Dave hooked a nice barracuda, that ripped the line through the water then did a 180 and cut the tube lure off. Cathy started whacking the fish on the bottom with a shrimp. She caught 7 keeper porgies, a just too small mutton snapper, a number of small grouper, and small mangrove snapper. Dave had another big barracuda charge the lure. He didn't hook the fish, but it sure got him excited. Dave started fishing the bottom with his wife, and started banging away at those fish his wife was - pretty fun on #10 test.

The water is warming so all the flats fish will be coming back to the flats now. March is a great month for: tarpon, permit, bonefish, snook, big sharks, big barracudas, big jacks, mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel, big sea trout, and even cobia. What else can you ask for? More than you can fish for in a day.


Nov. 20th, 2010:

Wow, how time flies. In the last 2 1/2 months I did not realize it's been so long since I did an update. We have been doing a little bit of everything: offshore and inshore. It has been the typical fall fishing, except this year has been a real struggle for the backcountry snook fishing. The redfish fishing has been very good though. We have been catching tarpon around the bridges and in the backcountry. One half day we caught 3 bonefish. Caught some big Spanish mackerels the other day, along with some nice trout, and one spot it was every cast for a jack. It was a great half day, because one of the guys just wanted action for his first fishing trip.

The dolphin and tunas were biting all fall real good. Some big ones up to 25 lbs. showed up about a month ago. The sailfish have started to show up in the last 2 weeks, but I have pulled my boat to do the annual work on it before a few trips around Thanksgiving.

Sept. 4th, 2010:

Same story, different day: I have not been able to get to my regular fish reports. Thank God, I've been too busy. We have been doing a little bit of everything, from offshore to the backcountry, and I cannot forget the diving too.

OFFSHORE FISHING:

I have wanted to catch a big wahoo in Islamorada for years, say over 40 lbs is respectable; but I never imagined we would even hook one the size we caught Aug. 16th.

Kemp Mosley from Mississippi caught this 67 lbs. "monster wahoo" first thing in the morning. We weighed it 7 hours later, so it would have lost 5 - 10% weight which would have put it over 70 lbs. This is a very large wahoo for Islamorada and even for the Florida Keys.

When this wahoo first came up behind the boat, I thought it was a small blue, but in a second I saw it was a huge wahoo. I jumped into action, quickly tying on a kingfish rig for a big live pilchard on a #30 trolling rod. He did not want that. So I had to rig a bigger bait, which meant a new leader and bigger hook. Rigs and boxes started flying around, but I got it done quickly and slapped a big bait out there.  

First time this big wahoo ate it, I let him eat it a good time then reeled down and struck as hard as I could, the bait pull - too much line stretch. I cranked it back up and he followed it up. I fed him again, but this time I put the rod in the rod holder and punched the boat to stretch the line to set the big hook. "Damn," he coughed it up again. "Stupid Killgore," I said to myself because I just remembered I use light drags in general, and the strike was to light to set the big bait and hook. I cranked it up again, and here comes that wahoo. I feed him again: a good drop back, set it in the rod holder, put the drag up to full (about 15 lbs. of drag I know), and punch the boat for 50 yards. Hooked up, finally.

What a nice run it made and a long fight. We played him conservatively, but I was worried about sharks. So I had the drag up a bit, but when it would run I'd back it off again. After a while, Kemp and his family were wondering, where is it? "Patience," I said. "This is a big fish and you do not want to force it. You got to go with the drag settings." Ten minutes later we could see the wahoo down about 100 feet.

After another ten minutes of working the wahoo up, I was not going to wait till it got to the surface for a perfect gaff shot. Instead, I reached down as far as the 8' gaff would go while the boat was in forward. I did the the same thing in 1988 with a 542 lbs. blue marlin down in St. Thomas, because so many things can go wrong that last 6 - 8 feet up. That story will follow this one.

As I slowly moved it right behind the head for a great shot, the wahoo turned and came right toward the boat! I rushed a shot at it, got him a little, then the gaff's butt got stuck in my t- shirt under my under arm. I couldn't keep good pressure on it. The ladies were up my side of the gunwale taking pictures - "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" I ran up the side of the boat, keeping pressure on the fish with the gaff. I finally unwrapped it from my loose shirt, and worked down towards the middle of the gaff with the wahoo at the surface. He was barely gaffed, right through the lower jaw, up and out of the front of the mouth.

I feared, "is it enough to lift this monster wahoo over this part of my gunwale that is 3.5 feet up?" I was half way up the side of my boat in front of my consul. Well, I'm not going to risk loosing it by re-gaffing it. Now the women are behind me on the other side of the boat in front of the console - "GET OUT OF THE WAY!" I had no time to explain myself. And as I heaved it into the boat one big motion, I knew I had to jump out of the way of those razor sharp teeth, and also have no one else in it's path. When the wahoo hit the deck, the hook fell right out of its mouth! That is why you gaff a fish at the first opportunity.

There is saying, "if a wahoo just gets close to you on the deck, he can slice you up!" There have been more mates and fisherman sliced up like that, and that I explained, I was very concerned about when boating this big wahoo. The ladies and their husbands understood.

That is the story of this great big wahoo, which took about 40 minutes to land. Here is that 542 lbs. blue marlin story and about gaffing it deep at the first opportunity.

Dr. Imhoff took his boat to St. Thomas to catch a blue marlin more than 500 pounds, and this was it. We knew it when we saw it grey hounding across the rough St. Thomas sea. I knew this was going to be "a money shot" on the gaff, and I was not going to wait till it got to a comfortable distance. I was going to reach out and hit it as soon as I could. By the way, I got a $700 tip that night on top of my $125 daily fee. That's a great pay day for 1988.

As this fish came up on the leader, it was down deep and digging hard as the boat was in forward. As far down as I could put the flying gaff , I held it against the current around six feet down with the big gaff point trailing in the current, parallel to the fish. Once I felt the back of the fish with the bend of the gaff hook, I pivoted the gaff and went down further until the point was making good contact. I sunk it in, but not to hard to alarm the blue marlin. Almost like a live bait for a kite, right behind the dorsal fin you can see the mark in the photo.

I released the pole and I took a wrap on the flying gaff rope. The 1st mate, Steve, was on the leader, and we started pulling the big blue marlin up simultaneously. I had told Steve earlier, "once we gaff the blue marlin we got to grab the bill and get at least one half hitch on it with the flying gaff rope, preferably two if not three." When the blue marlin broke the surface, I could see the bill was just "sitting in the bend of the hook with the barb backed into the bill" just holding the hook there! As Steve grabbed the bill so I could half hitch the bill with the rope, the hook fell out! I hitched it twice, gave the rope to Steve, and I then gaffed the blue marlin again with the second flying gaff, mid-torso. You can see both hole marks by the gaffs in the photo.

Again, gaff every fish on the first opportunity. If we had horsed this fish and alarmed it, or if I had not gaffed it deep, it could have come to the surface, shook its bill, and thrown the hook. Game over, and that 542 lbs. blue marlin Dr. Imhoff had fished a month for would have been gone at the boat.

Dolphin and blackfin tuna have been very good offshore. Every day we go out, not a problem catching some nice summer tuna an some dolphin. I got my wife out the other day for a long half day. I caught 600 pilchards, then made a scuba dive down the reef, before heading offshore to the hump.

We got to the hump, and as soon as we started throwing pilchards out we were hooking up two at a time. Three we could not stop and they got eaten by something big. We caught two ten pound tunas, one was a small yellowfin tuna. Then I rigged up my fly rod for tuna, and when I stood up there were some nice gaffer size dolphin around the boat. I through out a scoop of pilchards, and hooked a nice 12 lbs. bull dolphin on my fly rod. He made some nice 6 ' jumps and after he settled down, I gave the rod to Elena so I could hook another one up for her. I hooked one up for her, then switch rods again. When she got hers up to the boat for gaffing, we switched again so I could gaff the fish and put it in the box. She gave me back the fly rod, and I brought the dolphin to the boat for her to net it. Now she had a little trouble getting it in the net, but she got it.

  

As I was putting more ice in the fish box, Elena looks over the side of the boat and sees three 20 lbs. wahoo. I throw over another scoop of pilchards and those wahoo start darting everywhere. By the time I get a wire rig on and a bait out they disappeared. They did not stick around like the other wahoo. Later we caught a couple triple tail under a huge tree and its roots. I actually got in the water to see if there were any wahoo or dolphin hanging down deep under the tree. I dove down a few times 30 - 40 feet, but all I saw was one 4' shark, trigger fish, and bar jacks. Coming up to the tree and all the fish around it and the triple tails was very cool.

INSHORE FISHING:

Tarpon fishing this past Aug. has been better than I expected around the bridges. Typically, we are catching smaller 30 pound tarpon, but this year every time we went out we caught a 75 to 85 pounder and hooked another or two.

 

Scott Lewis from Hendersonville, NC went out for a half day trip fly fishing for bonefish and baby tarpon. I caught a very nice 10 lbs. tarpon on fly along the mangrove shoreline of one of the islands out in Florida Bay. These are great fish for one of your first saltwater fish on fly. They eat the fly readily, and jump all around the boat.

Sea trout and mangrove snappers were biting very good back in the backcountry mangrove creeks, which make for a fun action packed trip for those who do not want to frustrate themselves with the challenge of sight fishing for bonefish, permit, and tarpon. We incidentally released the biggest trout I have ever seen. I'd say it was around 30," but my client who fishes Indian River a lot said he'd say it was over 30" and go around 6 - 7lbs. I might go with what he said. I saw it briefly, then turned to get the landing net out. We had just moved and I had stowed the net. His nephew, an avid bass fisherman, had it right at the boat and his uncle had a great look at it.

 

 

 


 

My monthly reports have always been my "fishing forecast article" that I started 3 years ago originally with "OUTDOOR FLORIDA" then I moved it over to "WOODS 'N WATER." This was always put into my web site at the end of the month, so as not to infringe on the publications' relevance, and the forecast essentially became a report.

Now I want to try to include some actual fish reports on a monthly or bi-monthly basis, including pictures of my clients and their names. When I first started this web site 12 years ago, I did monthly reports which I have archived in "All Florida Keys fishing Reports" page. However, as business flourished and I rebuilt the 23' SeaCraft taking on maintaining two boats, I ran out of time for those monthly reports. I just started to do an annual report on how the fishing was for the whole year.

Now since I finally got a digital camera and life has been streamlined more since I finished my SeaCraft (which was like a 5 year program to get it how it is today),  I'm going to try to start the monthly reports again. They will be brief, primarily highlights of good days and not talk of all the species that are in season. The "fishing forecast article" will do that.

Look for this report, your names and photos around the 15th of the month. I know many of you have missed this aspect of my web site. I'm going to do my best to keep my web site fresh with photos every month if not bi-monthly.

FISHING REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

June 21st, 2010:

I'm sorry it has been two months since I did a fishing report. Thank the Lord I've been fishing 6 days a week, and that one day off I'm actually working harder on boats, tackle, bait, etc. I'm not going to post any photos right now because I've detected problems in the resolution of finished photos after resizing from my new digital camera.

 

TARPON:

Tarpon fishing has been great! We have caught as many as 6 tarpon for 9 hooked up and 14 tarpon striking the baits one full day trip. The largest tarpon we've caught measured 84" to the fork and 42" girth which comes out to 186 lbs. using the "fish weight formula." That's a big tarpon. Maybe 90" over all length, imagine that!

We have been probably averaging 4 tarpon per full day trip. Quite a few days we've caught 5 tarpon. If we spent less time fighting tarpon, we would be catching more tarpon per trip. Everyone want a photo with their tarpon, so we have to fight them another 10 to 20 minutes until they are docile enough to safely handle them around the boat for pictures.

 

BIG TARPON on FLY at NIGHT: The perfect scenario for your first big tarpon on fly!

We have even been catching tarpon on fly at night! I may have designed a great night tarpon fly. The first time we used it, James Ovelman hooked 3 tarpon out of 4 strikes in 15 minutes of fishing. The third one he hooked he fought for 1:36 hours and had the leader in the rod tip many times for a technical release, but we never got a lip gaff in it for a photo. This was an epic battle up and down the bridge weaving through the pilings. He put out standing pressure on this fish, his first big tarpon on fly, but by no means did he play it conservatively. He has been fishing with me for years and caught big tarpon on bait and knows the pressure we got to put on them. This tarpon was BIG, maybe 130 lbs. and it dragged us through the bridge pilings at least 1.5 miles, then turned back to go maybe 1/4 mile back the other way until it finally broke us off in the pilings - Wow! This is what James has dreamed about for years, and has fish with some of the best fly fishing guides of S. FL. He was stoked even though we did not get it up for a photo.

The next night we bait fished until dark catching a couple tarpon and jumping a few, then we broke out the fly again. The tarpon were not as active as the night before, but in 40 minutes of fly fishing James hooked two tarpon and caught the perfect size tarpon on fly, a 70 pounder. It made some great jumps and runs, and we got it up to the boat for some nice photos which I will be posting soon.

Sean Borgenson came down for 2 days fly fishing. The second day we did a half day night trip, and he hooked a nice tarpon up on fly which jumped greatly and ran deep into his backing before it broke the shock tippet - bizarre. Sometimes leaders can get in the deep corner of the hinge of the jaws where it can get bit off like a pair of dikes which are not sharp.

I am very excited about this fishing for the novice tarpon fly fisherman. This could be one of the greatest ways to catch "big tarpon on fly" down here in the FL Keys. Fly fishing for tarpon here in the Keys has been getting harder and harder over the last decade due to the pressure during the day - they have seen every fly in the book. Over the years my anglers have expressed their frustration. It is one reason I moved into "live bait fishing," I love catching tarpon. Now I know a couple guys that "fun fish" at night with fly for tarpon down here, but most of their tarpon are small (under 50 lbs. and mostly 30 lbs.). The tarpon we were hooking on my fly were all big tarpon, 70 pounds and larger. I'm looking forward to targeting this "night time tarpon fly fishing," especially this July.

I have typically had good night tarpon fishing in July, and even during the day sight fishing with fly can be more productive because less fly fishermen are fishing and the tarpon can be more hungry. There are less tarpon moving along the flats, but they can be more aggressive to the fly.

 

OFFSHORE FISHING: fishing has been good for dolphin (Mahi Mahi), black fin tuna, permit, and billfish are around offshore.

This time of year 99.9% of my trips are tarpon fishing. That is what my clients want to do. I get a few trips of variety during tarpon season, but until tarpon starts to wind down I will not start to fishing for the other fish we have here, even though I love our diverse fishery and fishing for them.

The dolphin fishing (Mahi Mahi) has been very good also, and we have caught some nice fish this last April through June. One memorable catch was with Dave Hamilton and his wife on their honeymoon, and they caught "a double header" of big dolphin, "slammers," that measured 61" and 54" which was a good fire drill. With a mess of small dolphin they took home around 80 pounds of fillets.

Most days I've been offshore we have seen 2 billfish each day free jumping including two blue marlin, one around 350 lbs. and another around 125 lbs. So I'm looking forward to hooking up that illusive blue marlin every day I go offshore.

Black fin tuna and Oceanic bonita have been plentiful offshore and on the humps. It is exciting to chase the schools offshore and hook up to one of these very powerful fish. Sometimes yellow fin tuna can mix in with them, and we're always hoping to hook one of them. Also fishing one or two of these tunas live is a good idea for a shot at a blue marlin or mako shark. Black fin tuna are an excellent fish to add to the fish box, and the Oceanic bonita is a close second in food quality. Both fish have to have the blood line removed, just like yellow fin tuna, and any other fish before cooking and freezing.

Susan Haight caught her first permit, a big, 43 pounder, off one of the local wrecks last week. It fought with every ounce of its body in that 100 foot water. It took every bit of 25 minutes, maybe even 30.

 

INSHORE FISHING: Fishing has been good for bonefish, trout, mangrove snapper, snook, and big sharks.

We have gone bonefish fishing once for half day and boy did we chum up the bonefish that morning. We lost one bonefish and probably chummed up 2 dozen fish in a 1.5 hour period while the tide was peak. The toughest thing is to get the bait in front of the moving bonefish. They come in and leave quick. They were coming in as singles, doubles and even once 6 bonefish came in that morning.

The other backcountry trips I've had, we've fished the Everglades and had some great sea trout and snapper fishing. These were rod bending trips, and the fish were biting. Almost every cast we were hooking a trout and up to 20" which is a nice trout.

Just the other day we were into the nice snapper for the Everglades which I was just flipping into the boat; then Jesse, Brian Connolly's nephew, cranked up a trout that I would say was 27' - 28" and 5 plus pounds. I've honestly never seen one that big. Brian said it was bigger, because he's caught trout that size in Mosquito Lagoon. He said it could have been 30 inches.

When I saw it I screamed, "keep its head in the water, don't lift it up!" I turned and wrestled with the landing net to get it out from under my poling platform where I store it. I finally got it, turned and it was gone! With a shocked face, young Jesse then smiled and said, "that was the biggest saltwater fish he'd ever caught!" He was a very good bait caster, which he expertly fished all morning this old Ambassador bait caster I brought to try. He is an avid bass fisherman from Orlando area, and could cast that old reel quite well.

I've been wanting to try bait casters to drift live bait for snook and baby tarpon so the clients do not twist the line when they are fighting the fish. Later the twisted line will tangle in the reel or rod tip and get chaffed up or snap. If I like it I will add a few nice bait casters to my arsenal of tackle. I'm also thinking about the same principle for offshore, but logically they would be nice lever drag conventional reels.

By the way, one of my clients fished with one of my friends for snook and had a great day. They caught 7 - 8 snook up to 12 lbs. and lost just as many or more. So I'm looking forward to getting out snook fishing soon.


April 14th, 2010:

Wow! I have been getting slammed with some last minute bookings and some great fishing!

It could be a great year for tarpon! The first tarpon we caught was spectacular! It jumped at least 15 times, and was a big tarpon (at least 135 lbs.). It jumped all around the boat, almost hit the boat, even after over an hour of fighting it on #20 test.

The tarpon are about one and a half months over due. Where they start showing up in late Feb, they just started showing up first week of April. So it might be a later season where we could have great tarpon fishing all the way into late July. One year we caught 10 tarpon on July 14th, and many days that year we released 6 - 8 tarpon all the way till last few days of July.

Fishing along the reef has been great this past month. We have caught sailfish, big kingfish (up to 46"), nice black fin tuna, big cero mackerel (up to 10 lbs.), groupers, nice vermillion snapper and lane snapper for fun filled full days and half day trips.

Her first day offshore fishing she catches a sailfish and numerous king and cero mackerel. "Half day snapper and mackerel fishing"

That is a mess of vermillion snapper and lane snapper for David Nix, Kelly, and their son, Devin.

The big kings were biting. We kept 3 of the 6 to the boat and missed twice as many. Repeat client, Joe McKinley and his son were stoked. No shots at sailfish that day, but the kings kept us busy. Tom Pennekamp takes the kids fishing. Nice lane and vermillion snappers. They caught many more kings and snapper, but we let them go.

Jeff Gurski catches a nice king, and friends caught around ten others while fishing for sailfish. Steve Williams and friend catch ten big cero mackerel up to 10 lbs. while fishing for sailfish. Joe McKinely's son catches a 46" kingfish while fishing for sailfish.

 

Offshore fishing has been great too. We have caught numerous amberjack in the 60 - 70 pound range. While we are fishing for them, I like to have another angler on the bow jigging for black fin tuna where we have caught some nice tunas up to 15 lbs. They fight well on #30 test, and it is fun getting the bite yourself. We have also caught nice amberjacks on these jigs too, but they are in the 30 - 40 pound range, which is perfect for #30 test. The dolphin have started to show up too, but I have not fished for them because they are typically small this time of year.

Shane McDermott says these 70 pound amberjacks are good workouts while on spring break from UM's spring football camp. He is their freshman center. Best of luck buddy! Rebecca Kravetz, sixteen year old, came to catch offshore fish. Black fin tuna will teach you about "persistence!" She also caught numerous other king and cero mackerel. They were tearing us up for a while, as fast as I could put a bait in the water. Randy McDermott, loves jigging for those tunas on the hump while we are fishing for amberjacks. They are a fun fight on spin, and great little steaks for the grill too. Brandon Wilson,  veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, says these 65 lbs. amberjacks are tough!

 Thank you for fighting for our freedom buddy!

Bay fishing has been very good too. Spanish mackerel were hot and heavy during our colder March where we were catching them as fast as we could put a bait in the water. Catching them on fly rod is great fun for the beginning saltwater fly fishermen. Big ladyfish, sea trout, pompano, bluefish, jacks, and snapper all come into the chum line for fun action on light tackle.

Big sharks on the flats are the big game of the bay before the tarpon show up, and we were ripping their lips (and removing other lost hooks when I find them) this past March. We've had some great days catching more than a dozen sharks and loosing just as many. Having numerous sharks swimming all around the boat trying to find our baits, either live bait or cut bait. We've been catching lemon sharks up to 200 pounds on #30 test, black tip sharks up to 100 pounds, and smaller sharp nosed sharks up to 30 pounds on #20 test.

The flats fishing has been very tough in March because of the cold March we've had, but it is just going to get red hot as the weather warms. Bonefish have been slim, but one half day charter for fly fishing I chummed up some nice 5 - 7 pound bonefish in low 70 degree water in 1.25 hours chumming. Then the current stopped so we went poling for bonefish, permit, baby tarpon, and small sharks. I've also gotten reports from my friends that they have been catching some nice snook in the back country, so hopefully they have not been as hurt from the cold water "fish kills" of past January as some have feared.

My wife, Elena, and I go out to catch a little mess of nice lane and vermillion snapper after my half day trip in the morning. Can you believe what these black fin tunas are eating: sea horses, squid, and a baby "Mola Mola?"

Feb. 20th, 2010

For those of you who have noticed, I have not posted any fishing reports for awhile. I was on my annual vacation down in Costa Rica, which I take every year this time for a good reason too. The weather is so adverse this time of year, we get lots of cancellations. One of my friends was lamenting he had to cancel 75% of his bookings which were not much anyway. He swore he is going to be visiting me next year down in CR. Just a little dig at all my guide buddies here in the Keys suffering the winter chill, my wife and I were down in CR surfing, spear fishing, and drinking for weeks on end. I'll post some photos soon. I got some cool photos of the fish I speared, mussels we got, dog we adopted, and some good times with friends.

Boy was it good to get out fishing, the boat under my feet, salt spray on my face, and wind in my hair. We returned last week and within a week I was out fishing and catching fish even in these tough, cold, windy conditions. I had a couple "Irish Blokes," John Gleeson and Ferdinand Heyerman,  fishing two days this week offshore and backcountry. Offshore was a little slow, but they had 2 shots at sailfish that just could not catch our live ballyhoo. The current was very slow and the kingfish were not cooperating. We got a couple nice bites on the bottom rod on a wreck but failed to hook'em. We wrap it up fishing the edge of the reef for sailfish, kingfish, and cero mackerels which they caught a few cero mackerels.

The next day we ran back to Flamingo and East Cape to fish for black drum, and that paid off even though the water temperature was very cold. They caught around 20 nice black drum on #10 spin, a few nice trout, and a redfish. Hey, could we call it the "Back country, Poor Man's, Rock Bottom, Channel SLAM!" Why not, everyone else is creating all these other versions of "fishing slams!"

Sorry, I do not think so. FISHING GRAND SLAMS should be something very hard to accomplish, like the original slams: tarpon, bonefish, and permit; or sailfish, blue marlin and white marlin all caught in "one day" - not caught over a two or three day tournament! This also has bastardized the true significance of a "Grand Slam." It's just sad to know there are people that believe they caught a "Grand Slam" in these tournaments. You got to feel sorry for them, they're victims of shrewd marketing.

Anyway, these guys had a great time back in the mangroves, and they even saw a "bald eagle" on the way out on a stake in "Tin Can Channel."

(John Gleeson with one of many Black Drums on light tackle)


Sept. has been a great month for me this year for both business and fishing offshore and inshore. Kids love catching all our sport fish, and I enjoy taking kids out there. Sailfish Fishing Photo gallery - Islamorada Fishing Charters

Offshore fishing: We have caught dolphin, blackfin tuna, sailfish, kingfish, grouper, and triple tail.

I took out local Will Kennedy owner of Chillie Willie's Restaurant and his two sons Cullen and Cody, 10 and 6 yrs old. They had entered the kids tournament at World Wide Sportsman, which is a fun tourney of half a day fishing for as many kids as possible. I was told usually barracudas and amberjacks win biggest fish, and there is an outstanding catch award for sport fish. So I told Will I know where there are some big barracudas out on the reef, and we could also catch a sailfish too, because I've seen a few around since late Aug. We could not have planned it better. While every one else headed out to the humps for tuna and amberjacks, Cullen caught his first sailfish winning the outstanding catch in the offshore division. They also caught 3 big barracudas, and one out of two kingfish all in a short half day (running time back to dock was part of the 4 hours of fishing). Cody won 3rd place big fish with his 23.8 lbs. barracuda on #20 test, which put up a great fight. Will got the whole sailfish battle on video, because Cody was bringing to gaff a kingfish when the sailfish ate one of the rigger baits that was out. I still had three live ballyhoo out while we were catching the kingfish, I cannot tell you how many sailfish we have caught while fighting another fish like a kingfish or a grouper.

Chillie Willie's Restaurant in Islamorada is our favorite lunch spot. They have the "best bacon cheddar cheese burger" in Islamorada. I have tried them all. Most important is how they cook it. I like it "medium rare," and they never miss! It is a big burger, black angus, and at least 4 slices of thick smoky bacon. Along with a great fried calamari, my wife and I split both and I'm stuffed. Of course they have lots of other great comfort food, and it's a great "family friendly" sports bar not catering to "hardcore drinkers" but to families. They have a nice game room for the kids. It's a locals place where captains, mates, contractors, school teachers, electric coop workers, and cops all frequent Chillie Willie's which adds to our enjoyment there, and testifies to the quality of their food. Will, his wife Victoria, and the waitresses are very nice and make you feel like part of their family.

Blackfin Tuna fight hard and often we hook two or three at a time. Tuna Fishing Photo gallery - Islamorada Fishing ChartersBlackfin tuna have been numerous and of good size for this time of year. With the live pilchards, we get them busting and jumping clean out of the air right behind the boat chasing the "freebies" (the live pilchards I throw out as chum). I even caught 2 out of 3 on fly in casting just 15 minutes after catching about 20 blackfins up to 15 pounds. I caught those 2 tuna while my two other friends were each catching tuna, making for fun triple header action, and a little chaotic handling the boat and landing tuna because it was just the three of us.

One day my wife and I went out scuba diving and spear fishing for a half day, leaving at 12pm.. On the way out we ran over a large school of pilchards and filled the live well with 700 pilchards, so I knew we were going for tunas after my dive. Groupers are the toughest to slip up on for a shot. They hide amongst the rocks, and spook quickly not allowing you to get close. Spear Fishing Islamorada Photo Gallery - Islamorada Fishing Charters

I jump in the water and as I descend I come across a big rock with a big black Margate. I resist the urge to go after it, then I see him - a nice black grouper. He slowly hides in the rock, my heart jumps a little, I now know I have a good chance to spear it. As I approach a 15 lb. mutton snapper swims around the corner then turns to go back around. Stay on target I tell myself.

As I come up to the rock, my heart is thumping! Gun out in front of me ready to shoot, going around where he entered, I see his tail and then his back side. I take a gamble! I turn the tip of the gun around that corner to take a blind/ estimated shot at him, instead of actually seeing where I was shooting. I did not want him to see me, and spook out.

Bam! - he did not move! Did I miss? I grab the shaft, and it's solid in him! It is a kill shot, right behind the gill plate. "Yeah!" I yell in my regulator. I had yet to shoot a grouper in two years. They are very smart. They know how to blend in to the rocks, and bolt at the right time keeping plenty of distance from you.

WHAT A HALF DAY! Tuna Fishing Photo Gallery - Islamorada Fishing ChartersAfter lunch we ran out to the hump, and chummed up the tunas where Elena caught 15 tunas, hooking double headers. She caught one 15 lb. blackfin tuna, and lost a couple others that size. We kept 7 black fin tuna and two skipjacks and let the others go. On the way home we stopped off at a lobster spot and got 6 lobsters - what a great half day! I canned most of the tuna (20lbs.) had two dinners of grilled tuna, two dinners of grouper, one of lobster, made a huge grilled tuna fish salad for the week, and froze the rest for my parents.That's a 30 pound bull dolphin that Jaret Lint hooked himself along with a few nice blackfin tunas. Dolphin Fishing Photo Gallery - Islamorada Fishing Charters

Had a few days where I took clients out dolphin fishing, and caught all the heavy lifters and gaffers that we wanted along with a  few blackfin tuna to start the day. One day I chummed along side of two of my friends, and those tuna never left our boats. We did a power drift up to 1.25 miles from the hump and those tunas stayed with us for over an hour of fishing. Usually, you got to keep moving up current of the hump and go past the fish getting them fired up to eat the livies on the surface. I guess we just had so many pilchards going into the water the followed us. When  one of my friends took off to go dolphin fishing, they started to dissipate.

 

Inshore fishing: has been just as good for snook, tarpon, bonefish, permit, and mangrove snapper too.

Dave Dekker and Jeff Maron of Palm Coast, FL had a great couple days fishing. They came down for one day offshore, which they caught all the dolphin they wanted - they actually said "we've had enough!" But they really wanted to fish for bonefish and permit, and did we also have a great day bonefish fishing. We started out chumming, and caught three bonefish on jigs: 5, 2, 2 lbs. We then went looking for permit but had no luck, but it was raining and cloudy with poor visibility. That was disappointing because the week before in the same spots I saw over one hundred permit from singles to triples, to schools of 15 to 30 permit in 2.5 hours fishing. My clients had one bite, and missed it by "Bill Dance'ing the strike." Unfortunately they never saw any of the permit they were casting at, so no other bite occurred. So I told Dave and Jeff lets go look for some tailing bonefish, and did we find the tailing bonefish.

Dave Dekker with that nice tailing bonefish he caught. Bonefish Fishing Photo Gallery - Islamorada Fishing ChartersThey caught 3 more bonefish sight casting to 5 different schools of tailing bonefish up to a dozen or so in each school. They were from 4 - 8 lbs. The big one did not even make the longest run, but fought closer to the boat staying with the other bonefish that had spooked but not gone far. One of the smaller bones made a 130 yard run across the flat which really impressed these two "bull redfish" fisherman.

Jeff Dahl from Wyoming had a great first 2 days saltwater flay fishing the back country for tarpon and snook. He did not catch any of them, but he hooked some nice fish and had plenty of bites. The first fish he hooked was about a 5+ pound tarpon and he got two jumps before it got off. He jumped another one off that day, and jumped a snook off too. He had numerous other bites from snook and tarpon, then at the end of the day he want to see how it was done, so I caught one and brought it to the boat so he could see it and take a picture. They next day we fished 3/4 day the same thing before his wrist gave out from the casting. Again he had numerous bites, including one big snook that just exploded on his popper coming almost half way out of the water. All these fish were eating poppers or surface streamers, so every bite was on the surface. First day there were a lot of baby tarpon, and the second day was mostly snook bites. The last two hours we fished mudding rays to catch jacks or redfish, but the rays had lots of small snapper on them. He caught a couple snapper and missed a coupe jacks, but at least he got the experience in sight fishing and saw how different it really is from his trout fishing. On the way home I convinced him to stop and fish for small sharks, even though he was very tired with the heat and casting for two days. We had a could shots at lemons and bonnetheads which he missed a bite by using the old trout strike of lifting the rod tip. This is one of the biggest handicaps all trout fishermen have, and also dealing with a moving target. To cap it off as we were polling off the flat we came across a tailing permit up on the flat. What a classic sight! He said he cannot wait till next year.Rick with one of the many nice snook they caught in 2 days fishing. Snook Fishing Photo Gallery - Islamorada Fishing Charters

Rick and James Ovelman from Miami came down for a couple days of snook and tarpon in the back country. Both days Rick caught a tarpon on fly and thoroughly enjoyed it. We talked old stories about fishing with legendary Bill Curtis, which was the last time he caught a tarpon on fly many years ago. Now he would rather catch smaller fish. James had numerous shots at some big tarpon in the 40 - 80 pounds for about 2 hours the first morning. We found them laid up and rolling in one of the basins back there. James and Rick caught numerous snook back there, and the last day they may have caught close to 15 and missed just as may bites. James was on it for a while, almost every cast he was hooking a snook. All of them were just under the slot, but we lost one at the boat that was definitely a keeper. Once again we had a great couple days fishing together, they have been fishing with me for years now, always for the big spring tarpon with live bait. But they have always talked about back country fishing, and I'm glad they finally got down here for this Sept. fishing.

Big 10' crocodile lurks in the background waiting to see if it can steal one of our fish. Snook Fishing Photo Gallery - Islamorada Fishing ChartersNext James talked about canoe trip, but Rick still seems a little concerned, especially after the 10' crocodile that was hanging around while we caught snook.

Close-up of this big nasty. Snook Fishing Photo Gallery - Islamorada Fishing Charters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FEBRUARY, 2010

February is the middle of sailfish season here in Islamorada offshore, and the rougher it is – the better it can be, so do not get discouraged. The sailfish is the primary target this time of year, but we have a lot of other great offshore fish to fish for too. This time of year we catch wahoo, black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, and cobia offshore. On the reefs, wrecks, and the patch reefs the bottom fishing can be very good this time of year too. There are some hard fighting, good eating fish on the reef like mutton snapper, yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, lane snapper, hogfish, porgies, black grouper, red grouper, and cero mackerel. Last month’s offshore forecast applies to this month’s forecast, so I will include that later if you missed it last month because it is quite detailed on the way we fish and for what we fish this time of year.

 

INSHORE FISHING:

 

In February as spring approaches, we can get some very nice warm days out there. This makes the first waves of big tarpon show up in the Everglades and even out along the bridges and channels. We all wait for the big tarpon to show, so if it is warm for a few days, we give it a shot. Every year I am catching our first tarpon in the third or fourth week of February. Tarpon has become my favorite sport fish. They are the largest sport fish here in the Florida Keys, that you can catch on a daily basis. Aside from the occasional blue marlin or if you go out to catch a swordfish, the tarpon is our biggest fish. They range from 30 to over 200 pounds, and average around 70 to 125 pounds.

 

Tarpon are also a huge challenge to hook and catch. Most people have heard about how hard it is to hook one, because they have a very boney mouth. They also are notorious for throwing the hook or breaking you off as they make their first jumps. We like to have the clients bow the rod to the fish as it jumps to keep it from spitting the hook or breaking the line.

 

Then they make their first long run with a few good jumps and “we’re off to the races!” We literally race after the tarpon with the boat, weaving through pilings and lobster trap floats, keeping close to the fish so as not to allow the line to get cut by an obstruction. This is very interesting twist to our tarpon fishing here in Islamorada, and it is one of the things I really love about tarpon fishing here. Once we get away from the bridge and any other obstructions, we fight it like any other fish: follow it and allow the angler to apply maximum pressure.

 

We try to get the tarpon up to the boat for a quick picture of it in the water along the side of the boat with the angler along the gunwale admiring his tarpon in the upper corner of the photo. This way we do not have to lift the tarpon up out of the water, which is illegal to do now. I have been doing this for years before the new law of last year. The main reason was so I would not hurt my back, and put me out of work. The purpose of the law was so as to not hurt the tarpon, which is most likely true because the bigger they are the harder it is to handle them gently for a good release after the picture. Bringing in a big fish most times gets dragged across the gunwale, taking a lot of protective slime off the fish. They also might drop into the boat after the picture, then slap around hurting themselves more and prolonging their time out of water because it is so hard to get a hold of them to get them back in the water. The law was initially formed because the scientists say it is very harmful to a big fish’s inners and its skeleton, but I have to disagree from my years of observation of thousands of fish after release. Sometimes I have followed tarpon for more than 30 minutes after a release, because I was using the boat to fend off a big hammerhead shark. Most of the time the tarpon will resuscitate within 15 minutes to a point that the shark can not get it. I know when the tarpon gets away, because it is very obvious when it does not, even if it takes 15 minutes for the shark to track down that tarpon and it is a mile or more away. Later I will go over some good pointers on releasing all fish.

 

These early spring conditions can also make the permit school up in big numbers on the edges of the flats. I’ve had numerous days where we have seen a few hundred permit in numerous schools. I’ve also had two different days where we have seen around a thousand permit moving along the flats. One of those days there was a school of more than 300 permit, and numerous schools from 50 to 100. These were all different schools because the were migrating to the north along the flats. At times I could see 3 schools at a time coming towards us.

 

Same goes for the bonefish. They can get into some big schools mudding along the deeper edges of the flats waiting to move up onto the crowns to feed and tail. I have seen schools of 100 bonefish, but that is rare. They are mostly 50 and less, and more common one to two dozen bonefish to a school of “mudders.” This is a great time to cast at and hook bonefish because they are aggressively feeding and in deeper water (2 to 5 feet) which makes them not as spooky - easier to get a bait to!

 

 The same goes for redfish back in the back country of Flamingo, Everglades National Park. They will start to flood the flats as the water warms. They can sometimes move in schools of 50 or more fish, but most of the time they are spread out in small groups or pairs or singles. Snook fishing is also very good this month, whether it is cold or warm. When it is colder they will be in the deeper water and as it warms they will come out onto the flats and along the shorelines.

 

February is the last good month of Spanish mackerel fishing out just west of Florida Bay. That is once March comes they get sporadic, unless we get a cold spell for a few days. This is fun rod bending action, and you can catch big mangrove snappers in the chum line and even a cobia or nice size sharks too.

 

 

How I like to release fish:

 

First, do not remove the “protective slime.” Make sure your hands are wet before you grab the fish. Then, do not bear hug the fish against your dry clothing, hold it away from you a little.

 

Second, do not let it fall onto the deck. If you can not keep a good hold of its lip with your hand, use one of those lip holing devises. If the fish shakes violently, it will not fall to the deck. Also holding it over the water can be a good picture with you looking at it and your buddy taking a shot of it from behind your shoulder to the side. If it shakes from your grip it falls into the water, just keep the hook in its mouth. If it is barely hooked, you can re-hook it in a secure place of its mouth, if it is a real nice fish you definitely need a picture of. Just remove the hook after.

 

Third, If the fish is to big to handle in this manner, leave it in the water along side the boat. Get the boat moving forward at a good speed for the fish so that it is being ventilated while you are taking the pictures. It will also keep the whole fish up along the surface for a picture of its complete length and size. Do not bring a big fish into the boat and put it across two or three people’s laps. This is a big “de-sliming event.”

 

Fourth, get water moving over their gills. The easy way is with the boat moving forward, or anchored in current. Other wise the back and forth motion works most of the time and when you let go of them shake their tail which wakes them up and makes them dart off thinking something bit them, making them swim and ventilate more. For a tarpon, or long fish, I tap them hard near the base of the tail, which also makes them dart off.

 

Fifth, for the last 10 year I have been holding my fish upside down while reviving them (except billfish). This immobilizes them, almost putting them to sleep. They are not struggling against you and their jaw will open wide open allowing maximum ventilation. While doing this I always move the fish left and right in a swimming motion. I think this help their blood circulation and also gets their gill plates opening from side to side. As they get more oxygen and revive, their fins will start to flick and they will start to swim and struggle. That is when I roll them over, and I keep the swimming motion (left and right). When they start to resist your swimming motion, that is when I let them go and give them a shake or strong taps at the base of the tail. You should see them dart off with real energy. It is very satisfying!

 

When reviving billfish, I hold the bill and the front stiff section of the dorsal keeping the fish upright. I will continue a swimming motion (left and right), until the fish starts to resist my efforts. That is when you push the fish down with your hand that was holding the dorsal. Try to tap the base of the tail or aft part of the fish as it goes down. It is important to push the billfish down to deeper cooler water. There is more oxygen in cooler water especially if it is calm.

 

Sometimes, I’ll lift a sailfish up by the bill and the sail and rest its mid section on the gunwale, without dragging it across the gunwale. I do not let the angler hug it or get it on his lap. I try to get the angler on the inboard side of the fish so I am up against the gunwale with the fish. After two quick shots I lift it straight up, so as not to slide the fish across the gunwale, and put it back in the water as the boat has been going forward the whole time. This way the fish is being ventilated immediately, and we can get some more picture with the angler watching his fish being released. I would not try this with a marlin of over a hundred pounds. Its weight would not be good on its gut, and I have not lifted fish over 60 pounds in a long time so I do not strain my back. Fish of this size should be left in the water for a picture.

 

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

 

The following is exactly what I wrote for January’s forecast, and it applies to February. So hear it is if you missed it last month.

 

February is peak sailfish season, which runs from late November until late April, depending on the weather conditions. Most of the local Islamorada charter boats love pitching frisky ballyhoo or cigar minnows at sailfish that are chasing the schools of ballyhoo on the reef. They also sight fishing for cruising sailfish over the sand inside of the reef or on the reef itself. These sailfish are looking for a school of ballyhoo, and will often take a well cast, frisky bait. However, kite fishing with live bait is also very effective when the conditions dictate. I have seen more local boats fishing the kite in the last few years too. It really is a more popular technique from Miami north up to Palm Beach, mostly due to the fact that they do not have the schools of ballyhoo over a shallow barrier reef like we have down here in the Florida Keys.

 

I grew up sailfish fishing with the kite with my Dad since I was eight years old up off of Key Biscayne, and it has a special spot in my heart. I still have his oversized kite reel he built out of plywood and a long dowel. It cranks in over three feet per turn. I had to fiberglass it up a few years ago, because the spool started to split under the stretch of the mono. It’s a classic that usually draws a comment or two. It’s not the high tech electric reel setups of today, but it does not fail. Like a friend of mine lamented a couple of years ago. His electric reel failed while the kite was out in 20 knots of wind. He had a hell of a time getting the kite back in by hand, especially since it had Spectron as the main line.


 

A lot of guys fish two kites with three baits suspended from each kite. That is six baits out down wind. These kites are flown left and right by putting a large split shot on the corner you want it to fly to. It takes a bit of adjustment. Try to get them to fly low too, so there is less slack after the bite when the line is released from the clip. I’ve seen excellent crews fish a third kite down the middle. Combine these kite baits with chumming with live pilchards, and you got a fishing machine! While we are kite fishing for sailfish we can catch other pelagic fish like black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, cobia, and wahoo.

 

One of the bonuses to kite fishing is we can fish the bottom for big groupers and snappers simultaneously. Typically, we are drifting while kite fishing. Some guys use a big sea anchor to slow the drift and keep the bow into the sea. Others drift beam to with flat lines and bottom lines out on the windward side of the boat. There are some deeper reefs, drops, ledges, and wrecks that hold these fish. We will plan our drift and maneuver the boat so as to go over them to make a good pass with the bottom baits. A lot of these spots hold bait on top like runners which also attract sailfish and the other pelagic fish. Sometimes you can simultaneously hook up a snapper or grouper on the bottom and a sailfish on the surface.

 

Another popular way to kite fish, which a lot of local charter boats in Islamorada do, is to anchor on the edge of the reef. They are primarily chumming for reef fish like yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, big grouper, and cero mackerels. They then put out the kite to catch a sailfish, big kingfish, cobia, or whatever other pelagic comes up the chum line.

 

More detail on the techniques and description of sailfish fishing is in my web site www.fish-killgore.com under the link in the right column: SAILFISH

 

 

“Wahoo are found by mostly fast trolling with lures, plugs, or rigged ballyhoo behind big cigar leads just outside the reef line from 180 to 300 feet deep. If you know spots where they concentrate, you can fish for them with big speedos or blue runners by slow trolling. Wahoo up to 50 plus pounds are caught every year, but most of the wahoo are 25 to 35 lbs.”

 

“The patch reefs come alive this time of year too. You could make a living fishing these spots during the winter season. What a variety of fish you can catch there. The targets are decent size mutton snapper from 5 to 15 lbs. and keeper size groupers: blacks, gags, and red groupers. We also catch hog fish, mackerel (cero and Spanish), snappers (yellowtail, mangroves, and lane snappers), jacks, barracudas, and sharks for a fun rod bending experience. You can also get a nice cooler of fish fillets to take home or to a local restaurant for a smorgasbord of a meal. Usually they will prepare the fish three different ways.”

 

“Trolling for grouper is also a good way to catch them in the winter if the water is clear. Big lipped magnum plugs, bonita lures, heavy skirted lures, and rigged de-boned ballyhoos are favorite rigs. They are trolled with wire lines or heavy braided lines with either heavy cigar leads or big planners to get the bait down to where the grouper will dare to leave their lair to eat a bait trolled by.”


JANUARY, 2010

“Offshore Fishing” and our “sailfish season” is by far the highlight of Islamorada, Florida Keys fishing this month. January is typically the coldest month of the year, and these cold fronts push the sailfish down the reef following the schools of bait fish. While we are sailfish fishing, we catch a lot of other great sport fish that run along the reef which would be wahoo, black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, and cobia. The reef, wrecks, and the patch reefs are great this time of year too, and can be a fun filled day of rod bending and taking a cooler of fish home. There are some hard fighting, good eating fish on the reef like mutton snapper, cero mackerel, yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, lane snapper, hogfish, porgies, and the “big super stud” of the reef - the black grouper.

 

However, grouper harvest has been prohibited by the “tyrants at NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE (NMFS) at this time of writing. I’m still going to include it anyway so you all can see how it negatively impacts our fishing and business here in the Florida Keys. Some charter fishermen primarily focus on the winter bottom fishing for grouper and snapper. Their clients book them for a fun filled day of serious rod bending on the reefs, and to take some great eating fish home too. For many other charter boats, a big grouper or two is a great bonus while we are fishing the reefs and wrecks for a multitude of other sport fish down here in Islamorada. What makes this a “particularly offensive outrage,” is that this “blanket grouper prohibition” is designed specifically to protect the “gag grouper,” which has never been a prominent grouper down here. Even though that point was stressed at the public hearings and further concessions of limiting our catches were offered, the “NMFS TYRANTS” apparently just turned their backs on the citizens they are supposed to be working for. That’s right folks, just another encroachment on our freedoms and our “life, liberty, and pursuit of prosperity” (for our families!) by appointed bureaucrats! Hey, anyone for another “tea party?” What about representation? How long do you think we are going to live under these unnecessary, oppressive regulations? I’ve even seen publications stating other Florida university scientists contradicting the NMFS scientist’s data on gag grouper populations as being way underestimated due to their methods of estimating. What the hell is this? A regulatory crap shot with our livelihood and wellbeing. I find this especially heinous in the face of a serious economic down turn!

 

Anyway, as I started on the inshore fishing and the exciting “sight casting” to big barracudas on the flats, I remembered a funny story while I was a mate 20 years ago. It starts with: It’s one of my greatest memories as a young man – saving a “really hot chic!” I think veteran and novice anglers will enjoy this brief story. Since inshore fishing is considered at its most difficult due to the cold weather, I did not want the reader to miss a good laugh by glancing over that section, expecting the typical winter inshore forecast. Even though inshore fishing can be tough this month on those cold days, we know how to change tactics to catch fish. Sometimes we can have some action packed days as the fish stack in the deeper, warmer water in the creeks, channels, canals, motes, and basins. It’s just not the conditions for the classic sight fishing on the flats, unless you get a warm spell for a few days with 70 degree water which will bring the fish back up on the flats.

 

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

 

January is getting into peak sailfish season, which runs from late November until late April, depending on the weather conditions. Most of the local Islamorada charter boats love pitching frisky ballyhoo or cigar minnows at sailfish that are chasing the schools of ballyhoo on the reef. They also sight fishing for cruising sailfish over the sand inside of the reef or on the reef itself. These sailfish are looking for a school of ballyhoo, and will often take a well cast, frisky bait. However, kite fishing with live bait is also very effective when the conditions dictate. I have seen more local boats fishing the kite in the last few years too. It really is a more popular technique from Miami north up to Palm Beach, mostly due to the fact that they do not have the schools of ballyhoo over a shallow barrier reef like we have down here in the Florida Keys.

 

I grew up sailfish fishing with the kite with my Dad since I was eight years old up off of Key Biscayne, and it has a special spot in my heart. I still have his oversized kite reel he built out of plywood and a long dowel. It cranks in over three feet per turn. I had to fiberglass it up a few years ago, because the spool started to split under the stretch of the mono. It’s a classic that usually draws a comment or two. It’s not the high tech electric reel setups of today, but it does not fail. Like a friend of mine lamented a couple of years ago. His electric reel failed while the kite was out in 20 knots of wind. He had a hell of a time getting the kite back in by hand, especially since it had Spectron as the main line.


 

A lot of guys fish two kites with three baits suspended from each kite. That is six baits out down wind. These kites are flown left and right by putting a large split shot on the corner you want it to fly to. It takes a bit of adjustment. Try to get them to fly low too, so there is less slack after the bite when the line is released from the clip. I’ve seen excellent crews fish a third kite down the middle. Combine these kite baits with chumming with live pilchards, and you got a fishing machine! While we are kite fishing for sailfish we can catch other pelagic fish like black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, cobia, and wahoo.

 

One of the bonuses to kite fishing is we can fish the bottom for big groupers and snappers simultaneously. Typically, we are drifting while kite fishing. Some guys use a big sea anchor to slow the drift and keep the bow into the sea. Others drift beam to with flat lines and bottom lines out on the windward side of the boat. There are some deeper reefs, drops, ledges, and wrecks that hold these fish. We will plan our drift and maneuver the boat so as to go over them to make a good pass with the bottom baits. A lot of these spots hold bait on top like runners which also attract sailfish and the other pelagic fish. Sometimes you can simultaneously hook up a snapper or grouper on the bottom and a sailfish on the surface.

 

Another popular way to kite fish, which a lot of local charter boats in Islamorada do, is to anchor on the edge of the reef. They are primarily chumming for reef fish like yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, big grouper, and cero mackerels. They then put out the kite to catch a sailfish, big kingfish, cobia, or whatever other pelagic comes up the chum line.

 

More detail on the techniques and description of sailfish fishing is in my web site www.fish-killgore.com under the link in the right column: SAILFISH

 

Do not forget about the wahoo fishing and patch reef fishing I wrote about last month which is winter fishing in the FL Keys. I’ll even include “trolling for grouper” from last month, because before the “NMFS TYRANTS” outlawed grouper, it was a fun way to spend an hour or so if the sailfish fishing was slow and the charter did not want to fish for yellowtail snappers because they wanted to catch something “big!”

 

“Wahoo are found by mostly fast trolling with lures, plugs, or rigged ballyhoo behind big cigar leads just outside the reef line from 180 to 300 feet deep. If you know spots where they concentrate, you can fish for them with big speedos or blue runners by slow trolling. Wahoo up to 50 plus pounds are caught every year, but most of the wahoo are 25 to 35 lbs.”

 

“The patch reefs come alive this time of year too. You could make a living fishing these spots during the winter season. What a variety of fish you can catch there. The targets are decent size mutton snapper from 5 to 15 lbs. and keeper size groupers: blacks, gags, and red groupers. We also catch hog fish, mackerel (cero and Spanish), snappers (yellowtail, mangroves, and lane snappers), jacks, barracudas, and sharks for a fun rod bending experience. You can also get a nice cooler of fish fillets to take home or to a local restaurant for a smorgasbord of a meal. Usually they will prepare the fish three different ways.”

 

“Trolling for grouper is also a good way to catch them in the winter if the water is clear. Big lipped magnum plugs, bonita lures, heavy skirted lures, and rigged de-boned ballyhoos are favorite rigs. They are trolled with wire lines or heavy braided lines with either heavy cigar leads or big planners to get the bait down to where the grouper will dare to leave their lair to eat a bait trolled by.”

 

 

INSHORE FISHING

 

When it is too cold for bonefish, and permit on the flats, one of my favorite fish to sight cast too is the “great barracuda.”  As we pole the edges of the flats looking for a bonefish or permit during borderline temperatures, we typically will see plenty of barracudas. The bigger barracudas in the 20 to 25 pound class are generally solitary fish or in pairs. They will be laid up on the white spots or hanging down current of sea fans, gorgonians, or Sargasso weed strings attached to the bottom. They can also be cruising down the edges of the flats too. We will also encounter schools of a dozen barracudas or more, but they are typically smaller in size, say 3 to 15 pounds.

 

Barracuda attack the lures with startling aggression, and can make a few strong runs with some good jumps sometimes over 6 feet high or 20 feet across the water – great action when things are slow on the flats. Tube lures are my favorite lure. They are erratic and resilient to many bites. Surface plugs are good too, but try to find the ones that are solid foam or wood. The hollow plastic ones will get punctured and ruined.

 

Casting to and hooking these fish is not a sure thing! You have to have an accurate cast. If you cast too close you’ll spook them. Too far away and they will never see it. As you are casting, do not let them see the shadow of the lure, or you casting at them. The first cast or two really has to count.

 

I like to cast beyond their area of detection (20 plus feet) then bring it into their field of view (10 – 15 feet) at a moderate speed. When they make a move at it, this is when you work it a little faster. If they don’t hit it then, go faster. If they don’t hit that, go faster yet and more erratic. I like to explain it as gears in a car, first through fourth. Start out in first. Sometimes they won’t give you a chance to get into second gear. Or they attack it right at the boat, just as you are reeling as fast as you can!

 

Hold your rod to the side though. Often they explode on a fast moving bait, and you would not want their follow through to come right at you. I’ve never had one come in the boat like this, but I did have one come in the boat while we were yellowtail snapper fishing off Cat Cay, Bahamas.

 

It’s one of my greatest memories as a young man – saving a “really hot chic!” I was the second mate on the “Knightlines,” and we were taking a break from slow blue fin tuna fishing off of Cat Cay, Bahamas. The yellowtails were chummed up, and I was unhooking fish and baiting hooks – BAM!  There’s a big crash behind us. Wheeling around I find a four foot barracuda snaking wildly across the cockpit right towards the boss’s utterly “drop dead gorgeous” girl friend, dressed in a very tight string bikini, fully endowed. She is screaming hysterically as she gets cornered by this big barracuda. Now’s my chance!

 

I hop over the barracuda, pick her up, and hop back over the barracuda! From total panic to total elation, she whips around and jumps on top of me, scissoring my waste and hugging me. She buries my face in her bikini top and suntan oil screaming “thank you, thank you, thank you!” Shocked, I withdraw my face “first excited, then panicked” thinking of the boss’s disapproval. She kisses me several times on each cheek. Stoked, with a big grin I fearfully peek up to the bridge and see the boss and captain having a big laugh. What a relief. They probably are still laughing over the look on my face. Needless to say, she never got too close to me again, though I always saw a twinkle in her eye for the rest of that trip and dreamed of the possibilities!

 

Now the flats fishing scenarios for January are the same as for December, and this is what I wrote about pursuing all of our fish during the different types of conditions we have during the winter months.

 

We can still have some spring like days in between the cold fronts. These days are good for flats fishing for bonefish, permit, barracudas, and sharks on the ocean side flats. And back in the back country the redfish, snook, sea trout, jacks, and sharks will be on the flats too. But after a cold front we have to change our strategy, and fish deeper water where these fish will be seeking warmer water. The water temperature changes quickly on the shallow flats where the strong, cold wind cools the water fast, like a radiator. So all the flats fish will be in the channels, creeks, deeper basins, or deep water edges of these flats.

 

In these conditions bonefish will be mudding and cruising in areas three to five feet deep. We can pole the edges of the flats looking into the deeper areas for schools of bonefish mudding or schools cruising by, then pole out to intercept them with a cast. Some guides like to soak shrimp on three to five rods in areas where they are known to cruise by. This can be very effective in catching winter bonefish and a multitude of other flats fish for a rod bending fun day. Other guides like to throw handfuls of chop shrimp in the area then bind cast a shrimp tipped jig through the area. This is also a great way to catch cold water bonefish along with the other rod benders.

 

The redfish, snook, baby tarpon, sea trout, ladyfish, jacks, and sharks will congregate in the deep channels and creeks when the water gets chilled by a cold front. There can be some bang up fishing when the fish pack it in there. Sometimes it can be as fast as you can put a bait in the water. Pilchards, pinfish, and shrimp tipped jigs are used. Keep in mind that snook season is closed Dec. – Feb.

 

Sea trout, ladyfish, and jacks will school up in the mullet muds in numerous basins around Flamingo. This is always a fun rod bending time. Kids love to do this. Remember, trout season is closed until the first of the year.

 

The Spanish mackerel will be hot and heavy just west of the inter-coastal waterway within 5 miles out. Take a few blocks of chum, live shrimp, pompano jigs, pilchards, spoons, lures, and flies – they will eat it all once you got them chummed up behind the boat. Often you will get mangrove snapper chummed up to, along with the sharks, blue fish, and be ready for a cobia to show up too.

 

Also please take note of what I said last month on the weather conditions during the winter here in the Keys and dress accordingly.

 

Winter will have with strong cold fronts. Temperatures can drop in to the low fifties and the winds can be more than 25 knots for a couple days or more.

 

Offshore these winds are N.N.W. to E.N.E which are essentially an offshore wind and the chop will be 1 to 3 feet on the deep side of the reef (70’ to 200’) where we are sailfish fishing. When the wind pulls around to the E. to S.E. that is when it becomes an onshore wind and the seas build to 4’ to 6’ with a 20 knot wind. It is sporty, but still very fishable depending on your experience. These are the winds that drive the bait down the E. coast and up against the reef. Right behind the bait are the sailfish, “late-late season” dolphin, black fin tuna, kingfish, and wahoo. When it lays down to 10 knots out of the S.E., it is nice fishing the edge of the reef. Big grouper and mutton snapper fishing is very good on the wrecks and along the reef. Calmer conditions are needed to get the baits down on the wrecks. The fishing on the patch reefs starts to really turn on too.

 

Inshore, if we get one of these cold fronts with strong winds do not let it detour you. Getting to the fish in the back country is no real problem with the waves. We just run the lee side of the flats and islands to get to areas that are sheltered by the trees on the islands or mainland shoreline. I’ve been out there catching fish with 30 knot winds blowing over the tops of the trees and virtually no wind affecting us, while fishing!

 

If I decide to make a run for it, I will have a full ski mask and gloves on over my heavy foul weather gear. We have no protection from the wind in our skiffs and often we are running right into it at 30 to 40 knots. That is more than 55 knots of wind. I do not know what the wind chill factor is, but it is damn cold especially after running 45 minutes into the back country. Then you take a shot of spray a couple times - burr! Do not forget to dress appropriately is my point, because the fish are still biting.


DECEMBER, 2009

December is the month all the offshore fishermen are waiting for. “It is sailfish season!” Winter has arrived with strong cold fronts. Temperatures can drop in to the low fifties and the winds can be more than 25 knots for a couple days or more. Conversely, this is not the season the flats fishermen are looking forward to. If I decide to make a run for it, I will have a full ski mask and gloves on over my heavy foul weather gear. We have no protection from the wind in our skiffs and often we are running right into it at 30 to 40 knots. That is more than 55 knots of wind. I do not know what the wind chill factor is, but it is damn cold especially after running 45 minutes into the back country. Then you take a shot of spray a couple times - burr! Do not forget to dress appropriately is my point, because the fish are still biting.

About the foul weather conditions on the water, I’m going to paraphrase a little what I wrote last month:

Offshore these winds are N.N.W. to E.N.E which are essentially an offshore wind and the chop will be 1 to 3 feet on the deep side of the reef (70’ to 200’) where we are sailfish fishing. When the wind pulls around to the E. to S.E. that is when it becomes an onshore wind and the seas build to 4’ to 6’ with a 20 knot wind. It is sporty, but still very fishable depending on your experience. These are the winds that drive the bait down the E. coast and up against the reef. Right behind the bait are the sailfish, “late-late season” dolphin, black fin tuna, kingfish, and wahoo. When it lays down to 10 knots out of the S.E., it is nice fishing the edge of the reef. Big grouper and mutton snapper fishing is very good on the wrecks and along the reef. Calmer conditions are needed to get the baits down on the wrecks. The fishing on the patch reefs starts to really turn on too.

In between the cold fronts we can have beautiful “spring like” days. If we get one of these cold fronts with strong winds do not let it detour you. Getting to the fish in the back country is no real problem with the waves. We just run the lee side of the flats and islands to get to areas that are sheltered by the trees on the islands or mainland shoreline. I’ve been out there catching fish with 30 knot winds blowing over the tops of the trees and virtually no wind affecting us, while fishing!

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

This is it, sailfish season is here! This is when the sailfish are ambushing the ballyhoo on the reef into 20 feet of water. You can see over 500 ballyhoo fleeing across the water as sailfish are chasing them down, numerous times a day. They call it “showers” of ballyhoo, and it is a sight to see. We will run up to 300 yards with live ballyhoo, cigar minnows, or pilchards ready to throw at the slashing sailfish. Hopefully there are more than 6 sailfish in the melee where we have a good chance to get multiple hook-ups and rack up the releases.

This is a very exciting way to fish for sailfish, and everyone has to be on their toes to get it done. An accurate cast with a very fresh bait is often the rule. Sailfish will refuse a perfect cast with a tired bait, or a perfect bait cast off target. Then by the time you’re ready for the second cast, the sailfish might have sensed the boat. They’ll settle down a little, stop chasing the bait, and definitely refuse your bait. This is why you have to monopolize your chances while the sailfish are in the heat of the moment.

Believe me this is the “Heat of the Moment” in the boat too. There can be “overly excited directions” being vocalized by the “captain in the tower” to the mates and anglers in the cockpit, that can be heard over a hundred yards away. This can make for some great bar stool stories for years to come, and I’ve got some classics. One of my favorites is the “Reel Circles, not Squares!” story which happened while I was a mate for one of Islamorada’s great captains.

The Islamorada charter boats are experts in fishing the “ballyhoo showers” and can catch up to 20 sailfish in a day, and a few have even caught more than 20 sailfish. Now do not be intimidated by my extreme portrayal of “the heat of the moment” coaching by the captain to the team in the cockpit. Typically everyone is very professional, it’s just at times we got to yell over the wind and roar of the engines so all can hear exactly where the fish are to cast at. If it seems “a little over the top” let me give you a tip, refrain from making comparisons to Nick Saban down here in S. Florida.  ;-)

If the sailfish are not pushing the ballyhoo schools, we will be slow trolling live baits or flying a fishing kite and drifting. While we are fishing for sailfish we can catch black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, cobia, wahoo, cero mackerel, and even big barracudas while we are slow trolling or kite fishing with live baits. What I like about kite fishing is we are fishing for sailfish and the other fish on the surface with the kite and flat lines, and fishing for snapper and grouper on the bottom with a bottom rod or a deep jig or both.

If the sailfish are showering the ballyhoo we will be slow trolling live baits so we can quickly charge over to the melee of sailfish without having to bring the kite in. The cero mackerel also shower the ballyhoo and are quite fun to catch while waiting for the next group of sailfish. They slash and boil on the live bait we are trolling on the surface. If we get in a good school of them we can cast lures on #10 spinners or fly rods and have some sporty fun. They can be over 10 lbs. and are great eating.

More detail on the techniques and description of sailfish fishing is in my web site www.fish-killgore.com under the link: SAILFISH

Wahoo show up strong in December. Wahoo are found by mostly fast trolling with lures, plugs, or rigged ballyhoo behind big cigar leads just outside the reef line from 180 to 300 feet deep. If you know spots where they concentrate, you can fish for them with big speedos or blue runners by slow trolling. Wahoo up to 50 plus pounds are caught every year, but most of the wahoo are 25 to 35 lbs.

Trolling for grouper is also a good way to catch them in the winter if the water is clear. Big lipped magnum plugs, bonita lures, heavy skirted lures, and rigged de-boned ballyhoos are favorite riggs. They are trolled with wire lines or heavy braided lines with either heavy cigar leads or big planners to get the bait down to where the grouper will dare to leave their lair to eat a bait trolled by.

The patch reefs come alive this time of year too. You could make a living fishing these spots during the winter season. What a variety of fish you can catch there. The targets are decent size mutton snapper from 5 to 15 lbs. and keeper size groupers: blacks, gags, and red groupers. We also catch hog fish, mackerel (cero and Spanish), snappers (yellowtail, mangroves, and lane snappers), jacks, barracudas, and sharks for a fun rod bending experience. You can also get a nice cooler of fish fillets to take home or to a local restaurant for a smorgasbord of a meal. Usually they will prepared the fish three different ways.

 

INSHORE FISHING

We can still have some spring like days in between the cold fronts. These days are good for flats fishing for bonefish, permit, barracudas, and sharks on the ocean side flats. And back in the back country the redfish, snook, sea trout, jacks, and sharks will be on the flats too. But after a cold front we have to change our strategy, and fish deeper water where these fish will be seeking warmer water. The water temperature changes quickly on the shallow flats where the strong, cold wind cools the water fast, like a radiator. So all the flats fish will be in the channels, creeks, deeper basins, or deep water edges of these flats.

In these conditions bonefish will be mudding and cruising in areas three to five feet deep. We can pole the edges of the flats looking into the deeper areas for schools of bonefish mudding or schools cruising by, then pole out to intercept them with a cast. Some guides like to soak shrimp on three to five rods in areas where they are known to cruise by. This can be very effective in catching winter bonefish and a multitude of other flats fish for a rod bending fun day. Other guides like to throw handfuls of chop shrimp in the area then bind cast a shrimp tipped jig through the area. This is also a great way to catch cold water bonefish along with the other rod benders.

A great fish to sight cast to on the flats in the winter when the bonefish and permit are looking for warmer water are the barracuda. They often will be laid up on the white spots or hanging down current of sea fans, gorgonians, or Sargasso weed strings attached to the bottom. Cast a tube lure or a lure close by and crank it back fast. Hold on for a spectacular bite if you can fool them. Get ready for a couple short burning runs and a few nice jumps.  

The redfish, snook, baby tarpon, sea trout, ladyfish, jacks, and sharks will congregate in the deep channels and creeks when the water gets chilled by a cold front. There can be some bang up fishing when the fish pack it in there. Sometimes it can be as fast as you can put a bait in the water. Pilchards, pinfish, and shrimp tipped jigs are used. Keep in mind that snook season is closed Dec. – Feb.

Sea trout, ladyfish, and jacks will school up in the mullet muds in numerous basins around Flamingo. This is always a fun rod bending time. Kids love to do this. Remember, trout season is closed until the first of the year.

The Spanish mackerel will be hot and heavy just west of the inter-coastal waterway within 5 miles out. Take a few blocks of chum, live shrimp, pompano jigs, pilchards, spoons, lures, and flies – they will eat it all once you got them chummed up behind the boat. Often you will get mangrove snapper chummed up to, along with the sharks, blue fish, and be ready for a cobia to show up too.


NOVEMBER, 2009

November is a great time to get out fishing here in Islamorada, both inshore and offshore. In between the early season cold fronts we have beautiful “spring like” days. If we get one of those early season cold fronts with strong winds and overcast “drizzly” rainy days, do not let it detour you. These conditions can turn certain species on. Getting to the fish in the back country is no problem. We just run the lee side of the flats and islands to get to areas that are sheltered by the trees on the islands or mainland shoreline. I’ve been out there catching fish with 30 knot winds blowing over the tops of the trees and virtually no wind affecting us.

Offshore these winds are N.N.W. to E.N.E which are essentially an offshore wind and the chop will be 1 to 3 feet on the deep side of the reef (70’ to 200’) where we are sailfish fishing. When the wind pulls around to the E. to S.E. that is when it becomes an onshore wind and the seas build to 4’ to 6’ with a 20 knot wind. It is sporty, but still very fishable depending on your experience. These are the winds that drive the bait down the E. coast and up against the reef. Right behind the bait are the “early season” sailfish, “late season” dolphin, blackfin tuna, kingfish, and wahoo. When it lays down to 10 knots out of the S.E., it is nice fishing the edge of the reef. Big grouper and mutton snapper fishing is very good on the wrecks and along the reef. Calmer conditions are needed to get the baits down on the wrecks.

INSHORE FISHING

SNOOK:

The "fall" is my favorite time to fish for snook, and my favorite place is the back country of the Everglades National Park in the "dense mangrove creeks", island motes, shorelines, and points. I have had days were we have caught more than 20 snook of all sizes. A good day is catching 8 to 10 snook, along with a few tarpon and mixed bag of other sporty fish like redfish, jacks, sea trout, jewfish, snapper, ladyfish, and maybe even a big shark which can account to catching more than 25 to 50 fish for the day.

Typically we use live bait to bang away at them and have a good "rod bending blast". My favorite live baits are pilchards, finger mullet, shrimp, and pinfish. We look for terns or pelicans diving on pilchards and mullet then catch them with a cast net. We can also cast lures and flies at these snook, tarpon, and other fish if that is what you like to do. They will eat top water lures and flies which is always a blast. On those overcast days they can hit top water lures like it’s dawn, sometimes all day. However, I do not recommend this for the novice, the action often is not as good as using live bait and we will miss more fish on top water too. For top water I like Zara Spooks (large and Jr. size), Bagley’s finger mullet, and Storm’s Chug Bug. Good colors are red and white; white, silver or copper and black back; and chartreuse. Any plug that “walks the dog,” and is in the size range of the others will work. For flies I like a deer hair sliders or small poppers in the same colors as the plugs, but I do have yellow and brown back sliders too. A little red is always good to have in the fly at the throat or nose. They will eat all types of hard crank baits, soft baits, and jigs typically more readily than top water lures.

We can also fish for snook on the flats as we are fishing for redfish in the back country. Often they will be hanging in the white pot holes, and will attack top water flies or lures - sometimes two at a time! There can be nice snook up to 12 lbs. They can also be cruising the flats and are also quite spooky, but if you get your lure in front of them before they spook, they will eat it. And what a nice run they make in shallow water, sometimes up to 75 yards. Then they come up shaking their head and you pray: “don’t shake that hook, please just don’t shake that hook.”

TARPON:

The big tarpon have moved on, but the juveniles stay to grow. We catch lots of tarpon in the 5 – 30 lbs. range with the occasional 50 – 80 lbs. tarpon. Again, the Everglades National Park is one of my favorite places to fish for baby tarpon back in the mangrove creeks, island motes, shorelines, and points. Quite often you can see these tarpon rolling and busting on bait a hundred yards away. Typically we catch a few mixed in with the snook we a fishing for. If you just want to target tarpon, we could do that all day and really bang away at them.

We also fish around the bridges for baby tarpon, especially if we are going to do a little bonefish and permit fishing that day. This can be hot fishing. We can catch up to 6 or more tarpon in a half day. We'll do about half a day each so the angler can experience both 1) the hunt for very challenging fish of the bonefish and permit, and 2) bend a rod at a bridge on tarpon, snook, jacks, barracudas, snapper, grouper, and cero mackerel with live bait. Typically we'll fish the bridges after catching bait first thing in the morning. Almost every time we're having so much fun fishing the bridges, the anglers do not want to leave. Then we'll take an hour or two to fish the flats for bonefish and permit. I cannot do the reverse because it's very hard to pole with my bait wells filled with 30 gallons of water and bait.

BONEFISH:

Some of the biggest bonefish are caught this time of year too, because there is a minor fall spawn. Our average bonefish is 8 – 10 lbs. with fish getting into the 13 lbs. range. Record size bones of 14 plus lbs. can be caught.

In November we can still find lots of “tailing and mudding bonefish” as long as the water temperature does not have a significant drop by a cold front. Do not get frustrated by overcast days, this is when we can chase tailing bonefish all day. The low light is like early morning which they like for tailing in very shallow water. We also focus on tailing bonefish in this low light because it is very hard to see them in the deeper water. If it is windy, this is an advantage if you are a good caster. It allows us to get closer to the bonefish with the bait or the fly. I have had excellent days with 20 knots out of the E. One memorable day a friend and I caught 6 bonefish on fly on the ocean side flats in 20 knot winds. If you really want to do something very exciting – that will put you on the edge of anticipation – try hunting these tailing bonefish with a fishing rod. (A couple of years ago, a client confessed that he had fished 5 days in the Bahamas and never saw a tailing bonefish, only cruising and mudding fish. What a shame.) 

We have some high tides this time of year so we fish our shallowest flats to get into tailing fish. If it is overcast and we have to fish cruising and mudding bonefish, I look for areas that will have dark clouds in the background. This cuts the glare of diffused light from an overcast day allowing us to see the cruising fish. Also I look for areas that have lighter bottom or small white spots where you can see the bonefish crossing these light areas.

PERMIT: There is very good fishing for permit into November, as long as we have good weather with high sun and good visibility. We find them right on the edges of the flats in schools of 10 to 20 permit. We can see 50 permit in a day while we are bonefish fishing. If we strictly permit fish all day, we could see a 100 permit or more on a good day. These fish average 15 – 30 lbs., and the largest we have caught was 39 ½ lbs.  Every year I see some very big permit in that +40 lbs. size. Any permit over 25 pounds is a big permit. I have caught quite a few permit on fly too, 5 here in Islamorada (9 total). If you want to catch a permit on fly, I can help you with the “nuances” of hooking a permit on fly.

Redfish: It is a good time of the year for “sight casting” to redfish. As the waters start to cool off, big schools of redfish are found up on the middle of the flats in north Florida Bay. Schools of 6 to 50 plus fish can be found and they average between 5 – 8 lbs, and we have caught them up to 12 lbs.  

As we “sight cast” to these redfish on the flats, I like to use artificial lures like jigs, soft baits, or plugs. Bait can be used, like shrimp or a shrimp tipped jig, but I do not find it necessary. Redfish are very aggressive once they see your lure, and will quite often hit your lure more than once if you do not get the hooks in him the first time. Keep your eye on the fish and lure, and strike him when he eats it, not when you feel him. A redfish can eat your lure with out you feeling it, by lunging forward and creating a moment of slack line then spitting it out.

Barracudas:  The big barracudas start to show up on the flats in November. As the run of fall mullet arrive on our ocean side flats, the big barracudas are right behind them, literally. When that big barracuda attacks your lure 20 feet from the boat as you’re cranking it in, it’s a real jaw dropper! In shallow water, they fight hard and jump well. These barracudas are 15 to 30 pounds. I always keep a barracuda rod rigged up while we are fishing the flats for bonefish and permit. When we see a barracuda, we are ready to cast at it if we want. If we come across a school of them we can rig another rod so both anglers can cast to them, sometimes getting a double header on.

Catching barracudas on live bait is a lot of fun too. It's a surface bite - an attack! We do this mostly to catch bait for shark fishing, but often we spend a little more time because the clients are really enjoying the barracuda fishing.

sharks: Big lemon sharks, black tips, and bull sharks are plentiful this time of year. We usually fish for them by chumming with big barracudas, which are fun to catch on the way out on light tackle. Once we anchor and start chumming we can get up to six or more sharks (up to 300 lbs.) cruising around right behind the boat in the chum line looking for our baits. It does not take long for them to find it, and they will take you for a good fight. Their size, power, aggression, and snapping jaws at the boat when releasing them, is impressive.

I also like using a fishing kite and live baits, if we have enough wind. Watching a shark chase down a live bait on the surface is awesome - they often explode on it. We caught a 230 lbs. bull shark this year off the kite. That was exciting, and it attacked the boat three times. At first I thought it felt trapped up on the flat and we just happened to be in the way of it trying to get off the flat. But the third time, we were in a channel about 7' deep. It was pulling on us at a perpendicular direction, like circling. Then it turned straight at us and charged, hitting us with its head or back and lifting the boat out of water a little! I got it on video! That's how I can see the boat jump up, and everyone is yelling and laughing, "he hit the boat!... he hit the boat!" That will be one of the videos I put up this year in my web site.

While we are fishing the flats for bonefish, permit, or redfish, we can cast plugs or bait to a passing shark. They are fun to cast to and they fight very hard. Fooling them on a big plug can be exciting. We can catch big ones on 30 lbs. spin (from 50 to 200 lbs.), or small ones on 10lbs. spin.

SPANISH MACKEREL: Look for the first waves of Spanish mackerel to come down the gulf coast with the first cold fronts of the year. These fish are good family fun. The kids really have fun catching them.

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

SAILFISH: With the first cold fronts of November the sailfish start to push down the coast, and catching a few sails or more is possible. Sailfish fishing on the edge of the reef just 3 ½ miles offshore with live baits is a very pleasant way to fish. If we are drifting and fishing with a kite, we can fish for sailfish on the surface with the kite and flat lines, and fish for snapper and grouper on the bottom with a bottom rod or a deep jig or both. Also we can catch black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, cobia, wahoo, cero mackerel, and even big barracudas while we are drifting or even slow trolling. If the sailfish are showering the ballyhoo we will be slow trolling live baits so we can quickly charge over to the melee of sailfish without having to bring the kite in. More detail on the techniques and description of sailfish fishing is in my web site www.fish-killgore.com under the link: SAILFISH

SNAPPERS and GROUPERS: Snapper and grouper fishing on the Atlantic wrecks and reefs starts to get very good in the fall. Big mutton snapper, and nice gag and black groupers move back into these areas now. As we get to the end of fall they will start to move into shallower spots along the reef and even into the patch reefs.

While we are sailfish fishing we can fish for big mutton snappers and grouper by dropping a live bait down to the bottom or deep jigging. If you want to just catch big muttons and grouper, we’ll drop baits down on specific wrecks can catch some nice fish.

KINGFISH, WAHOO, and CERO MACKEREL: This is the time of year that that fishing gets good for them too. We catch them while we are sailfish fishing along the edge of the reef. Kingfish can be constant action and fish up to 30 pounds. They are mostly 10 to 20 lbs., but great fighters. When you find the cero mackerel (a great eating fish), the action can be so good you can cast out lures and get surface strikes right around the boat. Most of the time we locate them by trolling live ballyhoo on top of the reef in quite shallow, and we still catch sailfish in there too. Wahoo are found by mostly fast trolling just outside the reef line with lure, plugs, or rigged ballyhoo. If you know spots where they concentrate, you can fish for them with big speedos or blue runners by slow trolling.

BLACK FIN TUNA: There can be good numbers of them out on the humps, with the typical good tuna being 10 to maybe 20 pounds. As winter approaches, they will start to run just outside the reef line along with the big bonitas. We will occasionally catch them on the deep wrecks too. These are great fighting fish and excellent table fare for taking to the local restaurants or even sushi bars for a discount on the meal.

DOLPHIN "the fish" (Mahi Mahi): There can be some dolphin in November with fish in the 10 to 20 pound range, coming down the reef line following the bait down the coast. It is more of an incidental catch this late in the fall while we are fishing for sailfish, but always a welcomed sport fish.

 

OCTOBER, 2009

(My column in the magazine, "WOODS 'N WATER")

INSHORE FISHING in October is the peak of the fall season for excellent back country fishing. The water starts to cool because of cooler and shorter days, giving a break to those hot days of August and September. Any cold fronts that come through will typically not be cold enough chase the fish off the flats, like in November if we get an early strong front. The crowns of the flats will see more bonefish and redfish throughout the day. Permit are back on the flats, and on those high fall tides they also will get up on the crowns of the flats depending on the size of the permit and depth of the water. Also keep an eye on the edges of the flats for their black sickle tail as you are bonefish fishing. Sharks and nice size barracudas will start to show up on the flats anticipating the fall mullet run and approaching cold fronts of winter. They make for some fun sight casting and fish fighting on the flats too.

The fall mullet run will be here now, so big tarpon fishing back in the main channels, canals, and river mouths can be great. Tarpon up to 150 pounds can be caught, and you can see them blasting mullet some times up to 300 yards away. Talk about exciting fishing. I love when big tarpon are blasting live mullet. There can be big snook and sharks in there too. Around the bridges there will also be some nice schools of baby tarpon 10 - 30 pounders with occasional 50 plus pounders around. This can be an action packed day too, often catching half dozen tarpon, missing just as many, and catching a bunch of other fish like jacks, snappers, mackerel, and even snook.

The snook fishing is now in full swing, back in the Everglades National Park. They are also around the bridges and main creeks between the Keys down A1A, but these guys are tougher to fool than those back in the park. Most likely, because there are more people fishing the bridges, but also probably because there are less fish and the water is clear most of the time. To maximize your catch rate, I prefer fishing live baits. The techniques and aspects of snook fishing I wrote about last month, so I’ll paraphrase that here if you missed it.

Be ready for some big fish. If you are fishing some tight creeks, tight drags and #12 to #15 test are best. A lot of guides use braided line, but I still use a hard finished monofilament. We do not loose many fish if you play your cards right, and I like to be able to easily see if the line is chaffed by the snags. Pilchards, shrimp, pinfish, and small finger mullet are the standard baits of choice. If you see them hitting bait on the surface, I like throwing top water plugs or flies to get a strike – real fun surface strikes! However, typically you will not hook as many snook on artificials as with bait. Even if you do not see them working bait on the surface, you can still get lots of shots on top water if you are persistent and confident.

Also while snook fishing there is a good variety of other fish we catch which can make for an action packed day. Baby tarpon most always will be around and readily take live baits. You got to be lucky because their jumps might take you right up into the mangrove branches breaking you off. Redfish can also be mixed in which can make for that “back county slam.” Jacks are hard hitting and hard fighting sport fish, and always get the blood pumping. Little goliath groupers up to 15 lb. are also tough brutes digging hard for those mangrove roots. Big sea trout might also show up, along with lady fish, and sometimes some decent “keeper” sized mangrove snapper. I’ve had some days where we have caught over 20 snook and up to 50 fish including tarpon and redfish.

 In addition, shark fishing back in the flats is also a very fun adventure. There can be some very big sharks up to 250 lb, and often we can get a half dozen swimming around in the chum line in 3 – 5 feet of water right behind the boat. Hooking up two at a time is common. Catching big lemons, black tips, and bull sharks are what we are targeting. Catching the barracudas for chum and bait is also more fun than most people expect. They attack the bait ferociously and fight good, jumping occasionally. Kids really enjoy this day of fishing too.

 

Offshore fishing in October is the middle period of fall fishing, and a transition to winter fishing. You can still have some calm September like conditions, but we might get a weak cold front sending cooler, long awaited, north winds. These conditions will push the fall bait down the coasts and they might arrive in the Keys, and the fall fish might respond. Also a weak front can also push dolphin back south, catching nice size fish in the 20 pound range.

The sailfish will start to show up a little more, especially after a cold front or two, but it will not really start to get reliable until mid to late November when the cold fronts start to come through every week or so. The Florida Keys and especially Islamorada area has a good little small sailfish season in late fall, so be ready for some sailfish in the 10 – 20 pound range. These sailfish have a hard time eating big baits, so try to get a bunch of pilchards or small ballyhoo. Light rods are the ticket for casting these light baits, 12 – 15 test is ideal where 20 pound spinners might be too heavy for a long cast especially into the wind. Kingfish will start to show up too, and they are always fun to catch while you are fishing the edge of the reef for sailfish. I like to put a bait or two down below the surface while I am fishing for sailfish for hopefully a big kingfish.

Some of the time the weather will be calm and like in September, so I amended some of what I wrote for the September forecast. The indented text is what I wrote for last month’s forecast, but it is applicable to October. 

Dolphin are still around if we got those calm August type days or a good S.E wind especially a few days after a cold front comes through. Catching those “slammers” (dolphin over 25 lbs.), and the “gaffers” (12 – 20 lbs.) is not as likely as the spring. But if a front comes through it can push the dolphin back down our way, and when the wind goes to E., S.E., or S, the dolphin will start to ride the waves looking for bait like in the spring. There can be some nice catches of dolphin up to 20 pound range. This can be a hit or miss deal though. The conditions might be right, but the fish are not moving through. If the wind is calm finding debris and big carpets of Sargasso weed might have some bigger fish down deep under the smaller fish. During these calm conditions, most of the dolphin are “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.), “schoolies” (3 – 5 lbs.) and “shakers” (do I have too describe?), but keep a big live bait or two ready for that big dolphin or two that shows up. Small wahoo will also be down under these floating habitats too. If the wind picks up and if there are any bigger dolphin around, they will go back to tailing and chasing flying fish while surfing the waves going down sea. Look for the birds trying to snatch the fliers out of the air, and you will find the dolphin.  

Be ready for the triple tail under the floating debris. This is an added bonus to a cooler of dolphin, because they taste like a snapper. Do not gaff them! You have to net them. It is illegal to gaff them because years ago it was a common practice to gaff them when they would not take a bait. If you get stopped by law enforcement, and there is a gaff hole in a triple tail you are going to have a lot of explaining to do. 

During the calm days you can get out swordfish fishing on a consistent basis for night time and day time fishing. Swordfish fishing can be a nice interlude during the day while looking for dolphin. You must be out in the 1500 to 2000 feet of water during the day, which might take you out beyond where the dolphin are. But if you find yourself having to go out 25 to 30 miles offshore looking for dolphin, you might as well be rigged up for making a few drifts for swordfish. You can also fish till just before dark for dolphin and blue marlin, then switch over to swordfish on the surface as sunset approaches. A lot of guys feel there is a good bite right at dark, and many have hooked swordfish right at sunset before dark. They feel the best action is the first few hours after dark, so doing a half day of trolling and a half day of swordfish fishing is a good trip. Getting back at the dock around midnight does not mess with your internal clock that much, which is nice. 

Wreck fishing just offshore of the reef line gets good for black and gag grouper, big mutton snapper, yellow jacks, almaco jacks, and even small amber jacks. Hitting a few wrecks then spending some time fishing the reef is a fun day of fishing. Sailfish might even start to show up, especially if a front or two move through, so always keep a surface bait or two out while you are fishing a wreck or the edge of the reef. Yellowtail snapper are also good if you have good current along with cero mackerel, kingfish, mutton snapper, and grouper that will come up into your chum line. 

 

DIVING AND SPEAR FISHING in October is also great on the reef, and we still have many days with gin clear water. The groupers are starting to migrate back to the wrecks and also to the reefs. So seeing more of them will be getting better every day as we get into fall. Big yellow jacks are a great target too. Typically a long shot is required, and boy do they fight well if you do not stone them right away. Of course there are hogfish, mangrove, and mutton snappers to spear too.  

Yellow jacks are good eating of course, but a lot of people never heard of them. I like them better than dolphin. They have a clear white meat that is firm with finer grain and flakier than dolphin, and better tasting in my opinion. We cook it anyway you want: bake, broil, fry, or sauté. 

In between dives I’ll anchor up on the reef and chum up some fish. We’ll catch some ballyhoo and use them for yellowtail, mangrove, and mutton snapper, cero and king mackerel, and grouper. At the end of the day after the second dive, we’ll slow troll live ballyhoo for cero mackerel, yellow jacks, kingfish, even nice dolphin, and hopefully a sailfish. We have also caught big yellowtails (3 - 4 lbs.) while trolling like this, and lost other fish to the reef after eating a live ballyhoo on the surface on the troll. I’d like to know what they were.  

This makes for a fun all around day out on the reef. If you want to do a day of spear fishing, whether we’re scuba diving or free diving, we can mix it up a little by fishing on the reef. I’m doing these trips too. I have A.B. Biller spear guns and Hawaiian slings if you do not have that gear. All you need is your skin diving or scuba diving gear.

Capt. Rick Killgore


SEPTEMBER, 2009

(My column in the magazine, "WOODS 'N WATER")

INSHORE FISHING in September is one of the back country fishermen’s favorite months. Snook season opens. We are waiting for exciting fishing back in the mangroves and putting sweet tasting snook fillets on our dinner plates. Be ready for some big fish. If you are fishing some tight creeks, tight drags and #12 to #15 test are best. A lot of guides use braided line, but I still use a hard finished monofilament. We do not loose many fish if you play your cards right, and I like to be able to easily see if the line is chaffed by the snags. Pilchards, shrimp, pinfish, and small finger mullet are the standard baits of choice. If you see them hitting bait on the surface, I like throwing top water plugs or flies to get a strike – real fun surface strikes! However, typically you will not hook as many snook on artificials as with bait. Even if you do not see them working bait on the surface, you can still get lots of shots on top water if you are persistent and confident.

Also while snook fishing there is a good variety of other fish we catch which can make for an action packed day. Baby tarpon most always will be around and readily take live baits. You got to be lucky because their jumps might take you right up into the mangrove branches breaking you off. Redfish can also be mixed in which can make for that “back county slam.” Jacks are hard hitting and hard fighting sport fish, and always get the blood pumping. Little goliath groupers up to 15 lb. are also tough brutes digging hard for those mangrove roots. Big sea trout might also show up, along with lady fish, and sometimes some decent “keeper” sized mangrove snapper. I’ve had some days where we have caught over 20 snook and up to 50 fish including tarpon and redfish.

Now keep in mind the fall mullet run can show up as early as late September. Right with them are the big tarpon (up to +100 pounds), and this is real fun fishing.

Of course, the bonefish and permit fishing will be getting into full fall stride as the water starts to cool. This will bring the bonefish back up onto the crowns of the flats, after those dog days of summer subside to the progressively shorter days of September. Take advantage of this fishing because it is going to be the last two months of consistent fishing for bonefish and permit, because once we get into November the greater chance of having a early cold front push these fish off the flats and into deep water for a day or two which can spoil a weekend for you weekend warriors.

Shark fishing back in the flats is also a very fun adventure. There can be some very big sharks up to 250 lb, and often we can get a half dozen swimming around in the chum line in 3 – 5 feet of water right behind the boat. Hooking up two at a time is common. Catching big lemons, black tips, and bull sharks are what we are targeting. Catching the barracudas for chum and bait is also more fun than most people expect. They attack the bait ferociously and fight good, jumping occasionally. Kids really enjoy this day of fishing too.

 

Offshore fishing in September starts to get to the transitional period of fall fishing. You can still have some calm August like conditions, but we might get a weak cold front sending cooler, long awaited, north winds. These conditions will start to push the fall bait down the coasts and they might arrive in the Keys, and the fall fish might respond. Also an early front can also push dolphin back south, catching nice size fish in the 20 pound range. However, most of the time the weather will be calm and hot like August, so I amended some of what I wrote for the August forecast. The indented text is what I wrote for last month’s forecast, but it is applicable to September.

Dolphin are still around if we got those calm August type days or if a cold front comes through. Catching those “slammers” (dolphin over 25 lbs.), and the “gaffers” (12 – 20 lbs.) is not as likely as the spring. But if a front comes through, it can push the dolphin back down our way and there can be some nice catches of dolphin in the 20 pound range. This can be a hit or miss deal though. The conditions might be right, but the fish are not moving through. If the wind is calm and the surface water heats up, the dolphin stay deep. Finding debris and big carpets of Sargasso weed might have some bigger fish down deep under the smaller fish. During these calm conditions, most of the dolphin are “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.), “schoolies” (3 – 5 lbs.) and “shakers” (do I have too describe?), but keep a big live bait or two ready for that big dolphin or two that shows up. Small wahoo will also be down under these floating habitats too. If the wind picks up and if there are any bigger dolphin around, they will go back to tailing and chasing flying fish while surfing the waves going down sea. Look for the birds trying to snatch the fliers out of the air, and you will find the dolphin.

Blackfin tuna are in good numbers on the local humps, but they are not as big as in the late spring. They average 5 - 15 pounds, and a big one would be 20 pounds. Stopping off to fish them early in the morning on the way out to dolphin fishing or later in the afternoon on the way in is the typical plan. Catching a few of these are great fun, especially if you have a load of pilchards. It is awesome! They start busting and jumping out of the water often within casting distance chasing the "freebee pilchards" that we throw overboard. Often we can hook double and triple headers. Just this past week we had two triple headers while I threw the fly and hooked 3 and caught 2 while my two friends were hooked up too. That is tricky especially when we just got three of us in the boat. We did this in the afternoon after spear fishing all day. A great way to finish off the day and load the cooler after spearing hogfish and spooking grouper.

Be ready for the triple tail under the floating debris. This is an added bonus to a cooler of dolphin, because they taste like a snapper. Do not gaff them! You have to net them. It is illegal to gaff them because years ago it was a common practice to gaff them when they would not take a bait. If you get stopped by law enforcement, and there is a gaff hole in a triple tail you are going to have a lot of explaining to do.

Blue marlin can still be around. It’s the end of summer season, so it pays to be ready. If you are trolling, put out a rod or two rigged for blue marlin. If you get into the schoolies, throw a couple over live and slow troll around the school or use one to keep the school at the boat while you are catching them. If a blue marlin shows up, you will be ready. Give the blue a good drop back, but not enough to gut hook it. Typically wait for a hesitation, then a second run and after a count of three, throw it in strike and reel fast to come tight. The hesitation is when the billfish turns the bait around in its mouth to swallow it head first, when it starts swimming again and with a short count you will most likely hook it in the mouth. If you see the blue swallow the bait immediately on the take, do not wait for the hesitation, count to three and reel. If you pull the hook and the bait is still on the hook, sometimes the blue will come back and eat the bait, give it a little longer drop back after the hesitation or the inhalation of the bait. But be very cautious not to drop back too long.

If you count more than 5 seconds, you have a greater percentage of hooking the fish deep like in the gills, throat, or stomach. There is nothing worse than bringing in a hurt billfish for release, it takes the excitement right out of the significance of the catch. That is why most sailfish tournaments have gone to circle hooks, to keep overeager anglers from gut hooking or “gigging” as we used to call it criticizing that type of angling decades ago. This was seen as an inexperienced maneuver to do anything to catch a billfish, really looked down on then. But as money prizes got bigger, this practice became more accepted, so the use of circle hooks came into being in tournament. Good for them, “gigging” is despicable.

During the calm days you can get out swordfish fishing on a consistent basis for night time and day time fishing. Swordfish fishing can be a nice interlude during the day while looking for dolphin. You must be out in the 1500 to 2000 feet of water during the day, which might take you out beyond where the dolphin are. But if you find yourself having to go out 25 to 30 miles offshore looking for dolphin, you might as well be rigged up for making a few drifts for swordfish. You can also fish till just before dark for dolphin and blue marlin, then switch over to swordfish on the surface as sunset approaches. A lot of guys feel there is a good bite right at dark, and many have hooked swordfish right at sunset before dark. They feel the best action is the first few hours after dark, so doing a half day of trolling and a half day of swordfish fishing is a good trip. Getting back at the dock around midnight does not mess with your internal clock that much, which is nice.

Wreck fishing just offshore of the reef line gets good for black and gag grouper, big mutton snapper, yellow jacks, almaco jacks, and even small amber jacks. Hitting a few wrecks then spending some time fishing the reef is a fun day of fishing. Sailfish might even start to show up, especially if a front or two move through, so always keep a surface bait or two out while you are fishing a wreck or the edge of the reef. Yellowtail snapper are also good if you have good current along with cero mackerel, kingfish, mutton snapper, and grouper that will come up into your chum line.

 

DIVING AND SPEAR FISHING in September is also great on the reef, and we still have many days with gin clear water. The groupers are starting to migrate back to the wrecks and also to the reefs. So seeing more of them will be getting better every day as we approach the fall. Big yellow jacks are a great target too. Typically a long shot is required, and boy do they fight well if you do not stone them right away. Of course there are hogfish, mangrove, and mutton snappers to spear too.

I shot about a 15 lb. yellow jack last weekend along with 4 nice hogfish. I had to chase the jack down the mono line and grab hold the throat latch. Pinning it to the reef to kill it with my knife - kicking and burying the knife into it's spine to paralyze it. Now that is a thrill, at 90', all alone, sucking compressed air, and looking over your shoulder. I was pumped with adrenaline!

Yellow jacks are good eating of course, but a lot of people never heard of them. I like them better than dolphin. They have a clear white meat that is firm with finer grain and flakier than dolphin, and better tasting in my opinion. We cook it anyway you want: bake, broil, fry, or sauté.

In between dives I’ll anchor up on the reef and chum up some fish. We’ll catch some ballyhoo and use them for yellowtail, mangrove, and mutton snapper, cero and king mackerel, and grouper. At the end of the day after the second dive, we’ll slow troll live ballyhoo for cero mackerel, yellow jacks, kingfish, even nice dolphin, and hopefully a sailfish. We have also caught big yellowtails (3 - 4 lbs.) while trolling like this, and lost other fish to the reef after eating a live ballyhoo on the surface on the troll. I’d like to know what they were.

This makes for a fun all around day out on the reef. If you want to do a day of spear fishing, whether we’re scuba diving or free diving, we can mix it up a little by fishing on the reef. I’m doing these trips too. I have A.B. Biller spear guns and Hawaiian slings if you do not have that gear. All you need is your skin diving or scuba diving gear.

Capt. Rick Killgore 

305 – 852 – 1131, or 800 – 698 – 5773

AUGUST, 2009

August is one of my favorite months. I dream of crystal clear waters on the reef, drifting down to the drop off ledges, sipping compressed air, losing myself in the maze of fish and corals, hunting for hidden groupers and snappers with my spear gun in hand. Just the other day we had 110’ visibility. I’m not exaggerating, because I jumped in to look for a wreck I fish and see exactly what it is, a small sailboat. Now diving on days like this is spectacular, and August calm days bring lots of clear calm water. It is just what we need for finding those big lobsters under the ledges on the patch reefs.

In between dives I’ll anchor up on the reef and chum up some fish. We’ll catch some ballyhoo and use them for yellowtail, mangrove, and mutton snapper, cero and king mackerel, and grouper. At the end of the day after the second dive, we’ll slow troll live ballyhoo for cero mackerel, yellow jacks, kingfish, even nice dolphin, and hopefully a sailfish. We have also caught big yellowtails (3 - 4 lbs.) while trolling like this, and lost other fish to the reef after eating a live ballyhoo on the surface on the troll. I’d like to know what they were.

This makes for a fun all around day out on the reef. If you want to do a day of spear fishing, whether we’re scuba diving or free diving, we can mix it up a little by fishing on the reef.

 

Offshore fishing in August has much calmer weather, so you can get out swordfish fishing on a consistent basis for night time and day time fishing. Swordfish fishing can be a nice interlude during the day while looking for dolphin. You must be out in the 1500 to 2000 feet of water during the day, which might take you out beyond where the dolphin are. But if you find yourself having to go out 25 to 30 miles offshore looking for dolphin, you might as well be rigged up for making a few drifts for swordfish. You can also fish till just before dark for dolphin and blue marlin, then switch over to swordfish on the surface as sunset approaches. A lot of guys feel there is a good bite right at dark, and many have hooked swordfish right at sunset before dark. They feel the best action is the first few hours after dark, so doing a half day of trolling and a half day of swordfish fishing is a good trip. Getting back at the dock around midnight does not mess with your internal clock that much, which is nice.

Also the wreck fishing just offshore of the reef line gets good for big muttons, yellow jacks, almaco jacks, and the grouper will start to show up anticipating the fall move into the wrecks. Hitting a few wrecks then spending some time fishing the reef is a fun day of fishing.

The mangrove snapper are out on the reef spawning into August, so it is one of the best months to catch big mangroves at night and during the day. Yellowtail snapper are also good if you have good current along with cero mackerel, kingfish, mutton snapper and grouper that will come up into your chum line.

Offshore fishing is pretty much the same as the July forecast, so here is a slightly abridged edition of what I wrote last month

DOLPHIN are still the go to fish for August offshore. Catching those “slammers” (dolphin over 25 lbs.), and the “gaffers” (12 – 20 lbs.) is tougher. As the wind calms and the surfaces water heats up the dolphin stay deep. Finding debris and big carpets of Sargasso weed might have some bigger fish down deep under the smaller fish. During these calm conditions, most of the dolphin are “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.), “schoolies” (3 – 5 lbs.) and “shakers” (do I have too describe?), but keep a big live bait or two ready for that big dolphin or two that shows up. Small wahoo will also be down under these floating habitats too. If the wind picks up and if there are any bigger dolphin around, they will go back to tailing and chasing flying fish while surfing the waves going down sea. Look for the birds trying to snatch the fliers out of the air, and you will find the dolphin.

BLUE MARLIN are around. It’s the middle of summer season, so it pays to be ready. If you are trolling, put out a rod or two rigged for blue marlin. If you get into the schoolies, throw a couple over live and slow troll around the school or use one to keep the school at the boat while you are catching them. If a blue marlin shows up, you will be ready. Give the blue a good drop back, but not enough to gut hook it. Typically wait for a hesitation, then a second run and after a count of three, that is when to throw it in strike and reel fast to come tight. The hesitation is when the billfish turns the bait around in its mouth to swallow it head first, when it starts swimming again and with a short count you will most likely hook it in the mouth. If you see the blue swallow the bait immediately on the take, do not wait for the hesitation, count to three and reel. If you pull the hook and the bait is still on the hook, sometimes the blue will come back and eat the bait, give it a little longer drop back after the hesitation or the inhalation of the bait. But be very cautious not to drop back too long.

 If you count more than 5 seconds, you have a greater percentage of hooking the fish deep like in the gills, throat, or stomach. There is nothing worse than bringing in a hurt billfish for release, it takes the excitement right out of the significance of the catch. That is why most sailfish tournaments have gone to circle hooks, to keep overeager anglers from gut hooking or “gigging” as we used to call it criticizing that type of angling decades ago. This was seen as an inexperienced maneuver to do anything to catch a billfish, really looked down on then. But as money prizes got bigger, this practice became more accepted, so the use of circle hooks came into being in tournament. Good for them, “gigging” is despicable.

Be ready for the triple tail under the floating debris. This is an added bonus to a cooler of dolphin, because they taste like a snapper. Do not gaff them! You have to net them. It is illegal to gaff them because years ago it was a common practice to gaff them when they would not take a bait. If you get stopped by law enforcement, and there is a gaff hole in a triple tail you are going to have a lot of explaining to do.

 

Now inshore fishing, the flats around Islamorada can be good for bonefish and permit, and even a straggler tarpon cruising up the edge of the flats. If there is minimal wind, do your fishing early and late in the day for cooler water temperatures on the flats. It can get too hot for these fish, 92 degrees is around the threshold for tailing bonefish. Permit can tolerate a little warmer temperature, but not much. They will be on the edges of the flats too, accessing deeper cooler water with a couple kicks of the tail. But look for them tailing on the shallow edges if the current is rolling good. That big, black, sickle tail is a dead give away.

Redfish and snook fishing in the backcountry of Flamingo can be “red hot,” in more ways than one. I like to make sure there is going to be a breeze if I’m going there. The snook fishing can be good in the creeks, if we do not have a stretch of very hot, windless days heating up the water a lot. However, if it is raining in the glades and pushing cool fresh water out, that can counter that situation. Pilchards, shrimp, and small pinfish work great. Do not forget the bug spray. Even a head net can keep you from breathing them in - I just spit them out!

As you get closer to the end of August more anglers will be out in all the popular spots honing up for opening of snook season. So be courteous! Idle by if someone is fishing the shore of a big creek. If you’re going up a small creek, ask them if it’s ok to pass by. Or if someone is fishing the spot you want to fish, but it can hold another boat, ask them if it’s OK to fish but in a way not to encroach. It’s better to ask instead of assume. An ugly encounter just spoils the day for both boats, believe me. Even I’m still learning that as I mellow with age. However, my wife and some friends still say I got a lot to learn in that department.

Shark fishing back in the flats is also a very fun adventure. There can be some very big sharks up to 250 lb, and often we can get a half dozen swimming around in the chum line in 3 – 5 feet of water right behind the boat. Hooking up two at a time is common. Catching big lemons, black tips, and bull sharks are what we are targeting. Catching the barracudas for chum and bait is also more fun than most people expect. They attack the bait ferociously and fight good, jumping occasionally. Kids really enjoy this day of fishing too.

 


JULY, 2009

(My column in the magazine, "WOODS 'N WATER")

 

Been thinking about a little vacation, and I just decided I’m going to stay here and enjoy all the things we take clients out to do. My wife and I will be fishing and diving for a week. I’m thinking about tarpon fishing with the fly rod, a little bonefish fishing, snook fishing, wreck fishing, reef fishing and spear fishing. That is what I’m looking forward to, spear fishing down the reef – nice cool water and hopefully some shots at some good fish: groupers, hogs, and muttons. But it is just nice to get in the water too, and make a dive. What comes our way is a bonus.

 

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

 

In July, BLUE MARLIN are around. It’s the middle of summer season, so it pays to be ready. If you are trolling, put out a rod or two rigged for blue marlin. If you get into the schoolies, throw a couple over live and slow troll around the school or use one to keep the school at the boat while you are catching them. If a blue marlin shows up, you will be ready. Give the blue a good drop back, but not enough to gut hook it. Typically wait for a hesitation, then a second run and after a count of three, that is when to throw it in strike and reel fast to come tight. The hesitation is when the billfish turns the bait around in its mouth to swallow it head first, when it starts swimming again and with a short count you will most likely hook it in the mouth. If you see the blue swallow the bait immediately on the take, do not wait for the hesitation, count to three and reel. If you pull the hook and the bait is still on the hook, sometimes the blue will come back and eat the bait, give it a little longer drop back after the hesitation or the inhalation of the bait. But be very cautious not to drop back too long.

 

If you count more than 5 seconds, you have a greater percentage of hooking the fish deep like in the gills, throat, or stomach. There is nothing worse than bringing in a hurt billfish for release, it takes the excitement right out of the significance of the catch. That is why most sailfish tournaments have gone to circle hooks, to keep overeager anglers from gut hooking or “gigging” as we used to call it criticizing that type of angling decades ago. This was seen as an inexperienced maneuver to do anything to catch a billfish, really looked down on then. But as money prizes got bigger, this practice became more accepted, so the use of circle hooks came into being in tournament. Good for them, “gigging” is despicable.

 

DOLPHIN are still the go to fish for July. Catching those “slammers” (dolphin over 25 lbs.), and the “gaffers” (12 – 20 lbs.) can get a little tougher. As the wind calms and the surfaces water heats up the dolphin stay deep. Finding debris and big carpets of Sargasso weed might have some bigger fish down deep under the smaller fish. During these calm conditions, most of the dolphin are “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.), “schoolies” (3 – 5 lbs.) and “shakers” (do I have too describe?), but keep a big live bait or two ready for that big dolphin or two that shows up. Small wahoo will also be down under these floating habitats too. If the wind picks up, the bigger dolphin will go back to tailing and chasing flying fish while surfing the waves going down sea. Look for the birds trying to snatch the fliers out of the air, and you will find the dolphin.

 

Be ready for the triple tail under the floating debris. This is an added bonus to a cooler of dolphin, because they taste like a snapper. Do not gaff them! You have to net them. It is illegal to gaff them because years ago it was a common practice to gaff them when they would not take a bait. If you get stopped by law enforcement, and there is a gaff hole in a triple tail you are going to have a lot of explaining to do.

 

The mangrove snapper are out on the reef spawning, so July is one of the best months to catch big mangroves at night. The mutton snapper can be good on the wrecks too this time of year.

 

 

INSHORE FISHING:

 

The TARPON are still around. Some years are better than other as far as how many tarpon are around. A few years ago on July 14th we release 10 tarpon that day, one of three double digit release days on tarpon we’ve had here in Islamorada. If you want to catch a tarpon, give me a call. This can also be a good time to catch a big one on fly. You will not see as many, but those you do cast at will be more interested in eating the fly.

 

Of course the bonefish, redfish, and snook (snook are closed for harvest) are still biting excellent on the flats and in the back country creeks, along with all the other rod bender critters like jacks, trout, ladyfish, little goliath grouper and big sharks.

 

The PERMIT are moving back to the flats after their spawn out on the wrecks. They tolerate hotter water than bonefish, so after bonefish fishing in the morning you can fish for permit in the late morning before you head back to the AC for lunch.

 

You can still find permit out on the wrecks too. This is when you can still hook double and maybe triple headers, and at least catch a couple or a few between the break offs in the wrecks or to the sharks.

 

 

SPEAR FISHING:

 

This is a great time of year for spear fishing. The winds start to calm, and water clears for a beautiful dive. Anyone wanting to do a spear fishing trip, I am doing these charters. We can do scuba or free diving spear fishing for hog fish, groupers, snappers, margates, yellow jacks, and cero mackerels.

 


JUNE, 2009

(My column in the magazine, "WOODS 'N WATER")

We wait all year long for tarpon season, now we can not wait until it is over. My hands hurt from all the line cuts, mullet spine infections, and fatigue from lifting heavy cast nets, handling big fish and hauling anchors. These are long days of full day trips (8.5 hours), and then going out for your “sunset tarpon trip” (4.5 hours). When you account for preparing for fishing and then washing down tackle and boat at end of the day, it is almost a 16 hour day for me on the boat. At the end of the week on my one day off, every muscle, every tendon, every joint, and every bone ache from tarpon.  

Every year I wonder, can I keep going… and going, and going? “You betchya,” after days like yesterday. We had 14 tarpon crashing our mullets some four and five times before getting hooked up. We hooked up 7 tarpon and released 4 big tarpon all between 120 to 100 pounds. We also hand fed two big hammerhead sharks that were 650 – 800 pounds. Unfortunately, the first shark got one of the tarpon.  

After the shark ate off the tarpon’s tail, I quickly gaffed the mortally injured tarpon. “Now let’s have some fun!” I told my clients. They weren’t really sure what I was talking about, still dazed from the horror. But when the big S.O.B. came right back and grabbed hold of the 100 lb. tarpon again, heaved and thrashed me, about pulling the gaff out of my hand, then hitting the side of the boat with its huge tail and soaking all of us – now those boys came back to life! Yee haw, awesome! 

So we did this another 15 minutes letting that hammerhead eat about half that tarpon. He was almost lazy about coming back each time to have a bite. Then he faded away. Well we were about to go back fish after waiting another 5 minutes in the current, when another hot, very “amped up,” hammerhead of equal size but much blacker came charging up the scent trail. It hit that remaining half tarpon right up along side the boat, rolling on its side with half its hammer and eye out of the water looking at all four of us down the side of the boat. Then it buried down pulling hard on me, and with a big kick of its tail, soaked us all and felt like it almost pulled my arms out of my sockets. 

He came back a few more times and got the better part of the tarpon just leaving us with the head before he had enough to eat and enough of us pulling on him. It was a debate on which one was bigger. As I remembered when he first came up and rolled on his side, it’s girth which was about 3 feet from base of it’s dorsal down its side to its belly in a straight line. Then you got to think about the width of the belly, I’d say it would have to be at least close to an 8‘ girth if not more. It was probably at least 14’ long. I have never personally seen a big hammerhead out of the water, but I have just seen giant blue marlin on the scales down in St. Thomas (1004, 918, and 910 pounders). I gaffed a few blue marlin too, one that weighed 542 lb., and along with catching 104 blue marlin there in three seasons, we released one that was estimated 800 lb. So I have seen some big fish in the water and on the dirt, but I can not give you a very accurate estimate of big sharks. 

One of my clients summed it up pretty good yesterday, “the Chicago Aquarium will never be the same!” 

A quick note on helping tarpon get away from sharks: some of us use our boats to distract the shark allowing time for the tarpon to recover and escape. I would say close to 90% of the tarpon that are chased by these big sharks get away when I do this with the boat. Some times I will follow the tarpon for 30 minutes, using the prop wash to disperse the scent trail by doing figure eights or circles between the tarpon and shark. The tarpon will come up to the surface periodically to gulp air, and that is when you can see them and stay behind them. Or the shark will come up to the surface chasing down the scent trail, run out in front of him and do a circle. Stay behind the tarpon or in front of the shark doing circles or zig zags. The wash and the noise confuse the shark and often the tarpon will get away. Also it is very important to release the tarpon immediately when that “hot” shark comes in hard. I brief the client, I run down fast on the tarpon to get the leader in the reel. Then hold the spool and point the rod at the fish. The leader will break easily, and the tarpon will not be dragging around a long length of line that will eventually kill them I believe. Once I found a very tired 120 pound tarpon with a short leader and a regular size float. I easily motored up to him and grabbed it. The fish broke the leader when he darted off in panic.  

Next month I’ll tell you how I think is the best way to release tarpon and most all fish. I always try to get the hook out if it is easily done and will not interfere with resuscitation.  

What to expect for fishing this June is about just what I wrote for May. Because I got into this fishing story and I got to go now for my charter (I’ll be taking my #50 test stand up rod. I have a couple big barracudas on ice, because my client today mentioned last week he would like to try some shark fishing – if the tarpon are not cooperating.) I’ll be ready today to play! 

In June the TARPON are here in mass. This is when we can release more than 10 tarpon in a day, and if we did not have to take pictures of most of the tarpon (in the water along the boat side), we would be able to catch over 20 in a day. That is if we fought them like we were in a sailfish tournament, by catching them as quick as possible by running down on them for the release then cutting the leader, I swear I have had days were the tarpon are biting so good we could have caught over 20 tarpon and maybe even 30. Instead, we fight the tarpon for 15 to 45 minutes so as to tire it out sufficiently so as to handle it safely (for the tarpon) along the side of the boat for photos, then to remove the hook, and finally to resuscitate it.  

Now the big mangrove snapper are migrating from the bay out to the reef to spawn, and this is when we can catch 2 – 6 lbs. snappers. This is a nice bonus to tarpon fishing, because all of the local restaurants will cook your catch, for a discount too. 

Of course the bonefish, redfish, and snook (snook are now closed to harvest) are still biting excellent on the flats and in the back country creeks, along with all the other rod bender critters like jacks, trout, ladyfish, little goliath grouper and big sharks. 

The PERMIT have moved out to the wrecks to spawn and this is when you can hook double and triple headers, and at least catch a couple or a few between the break offs in the wrecks or to the sharks. They get schooled up to 500 permit in a big ball. You can almost not miss, unless they got lock jaw which most likely is because there was another boat in there busting their butts a half an hour before you arrived. 

The mutton snapper can be good on the wrecks too this time of year. So it is always good to give the permit a rest by dropping a live bait down for dinner. 

The black fin tuna of good size (10 – 20 lbs.) can also still be on the humps, and when it is calm I have actually run out to hit them in the morning, then run back inshore to tarpon fish. Now that is a lot of running, and I have to ask the clients to pay for the extra gas over what I would normally burn in a day which is 20 gallons. That equates to about an extra 10 gallons, which the fuel meter is very accurate. It does make for an interesting day, as you can see in the photo of Lad Farian and friends a couple years ago. They caught four tarpon and those black fins. 

DOLPHIN are the go to fish for the offshore fishing, and May is when you will start catching those “slammers” (dolphin over 25 lbs.) on a regular basis, along with all the “gaffers” (12 – 20 lbs.), “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.), “schoolies” (3 – 5 lbs.) and “shakers” (do I have too describe?). This is when most of the BLUE MARLIN are caught while dolphin fishing, so it pays to be ready. Also some good size wahoo are still caught while dolphin fishing and many guys troll a wahoo rig out and back from dolphin fishing offshore. 

Be ready for the triple tail under the floating debris. This is an added bonus to a cooler of dolphin, because they taste like a snapper. Do not gaff them! You have to net them. It is illegal to gaff them because years ago it was a common practice to gaff them when they would not take a bait. If you get stopped by law enforcement, and there is a gaff hole in a triple tail you are going to have a lot of explaining to do. 

That’s it. It’s 6:30 am and I got to go. 

Capt. Rick Killgore

305 – 852 – 1131, or 800 – 698 – 5773


MAY, 2009

(My column in the magazine, "WOODS 'N WATER")

Wow! This is the time of year we all have been waiting for. It is: fish, eat, and sleep – every day. I am writing this now at 4:30 am before another charter, so it will be short. I’m not sure if keeping a schedule like this will keep me young, or make me old. Thank God though; business has been good for me in spite of the recession everyone is talking about. One thing is sure, the fishing is still good!  

In May the TARPON are here in mass. This is when we can release more than 10 tarpon in a day, and if we did not have to take pictures of most of the tarpon (in the water along the boat side), we would be able to catch over 20 in a day. That is if we fought them like we were in a sailfish tournament, by catching them as quick as possible by running down on them for the release then cutting the leader, I swear I have had days were the tarpon are biting so good we could have caught over 20 tarpon and maybe even 30. Instead, we fight the tarpon for 15 to 45 minutes so as to tire it out sufficiently so as to handle it safely (for the tarpon) along the side of the boat for photos, then remove the hook, and finally resuscitate it.  

Now the big mangrove snapper are migrating from the bay out to the reef to spawn, and this is when we can catch 2 – 6 lbs. snappers. This is a nice bonus to tarpon fishing, because all of the local restaurants will cook your catch, for a discount too.

Of course the bonefish, redfish, and snook (now closed for harvesting them) are still biting excellent on the flats and in the back country creeks, along with all the other rod bender critters like jacks, trout, ladyfish, little goliath grouper and big sharks.

The PERMIT have moved out to the wrecks to spawn and this is when you can hook double and triple headers, and at least catch a couple or a few between the break offs in the wrecks or to the sharks. They get schooled up over the wrecks, sometimes 500 permit in a big ball. You can almost not miss, unless they got lock jaw which most likely is because there was another boat in there busting their butts a half an hour before you arrived.

The mutton snapper can be good on the wrecks too this time of year. So it is always good to give the permit a rest by dropping a live bait down for dinner.

The black fin tuna of good size (10 – 20 lbs.) can also still be on the humps, and when it is calm I have actually run out to hit them in the morning, then run back inshore to tarpon fish. Now that is a lot of running, and I have to ask the clients to pay for the extra gas over what I would normally burn in a day which is 20 gallons. That equates to about an extra 10 gallons, which the fuel meter is very accurate. It does make for an interesting day, as you can see in the photo of Lad Farian and friends a couple years ago. They caught four tarpon and those black fins. 

DOLPHIN are the go to fish for the offshore fishing, and May is when you will start catching those “slammers” (dolphin over 25 lbs.) on a regular basis, along with all the “gaffers” (12 – 20 lbs.), “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.), “schoolies” (3 – 5 lbs.) and “shakers” (do I have too describe?). This is when most of the BLUE MARLIN are caught while dolphin fishing, so it pays to be ready. Also some good size wahoo are still caught while dolphin fishing and many guys troll a wahoo rig out and back from dolphin fishing offshore. 

Be ready for the triple tail under the floating debris. This is an added bonus to a cooler of dolphin, because they taste like a snapper. Do not gaff them! You have to net them. It is illegal to gaff them because years ago it was a common practice to gaff them when they would not take a bait. If you get stopped by law enforcement, and there is a gaff hole in a triple tail you are going to have a lot of explaining to do. 

That’s it. It’s 6:30 am and I got to go.

Capt. Rick Killgore

305 – 852 – 1131, or 800 – 698 – 5773


APRIL, 2009

(My column in the magazine, "WOODS 'N WATER")

Oh man, I just got slammed with 6 last minute half day trips this week – it must be the beginning of tarpon season! Thank God, and maybe we are not listening to all the “doom and gloom” of the talking heads and we are just continuing to live our lives within our means.

April is the beginning of “peak tarpon season,” and this is when we can catch more than ten tarpon in a day. Oh boy do I look forward to those big tarpon smashing surface baits, launching “line ripping” aerial assaults, and dodging around bridge pilings chasing these behemoths pushing 200 lbs. as they try their best to break us off. After catching over 100 blue marlin, nearly 800 sailfish, and hundreds of bonefish there is nothing that compares to catching big tarpon in the labyrinth of concrete bridge pilings with heavy current and at times rough water. Almost every tarpon we have to charge off chasing them on plane with the boat, often doing 360’s around pilings and running down through them like a slalom course with the angler bracing themselves their feet jammed against the inner liner while sitting on a bow cooler that is lashed to the deck. Hang on, at times the angler will roll off the cooler with the pitching boat from having to go hard right then hard left. “Reel, reel, reel,” even if the angler is on his back – a tight line is a must. It does not get any better!

During late March, April, and May the big mangrove snapper are hard fighters on light tackle, and we catch them while tarpon fishing around the bridges, channels, and out on the patch reefs in Hawks channel. These guys migrate out to the reefs anticipating their spawn typically during the full moon of June or July. They are excellent eating too, probably my favorite.

April is also excellent fishing for bonefish, permit, snook, and redfish on the flats. Towards the end of April the permit will start to migrate off the flats out to the wrecks offshore of the reefs to spawn. This can happen from mid-April to mid-May, so we will start to see less permit every day during this time. But, the great bonus is they get stacked up on the wrecks in the hundreds and we can hook two to three at a time sometimes. This fishing is weather dependent. Calmer weather is needed so we can see them just under the surface or on the surface so we can cast the crabs in front of them.

Snook season closes May first, so keep that in mind if you want to do a snook trip and keep some snook to eat. We can still fish for snook after it closes though; we just have to release them all

However the sailfish this past March has been terrible down here in the Islamorada area, upper to middle Keys; so it will be very interesting to see if we get a final push of sailfish this year.  

Inversely, the dolphin showed up in March. Some of my friends had some great catches while I was fishing back country. Typically early season dolphin are small, mostly “schoolies” with some “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.) and possibly some gaffers (10 – 20 lbs.) mixed in. But this year the heavy lifters, gaffers, and even some “slammers” (20 – 40 lbs.) have been being caught on regular basis. So maybe it will be a great dolphin season! 

Big black fin tuna will be showing up on the humps, and these tackle busters are a great fight. Lots of guys have been using the metal jigs for them last year. I like live bait and chumming with pilchards is always fun to see the big surface explosions on the “freebies” we throw out around our baits with the hooks. Talk about “baited breath” while waiting for your bait to get smashed with all these explosions popping around. It is tantalizing! 

Tip of the Month: 

When considering tarpon fishing, there are a few things to consider once the fish is hooked up. Now my pointers will start after the hook up, because hooking a tarpon requires different techniques for the different baits, lures, or flies one can use to catch a tarpon. Now the most important thing you have to remember is: you can do every thing right and lose the fish, or you can do everything wrong and catch it. What the hell, why even care? Because if you stick to the technique, over time you will catch more fish than if you do not.  

First, once the tarpon has your bait in its closed mouth, reel as fast as you can until it is taking line. Be ready to reel 50’ of line before you come tight (if he still is holding on to the bait), because he might charge the boat after eating the bait and feeling the resistance if the line. Most of the time it is just a crank or few of the handle before you come tight to the fish and he is screaming line, but be ready for that fish that charges the boat.

Now once you come tight, I like to slip in a few quick strikes with the rod tip, but I do not like to see my clients doing the “Bill Dance hook set” because one of the first things the tarpon does is jump, clear out of the water mostly! If you’re pulling back on a huge strike, you are doing the absolute opposite of what you should be doing!  

When a tarpon jumps, or any fish, you should bow to it! That is drop the rod tip in the direction of the line going down into the water. It is possible that the fish is screaming off yards of line creating a belly in the water where the line is going directly in front of you but the fish is off to the side at a ninety degree angle to the line and jumping – drop the rod quickly and even extend as far as possible in the direction of the line (without creating slack) for every jump the fish makes. This is extreme speed with extreme line stretch in the water which demands an extreme “bow” to the fish for every jump.  

Conversely, if the fish jumps close to the boat and is not screaming off line be gentle with the dropping of the rod tip. Be careful not to create any slack. Many times when a fish jumps close to the boat the line can come out of water, now this is a delicate matter. It is very easy to get slack in the line, especially if the fish comes at the boat. 

Never allow the fish to create slack, especially with the line out of water during a jump. You have to be able to move the rod tip and crank if needed to keep a little tension on the line during a close jump. If the tarpon jumps shaking his head to and from the boat, you should move the rod tip in unison with his movements: up and down, always keeping a little tension on the line, and if the jump is coming at you, crank to keep pressure on the line. 

This is one of the greatest aspects about tarpon fishing. It is the great skill that is required to aptly play the fish. It is like leading a dance partner: power is achieved through timing and subtle technique. 

Next Month: How to beat a tarpon and handle it at the boat.


MARCH, 2009

(My column in the magazine, "WOODS 'N WATER")

March is a transition month. The spring fishing starts up on mild days and yet we can still have strong cold fronts making for winter conditions. It can be frustrating for some; you just got to be ready to go to a plan “B” or “C.”

INSHORE FISHING:

This is the month that tarpon start to show up in enough numbers that you can fish for them on a daily basis, as long as the water temperature is over 70 and better yet mid 70’s. We catch most of our largest tarpon in March (140 – 200 lbs.), which is a great counterpoint to the fact that we typically do not catch as many tarpon per day as during the peak tarpon season. However a couple years ago we caught 54 tarpon in the first ten days of March. Tarpon fishing is totally dependent on the immediate weather we have. If we get a warm spell, keeping the water in the 70’s, we will have excellent tarpon fishing. Once a cold front comes through, and drops the water temperature the tarpon will move out to deeper warmer water or just hunker down on the bottom in a slumber of slower metabolism due to the cooler water. This is when you go to plan “B” or “C.”

Permit and bonefish fishing is excellent this month on the flats. You can find big schools of permit on the edges of the flats and in the channels. This is an excellent time of year to fly fish for permit too. With the typical windy days, you can get closer to them for a more accurate cast, and they can be more aggressive too. The bonefish will be in mudding and tailing vigorously if the water stays above 70 degrees. Snook, redfish, and trout will all be very good in the backcountry too.

“Plan B” can be a couple different options. First preference for me would be to go sailfish fishing along the reef. While sailfish fishing we can catch other great pelagic fish like kingfish, wahoo, blackfin tuna, cobia, and dolphin, or stop along the reef or one of the local wrecks for grouper and snapper. However, some anglers do not take well to the offshore seas, so plan “B - 2” might be fishing the patch reefs for snapper, grouper, hogfish, porgies, mackerel, barracudas, and small sharks. Or we could go fishing Gulf of Mexico for Spanish mackerel, snappers, groupers, cobia, bluefish, and big sharks.

Another option “Plan C” I’ve been enjoying more the last couple years, has been fishing for big sharks in the channels through the flats in crystal clear waters. One of the draws to tarpon fishing is that you can catch big fish pushing 200 lb., and not have to go offshore in rough seas. So when the tarpon are not cooperating, big sharks (up to 300lbs.) is an exciting option. Often we can see three or more of these brutes swimming around behind the boat searching for our baits in water as shallow as three feet deep. Talk about “edge of your seat” thrill. Sporty black tip sharks up to 125 lb. can charge in across the surface throwing water everywhere attacking a live bait on the surface suspended from a kite, followed by blistering runs and frantic spinning jumps clear out of the water. Even bull sharks up to 300lb. like to attack those live baits, but also take cut baits on the bottom. If we got the wind going with the current, I’ll put up the kite with live baits along with a couple cut baits on the bottom. The big lemon sharks, up to 300lb., typically go for the cut baits on the bottom, and it is fun watching them swimming around dialing in on the sent of the bait, sometimes 3 or more behind the boat simultaneously. Last year a father and his sons were fighting a 70 lb. lemon shark and just as we got it close to the boat a 500 lb. hammerhead shark charges across a 2’ shallow flat with half it’s back out of water and large tail thrashing water 15 – 20 feet side to side. The lemon shark spooks running from the boat 30 yards, and the hammerhead shark pounces on the lemon shark like a tiger on a pig. In a few big swirls in 5’ of water, it’s all over! You should have heard the screams by those young kids and their dad. They said they are definitely coming back. 

First we catch a few big barracudas, which a lot of anglers really enjoy more than they anticipate. While slow trolling live baits on the surface, you get a pretty exciting bite from these barracudas. They fight well and often make a few good jumps, sometimes almost hitting the boat. We have actually caught mutton snapper doing this and once I had about a 50 lbs. jewfish blast one of our baits coming completely out of water and flipping upside down on the strike. That was a jaw dropper! Unfortunately it was a one time strike. It missed the bait completely, and never came back for a second hit. Boy, did I want to get another hit like that and catch that fish.

Then we head out back to go shark fishing. We butterfly fillet the barracudas down to their tail and hang them over the side one at a time for chum. We cut a couple strip baits from the fillets and put them in the chum line. I will also fish a couple live baits too which also makes for an exciting strike on the surface. A lot of times within 10 minutes you get a strike. If it’s a nice shark (80lbs. lemon, 50 lbs. black tip, or 50 lbs. bull shark) it will make a nice 100 yard or more run, and fight hard around the boat. If you hook one bigger than that, you got to chase them with the boat. Black tip sharks make spectacular spinning jumps and fight very hard for their size. A 100 pounder will kick your butt for 45 minutes or more. Once you get them up to the boat to release them, they will impress you with their tenacity in their last effort for freedom. I hold the leader and the dorsal so you can get a good picture with them while they are in the water. I use to lift them up the side of the boat with a gaff, but they just really hurt themselves by struggling so much and spinning around. Typically we catch them in 15 to 30 minute fights. It is not typically long drawn out battles because we are fishing in shallow water and can get right over them and apply maximum direct pressure.

OFFSHORE FISHING

Sailfish are coming toward the end of the season, but that does not mean it will be coming slow. Actually we can have some of the years best fishing now, especially if there are “tailing sailfish” on the “powder line.” An unusual condition in the spring, where we “sight fish” for sailfish (and cobia) as they are surfing the waves from the East into a strong North current with a definitive “powder-blue current line” from the shallows that gets pushed out into the blue water. Here the sailfish surf the waves until they hit the “powder line” then the sailfish follow it. We search the line waiting to cast baits right to a sailfish or more as they come down the “powder line.” It is incredible. This is when some of the most sailfish are caught in a single day. Some charter boat greats have caught over 20 sailfish in a day, awesome! 

Black fin tuna of 15 to 30 lbs. will start showing up on the local humps. Grouper and big muttons snapper are on the areas wrecks and reefs. Yellowtail snapper can always be found on the reef, and the big mangrove snappers (3 – 5 lbs.) will be migrating out from the bay through the bridges out to the patch reefs and finally to the outer reefs. I just started seeing them under my boat at the slip, so they are on the move. If we get some summer type days for a week or so, even some early dolphin will be coming through. Mostly small schoolies, but you could luck into a nice “gaffer” sized fish or even a “slammer.”

 


FEBRUARY, 2009

(My column in the magazine, "WOODS 'N WATER")

February is the middle of sailfish season here in Islamorada offshore, and the rougher it is – the better it can be, so do not get discouraged. The sailfish is the primary target this time of year, but we have a lot of other great offshore fish to fish for too. This time of year we catch wahoo, black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, and cobia offshore. On the reefs, wrecks, and the patch reefs the bottom fishing can be very good this time of year too. There are some hard fighting, good eating fish on the reef like mutton snapper, yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, lane snapper, hogfish, porgies, black grouper, red grouper, and cero mackerel. Last month’s offshore forecast applies to this month’s forecast, so I will include that later if you missed it last month because it is quite detailed on the way we fish and for what we fish this time of year.

 

INSHORE FISHING:

 

In February as spring approaches, we can get some very nice warm days out there. This makes the first waves of big tarpon show up in the Everglades and even out along the bridges and channels. We all wait for the big tarpon to show, so if it is warm for a few days, we give it a shot. Every year I am catching our first tarpon in the third or fourth week of February. Tarpon has become my favorite sport fish. They are the largest sport fish here in the Florida Keys, that you can catch on a daily basis. Aside from the occasional blue marlin or if you go out to catch a swordfish, the tarpon is our biggest fish. They range from 30 to over 200 pounds, and average around 70 to 125 pounds.

 

Tarpon are also a huge challenge to hook and catch. Most people have heard about how hard it is to hook one, because they have a very boney mouth. They also are notorious for throwing the hook or breaking you off as they make their first jumps. We like to have the clients bow the rod to the fish as it jumps to keep it from spitting the hook or breaking the line.

 

Then they make their first long run with a few good jumps and “we’re off to the races!” We literally race after the tarpon with the boat, weaving through pilings and lobster trap floats, keeping close to the fish so as not to allow the line to get cut by an obstruction. This is very interesting twist to our tarpon fishing here in Islamorada, and it is one of the things I really love about tarpon fishing here. Once we get away from the bridge and any other obstructions, we fight it like any other fish: follow it and allow the angler to apply maximum pressure.

 

We try to get the tarpon up to the boat for a quick picture of it in the water along the side of the boat with the angler along the gunwale admiring his tarpon in the upper corner of the photo. This way we do not have to lift the tarpon up out of the water, which is illegal to do now. I have been doing this for years before the new law of last year. The main reason was so I would not hurt my back, and put me out of work. The purpose of the law was so as to not hurt the tarpon, which is most likely true because the bigger they are the harder it is to handle them gently for a good release after the picture. Bringing in a big fish most times gets dragged across the gunwale, taking a lot of protective slime off the fish. They also might drop into the boat after the picture, then slap around hurting themselves more and prolonging their time out of water because it is so hard to get a hold of them to get them back in the water. The law was initially formed because the scientists say it is very harmful to a big fish’s inners and its skeleton, but I have to disagree from my years of observation of thousands of fish after release. Sometimes I have followed tarpon for more than 30 minutes after a release, because I was using the boat to fend off a big hammerhead shark. Most of the time the tarpon will resuscitate within 15 minutes to a point that the shark can not get it. I know when the tarpon gets away, because it is very obvious when it does not, even if it takes 15 minutes for the shark to track down that tarpon and it is a mile or more away. Later I will go over some good pointers on releasing all fish.

 

These early spring conditions can also make the permit school up in big numbers on the edges of the flats. I’ve had numerous days where we have seen a few hundred permit in numerous schools. I’ve also had two different days where we have seen around a thousand permit moving along the flats. One of those days there was a school of more than 300 permit, and numerous schools from 50 to 100. These were all different schools because the were migrating to the north along the flats. At times I could see 3 schools at a time coming towards us.

 

Same goes for the bonefish. They can get into some big schools mudding along the deeper edges of the flats waiting to move up onto the crowns to feed and tail. I have seen schools of 100 bonefish, but that is rare. They are mostly 50 and less, and more common one to two dozen bonefish to a school of “mudders.” This is a great time to cast at and hook bonefish because they are aggressively feeding and in deeper water (2 to 5 feet) which makes them not as spooky - easier to get a bait to!

 

 The same goes for redfish back in the back country of Flamingo, Everglades National Park. They will start to flood the flats as the water warms. They can sometimes move in schools of 50 or more fish, but most of the time they are spread out in small groups or pairs or singles. Snook fishing is also very good this month, whether it is cold or warm. When it is colder they will be in the deeper water and as it warms they will come out onto the flats and along the shorelines.

 

February is the last good month of Spanish mackerel fishing out just west of Florida Bay. That is once March comes they get sporadic, unless we get a cold spell for a few days. This is fun rod bending action, and you can catch big mangrove snappers in the chum line and even a cobia or nice size sharks too.

 

 

How I like to release fish:

 

First, do not remove the “protective slime.” Make sure your hands are wet before you grab the fish. Then, do not bear hug the fish against your dry clothing, hold it away from you a little.

 

Second, do not let it fall onto the deck. If you can not keep a good hold of its lip with your hand, use one of those lip holing devises. If the fish shakes violently, it will not fall to the deck. Also holding it over the water can be a good picture with you looking at it and your buddy taking a shot of it from behind your shoulder to the side. If it shakes from your grip it falls into the water, just keep the hook in its mouth. If it is barely hooked, you can re-hook it in a secure place of its mouth, if it is a real nice fish you definitely need a picture of. Just remove the hook after.

 

Third, If the fish is to big to handle in this manner, leave it in the water along side the boat. Get the boat moving forward at a good speed for the fish so that it is being ventilated while you are taking the pictures. It will also keep the whole fish up along the surface for a picture of its complete length and size. Do not bring a big fish into the boat and put it across two or three people’s laps. This is a big “de-sliming event.”

 

Fourth, get water moving over their gills. The easy way is with the boat moving forward, or anchored in current. Other wise the back and forth motion works most of the time and when you let go of them shake their tail which wakes them up and makes them dart off thinking something bit them, making them swim and ventilate more. For a tarpon, or long fish, I tap them hard near the base of the tail, which also makes them dart off.

 

Fifth, for the last 10 year I have been holding my fish upside down while reviving them (except billfish). This immobilizes them, almost putting them to sleep. They are not struggling against you and their jaw will open wide open allowing maximum ventilation. While doing this I always move the fish left and right in a swimming motion. I think this help their blood circulation and also gets their gill plates opening from side to side. As they get more oxygen and revive, their fins will start to flick and they will start to swim and struggle. That is when I roll them over, and I keep the swimming motion (left and right). When they start to resist your swimming motion, that is when I let them go and give them a shake or strong taps at the base of the tail. You should see them dart off with real energy. It is very satisfying!

 

When reviving billfish, I hold the bill and the front stiff section of the dorsal keeping the fish upright. I will continue a swimming motion (left and right), until the fish starts to resist my efforts. That is when you push the fish down with your hand that was holding the dorsal. Try to tap the base of the tail or aft part of the fish as it goes down. It is important to push the billfish down to deeper cooler water. There is more oxygen in cooler water especially if it is calm.

 

Sometimes, I’ll lift a sailfish up by the bill and the sail and rest its mid section on the gunwale, without dragging it across the gunwale. I do not let the angler hug it or get it on his lap. I try to get the angler on the inboard side of the fish so I am up against the gunwale with the fish. After two quick shots I lift it straight up, so as not to slide the fish across the gunwale, and put it back in the water as the boat has been going forward the whole time. This way the fish is being ventilated immediately, and we can get some more picture with the angler watching his fish being released. I would not try this with a marlin of over a hundred pounds. Its weight would not be good on its gut, and I have not lifted fish over 60 pounds in a long time so I do not strain my back. Fish of this size should be left in the water for a picture.

 

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

 

The following is exactly what I wrote for January’s forecast, and it applies to February. So hear it is if you missed it last month.

 

February is peak sailfish season, which runs from late November until late April, depending on the weather conditions. Most of the local Islamorada charter boats love pitching frisky ballyhoo or cigar minnows at sailfish that are chasing the schools of ballyhoo on the reef. They also sight fishing for cruising sailfish over the sand inside of the reef or on the reef itself. These sailfish are looking for a school of ballyhoo, and will often take a well cast, frisky bait. However, kite fishing with live bait is also very effective when the conditions dictate. I have seen more local boats fishing the kite in the last few years too. It really is a more popular technique from Miami north up to Palm Beach, mostly due to the fact that they do not have the schools of ballyhoo over a shallow barrier reef like we have down here in the Florida Keys.

 

I grew up sailfish fishing with the kite with my Dad since I was eight years old up off of Key Biscayne, and it has a special spot in my heart. I still have his oversized kite reel he built out of plywood and a long dowel. It cranks in over three feet per turn. I had to fiberglass it up a few years ago, because the spool started to split under the stretch of the mono. It’s a classic that usually draws a comment or two. It’s not the high tech electric reel setups of today, but it does not fail. Like a friend of mine lamented a couple of years ago. His electric reel failed while the kite was out in 20 knots of wind. He had a hell of a time getting the kite back in by hand, especially since it had Spectron as the main line.


 

A lot of guys fish two kites with three baits suspended from each kite. That is six baits out down wind. These kites are flown left and right by putting a large split shot on the corner you want it to fly to. It takes a bit of adjustment. Try to get them to fly low too, so there is less slack after the bite when the line is released from the clip. I’ve seen excellent crews fish a third kite down the middle. Combine these kite baits with chumming with live pilchards, and you got a fishing machine! While we are kite fishing for sailfish we can catch other pelagic fish like black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, cobia, and wahoo.

 

One of the bonuses to kite fishing is we can fish the bottom for big groupers and snappers simultaneously. Typically, we are drifting while kite fishing. Some guys use a big sea anchor to slow the drift and keep the bow into the sea. Others drift beam to with flat lines and bottom lines out on the windward side of the boat. There are some deeper reefs, drops, ledges, and wrecks that hold these fish. We will plan our drift and maneuver the boat so as to go over them to make a good pass with the bottom baits. A lot of these spots hold bait on top like runners which also attract sailfish and the other pelagic fish. Sometimes you can simultaneously hook up a snapper or grouper on the bottom and a sailfish on the surface.

 

Another popular way to kite fish, which a lot of local charter boats in Islamorada do, is to anchor on the edge of the reef. They are primarily chumming for reef fish like yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, big grouper, and cero mackerels. They then put out the kite to catch a sailfish, big kingfish, cobia, or whatever other pelagic comes up the chum line.

 

More detail on the techniques and description of sailfish fishing is in my web site www.fish-killgore.com under the link in the right column: SAILFISH

 

 

“Wahoo are found by mostly fast trolling with lures, plugs, or rigged ballyhoo behind big cigar leads just outside the reef line from 180 to 300 feet deep. If you know spots where they concentrate, you can fish for them with big speedos or blue runners by slow trolling. Wahoo up to 50 plus pounds are caught every year, but most of the wahoo are 25 to 35 lbs.”

 

“The patch reefs come alive this time of year too. You could make a living fishing these spots during the winter season. What a variety of fish you can catch there. The targets are decent size mutton snapper from 5 to 15 lbs. and keeper size groupers: blacks, gags, and red groupers. We also catch hog fish, mackerel (cero and Spanish), snappers (yellowtail, mangroves, and lane snappers), jacks, barracudas, and sharks for a fun rod bending experience. You can also get a nice cooler of fish fillets to take home or to a local restaurant for a smorgasbord of a meal. Usually they will prepare the fish three different ways.”

 

“Trolling for grouper is also a good way to catch them in the winter if the water is clear. Big lipped magnum plugs, bonita lures, heavy skirted lures, and rigged de-boned ballyhoos are favorite rigs. They are trolled with wire lines or heavy braided lines with either heavy cigar leads or big planners to get the bait down to where the grouper will dare to leave their lair to eat a bait trolled by.”

 

Capt. Rick Killgore,

305 - 852 – 1131 or  800 – 698 - 5773.


JANUARY, 2009

(My column in the magazine, "WOODS 'N WATER")

“Offshore Fishing” and our “sailfish season” is by far the highlight of Islamorada, Florida Keys fishing this month. January is typically the coldest month of the year, and these cold fronts push the sailfish down the reef following the schools of bait fish. While we are sailfish fishing, we catch a lot of other great sport fish that run along the reef which would be wahoo, black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, and cobia. The reef, wrecks, and the patch reefs are great this time of year too, and can be a fun filled day of rod bending and taking a cooler of fish home. There are some hard fighting, good eating fish on the reef like mutton snapper, cero mackerel, yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, lane snapper, hogfish, porgies, and the “big super stud” of the reef - the black grouper.

 

However, grouper harvest has been prohibited by the “tyrants at NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE (NMFS) at this time of writing. I’m still going to include it anyway so you all can see how it negatively impacts our fishing and business here in the Florida Keys. Some charter fishermen primarily focus on the winter bottom fishing for grouper and snapper. Their clients book them for a fun filled day of serious rod bending on the reefs, and to take some great eating fish home too. For many other charter boats, a big grouper or two is a great bonus while we are fishing the reefs and wrecks for a multitude of other sport fish down here in Islamorada. What makes this a “particularly offensive outrage,” is that this “blanket grouper prohibition” is designed specifically to protect the “gag grouper,” which has never been a prominent grouper down here. Even though that point was stressed at the public hearings and further concessions of limiting our catches were offered, the “NMFS TYRANTS” apparently just turned their backs on the citizens they are supposed to be working for. That’s right folks, just another encroachment on our freedoms and our “life, liberty, and pursuit of prosperity” (for our families!) by appointed bureaucrats! Hey, anyone for another “tea party?” What about representation? How long do you think we are going to live under these unnecessary, oppressive regulations? I’ve even seen publications stating other Florida university scientists contradicting the NMFS scientist’s data on gag grouper populations as being way underestimated due to their methods of estimating. What the hell is this? A regulatory crap shot with our livelihood and wellbeing. I find this especially heinous in the face of a serious economic down turn!

 

Anyway, as I started on the inshore fishing and the exciting “sight casting” to big barracudas on the flats, I remembered a funny story while I was a mate 20 years ago. It starts with: It’s one of my greatest memories as a young man – saving a “really hot chic!” I think veteran and novice anglers will enjoy this brief story. Since inshore fishing is considered at its most difficult due to the cold weather, I did not want the reader to miss a good laugh by glancing over that section, expecting the typical winter inshore forecast. Even though inshore fishing can be tough this month on those cold days, we know how to change tactics to catch fish. Sometimes we can have some action packed days as the fish stack in the deeper, warmer water in the creeks, channels, canals, motes, and basins. It’s just not the conditions for the classic sight fishing on the flats, unless you get a warm spell for a few days with 70 degree water which will bring the fish back up on the flats.

 

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

 

January is getting into peak sailfish season, which runs from late November until late April, depending on the weather conditions. Most of the local Islamorada charter boats love pitching frisky ballyhoo or cigar minnows at sailfish that are chasing the schools of ballyhoo on the reef. They also sight fishing for cruising sailfish over the sand inside of the reef or on the reef itself. These sailfish are looking for a school of ballyhoo, and will often take a well cast, frisky bait. However, kite fishing with live bait is also very effective when the conditions dictate. I have seen more local boats fishing the kite in the last few years too. It really is a more popular technique from Miami north up to Palm Beach, mostly due to the fact that they do not have the schools of ballyhoo over a shallow barrier reef like we have down here in the Florida Keys.

 

I grew up sailfish fishing with the kite with my Dad since I was eight years old up off of Key Biscayne, and it has a special spot in my heart. I still have his oversized kite reel he built out of plywood and a long dowel. It cranks in over three feet per turn. I had to fiberglass it up a few years ago, because the spool started to split under the stretch of the mono. It’s a classic that usually draws a comment or two. It’s not the high tech electric reel setups of today, but it does not fail. Like a friend of mine lamented a couple of years ago. His electric reel failed while the kite was out in 20 knots of wind. He had a hell of a time getting the kite back in by hand, especially since it had Spectron as the main line.


 

A lot of guys fish two kites with three baits suspended from each kite. That is six baits out down wind. These kites are flown left and right by putting a large split shot on the corner you want it to fly to. It takes a bit of adjustment. Try to get them to fly low too, so there is less slack after the bite when the line is released from the clip. I’ve seen excellent crews fish a third kite down the middle. Combine these kite baits with chumming with live pilchards, and you got a fishing machine! While we are kite fishing for sailfish we can catch other pelagic fish like black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, cobia, and wahoo.

 

One of the bonuses to kite fishing is we can fish the bottom for big groupers and snappers simultaneously. Typically, we are drifting while kite fishing. Some guys use a big sea anchor to slow the drift and keep the bow into the sea. Others drift beam to with flat lines and bottom lines out on the windward side of the boat. There are some deeper reefs, drops, ledges, and wrecks that hold these fish. We will plan our drift and maneuver the boat so as to go over them to make a good pass with the bottom baits. A lot of these spots hold bait on top like runners which also attract sailfish and the other pelagic fish. Sometimes you can simultaneously hook up a snapper or grouper on the bottom and a sailfish on the surface.

 

Another popular way to kite fish, which a lot of local charter boats in Islamorada do, is to anchor on the edge of the reef. They are primarily chumming for reef fish like yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, big grouper, and cero mackerels. They then put out the kite to catch a sailfish, big kingfish, cobia, or whatever other pelagic comes up the chum line.

 

More detail on the techniques and description of sailfish fishing is in my web site www.fish-killgore.com under the link in the right column: SAILFISH

 

Do not forget about the wahoo fishing and patch reef fishing I wrote about last month which is winter fishing in the FL Keys. I’ll even include “trolling for grouper” from last month, because before the “NMFS TYRANTS” outlawed grouper, it was a fun way to spend an hour or so if the sailfish fishing was slow and the charter did not want to fish for yellowtail snappers because they wanted to catch something “big!”

 

“Wahoo are found by mostly fast trolling with lures, plugs, or rigged ballyhoo behind big cigar leads just outside the reef line from 180 to 300 feet deep. If you know spots where they concentrate, you can fish for them with big speedos or blue runners by slow trolling. Wahoo up to 50 plus pounds are caught every year, but most of the wahoo are 25 to 35 lbs.”

 

“The patch reefs come alive this time of year too. You could make a living fishing these spots during the winter season. What a variety of fish you can catch there. The targets are decent size mutton snapper from 5 to 15 lbs. and keeper size groupers: blacks, gags, and red groupers. We also catch hog fish, mackerel (cero and Spanish), snappers (yellowtail, mangroves, and lane snappers), jacks, barracudas, and sharks for a fun rod bending experience. You can also get a nice cooler of fish fillets to take home or to a local restaurant for a smorgasbord of a meal. Usually they will prepare the fish three different ways.”

 

“Trolling for grouper is also a good way to catch them in the winter if the water is clear. Big lipped magnum plugs, bonita lures, heavy skirted lures, and rigged de-boned ballyhoos are favorite rigs. They are trolled with wire lines or heavy braided lines with either heavy cigar leads or big planners to get the bait down to where the grouper will dare to leave their lair to eat a bait trolled by.”

 

 

INSHORE FISHING

 

When it is too cold for bonefish, and permit on the flats, one of my favorite fish to sight cast too is the “great barracuda.”  As we pole the edges of the flats looking for a bonefish or permit during borderline temperatures, we typically will see plenty of barracudas. The bigger barracudas in the 20 to 25 pound class are generally solitary fish or in pairs. They will be laid up on the white spots or hanging down current of sea fans, gorgonians, or Sargasso weed strings attached to the bottom. They can also be cruising down the edges of the flats too. We will also encounter schools of a dozen barracudas or more, but they are typically smaller in size, say 3 to 15 pounds.

 

Barracuda attack the lures with startling aggression, and can make a few strong runs with some good jumps sometimes over 6 feet high or 20 feet across the water – great action when things are slow on the flats. Tube lures are my favorite lure. They are erratic and resilient to many bites. Surface plugs are good too, but try to find the ones that are solid foam or wood. The hollow plastic ones will get punctured and ruined.

 

Casting to and hooking these fish is not a sure thing! You have to have an accurate cast. If you cast too close you’ll spook them. Too far away and they will never see it. As you are casting, do not let them see the shadow of the lure, or you casting at them. The first cast or two really has to count.

 

I like to cast beyond their area of detection (20 plus feet) then bring it into their field of view (10 – 15 feet) at a moderate speed. When they make a move at it, this is when you work it a little faster. If they don’t hit it then, go faster. If they don’t hit that, go faster yet and more erratic. I like to explain it as gears in a car, first through fourth. Start out in first. Sometimes they won’t give you a chance to get into second gear. Or they attack it right at the boat, just as you are reeling as fast as you can!

 

Hold your rod to the side though. Often they explode on a fast moving bait, and you would not want their follow through to come right at you. I’ve never had one come in the boat like this, but I did have one come in the boat while we were yellowtail snapper fishing off Cat Cay, Bahamas.

 

It’s one of my greatest memories as a young man – saving a “really hot chic!” I was the second mate on the “Knightlines,” and we were taking a break from slow blue fin tuna fishing off of Cat Cay, Bahamas. The yellowtails were chummed up, and I was unhooking fish and baiting hooks – BAM!  There’s a big crash behind us. Wheeling around I find a four foot barracuda snaking wildly across the cockpit right towards the boss’s utterly “drop dead gorgeous” girl friend, dressed in a very tight string bikini, fully endowed. She is screaming hysterically as she gets cornered by this big barracuda. Now’s my chance!

 

I hop over the barracuda, pick her up, and hop back over the barracuda! From total panic to total elation, she whips around and jumps on top of me, scissoring my waste and hugging me. She buries my face in her bikini top and suntan oil screaming “thank you, thank you, thank you!” Shocked, I withdraw my face “first excited, then panicked” thinking of the boss’s disapproval. She kisses me several times on each cheek. Stoked, with a big grin I fearfully peek up to the bridge and see the boss and captain having a big laugh. What a relief. They probably are still laughing over the look on my face. Needless to say, she never got too close to me again, though I always saw a twinkle in her eye for the rest of that trip and dreamed of the possibilities!

 

Now the flats fishing scenarios for January are the same as for December, and this is what I wrote about pursuing all of our fish during the different types of conditions we have during the winter months.

 

We can still have some spring like days in between the cold fronts. These days are good for flats fishing for bonefish, permit, barracudas, and sharks on the ocean side flats. And back in the back country the redfish, snook, sea trout, jacks, and sharks will be on the flats too. But after a cold front we have to change our strategy, and fish deeper water where these fish will be seeking warmer water. The water temperature changes quickly on the shallow flats where the strong, cold wind cools the water fast, like a radiator. So all the flats fish will be in the channels, creeks, deeper basins, or deep water edges of these flats.

 

In these conditions bonefish will be mudding and cruising in areas three to five feet deep. We can pole the edges of the flats looking into the deeper areas for schools of bonefish mudding or schools cruising by, then pole out to intercept them with a cast. Some guides like to soak shrimp on three to five rods in areas where they are known to cruise by. This can be very effective in catching winter bonefish and a multitude of other flats fish for a rod bending fun day. Other guides like to throw handfuls of chop shrimp in the area then bind cast a shrimp tipped jig through the area. This is also a great way to catch cold water bonefish along with the other rod benders.

 

The redfish, snook, baby tarpon, sea trout, ladyfish, jacks, and sharks will congregate in the deep channels and creeks when the water gets chilled by a cold front. There can be some bang up fishing when the fish pack it in there. Sometimes it can be as fast as you can put a bait in the water. Pilchards, pinfish, and shrimp tipped jigs are used. Keep in mind that snook season is closed Dec. – Feb.

 

Sea trout, ladyfish, and jacks will school up in the mullet muds in numerous basins around Flamingo. This is always a fun rod bending time. Kids love to do this. Remember, trout season is closed until the first of the year.

 

The Spanish mackerel will be hot and heavy just west of the inter-coastal waterway within 5 miles out. Take a few blocks of chum, live shrimp, pompano jigs, pilchards, spoons, lures, and flies – they will eat it all once you got them chummed up behind the boat. Often you will get mangrove snapper chummed up to, along with the sharks, blue fish, and be ready for a cobia to show up too.

 

Also please take note of what I said last month on the weather conditions during the winter here in the Keys and dress accordingly.

 

Winter will have with strong cold fronts. Temperatures can drop in to the low fifties and the winds can be more than 25 knots for a couple days or more.

 

Offshore these winds are N.N.W. to E.N.E which are essentially an offshore wind and the chop will be 1 to 3 feet on the deep side of the reef (70’ to 200’) where we are sailfish fishing. When the wind pulls around to the E. to S.E. that is when it becomes an onshore wind and the seas build to 4’ to 6’ with a 20 knot wind. It is sporty, but still very fishable depending on your experience. These are the winds that drive the bait down the E. coast and up against the reef. Right behind the bait are the sailfish, “late-late season” dolphin, black fin tuna, kingfish, and wahoo. When it lays down to 10 knots out of the S.E., it is nice fishing the edge of the reef. Big grouper and mutton snapper fishing is very good on the wrecks and along the reef. Calmer conditions are needed to get the baits down on the wrecks. The fishing on the patch reefs starts to really turn on too.

 

Inshore, if we get one of these cold fronts with strong winds do not let it detour you. Getting to the fish in the back country is no real problem with the waves. We just run the lee side of the flats and islands to get to areas that are sheltered by the trees on the islands or mainland shoreline. I’ve been out there catching fish with 30 knot winds blowing over the tops of the trees and virtually no wind affecting us, while fishing!

 

If I decide to make a run for it, I will have a full ski mask and gloves on over my heavy foul weather gear. We have no protection from the wind in our skiffs and often we are running right into it at 30 to 40 knots. That is more than 55 knots of wind. I do not know what the wind chill factor is, but it is damn cold especially after running 45 minutes into the back country. Then you take a shot of spray a couple times - burr! Do not forget to dress appropriately is my point, because the fish are still biting.

Capt. Rick Killgore,

305 - 852 – 1131 or  800 – 698 - 5773.


DECEMBER, 2008

(My column in the magazine, "WOODS 'N WATER")

December is the month all the offshore fishermen are waiting for. “It is sailfish season!” Winter has arrived with strong cold fronts. Temperatures can drop in to the low fifties and the winds can be more than 25 knots for a couple days or more. Conversely, this is not the season the flats fishermen are looking forward to. If I decide to make a run for it, I will have a full ski mask and gloves on over my heavy foul weather gear. We have no protection from the wind in our skiffs and often we are running right into it at 30 to 40 knots. That is more than 55 knots of wind. I do not know what the wind chill factor is, but it is damn cold especially after running 45 minutes into the back country. Then you take a shot of spray a couple times - burr! Do not forget to dress appropriately is my point, because the fish are still biting.

About the foul weather conditions on the water, I’m going to paraphrase a little what I wrote last month:

Offshore these winds are N.N.W. to E.N.E which are essentially an offshore wind and the chop will be 1 to 3 feet on the deep side of the reef (70’ to 200’) where we are sailfish fishing. When the wind pulls around to the E. to S.E. that is when it becomes an onshore wind and the seas build to 4’ to 6’ with a 20 knot wind. It is sporty, but still very fishable depending on your experience. These are the winds that drive the bait down the E. coast and up against the reef. Right behind the bait are the sailfish, “late-late season” dolphin, black fin tuna, kingfish, and wahoo. When it lays down to 10 knots out of the S.E., it is nice fishing the edge of the reef. Big grouper and mutton snapper fishing is very good on the wrecks and along the reef. Calmer conditions are needed to get the baits down on the wrecks. The fishing on the patch reefs starts to really turn on too.

In between the cold fronts we can have beautiful “spring like” days. If we get one of these cold fronts with strong winds do not let it detour you. Getting to the fish in the back country is no real problem with the waves. We just run the lee side of the flats and islands to get to areas that are sheltered by the trees on the islands or mainland shoreline. I’ve been out there catching fish with 30 knot winds blowing over the tops of the trees and virtually no wind affecting us, while fishing!

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

This is it, sailfish season is here! This is when the sailfish are ambushing the ballyhoo on the reef into 20 feet of water. You can see over 500 ballyhoo fleeing across the water as sailfish are chasing them down, numerous times a day. They call it “showers” of ballyhoo, and it is a sight to see. We will run up to 300 yards with live ballyhoo, cigar minnows, or pilchards ready to throw at the slashing sailfish. Hopefully there are more than 6 sailfish in the melee where we have a good chance to get multiple hook-ups and rack up the releases.

This is a very exciting way to fish for sailfish, and everyone has to be on their toes to get it done. An accurate cast with a very fresh bait is often the rule. Sailfish will refuse a perfect cast with a tired bait, or a perfect bait cast off target. Then by the time you’re ready for the second cast, the sailfish might have sensed the boat. They’ll settle down a little, stop chasing the bait, and definitely refuse your bait. This is why you have to monopolize your chances while the sailfish are in the heat of the moment.

Believe me this is the “Heat of the Moment” in the boat too. There can be “overly excited directions” being vocalized by the “captain in the tower” to the mates and anglers in the cockpit, that can be heard over a hundred yards away. This can make for some great bar stool stories for years to come, and I’ve got some classics. One of my favorites is the “Reel Circles, not Squares!” story which happened while I was a mate for one of Islamorada’s great captains.

The Islamorada charter boats are experts in fishing the “ballyhoo showers” and can catch up to 20 sailfish in a day, and a few have even caught more than 20 sailfish. Now do not be intimidated by my extreme portrayal of “the heat of the moment” coaching by the captain to the team in the cockpit. Typically everyone is very professional, it’s just at times we got to yell over the wind and roar of the engines so all can hear exactly where the fish are to cast at. If it seems “a little over the top” let me give you a tip, refrain from making comparisons to Nick Saban down here in S. Florida.  ;-)

If the sailfish are not pushing the ballyhoo schools, we will be slow trolling live baits or flying a fishing kite and drifting. While we are fishing for sailfish we can catch black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, cobia, wahoo, cero mackerel, and even big barracudas while we are slow trolling or kite fishing with live baits. What I like about kite fishing is we are fishing for sailfish and the other fish on the surface with the kite and flat lines, and fishing for snapper and grouper on the bottom with a bottom rod or a deep jig or both.

If the sailfish are showering the ballyhoo we will be slow trolling live baits so we can quickly charge over to the melee of sailfish without having to bring the kite in. The cero mackerel also shower the ballyhoo and are quite fun to catch while waiting for the next group of sailfish. They slash and boil on the live bait we are trolling on the surface. If we get in a good school of them we can cast lures on #10 spinners or fly rods and have some sporty fun. They can be over 10 lbs. and are great eating.

More detail on the techniques and description of sailfish fishing is in my web site www.fish-killgore.com under the link: SAILFISH

Wahoo show up strong in December. Wahoo are found by mostly fast trolling with lures, plugs, or rigged ballyhoo behind big cigar leads just outside the reef line from 180 to 300 feet deep. If you know spots where they concentrate, you can fish for them with big speedos or blue runners by slow trolling. Wahoo up to 50 plus pounds are caught every year, but most of the wahoo are 25 to 35 lbs.

Trolling for grouper is also a good way to catch them in the winter if the water is clear. Big lipped magnum plugs, bonita lures, heavy skirted lures, and rigged de-boned ballyhoos are favorite riggs. They are trolled with wire lines or heavy braided lines with either heavy cigar leads or big planners to get the bait down to where the grouper will dare to leave their lair to eat a bait trolled by.

The patch reefs come alive this time of year too. You could make a living fishing these spots during the winter season. What a variety of fish you can catch there. The targets are decent size mutton snapper from 5 to 15 lbs. and keeper size groupers: blacks, gags, and red groupers. We also catch hog fish, mackerel (cero and Spanish), snappers (yellowtail, mangroves, and lane snappers), jacks, barracudas, and sharks for a fun rod bending experience. You can also get a nice cooler of fish fillets to take home or to a local restaurant for a smorgasbord of a meal. Usually they will prepared the fish three different ways.

 

INSHORE FISHING

We can still have some spring like days in between the cold fronts. These days are good for flats fishing for bonefish, permit, barracudas, and sharks on the ocean side flats. And back in the back country the redfish, snook, sea trout, jacks, and sharks will be on the flats too. But after a cold front we have to change our strategy, and fish deeper water where these fish will be seeking warmer water. The water temperature changes quickly on the shallow flats where the strong, cold wind cools the water fast, like a radiator. So all the flats fish will be in the channels, creeks, deeper basins, or deep water edges of these flats.

In these conditions bonefish will be mudding and cruising in areas three to five feet deep. We can pole the edges of the flats looking into the deeper areas for schools of bonefish mudding or schools cruising by, then pole out to intercept them with a cast. Some guides like to soak shrimp on three to five rods in areas where they are known to cruise by. This can be very effective in catching winter bonefish and a multitude of other flats fish for a rod bending fun day. Other guides like to throw handfuls of chop shrimp in the area then bind cast a shrimp tipped jig through the area. This is also a great way to catch cold water bonefish along with the other rod benders.

A great fish to sight cast to on the flats in the winter when the bonefish and permit are looking for warmer water are the barracuda. They often will be laid up on the white spots or hanging down current of sea fans, gorgonians, or Sargasso weed strings attached to the bottom. Cast a tube lure or a lure close by and crank it back fast. Hold on for a spectacular bite if you can fool them. Get ready for a couple short burning runs and a few nice jumps.  

The redfish, snook, baby tarpon, sea trout, ladyfish, jacks, and sharks will congregate in the deep channels and creeks when the water gets chilled by a cold front. There can be some bang up fishing when the fish pack it in there. Sometimes it can be as fast as you can put a bait in the water. Pilchards, pinfish, and shrimp tipped jigs are used. Keep in mind that snook season is closed Dec. – Feb.

Sea trout, ladyfish, and jacks will school up in the mullet muds in numerous basins around Flamingo. This is always a fun rod bending time. Kids love to do this. Remember, trout season is closed until the first of the year.

The Spanish mackerel will be hot and heavy just west of the inter-coastal waterway within 5 miles out. Take a few blocks of chum, live shrimp, pompano jigs, pilchards, spoons, lures, and flies – they will eat it all once you got them chummed up behind the boat. Often you will get mangrove snapper chummed up to, along with the sharks, blue fish, and be ready for a cobia to show up too.


NOVEMBER, 2008

(My column in the magazine, OUTDOOR FLORIDA)

November is a great time to get out fishing here in Islamorada, both inshore and offshore. In between the early season cold fronts we have beautiful “spring like” days. If we get one of those early season cold fronts with strong winds and overcast “drizzly” rainy days, do not let it detour you. These conditions can turn certain species on. Getting to the fish in the back country is no problem. We just run the lee side of the flats and islands to get to areas that are sheltered by the trees on the islands or mainland shoreline. I’ve been out there catching fish with 30 knot winds blowing over the tops of the trees and virtually no wind affecting us.

Offshore these winds are N.N.W. to E.N.E which are essentially an offshore wind and the chop will be 1 to 3 feet on the deep side of the reef (70’ to 200’) where we are sailfish fishing. When the wind pulls around to the E. to S.E. that is when it becomes an onshore wind and the seas build to 4’ to 6’ with a 20 knot wind. It is sporty, but still very fishable depending on your experience. These are the winds that drive the bait down the E. coast and up against the reef. Right behind the bait are the “early season” sailfish, “late season” dolphin, blackfin tuna, kingfish, and wahoo. When it lays down to 10 knots out of the S.E., it is nice fishing the edge of the reef. Big grouper and mutton snapper fishing is very good on the wrecks and along the reef. Calmer conditions are needed to get the baits down on the wrecks.

INSHORE FISHING

SNOOK:

The "fall" is my favorite time to fish for snook, and my favorite place is the back country of the Everglades National Park in the "dense mangrove creeks", island motes, shorelines, and points. I have had days were we have caught more than 20 snook of all sizes. A good day is catching 8 to 10 snook, along with a few tarpon and mixed bag of other sporty fish like redfish, jacks, sea trout, jewfish, snapper, ladyfish, and maybe even a big shark which can account to catching more than 25 to 50 fish for the day.

Typically we use live bait to bang away at them and have a good "rod bending blast". My favorite live baits are pilchards, finger mullet, shrimp, and pinfish. We look for terns or pelicans diving on pilchards and mullet then catch them with a cast net. We can also cast lures and flies at these snook, tarpon, and other fish if that is what you like to do. They will eat top water lures and flies which is always a blast. On those overcast days they can hit top water lures like it’s dawn, sometimes all day. However, I do not recommend this for the novice, the action often is not as good as using live bait and we will miss more fish on top water too. For top water I like Zara Spooks (large and Jr. size), Bagley’s finger mullet, and Storm’s Chug Bug. Good colors are red and white; white, silver or copper and black back; and chartreuse. Any plug that “walks the dog,” and is in the size range of the others will work. For flies I like a deer hair sliders or small poppers in the same colors as the plugs, but I do have yellow and brown back sliders too. A little red is always good to have in the fly at the throat or nose. They will eat all types of hard crank baits, soft baits, and jigs typically more readily than top water lures.

We can also fish for snook on the flats as we are fishing for redfish in the back country. Often they will be hanging in the white pot holes, and will attack top water flies or lures - sometimes two at a time! There can be nice snook up to 12 lbs. They can also be cruising the flats and are also quite spooky, but if you get your lure in front of them before they spook, they will eat it. And what a nice run they make in shallow water, sometimes up to 75 yards. Then they come up shaking their head and you pray: “don’t shake that hook, please just don’t shake that hook.”

TARPON:

The big tarpon have moved on, but the juveniles stay to grow. We catch lots of tarpon in the 5 – 30 lbs. range with the occasional 50 – 80 lbs. tarpon. Again, the Everglades National Park is one of my favorite places to fish for baby tarpon back in the mangrove creeks, island motes, shorelines, and points. Quite often you can see these tarpon rolling and busting on bait a hundred yards away. Typically we catch a few mixed in with the snook we a fishing for. If you just want to target tarpon, we could do that all day and really bang away at them.

We also fish around the bridges for baby tarpon, especially if we are going to do a little bonefish and permit fishing that day. This can be hot fishing. We can catch up to 6 or more tarpon in a half day. We'll do about half a day each so the angler can experience both 1) the hunt for very challenging fish of the bonefish and permit, and 2) bend a rod at a bridge on tarpon, snook, jacks, barracudas, snapper, grouper, and cero mackerel with live bait. Typically we'll fish the bridges after catching bait first thing in the morning. Almost every time we're having so much fun fishing the bridges, the anglers do not want to leave. Then we'll take an hour or two to fish the flats for bonefish and permit. I cannot do the reverse because it's very hard to pole with my bait wells filled with 30 gallons of water and bait.

BONEFISH:

Some of the biggest bonefish are caught this time of year too, because there is a minor fall spawn. Our average bonefish is 8 – 10 lbs. with fish getting into the 13 lbs. range. Record size bones of 14 plus lbs. can be caught.

In November we can still find lots of “tailing and mudding bonefish” as long as the water temperature does not have a significant drop by a cold front. Do not get frustrated by overcast days, this is when we can chase tailing bonefish all day. The low light is like early morning which they like for tailing in very shallow water. We also focus on tailing bonefish in this low light because it is very hard to see them in the deeper water. If it is windy, this is an advantage if you are a good caster. It allows us to get closer to the bonefish with the bait or the fly. I have had excellent days with 20 knots out of the E. One memorable day a friend and I caught 6 bonefish on fly on the ocean side flats in 20 knot winds. If you really want to do something very exciting – that will put you on the edge of anticipation – try hunting these tailing bonefish with a fishing rod. (A couple of years ago, a client confessed that he had fished 5 days in the Bahamas and never saw a tailing bonefish, only cruising and mudding fish. What a shame.) 

We have some high tides this time of year so we fish our shallowest flats to get into tailing fish. If it is overcast and we have to fish cruising and mudding bonefish, I look for areas that will have dark clouds in the background. This cuts the glare of diffused light from an overcast day allowing us to see the cruising fish. Also I look for areas that have lighter bottom or small white spots where you can see the bonefish crossing these light areas.

PERMIT: There is very good fishing for permit into November, as long as we have good weather with high sun and good visibility. We find them right on the edges of the flats in schools of 10 to 20 permit. We can see 50 permit in a day while we are bonefish fishing. If we strictly permit fish all day, we could see a 100 permit or more on a good day. These fish average 15 – 30 lbs., and the largest we have caught was 39 ½ lbs.  Every year I see some very big permit in that +40 lbs. size. Any permit over 25 pounds is a big permit. I have caught quite a few permit on fly too, 5 here in Islamorada (9 total). If you want to catch a permit on fly, I can help you with the “nuances” of hooking a permit on fly.

Redfish: It is a good time of the year for “sight casting” to redfish. As the waters start to cool off, big schools of redfish are found up on the middle of the flats in north Florida Bay. Schools of 6 to 50 plus fish can be found and they average between 5 – 8 lbs, and we have caught them up to 12 lbs.  

As we “sight cast” to these redfish on the flats, I like to use artificial lures like jigs, soft baits, or plugs. Bait can be used, like shrimp or a shrimp tipped jig, but I do not find it necessary. Redfish are very aggressive once they see your lure, and will quite often hit your lure more than once if you do not get the hooks in him the first time. Keep your eye on the fish and lure, and strike him when he eats it, not when you feel him. A redfish can eat your lure with out you feeling it, by lunging forward and creating a moment of slack line then spitting it out.

Barracudas:  The big barracudas start to show up on the flats in November. As the run of fall mullet arrive on our ocean side flats, the big barracudas are right behind them, literally. When that big barracuda attacks your lure 20 feet from the boat as you’re cranking it in, it’s a real jaw dropper! In shallow water, they fight hard and jump well. These barracudas are 15 to 30 pounds. I always keep a barracuda rod rigged up while we are fishing the flats for bonefish and permit. When we see a barracuda, we are ready to cast at it if we want. If we come across a school of them we can rig another rod so both anglers can cast to them, sometimes getting a double header on.

Catching barracudas on live bait is a lot of fun too. It's a surface bite - an attack! We do this mostly to catch bait for shark fishing, but often we spend a little more time because the clients are really enjoying the barracuda fishing.

sharks: Big lemon sharks, black tips, and bull sharks are plentiful this time of year. We usually fish for them by chumming with big barracudas, which are fun to catch on the way out on light tackle. Once we anchor and start chumming we can get up to six or more sharks (up to 300 lbs.) cruising around right behind the boat in the chum line looking for our baits. It does not take long for them to find it, and they will take you for a good fight. Their size, power, aggression, and snapping jaws at the boat when releasing them, is impressive.

I also like using a fishing kite and live baits, if we have enough wind. Watching a shark chase down a live bait on the surface is awesome - they often explode on it. We caught a 230 lbs. bull shark this year off the kite. That was exciting, and it attacked the boat three times. At first I thought it felt trapped up on the flat and we just happened to be in the way of it trying to get off the flat. But the third time, we were in a channel about 7' deep. It was pulling on us at a perpendicular direction, like circling. Then it turned straight at us and charged, hitting us with its head or back and lifting the boat out of water a little! I got it on video! That's how I can see the boat jump up, and everyone is yelling and laughing, "he hit the boat!... he hit the boat!" That will be one of the videos I put up this year in my web site.

While we are fishing the flats for bonefish, permit, or redfish, we can cast plugs or bait to a passing shark. They are fun to cast to and they fight very hard. Fooling them on a big plug can be exciting. We can catch big ones on 30 lbs. spin (from 50 to 200 lbs.), or small ones on 10lbs. spin.

SPANISH MACKEREL: Look for the first waves of Spanish mackerel to come down the gulf coast with the first cold fronts of the year. These fish are good family fun. The kids really have fun catching them.

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

SAILFISH: With the first cold fronts of November the sailfish start to push down the coast, and catching a few sails or more is possible. Sailfish fishing on the edge of the reef just 3 ½ miles offshore with live baits is a very pleasant way to fish. If we are drifting and fishing with a kite, we can fish for sailfish on the surface with the kite and flat lines, and fish for snapper and grouper on the bottom with a bottom rod or a deep jig or both. Also we can catch black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, cobia, wahoo, cero mackerel, and even big barracudas while we are drifting or even slow trolling. If the sailfish are showering the ballyhoo we will be slow trolling live baits so we can quickly charge over to the melee of sailfish without having to bring the kite in. More detail on the techniques and description of sailfish fishing is in my web site www.fish-killgore.com under the link: SAILFISH

SNAPPERS and GROUPERS: Snapper and grouper fishing on the Atlantic wrecks and reefs starts to get very good in the fall. Big mutton snapper, and nice gag and black groupers move back into these areas now. As we get to the end of fall they will start to move into shallower spots along the reef and even into the patch reefs.

While we are sailfish fishing we can fish for big mutton snappers and grouper by dropping a live bait down to the bottom or deep jigging. If you want to just catch big muttons and grouper, we’ll drop baits down on specific wrecks can catch some nice fish.

KINGFISH, WAHOO, and CERO MACKEREL: This is the time of year that that fishing gets good for them too. We catch them while we are sailfish fishing along the edge of the reef. Kingfish can be constant action and fish up to 30 pounds. They are mostly 10 to 20 lbs., but great fighters. When you find the cero mackerel (a great eating fish), the action can be so good you can cast out lures and get surface strikes right around the boat. Most of the time we locate them by trolling live ballyhoo on top of the reef in quite shallow, and we still catch sailfish in there too. Wahoo are found by mostly fast trolling just outside the reef line with lure, plugs, or rigged ballyhoo. If you know spots where they concentrate, you can fish for them with big speedos or blue runners by slow trolling.

BLACK FIN TUNA: There can be good numbers of them out on the humps, with the typical good tuna being 10 to maybe 20 pounds. As winter approaches, they will start to run just outside the reef line along with the big bonitas. We will occasionally catch them on the deep wrecks too. These are great fighting fish and excellent table fare for taking to the local restaurants or even sushi bars for a discount on the meal.

DOLPHIN "the fish" (Mahi Mahi): There can be some dolphin in November with fish in the 10 to 20 pound range, coming down the reef line following the bait down the coast. It is more of an incidental catch this late in the fall while we are fishing for sailfish, but always a welcomed sport fish

Capt. Rick Killgore,


OCTOBER, 2008

(My column in the magazine, OUTDOOR FLORIDA)

INSHORE FISHING in October is the peak of the fall season for excellent back country fishing. The water starts to cool because of cooler and shorter days, giving a break to those hot days of August and September. Any cold fronts that come through will typically not be cold enough chase the fish off the flats, like in November if we get an early strong front. The crowns of the flats will see more bonefish and redfish throughout the day. Permit are back on the flats, and on those high fall tides they also will get up on the crowns of the flats depending on the size of the permit and depth of the water. Also keep an eye on the edges of the flats for their black sickle tail as you are bonefish fishing. Sharks and nice size barracudas will start to show up on the flats anticipating the fall mullet run and approaching cold fronts of winter. They make for some fun sight casting and fish fighting on the flats too.

The fall mullet run will be here now, so big tarpon fishing back in the main channels, canals, and river mouths can be great. Tarpon up to 150 pounds can be caught, and you can see them blasting mullet some times up to 300 yards away. Talk about exciting fishing. I love when big tarpon are blasting live mullet. There can be big snook and sharks in there too. Around the bridges there will also be some nice schools of baby tarpon 10 - 30 pounders with occasional 50 plus pounders around. This can be an action packed day too, often catching half dozen tarpon, missing just as many, and catching a bunch of other fish like jacks, snappers, mackerel, and even snook.

The snook fishing is now in full swing, back in the Everglades National Park. They are also around the bridges and main creeks between the Keys down A1A, but these guys are tougher to fool than those back in the park. Most likely, because there are more people fishing the bridges, but also probably because there are less fish and the water is clear most of the time. To maximize your catch rate, I prefer fishing live baits. The techniques and aspects of snook fishing I wrote about last month, so I’ll paraphrase that here if you missed it.

Be ready for some big fish. If you are fishing some tight creeks, tight drags and #12 to #15 test are best. A lot of guides use braided line, but I still use a hard finished monofilament. We do not loose many fish if you play your cards right, and I like to be able to easily see if the line is chaffed by the snags. Pilchards, shrimp, pinfish, and small finger mullet are the standard baits of choice. If you see them hitting bait on the surface, I like throwing top water plugs or flies to get a strike – real fun surface strikes! However, typically you will not hook as many snook on artificials as with bait. Even if you do not see them working bait on the surface, you can still get lots of shots on top water if you are persistent and confident.

Also while snook fishing there is a good variety of other fish we catch which can make for an action packed day. Baby tarpon most always will be around and readily take live baits. You got to be lucky because their jumps might take you right up into the mangrove branches breaking you off. Redfish can also be mixed in which can make for that “back county slam.” Jacks are hard hitting and hard fighting sport fish, and always get the blood pumping. Little goliath groupers up to 15 lb. are also tough brutes digging hard for those mangrove roots. Big sea trout might also show up, along with lady fish, and sometimes some decent “keeper” sized mangrove snapper. I’ve had some days where we have caught over 20 snook and up to 50 fish including tarpon and redfish.

 In addition, shark fishing back in the flats is also a very fun adventure. There can be some very big sharks up to 250 lb, and often we can get a half dozen swimming around in the chum line in 3 – 5 feet of water right behind the boat. Hooking up two at a time is common. Catching big lemons, black tips, and bull sharks are what we are targeting. Catching the barracudas for chum and bait is also more fun than most people expect. They attack the bait ferociously and fight good, jumping occasionally. Kids really enjoy this day of fishing too.

 

Offshore fishing in October is the middle period of fall fishing, and a transition to winter fishing. You can still have some calm September like conditions, but we might get a weak cold front sending cooler, long awaited, north winds. These conditions will push the fall bait down the coasts and they might arrive in the Keys, and the fall fish might respond. Also a weak front can also push dolphin back south, catching nice size fish in the 20 pound range.

The sailfish will start to show up a little more, especially after a cold front or two, but it will not really start to get reliable until mid to late November when the cold fronts start to come through every week or so. The Florida Keys and especially Islamorada area has a good little small sailfish season in late fall, so be ready for some sailfish in the 10 – 20 pound range. These sailfish have a hard time eating big baits, so try to get a bunch of pilchards or small ballyhoo. Light rods are the ticket for casting these light baits, 12 – 15 test is ideal where 20 pound spinners might be too heavy for a long cast especially into the wind. Kingfish will start to show up too, and they are always fun to catch while you are fishing the edge of the reef for sailfish. I like to put a bait or two down below the surface while I am fishing for sailfish for hopefully a big kingfish.

Some of the time the weather will be calm and like in September, so I amended some of what I wrote for the September forecast. The indented text is what I wrote for last month’s forecast, but it is applicable to October. 

Dolphin are still around if we got those calm August type days or a good S.E wind especially a few days after a cold front comes through. Catching those “slammers” (dolphin over 25 lbs.), and the “gaffers” (12 – 20 lbs.) is not as likely as the spring. But if a front comes through it can push the dolphin back down our way, and when the wind goes to E., S.E., or S, the dolphin will start to ride the waves looking for bait like in the spring. There can be some nice catches of dolphin up to 20 pound range. This can be a hit or miss deal though. The conditions might be right, but the fish are not moving through. If the wind is calm finding debris and big carpets of Sargasso weed might have some bigger fish down deep under the smaller fish. During these calm conditions, most of the dolphin are “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.), “schoolies” (3 – 5 lbs.) and “shakers” (do I have too describe?), but keep a big live bait or two ready for that big dolphin or two that shows up. Small wahoo will also be down under these floating habitats too. If the wind picks up and if there are any bigger dolphin around, they will go back to tailing and chasing flying fish while surfing the waves going down sea. Look for the birds trying to snatch the fliers out of the air, and you will find the dolphin.  

Be ready for the triple tail under the floating debris. This is an added bonus to a cooler of dolphin, because they taste like a snapper. Do not gaff them! You have to net them. It is illegal to gaff them because years ago it was a common practice to gaff them when they would not take a bait. If you get stopped by law enforcement, and there is a gaff hole in a triple tail you are going to have a lot of explaining to do. 

During the calm days you can get out swordfish fishing on a consistent basis for night time and day time fishing. Swordfish fishing can be a nice interlude during the day while looking for dolphin. You must be out in the 1500 to 2000 feet of water during the day, which might take you out beyond where the dolphin are. But if you find yourself having to go out 25 to 30 miles offshore looking for dolphin, you might as well be rigged up for making a few drifts for swordfish. You can also fish till just before dark for dolphin and blue marlin, then switch over to swordfish on the surface as sunset approaches. A lot of guys feel there is a good bite right at dark, and many have hooked swordfish right at sunset before dark. They feel the best action is the first few hours after dark, so doing a half day of trolling and a half day of swordfish fishing is a good trip. Getting back at the dock around midnight does not mess with your internal clock that much, which is nice. 

Wreck fishing just offshore of the reef line gets good for black and gag grouper, big mutton snapper, yellow jacks, almaco jacks, and even small amber jacks. Hitting a few wrecks then spending some time fishing the reef is a fun day of fishing. Sailfish might even start to show up, especially if a front or two move through, so always keep a surface bait or two out while you are fishing a wreck or the edge of the reef. Yellowtail snapper are also good if you have good current along with cero mackerel, kingfish, mutton snapper, and grouper that will come up into your chum line. 

 

DIVING AND SPEAR FISHING in October is also great on the reef, and we still have many days with gin clear water. The groupers are starting to migrate back to the wrecks and also to the reefs. So seeing more of them will be getting better every day as we get into fall. Big yellow jacks are a great target too. Typically a long shot is required, and boy do they fight well if you do not stone them right away. Of course there are hogfish, mangrove, and mutton snappers to spear too.  

Yellow jacks are good eating of course, but a lot of people never heard of them. I like them better than dolphin. They have a clear white meat that is firm with finer grain and flakier than dolphin, and better tasting in my opinion. We cook it anyway you want: bake, broil, fry, or sauté. 

In between dives I’ll anchor up on the reef and chum up some fish. We’ll catch some ballyhoo and use them for yellowtail, mangrove, and mutton snapper, cero and king mackerel, and grouper. At the end of the day after the second dive, we’ll slow troll live ballyhoo for cero mackerel, yellow jacks, kingfish, even nice dolphin, and hopefully a sailfish. We have also caught big yellowtails (3 - 4 lbs.) while trolling like this, and lost other fish to the reef after eating a live ballyhoo on the surface on the troll. I’d like to know what they were.  

This makes for a fun all around day out on the reef. If you want to do a day of spear fishing, whether we’re scuba diving or free diving, we can mix it up a little by fishing on the reef. I’m doing these trips too. I have A.B. Biller spear guns and Hawaiian slings if you do not have that gear. All you need is your skin diving or scuba diving gear.

Capt. Rick Killgore

 


SEPTEMBER, 2008

(My column in the magazine, OUTDOOR FLORIDA)

INSHORE FISHING in September is one of the back country fishermen’s favorite months. Snook season opens. We are waiting for exciting fishing back in the mangroves and putting sweet tasting snook fillets on our dinner plates. Be ready for some big fish. If you are fishing some tight creeks, tight drags and #12 to #15 test are best. A lot of guides use braided line, but I still use a hard finished monofilament. We do not loose many fish if you play your cards right, and I like to be able to easily see if the line is chaffed by the snags. Pilchards, shrimp, pinfish, and small finger mullet are the standard baits of choice. If you see them hitting bait on the surface, I like throwing top water plugs or flies to get a strike – real fun surface strikes! However, typically you will not hook as many snook on artificials as with bait. Even if you do not see them working bait on the surface, you can still get lots of shots on top water if you are persistent and confident.

Also while snook fishing there is a good variety of other fish we catch which can make for an action packed day. Baby tarpon most always will be around and readily take live baits. You got to be lucky because their jumps might take you right up into the mangrove branches breaking you off. Redfish can also be mixed in which can make for that “back county slam.” Jacks are hard hitting and hard fighting sport fish, and always get the blood pumping. Little goliath groupers up to 15 lb. are also tough brutes digging hard for those mangrove roots. Big sea trout might also show up, along with lady fish, and sometimes some decent “keeper” sized mangrove snapper. I’ve had some days where we have caught over 20 snook and up to 50 fish including tarpon and redfish.

Now keep in mind the fall mullet run can show up as early as late September. Right with them are the big tarpon (up to +100 pounds), and this is real fun fishing.

Of course, the bonefish and permit fishing will be getting into full fall stride as the water starts to cool. This will bring the bonefish back up onto the crowns of the flats, after those dog days of summer subside to the progressively shorter days of September. Take advantage of this fishing because it is going to be the last two months of consistent fishing for bonefish and permit, because once we get into November the greater chance of having a early cold front push these fish off the flats and into deep water for a day or two which can spoil a weekend for you weekend warriors.

Shark fishing back in the flats is also a very fun adventure. There can be some very big sharks up to 250 lb, and often we can get a half dozen swimming around in the chum line in 3 – 5 feet of water right behind the boat. Hooking up two at a time is common. Catching big lemons, black tips, and bull sharks are what we are targeting. Catching the barracudas for chum and bait is also more fun than most people expect. They attack the bait ferociously and fight good, jumping occasionally. Kids really enjoy this day of fishing too.

 

Offshore fishing in September starts to get to the transitional period of fall fishing. You can still have some calm August like conditions, but we might get a weak cold front sending cooler, long awaited, north winds. These conditions will start to push the fall bait down the coasts and they might arrive in the Keys, and the fall fish might respond. Also an early front can also push dolphin back south, catching nice size fish in the 20 pound range. However, most of the time the weather will be calm and hot like August, so I amended some of what I wrote for the August forecast. The indented text is what I wrote for last month’s forecast, but it is applicable to September.

Dolphin are still around if we got those calm August type days or if a cold front comes through. Catching those “slammers” (dolphin over 25 lbs.), and the “gaffers” (12 – 20 lbs.) is not as likely as the spring. But if a front comes through, it can push the dolphin back down our way and there can be some nice catches of dolphin in the 20 pound range. This can be a hit or miss deal though. The conditions might be right, but the fish are not moving through. If the wind is calm and the surface water heats up, the dolphin stay deep. Finding debris and big carpets of Sargasso weed might have some bigger fish down deep under the smaller fish. During these calm conditions, most of the dolphin are “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.), “schoolies” (3 – 5 lbs.) and “shakers” (do I have too describe?), but keep a big live bait or two ready for that big dolphin or two that shows up. Small wahoo will also be down under these floating habitats too. If the wind picks up and if there are any bigger dolphin around, they will go back to tailing and chasing flying fish while surfing the waves going down sea. Look for the birds trying to snatch the fliers out of the air, and you will find the dolphin.

Be ready for the triple tail under the floating debris. This is an added bonus to a cooler of dolphin, because they taste like a snapper. Do not gaff them! You have to net them. It is illegal to gaff them because years ago it was a common practice to gaff them when they would not take a bait. If you get stopped by law enforcement, and there is a gaff hole in a triple tail you are going to have a lot of explaining to do.

Blue marlin can still be around. It’s the end of summer season, so it pays to be ready. If you are trolling, put out a rod or two rigged for blue marlin. If you get into the schoolies, throw a couple over live and slow troll around the school or use one to keep the school at the boat while you are catching them. If a blue marlin shows up, you will be ready. Give the blue a good drop back, but not enough to gut hook it. Typically wait for a hesitation, then a second run and after a count of three, throw it in strike and reel fast to come tight. The hesitation is when the billfish turns the bait around in its mouth to swallow it head first, when it starts swimming again and with a short count you will most likely hook it in the mouth. If you see the blue swallow the bait immediately on the take, do not wait for the hesitation, count to three and reel. If you pull the hook and the bait is still on the hook, sometimes the blue will come back and eat the bait, give it a little longer drop back after the hesitation or the inhalation of the bait. But be very cautious not to drop back too long.

If you count more than 5 seconds, you have a greater percentage of hooking the fish deep like in the gills, throat, or stomach. There is nothing worse than bringing in a hurt billfish for release, it takes the excitement right out of the significance of the catch. That is why most sailfish tournaments have gone to circle hooks, to keep overeager anglers from gut hooking or “gigging” as we used to call it criticizing that type of angling decades ago. This was seen as an inexperienced maneuver to do anything to catch a billfish, really looked down on then. But as money prizes got bigger, this practice became more accepted, so the use of circle hooks came into being in tournament. Good for them, “gigging” is despicable.

During the calm days you can get out swordfish fishing on a consistent basis for night time and day time fishing. Swordfish fishing can be a nice interlude during the day while looking for dolphin. You must be out in the 1500 to 2000 feet of water during the day, which might take you out beyond where the dolphin are. But if you find yourself having to go out 25 to 30 miles offshore looking for dolphin, you might as well be rigged up for making a few drifts for swordfish. You can also fish till just before dark for dolphin and blue marlin, then switch over to swordfish on the surface as sunset approaches. A lot of guys feel there is a good bite right at dark, and many have hooked swordfish right at sunset before dark. They feel the best action is the first few hours after dark, so doing a half day of trolling and a half day of swordfish fishing is a good trip. Getting back at the dock around midnight does not mess with your internal clock that much, which is nice.

Wreck fishing just offshore of the reef line gets good for black and gag grouper, big mutton snapper, yellow jacks, almaco jacks, and even small amber jacks. Hitting a few wrecks then spending some time fishing the reef is a fun day of fishing. Sailfish might even start to show up, especially if a front or two move through, so always keep a surface bait or two out while you are fishing a wreck or the edge of the reef. Yellowtail snapper are also good if you have good current along with cero mackerel, kingfish, mutton snapper, and grouper that will come up into your chum line.

  

DIVING AND SPEAR FISHING in September is also great on the reef, and we still have many days with gin clear water. The groupers are starting to migrate back to the wrecks and also to the reefs. So seeing more of them will be getting better every day as we approach the fall. Big yellow jacks are a great target too. Typically a long shot is required, and boy do they fight well if you do not stone them right away. Of course there are hogfish, mangrove, and mutton snappers to spear too.

I shot about a 15 lb. yellow jack last weekend along with 4 nice hogfish. I had to chase the jack down the mono line and grab hold the throat latch. Pinning it to the reef to kill it with my knife - kicking and burying the knife into it's spine to paralyze it. Now that is a thrill, at 90', all alone, sucking compressed air, and looking over your shoulder. I was pumped with adrenaline. 

Yellow jacks are good eating of course, but a lot of people never heard of them. I like them better than dolphin. They have a clear white meat that is firm with finer grain and flakier than dolphin, and better tasting in my opinion. We cook it anyway you want: bake, broil, fry, or sauté.

In between dives I’ll anchor up on the reef and chum up some fish. We’ll catch some ballyhoo and use them for yellowtail, mangrove, and mutton snapper, cero and king mackerel, and grouper. At the end of the day after the second dive, we’ll slow troll live ballyhoo for cero mackerel, yellow jacks, kingfish, even nice dolphin, and hopefully a sailfish. We have also caught big yellowtails (3 - 4 lbs.) while trolling like this, and lost other fish to the reef after eating a live ballyhoo on the surface on the troll. I’d like to know what they were. 

This makes for a fun all around day out on the reef. If you want to do a day of spear fishing, whether we’re scuba diving or free diving, we can mix it up a little by fishing on the reef. I’m doing these trips too. I have A.B. Biller spear guns and Hawaiian slings if you do not have that gear. All you need is your skin diving or scuba diving gear.

 

Capt. Rick Killgore 

305 – 852 – 1131, or 800 – 698 – 5773  


AUGUST, 2008

(My column in the magazine, OUTDOOR FLORIDA)

August is one of my favorite months. I dream of crystal clear waters on the reef, drifting down to the drop off ledges, sipping compressed air, losing myself in the maze of fish and corals, hunting for hidden groupers and snappers with my spear gun in hand. Just the other day we had 110’ visibility. I’m not exaggerating, because I jumped in to look for a wreck I fish and see exactly what it is, a small sailboat. Now diving on days like this is spectacular, and August calm days bring lots of clear calm water. It is just what we need for finding those big lobsters under the ledges on the patch reefs.

In between dives I’ll anchor up on the reef and chum up some fish. We’ll catch some ballyhoo and use them for yellowtail, mangrove, and mutton snapper, cero and king mackerel, and grouper. At the end of the day after the second dive, we’ll slow troll live ballyhoo for cero mackerel, yellow jacks, kingfish, even nice dolphin, and hopefully a sailfish. We have also caught big yellowtails (3 - 4 lbs.) while trolling like this, and lost other fish to the reef after eating a live ballyhoo on the surface on the troll. I’d like to know what they were.

This makes for a fun all around day out on the reef. If you want to do a day of spear fishing, whether we’re scuba diving or free diving, we can mix it up a little by fishing on the reef.

 

Offshore fishing in August has much calmer weather, so you can get out swordfish fishing on a consistent basis for night time and day time fishing. Swordfish fishing can be a nice interlude during the day while looking for dolphin. You must be out in the 1500 to 2000 feet of water during the day, which might take you out beyond where the dolphin are. But if you find yourself having to go out 25 to 30 miles offshore looking for dolphin, you might as well be rigged up for making a few drifts for swordfish. You can also fish till just before dark for dolphin and blue marlin, then switch over to swordfish on the surface as sunset approaches. A lot of guys feel there is a good bite right at dark, and many have hooked swordfish right at sunset before dark. They feel the best action is the first few hours after dark, so doing a half day of trolling and a half day of swordfish fishing is a good trip. Getting back at the dock around midnight does not mess with your internal clock that much, which is nice.

Also the wreck fishing just offshore of the reef line gets good for big muttons, yellow jacks, almaco jacks, and the grouper will start to show up anticipating the fall move into the wrecks. Hitting a few wrecks then spending some time fishing the reef is a fun day of fishing.

The mangrove snapper are out on the reef spawning into August, so it is one of the best months to catch big mangroves at night and during the day. Yellowtail snapper are also good if you have good current along with cero mackerel, kingfish, mutton snapper and grouper that will come up into your chum line.

Offshore fishing is pretty much the same as the July forecast, so here is a slightly abridged edition of what I wrote last month

DOLPHIN are still the go to fish for August offshore. Catching those “slammers” (dolphin over 25 lbs.), and the “gaffers” (12 – 20 lbs.) is tougher. As the wind calms and the surfaces water heats up the dolphin stay deep. Finding debris and big carpets of Sargasso weed might have some bigger fish down deep under the smaller fish. During these calm conditions, most of the dolphin are “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.), “schoolies” (3 – 5 lbs.) and “shakers” (do I have too describe?), but keep a big live bait or two ready for that big dolphin or two that shows up. Small wahoo will also be down under these floating habitats too. If the wind picks up and if there are any bigger dolphin around, they will go back to tailing and chasing flying fish while surfing the waves going down sea. Look for the birds trying to snatch the fliers out of the air, and you will find the dolphin.

BLUE MARLIN are around. It’s the middle of summer season, so it pays to be ready. If you are trolling, put out a rod or two rigged for blue marlin. If you get into the schoolies, throw a couple over live and slow troll around the school or use one to keep the school at the boat while you are catching them. If a blue marlin shows up, you will be ready. Give the blue a good drop back, but not enough to gut hook it. Typically wait for a hesitation, then a second run and after a count of three, that is when to throw it in strike and reel fast to come tight. The hesitation is when the billfish turns the bait around in its mouth to swallow it head first, when it starts swimming again and with a short count you will most likely hook it in the mouth. If you see the blue swallow the bait immediately on the take, do not wait for the hesitation, count to three and reel. If you pull the hook and the bait is still on the hook, sometimes the blue will come back and eat the bait, give it a little longer drop back after the hesitation or the inhalation of the bait. But be very cautious not to drop back too long.

 If you count more than 5 seconds, you have a greater percentage of hooking the fish deep like in the gills, throat, or stomach. There is nothing worse than bringing in a hurt billfish for release, it takes the excitement right out of the significance of the catch. That is why most sailfish tournaments have gone to circle hooks, to keep overeager anglers from gut hooking or “gigging” as we used to call it criticizing that type of angling decades ago. This was seen as an inexperienced maneuver to do anything to catch a billfish, really looked down on then. But as money prizes got bigger, this practice became more accepted, so the use of circle hooks came into being in tournament. Good for them, “gigging” is despicable.

Be ready for the triple tail under the floating debris. This is an added bonus to a cooler of dolphin, because they taste like a snapper. Do not gaff them! You have to net them. It is illegal to gaff them because years ago it was a common practice to gaff them when they would not take a bait. If you get stopped by law enforcement, and there is a gaff hole in a triple tail you are going to have a lot of explaining to do.

 

Now inshore fishing, the flats around Islamorada can be good for bonefish and permit, and even a straggler tarpon cruising up the edge of the flats. If there is minimal wind, do your fishing early and late in the day for cooler water temperatures on the flats. It can get too hot for these fish, 92 degrees is around the threshold for tailing bonefish. Permit can tolerate a little warmer temperature, but not much. They will be on the edges of the flats too, accessing deeper cooler water with a couple kicks of the tail. But look for them tailing on the shallow edges if the current is rolling good. That big, black, sickle tail is a dead give away.

Redfish and snook fishing in the backcountry of Flamingo can be “red hot,” in more ways than one. I like to make sure there is going to be a breeze if I’m going there. The snook fishing can be good in the creeks, if we do not have a stretch of very hot, windless days heating up the water a lot. However, if it is raining in the glades and pushing cool fresh water out, that can counter that situation. Pilchards, shrimp, and small pinfish work great. Do not forget the bug spray. Even a head net can keep you from breathing them in - I just spit them out!

As you get closer to the end of August more anglers will be out in all the popular spots honing up for opening of snook season. So be courteous! Idle by if someone is fishing the shore of a big creek. If you’re going up a small creek, ask them if it’s ok to pass by. Or if someone is fishing the spot you want to fish, but it can hold another boat, ask them if it’s OK to fish but in a way not to encroach. It’s better to ask instead of assume. An ugly encounter just spoils the day for both boats, believe me. Even I’m still learning that as I mellow with age. However, my wife and some friends still say I got a lot to learn in that department.

Shark fishing back in the flats is also a very fun adventure. There can be some very big sharks up to 250 lb, and often we can get a half dozen swimming around in the chum line in 3 – 5 feet of water right behind the boat. Hooking up two at a time is common. Catching big lemons, black tips, and bull sharks are what we are targeting. Catching the barracudas for chum and bait is also more fun than most people expect. They attack the bait ferociously and fight good, jumping occasionally. Kids really enjoy this day of fishing too.

Capt. Rick Killgore

305 – 852 – 1131, or 800 – 698 – 5773


JULY, 2008

(My column in the magazine, OUTDOOR FLORIDA)

As I’m writing this (June 20th), I got one more week of hard core fishing before I take my long awaited “week off vacation (July 1 - 7).” As I was watching the NASCAR race yesterday, my good friend calls me up to give me another trip at the end of the week – great, thanks a lot, no… really! And what the hell was Kevin Harvick thinking running into, who was that, McMurray and Tony Stewart through the turn at Sonoma? That Kyle Busch is kicking butt, and it was good to see Montoya run a clean race too!

Yeah, been thinking about this little vacation, and I just decided I’m going to stay here and enjoy all the things we take clients out to do. My wife and I will be fishing and diving for the week. A little tarpon fishing with the fly rod, a little bonefish fishing, snook fishing, wreck fishing, reef fishing and spear fishing. That is what I’m looking forward to, spear fishing down the reef – nice cool water and hopefully some shots at some good fish: groupers, hogs, and muttons. But it is just nice to get in the water too, and make a dive. What ever comes our way is a bonus. 

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

In July, BLUE MARLIN are around. It’s the middle of summer season, so it pays to be ready. If you are trolling, put out a rod or two rigged for blue marlin. If you get into the schoolies, throw a couple over live and slow troll around the school or use one to keep the school at the boat while you are catching them. If a blue marlin shows up, you will be ready. Give the blue a good drop back, but not enough to gut hook it. Typically wait for a hesitation, then a second run and after a count of three, that is when to throw it in strike and reel fast to come tight. The hesitation is when the billfish turns the bait around in its mouth to swallow it head first, when it starts swimming again and with a short count you will most likely hook it in the mouth. If you see the blue swallow the bait immediately on the take, do not wait for the hesitation, count to three and reel. If you pull the hook and the bait is still on the hook, sometimes the blue will come back and eat the bait, give it a little longer drop back after the hesitation or the inhalation of the bait. But be very cautious not to drop back too long.

If you count more than 5 seconds, you have a greater percentage of hooking the fish deep like in the gills, throat, or stomach. There is nothing worse than bringing in a hurt billfish for release, it takes the excitement right out of the significance of the catch. That is why most sailfish tournaments have gone to circle hooks, to keep overeager anglers from gut hooking or “gigging” as we used to call it criticizing that type of angling decades ago. This was seen as an inexperienced maneuver to do anything to catch a billfish, really looked down on then. But as money prizes got bigger, this practice became more accepted, so the use of circle hooks came into being in tournament. Good for them, “gigging” is despicable.

DOLPHIN are still the go to fish for July. Catching those “slammers” (dolphin over 25 lbs.), and the “gaffers” (12 – 20 lbs.) can get a little tougher. As the wind calms and the surfaces water heats up the dolphin stay deep. Finding debris and big carpets of Sargasso weed might have some bigger fish down deep under the smaller fish. During these calm conditions, most of the dolphin are “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.), “schoolies” (3 – 5 lbs.) and “shakers” (do I have too describe?), but keep a big live bait or two ready for that big dolphin or two that shows up. Small wahoo will also be down under these floating habitats too. If the wind picks up, the bigger dolphin will go back to tailing and chasing flying fish while surfing the waves going down sea. Look for the birds trying to snatch the fliers out of the air, and you will find the dolphin.

Be ready for the triple tail under the floating debris. This is an added bonus to a cooler of dolphin, because they taste like a snapper. Do not gaff them! You have to net them. It is illegal to gaff them because years ago it was a common practice to gaff them when they would not take a bait. If you get stopped by law enforcement, and there is a gaff hole in a triple tail you are going to have a lot of explaining to do.

The mangrove snapper are out on the reef spawning, so July is one of the best months to catch big mangroves at night. The mutton snapper can be good on the wrecks too this time of year.

 

INSHORE FISHING:

the TARPON are still around. Some years are better than other as far as how many tarpon are around. A few years ago on July 14th we release 10 tarpon that day, one of three double digit release days on tarpon we’ve had here in Islamorada. If you want to catch a tarpon, give me a call. This can also be a good time to catch a big one on fly. You will not see as many, but those you do cast at will be more interested in eating the fly.

Of course the bonefish, redfish, and snook (now close to keeping them) are still biting excellent on the flats and in the back country creeks, along with all the other rod bender critters like jacks, trout, ladyfish, little goliath grouper and big sharks.

The PERMIT are moving back to the flats after their spawn out on the wrecks. They tolerate hotter water than bonefish, so after bonefish fishing in the morning you can fish for permit in the late morning before you head back to the AC for lunch.

You can still find permit out on the wrecks too. This is when you can still hook double and maybe triple headers, and at least catch a couple or a few between the break offs in the wrecks or to the sharks.

 

SPEAR FISHING:

This is a great time of year for spear fishing. The winds start to calm, and water clears for a beautiful dive. Anyone wanting to do a spear fishing trip, I am doing these charters. We can do scuba or free diving spear fishing for hog fish, groupers, snappers, black margates, yellow jacks, and cero mackerels.

 

Capt. Rick Killgore


JUNE, 2008

(My column in the magazine, OUTDOOR FLORIDA)

We wait all year long for tarpon season, now we can not wait until it is over. My hands hurt from all the line cuts, mullet spine infections, and fatigue from lifting heavy cast nets, handling big fish and hauling anchors. These are long days of full day trips (8.5 hours), and then going out for your “sunset tarpon trip” (4.5 hours). When you account for preparing for fishing and then washing down tackle and boat at end of the day, it is almost a 16 hour day for me on the boat. At the end of the week on my one day off, every muscle, every tendon, every joint, and every bone ache from tarpon.

Every year I wonder, can I keep going… and going, and going? You “betchya,” after days like yesterday. We had 14 tarpon crashing our mullets some four and five times before getting hooked up. We hooked up 7 tarpon and released 4 big tarpon all between 120 to 100 pounds. We also hand fed two big hammerhead sharks that were 650 – 800 pounds. Unfortunately, the first shark got one of the tarpon.

After the shark ate off the tarpon’s tail, I quickly gaffed the mortally injured tarpon. “Now let’s have some fun!” I told my clients. They weren’t really sure what I was talking about, still dazed from the horror. But when the big S.O.B. came right back and grabbed hold of the 100 lb. tarpon again, heaved and thrashed me, about pulling the gaff out of my hand, then hitting the side of the boat with its huge tail and soaking all of us – now those boys came back to life! Yaaaaah, awesome!

So we did this another 15 minutes letting that hammerhead eat about half that tarpon. He was almost lazy about coming back each time to have a bite. Then he faded away. Well we were about to go back fish after waiting another 5 minutes in the current, when another hot, very “amped up,” hammerhead of equal size but much blacker came charging up the scent trail. It hit that remaining half tarpon right up along side the boat, rolling on its side with half its hammer and eye out of the water looking at all four of us down the side of the boat. Then it buried down pulling hard on me, and with a big kick of its tail, soaked us all and felt like it almost pulled my arms out of my sockets. 

He came back a few more times and got the better part of the tarpon just leaving us with the head before he had enough to eat and enough of us pulling on him. It was a debate on which one was bigger. As I remembered when he first came up and rolled on his side, it’s girth which was about 3 feet from base of it’s dorsal down its side to its belly in a straight line. Then you got to think about the width of the belly, I’d say it would have to be at least close to an 8‘ girth if not more. It was probably at least 14’ long. I have never personally seen a big hammerhead out of the water, but I have just seen giant blue marlin on the scales down in St. Thomas (1004, 918, and 910 pounders). I gaffed a few blue marlin too, one that weighed 542 lb., and along with catching 104 blue marlin there in three seasons, we released one that was estimated 800 lb. So I have seen some big fish in the water and on the dirt, but I can not give you a very accurate estimate of big sharks

One of my clients summed it up pretty good yesterday, “the Chicago Aquarium will never be the same.

A quick note on helping tarpon get away from sharks: some of us use our boats to distract the shark allowing time for the tarpon to recover and escape. I would say close to 90% of the tarpon that are chased by these big sharks get away when I do this with the boat. Some times I will follow the tarpon for 30 minutes, using the prop wash to disperse the scent trail by doing figure eights or circles between the tarpon and shark. The tarpon will come up to the surface periodically to gulp air, and that is when you can see them and stay behind them. Or the shark will come up to the surface chasing down the scent trail, run out in front of him and do a circle. Stay behind the tarpon or in front of the shark doing circles or zig zags. The wash and the noise confuse the shark and often the tarpon will get away. Also it is very important to release the tarpon immediately when that “hot” shark comes in hard. I brief the client, I run down fast on the tarpon to get the leader in the reel. Then hold the spool and point the rod at the fish. The leader will break easily, and the tarpon will not be dragging around a long length of line that will eventually kill them I believe. Once I found a very tired 120 pound tarpon with a short leader and a regular size float. I easily motored up to him and grabbed it. The fish broke the leader when he darted off in panic.

Next month I’ll tell you how I think is the best way to release tarpon and most all fish. I always try to get the hook out if it is easily done and will not interfere with resuscitation.

What to expect for fishing this June is about just what I wrote for May. Because I got into this fishing story and I got to go now for my charter (I’ll be taking my #50 test stand up rod. I have a couple big barracudas on ice, because my client today mentioned last week he would like to try some shark fishing – if the tarpon are not cooperating.) I’ll be ready today to play!

In June the TARPON are here in mass. This is when we can release more than 10 tarpon in a day, and if we did not have to take pictures of most of the tarpon (in the water along the boat side), we would be able to catch over 20 in a day. That is if we fought them like we were in a sailfish tournament, by catching them as quick as possible by running down on them for the release then cutting the leader, I swear I have had days were the tarpon are biting so good we could have caught over 20 tarpon and maybe even 30. Instead, we fight the tarpon for 15 to 45 minutes so as to tire it out sufficiently so as to handle it safely (for the tarpon) along the side of the boat for photos, then to remove the hook, and finally to resuscitate it.

Now the big mangrove snapper are migrating from the bay out to the reef to spawn, and this is when we can catch 2 – 6 lbs. snappers. This is a nice bonus to tarpon fishing, because all of the local restaurants will cook your catch, for a discount too.

Of course the bonefish, redfish, and snook (now close to keeping them) are still biting excellent on the flats and in the back country creeks, along with all the other rod bender critters like jacks, trout, ladyfish, little goliath grouper and big sharks.

The PERMIT have moved out to the wrecks to spawn and this is when you can hook double and triple headers, and at least catch a couple or a few between the break offs in the wrecks or to the sharks. They get schooled up to 500 permit in a big ball. You can almost not miss, unless they got lock jaw which most likely is because there was another boat in there busting their butts a half an hour before you arrived.

The mutton snapper can be good on the wrecks too this time of year. So it is always good to give the permit a rest by dropping a live bait down for dinner.

The black fin tuna of good size (10 – 20 lbs.) can also still be on the humps, and when it is calm I have actually run out to hit them in the morning, then run back inshore to tarpon fish. Now that is a lot of running, and I have to ask the clients to pay for the extra gas over what I would normally burn in a day which is 20 gallons. That equates to about an extra 10 gallons, which the fuel meter is very accurate. It does make for an interesting day, as you can see in the photo of Lad Farian and friends a couple years ago. They caught four tarpon and those black fins.

DOLPHIN are the go to fish for the offshore fishing, and May is when you will start catching those “slammers” (dolphin over 25 lbs.) on a regular basis, along with all the “gaffers” (12 – 20 lbs.), “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.), “schoolies” (3 – 5 lbs.) and “shakers” (do I have too describe?). This is when most of the BLUE MARLIN are caught while dolphin fishing, so it pays to be ready. Also some good size wahoo are still caught while dolphin fishing and many guys troll a wahoo rig out and back from dolphin fishing offshore.

Be ready for the triple tail under the floating debris. This is an added bonus to a cooler of dolphin, because they taste like a snapper. Do not gaff them! You have to net them. It is illegal to gaff them because years ago it was a common practice to gaff them when they would not take a bait. If you get stopped by law enforcement, and there is a gaff hole in a triple tail you are going to have a lot of explaining to do.

That’s it. It’s 6:30 am and I got to go.

Capt. Rick Killgore

305 – 852 – 1131, or 800 – 698 – 5773


MAY, 2008

(My column in the magazine, OUTDOOR FLORIDA)

Wow! This is the time of year we all have been waiting for. It is: fish, eat, and sleep – every day. I am writing this now at 4:30 am before another charter, so it will be short. I missed April’s report because the dead line was the week of Easter and not only were we fishing every day but every other day we fished full days and a “sunset trip.” I’m not sure if keeping a schedule like this will keep me young, or make me old. Thank God though, business has been good for me in spite of the high fuel prices and the supposed recession every one is talking about. One thing is sure, the fishing is still good!

In May the TARPON are here in mass. This is when we can release more than 10 tarpon in a day, and if we did not have to take pictures of most of the tarpon (in the water along the boat side), we would be able to catch over 20 in a day. That is if we fought them like we were in a sailfish tournament, by catching them as quick as possible by running down on them for the release then cutting the leader, I swear I have had days were the tarpon are biting so good we could have caught over 20 tarpon and maybe even 30. Instead, we fight the tarpon for 15 to 45 minutes so as to tire it out sufficiently so as to handle it safely (for the tarpon) along the side of the boat for photos, the to remove the hook, and finally to resuscitate it.

Now the big mangrove snapper are migrating from the bay out to the reef to spawn, and this is when we can catch 2 – 6 lbs. snappers. This is a nice bonus to tarpon fishing, because all of the local restaurants will cook your catch, for a discount too.

Of course the bonefish, redfish, and snook (now close to keeping them) are still biting excellent on the flats and in the back country creeks, along with all the other rod bender critters like jacks, trout, ladyfish, little goliath grouper and big sharks.

The PERMIT have moved out to the wrecks to spawn and this is when you can hook double and triple headers, and at least catch a couple or a few between the break offs in the wrecks or to the sharks. They get schooled up to 500 permit in a big ball. You can almost not miss, unless they got lock jaw which most likely is because there was another boat in there busting their butts a half an hour before you arrived.

The mutton snapper can be good on the wrecks too this time of year. So it is always good to give the permit a rest by dropping a live bait down for dinner.

The black fin tuna of good size (10 – 20 lbs.) can also still be on the humps, and when it is calm I have actually run out to hit them in the morning, then run back inshore to tarpon fish. Now that is a lot of running, and I have to ask the clients to pay for the extra gas over what I would normally burn in a day which is 20 gallons. That equates to about an extra 10 gallons, which the fuel meter is very accurate. It does make for an interesting day, as you can see in the photo of Lad Farian and friends a couple years ago. They caught four tarpon and those black fins.

DOLPHIN are the go to fish for the offshore fishing, and May is when you will start catching those “slammers” (dolphin over 25 lbs.) on a regular basis, along with all the “gaffers” (12 – 20 lbs.), “heavy lifters” (5 – 10 lbs.), “schoolies” (3 – 5 lbs.) and “shakers” (do I have too describe?). This is when most of the BLUE MARLIN are caught while dolphin fishing, so it pays to be ready. Also some good size wahoo are still caught while dolphin fishing and many guys troll a wahoo rig out and back from dolphin fishing offshore.

Be ready for the triple tail under the floating debris. This is an added bonus to a cooler of dolphin, because they taste like a snapper. Do not gaff them! You have to net them. It is illegal to gaff them because years ago it was a common practice to gaff them when they would not take a bait. If you get stopped by law enforcement, and there is a gaff hole in a triple tail you are going to have a lot of explaining to do.

That’s it. It’s 6:30 am and I got to go.

Capt. Rick Killgore

305 – 852 – 1131, or 800 – 698 – 5773


MARCH, 2008

(My column in the magazine, OUTDOOR FLORIDA)

 

March is a transition month. The spring fishing starts up on mild days and yet we can still have strong cold fronts making for winter conditions. It can be frustrating to some, you just got to be ready to go to plan “B” or “C.”

INSHORE FISHING:

This is the month that tarpon start to show up in enough numbers that you can fish for them on a daily basis, as long as the water temperature is over 70 and better yet mid 70’s. We catch most of our largest tarpon in March (140 – 200 lbs.), which is a great counterpoint to the fact that we typically do not catch as many tarpon per day as during the peak tarpon season. However a couple years ago we caught 54 tarpon in the first ten days of March. Tarpon fishing is totally dependent on the immediate weather we have. If we get a warm spell, keeping the water in the 70’s, we will have excellent tarpon fishing. Once a cold front comes through, and drops the water temperature the tarpon will move out to deeper warmer water or just hunker down on the bottom in a slumber of slower metabolism due to the cooler water. This is when you go to plan “B.”

Permit and bonefish fishing is excellent this month on the flats. You can find big schools of permit on the edges of the flats and in the channels. This is an excellent time of year to fly fish for permit too. With the typical windy days, you can get closer to them for a more accurate cast, and they can be more aggressive too. The bonefish will be in mudding and tailing vigorously if the water stays above 70 degrees. Snook, redfish, and trout will all be very good in the backcountry too.

“Plan B” can be a couple different options. First preference for me would be to go sailfish fishing along the reef. While sailfish fishing we can catch other pelagic fish like kingfish, wahoo, blackfin tuna, cobia, and dolphin, or stop along the reef or one of the local wrecks for grouper and snapper. However, some anglers do not take well to the offshore seas, so plan “C” might be fishing the patch reefs for snapper, grouper, hogfish, porgies, mackerel, barracudas, and small sharks. Or we could go fishing Gulf of Mexico for Spanish mackerel, snappers, groupers, cobia, bluefish, and big sharks.

Another plan ”C” I’ve been enjoying more the last couple years has been shark fishing in the channels through the flats. One of the draws to tarpon fishing is that you can catch a fish pushing 200 lbs. and not have to go offshore. So when the tarpon are not cooperating, big sharks (up to 300lbs.) is an exciting option. Often we can see 3 or more of these brutes swimming around behind the boat searching for our baits in water as shallow as three feet deep. Talk about “edge of your seat” thrill.

First we got to catch a few big barracudas, which a lot of anglers really enjoy more than they anticipate. While slow trolling live baits on the surface, you get a pretty exciting bite from these barracudas. They fight well and often make a few good jumps, sometimes almost hitting the boat. We have actually caught mutton snapper doing this and once I had about a 50 lbs. jewfish blast one of our baits coming completely out of water and flipping upside down on the strike. That was a jaw dropper! Unfortunately it was a one time strike. It missed the bait completely, and never came back for a second hit. Boy, did I want to get another hit like that and catch that fish.

Then we head out back to go shark fishing. We butterfly fillet the barracudas down to their tail and hang them over the side one at a time for chum. We cut a couple strip baits from the fillets and put them in the chum line. I will also fish a couple live baits too which also makes for an exciting strike on the surface. A lot of times within 10 minutes you get a strike. If it’s a nice shark (80lbs. lemon, 50 lbs. black tip, or 50 lbs. bull shark) it will make a nice 100 yard or more run, and fight hard around the boat. If you hook one bigger than that, you got to chase them with the boat. Black tip sharks make spectacular spinning jumps and fight very hard for their size. A 100 pounder will kick your butt for 45 minutes or more. Once you get them up to the boat to release them, they will impress you with their tenacity in their last effort for freedom. I hold the leader and the dorsal so you can get a good picture with them while they are in the water. I use to lift them up the side of the boat with a gaff, but they just really hurt themselves by struggling so much and spinning around. Typically we catch them in 15 to 30 minute fights. It is not typically long drawn out battles because we are fishing in shallow water and can get right over them and apply maximum direct pressure.

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

Sailfish are coming toward the end of the season, but that does not mean it will be coming slow. Actually we can have some of the years best fishing now, especially if there are “tailing sailfish” on the “powder line.” An unusual condition in the spring, where we “sight fish” for sailfish (and cobia) as they are surfing the waves from the East into a strong North current with a definitive “powder-blue current line” from the shallows that gets pushed out into the blue water. Here the sailfish surf the waves until they hit the “powder line” then the sailfish follow it. We search the line waiting to cast baits right to a sailfish or more as they come down the “powder line.” It is incredible. This is when some of the most sailfish are caught in a single day. Some charter boat greats have caught over 20 sailfish in a day, awesome!

Black fin tuna of 15 to 30 lbs. will start showing up on the local humps. Grouper and big muttons snapper are on the areas wrecks and reefs. Yellowtail snapper can always be found on the reef, and the big mangrove snappers (3 – 5 lbs.) will be migrating out from the bay through the bridges out to the patch reefs and finally to the outer reefs. I just started seeing them under my boat at the slip, so they are on the move. If we get some summer type days for a week or so, even some early dolphin will be coming through. Mostly small schoolies, but you could luck into a nice “gaffer” sized fish or even a “slammer.”

 


JANUARY, 2008

(My column in the magazine, OUTDOOR FLORIDA)

As I wrote this article and started on the inshore fishing and barracudas on the flats, I remembered a funny story in my life 20 years ago. It starts with: It’s one of my greatest memories as a young man saving a “hot woman!” I think veteran and novice anglers will enjoy this brief story. Since January is typically the coldest month of the year, inshore fishing is considered at its most difficult. I did not want the reader to miss a laugh by glancing over that section, expecting the typical winter inshore forecast.

“Offshore Fishing” and our “sailfish season” had to go first in January’s forecast. It is by far the highlight of Islamorada fishing this month. January is typically the coldest month of the year. The cold fronts push the sailfish down the reef following the schools of bait.

Even though inshore fishing can be tough this month, on those cold days the guides know how to change tactics to catch fish mostly in the creeks, channels, canals, motes, and basins. Many times they can have some action packed days as the fish stack in the deeper, warmer water. It’s just not the conditions for the classic sight fishing on the flats, unless you get a warm spell which will bring the fish back up on the flats.

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

January is getting into peak sailfish season, which runs from late Nov. to late April, depending on the weather conditions. This is when the prominent sailfish tournaments start. Hopefully there will be good conditions for sailfish during the tournaments so everyone is catching plenty of sailfish. There is nothing more frustrating than having slow fishing during a tournament.

Most of the local Islamorada charter boats love pitching frisky ballyhoo at sailfish chasing the schools of ballyhoo on the reef. They also sight fishing for cruising sailfish over the sand inside of the reef or on the reef itself. These sailfish are looking for a school of ballyhoo, and will often take a well cast, frisky bait. However, kite fishing with live bait is also very effective when the conditions dictate. I have seen more local boats fishing the kite in the last few years too.

I grew up sailfish fishing with the kite with my Dad since I was eight years old, and it has a special spot in my heart. I still have his oversized kite reel he built out of plywood and a long dowel. It cranks in over three feet per turn. I had to fiberglass it up a few years ago, because the spool started to split under the stretch of the mono. It’s a classic that usually draws a comment or two. It’s not the high tech electric reel setups of today, but it does not fail. Like a friend of mine lamented a couple of years ago. His electric reel failed while the kite was out in 20 knots of wind. He had a hell of a time getting the kite back in by hand, especially since it had Spectron as the main line.

A lot of guys fish two kites with three baits suspended from each kite. That is six baits out down wind. These kites are flown left and right by putting a large split shot on the top corner you want it to fly to. It takes a bit of adjustment. Try to get them to fly low too, so there is less slack after the bite when the line is released from the clip. I’ve seen excellent crews fish a third kite down the middle. Combine these kite baits with chumming with live pilchards, and you got a fishing machine! While we are kite fishing for sailfish we can catch other pelagic fish like black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, cobia, and wahoo.

One of the bonuses to kite fishing, is we can fish the bottom for big groupers and snappers. Typically we are drifting while kite fishing. A lot of guys use a big sea anchor to slow the drift and keep the bow into the sea. Others drift beam to with flat lines and bottom lines out on the windward side of the boat. There are some deeper reefs, drops, ledges, and wrecks that hold these fish. We will plan our drift and maneuver the boat so as to go over them to make a good pass with the bottom baits. A lot of these spots hold bait on top like runners which also attract sailfish and the other pelagic fish. Sometimes you can simultaneously hook up a snapper or grouper on the bottom, and a sailfish on the surface.

A third way to kite fish, which lot of local charter boats in Islamorada do, is to anchor on the edge of the reef. They are primarily chumming for reef fish like yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, big grouper, and cero mackerels. They then put out the kite to catch a sailfish, big kingfish, or whatever other pelagic comes up the chum line.

More detail on the techniques and description of sailfish fishing is in my web site www.fish-killgore.com under the link in the right column: SAILFISH

Do not forget about the wahoo fishing, grouper trolling, and patch reef fishing I wrote about last month which is winter fishing in the FL Keys.

“Wahoo are found by mostly fast trolling with lures, plugs, or rigged ballyhoo behind big cigar leads just outside the reef line from 180 to 300 feet deep. If you know spots where they concentrate, you can fish for them with big speedos or blue runners by slow trolling. Wahoo up to 50 plus pounds are caught every year, but most of the wahoo are 25 to 35 lbs.”

“Trolling for grouper is also a good way to catch them in the winter if the water is clear. Big lipped magnum plugs, bonita lures, heavy skirted lures, and rigged de-boned ballyhoos are favorite rigs. They are trolled with wire lines or heavy braided lines with either heavy cigar leads or big planners to get the bait down to where the grouper will dare to leave their lair to eat a bait trolled by.”

“The patch reefs come alive this time of year too. You could make a living fishing these spots during the winter season. What a variety of fish you can catch there. The targets are decent size mutton snapper from 5 to 15 lbs. and keeper size groupers: blacks, gags, and red groupers. We also catch hog fish, mackerel (cero and Spanish), snappers (yellowtail, mangroves, and lane snappers), jacks, barracudas, and sharks for a fun rod bending experience. You can also get a nice cooler of fish fillets to take home or to a local restaurant for a smorgasbord of a meal. Usually they will prepare the fish three different ways.”

 

INSHORE FISHING

When it is too cold for bonefish, and permit on the flats, one of my favorite fish to sight cast too is the “great barracuda.”  As we pole the edges of the flats looking for a bonefish or permit during borderline temperatures, we typically will see plenty of barracudas. The bigger barracudas in the 20 to 25 pound class are generally solitary fish or in pairs. They will be laid up on the white spots or hanging down current of sea fans, gorgonians, or Sargasso weed strings attached to the bottom. They can also be cruising down the edges of the flats too. We will also encounter schools of a dozen barracudas or more, but they are typically smaller in size, say 3 to 15 pounds.

Barracuda attack the lures with startling aggression, and can make a few strong runs with some good jumps sometimes over 6 feet high or 20 feet across the water – great action when things are slow on the flats. Tube lures are my favorite lure. They are erratic and resilient to many bites. Surface plugs are good too, but try to find the ones that are solid foam or wood. The hollow plastic ones will get punctured and ruined.

Casting to and hooking these fish is not a sure thing! You have to have an accurate cast. If you cast too close you’ll spook them. Too far away and they will never see it. As you are casting, do not let them see the shadow of the lure, or you casting at them. The first cast or two really has to count.

I like to cast beyond their area of detection (20 plus feet) then bring it into their field of view (10 – 15 feet) at a moderate speed. When they make a move at it, this is when you work it a little faster. If they don’t hit it then, go faster. If they don’t hit that, go faster yet and more erratic. I like to explain it as gears in a car, first through fourth. Start out in first. Sometimes they won’t give you a chance to get into second gear. Or they attack it right at the boat, just as you are reeling as fast as you can!

Hold your rod to the side though. Often they explode on a fast moving bait, and you would not want their follow through to come right at you. I’ve never had one come in the boat like this, but I did have one come in the boat while we were yellowtail snapper fishing off Cat Cay, Bahamas.

It’s one of my greatest memories as a young man saving a “hot woman!” I was the second mate on the “Knightlines,” and we were taking a break from slow blue fin tuna fishing. The yellowtails were chummed up, and I was unhooking fish and baiting hooks – BAM!  There’s a big crash behind us. Wheeling around I find a 4 foot barracuda snaking wildly across the cockpit right towards the boss’s utterly gorgeous girl friend, dressed in a very tight string bikini, fully endowed. She is screaming as she gets cornered by this big barracuda.

Now’s my chance! I hop over the barracuda, pick her up, and hop back over the barracuda! From total panic to total elation, she whips around and jumps on top of me scissoring my waste and hugging me. She buries my face in her bikini top, and screams “thank you, thank you, thank you…” As I withdraw my face “first with elation, then panic” thinking of the boss’s disapproval, she kisses me several times on each cheek. Shocked and stoked, I peek up to the bridge and see the boss and captain having a good laugh. Needless to say, she never got too close to me again, though I always saw a twinkle in her eye for the rest of that trip.

Now the flats fishing scenarios for January are the same as for December, and this is what I wrote about pursuing all of our fish during the different types of conditions we have during the winter months.

We can still have some spring like days in between the cold fronts. These days are good for flats fishing for bonefish, permit, barracudas, and sharks on the ocean side flats. And back in the back country the redfish, snook, sea trout, jacks, and sharks will be on the flats too. But after a cold front we have to change our strategy, and fish deeper water where these fish will be seeking warmer water. The water temperature changes quickly on the shallow flats where the strong, cold wind cools the water fast, like a radiator. So all the flats fish will be in the channels, creeks, deeper basins, or deep water edges of these flats.

In these conditions bonefish will be mudding and cruising in areas three to five feet deep. We can pole the edges of the flats looking into the deeper areas for schools of bonefish mudding or schools cruising by, then pole out to intercept them with a cast. Some guides like to soak shrimp on three to five rods in areas where they are known to cruise by. This can be very effective in catching winter bonefish and a multitude of other flats fish for a rod bending fun day. Other guides like to throw handfuls of chop shrimp in the area then bind cast a shrimp tipped jig through the area. This is also a great way to catch cold water bonefish along with the other rod benders.

The redfish, snook, baby tarpon, sea trout, ladyfish, jacks, and sharks will congregate in the deep channels and creeks when the water gets chilled by a cold front. There can be some bang up fishing when the fish pack it in there. Sometimes it can be as fast as you can put a bait in the water. Pilchards, pinfish, and shrimp tipped jigs are used. Keep in mind that snook season is closed Dec. – Feb.

Sea trout, ladyfish, and jacks will school up in the mullet muds in numerous basins around Flamingo. This is always a fun rod bending time. Kids love to do this. Remember, trout season is closed until the first of the year.

The Spanish mackerel will be hot and heavy just west of the inter-coastal waterway within 5 miles out. Take a few blocks of chum, live shrimp, pompano jigs, pilchards, spoons, lures, and flies – they will eat it all once you got them chummed up behind the boat. Often you will get mangrove snapper chummed up to, along with the sharks, blue fish, and be ready for a cobia to show up too.

Also please take note of what I said last month on the weather conditions during the winter here in the Keys and dress accordingly.

Winter will have with strong cold fronts. Temperatures can drop in to the low fifties and the winds can be more than 25 knots for a couple days or more.

Offshore these winds are N.N.W. to E.N.E which are essentially an offshore wind and the chop will be 1 to 3 feet on the deep side of the reef (70’ to 200’) where we are sailfish fishing. When the wind pulls around to the E. to S.E. that is when it becomes an onshore wind and the seas build to 4’ to 6’ with a 20 knot wind. It is sporty, but still very fishable depending on your experience. These are the winds that drive the bait down the E. coast and up against the reef. Right behind the bait are the sailfish, “late-late season” dolphin, black fin tuna, kingfish, and wahoo. When it lays down to 10 knots out of the S.E., it is nice fishing the edge of the reef. Big grouper and mutton snapper fishing is very good on the wrecks and along the reef. Calmer conditions are needed to get the baits down on the wrecks. The fishing on the patch reefs starts to really turn on too.

Inshore, if we get one of these cold fronts with strong winds do not let it detour you. Getting to the fish in the back country is no real problem with the waves. We just run the lee side of the flats and islands to get to areas that are sheltered by the trees on the islands or mainland shoreline. I’ve been out there catching fish with 30 knot winds blowing over the tops of the trees and virtually no wind affecting us, while fishing!

If I decide to make a run for it, I will have a full ski mask and gloves on over my heavy foul weather gear. We have no protection from the wind in our skiffs and often we are running right into it at 30 to 40 knots. That is more than 55 knots of wind. I do not know what the wind chill factor is, but it is damn cold especially after running 45 minutes into the back country. Then you take a shot of spray a couple times - burr! Do not forget to dress appropriately is my point, because the fish are still biting.

Capt. Rick Killgore,


DECEMBER, 2007

(My column in the magazine, OUTDOOR FLORIDA)

December is the month all the offshore fishermen are waiting for. “It is sailfish season!” Winter has arrived with strong cold fronts. Temperatures can drop in to the low fifties and the winds can be more than 25 knots for a couple days or more. Conversely, this is not the season the flats fishermen are looking forward to. If I decide to make a run for it, I will have a full ski mask and gloves on over my heavy foul weather gear. We have no protection from the wind in our skiffs and often we are running right into it at 30 to 40 knots. That is more than 55 knots of wind. I do not know what the wind chill factor is, but it is damn cold especially after running 45 minutes into the back country. Then you take a shot of spray a couple times - burr! Do not forget to dress appropriately is my point, because the fish are still biting.

About the foul weather conditions on the water, I’m going to paraphrase a little what I wrote last month:

Offshore these winds are N.N.W. to E.N.E which are essentially an offshore wind and the chop will be 1 to 3 feet on the deep side of the reef (70’ to 200’) where we are sailfish fishing. When the wind pulls around to the E. to S.E. that is when it becomes an onshore wind and the seas build to 4’ to 6’ with a 20 knot wind. It is sporty, but still very fishable depending on your experience. These are the winds that drive the bait down the E. coast and up against the reef. Right behind the bait are the sailfish, “late-late season” dolphin, black fin tuna, kingfish, and wahoo. When it lays down to 10 knots out of the S.E., it is nice fishing the edge of the reef. Big grouper and mutton snapper fishing is very good on the wrecks and along the reef. Calmer conditions are needed to get the baits down on the wrecks. The fishing on the patch reefs starts to really turn on too.

In between the cold fronts we can have beautiful “spring like” days. If we get one of these cold fronts with strong winds do not let it detour you. Getting to the fish in the back country is no real problem with the waves. We just run the lee side of the flats and islands to get to areas that are sheltered by the trees on the islands or mainland shoreline. I’ve been out there catching fish with 30 knot winds blowing over the tops of the trees and virtually no wind affecting us, while fishing!

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

This is it, sailfish season is here! This is when the sailfish are ambushing the ballyhoo on the reef into 20 feet of water. You can see over 500 ballyhoo fleeing across the water as sailfish are chasing them down, numerous times a day. They call it “showers” of ballyhoo, and it is a sight to see. We will run up to 300 yards with live ballyhoo, cigar minnows, or pilchards ready to throw at the slashing sailfish. Hopefully there are more than 6 sailfish in the melee where we have a good chance to get multiple hook-ups and rack up the releases.

This is a very exciting way to fish for sailfish, and everyone has to be on their toes to get it done. An accurate cast with a very fresh bait is often the rule. Sailfish will refuse a perfect cast with a tired bait, or a perfect bait cast off target. Then by the time you’re ready for the second cast, the sailfish might have sensed the boat. They’ll settle down a little, stop chasing the bait, and definitely refuse your bait. This is why you have to monopolize your chances while the sailfish are in the heat of the moment.

Believe me this is the “Heat of the Moment” in the boat too. There can be “overly excited directions” being vocalized by the “captain in the tower” to the mates and anglers in the cockpit, that can be heard over a hundred yards away. This can make for some great bar stool stories for years to come, and I’ve got some classics. One of my favorites is the “Reel Circles, not Squares!” story which happened while I was a mate for one of Islamorada’s great captains.

The Islamorada charter boats are experts in fishing the “ballyhoo showers” and can catch up to 20 sailfish in a day, and a few have even caught more than 20 sailfish. Now do not be intimidated by my extreme portrayal of “the heat of the moment” coaching by the captain to the team in the cockpit. Typically everyone is very professional, it’s just at times we got to yell over the wind and roar of the engines so all can hear exactly where the fish are to cast at. If it seems “a little over the top” let me give you a tip, refrain from making comparisons to Nick Saban down here in S. Florida.  ;-)

If the sailfish are not pushing the ballyhoo schools, we will be slow trolling live baits or flying a fishing kite and drifting. While we are fishing for sailfish we can catch black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, cobia, wahoo, cero mackerel, and even big barracudas while we are slow trolling or kite fishing with live baits. What I like about kite fishing is we are fishing for sailfish and the other fish on the surface with the kite and flat lines, and fishing for snapper and grouper on the bottom with a bottom rod or a deep jig or both.

If the sailfish are showering the ballyhoo we will be slow trolling live baits so we can quickly charge over to the melee of sailfish without having to bring the kite in. The cero mackerel also shower the ballyhoo and are quite fun to catch while waiting for the next group of sailfish. They slash and boil on the live bait we are trolling on the surface. If we get in a good school of them we can cast lures on #10 spinners or fly rods and have some sporty fun. They can be over 10 lbs. and are great eating.

More detail on the techniques and description of sailfish fishing is in my web site www.fish-killgore.com under the link: SAILFISH

Wahoo show up strong in December. Wahoo are found by mostly fast trolling with lures, plugs, or rigged ballyhoo behind big cigar leads just outside the reef line from 180 to 300 feet deep. If you know spots where they concentrate, you can fish for them with big speedos or blue runners by slow trolling. Wahoo up to 50 plus pounds are caught every year, but most of the wahoo are 25 to 35 lbs.

Trolling for grouper is also a good way to catch them in the winter if the water is clear. Big lipped magnum plugs, bonita lures, heavy skirted lures, and rigged de-boned ballyhoos are favorite riggs. They are trolled with wire lines or heavy braided lines with either heavy cigar leads or big planners to get the bait down to where the grouper will dare to leave their lair to eat a bait trolled by.

The patch reefs come alive this time of year too. You could make a living fishing these spots during the winter season. What a variety of fish you can catch there. The targets are decent size mutton snapper from 5 to 15 lbs. and keeper size groupers: blacks, gags, and red groupers. We also catch hog fish, mackerel (cero and Spanish), snappers (yellowtail, mangroves, and lane snappers), jacks, barracudas, and sharks for a fun rod bending experience. You can also get a nice cooler of fish fillets to take home or to a local restaurant for a smorgasbord of a meal. Usually they will prepared the fish three different ways.

 

INSHORE FISHING

We can still have some spring like days in between the cold fronts. These days are good for flats fishing for bonefish, permit, barracudas, and sharks on the ocean side flats. And back in the back country the redfish, snook, sea trout, jacks, and sharks will be on the flats too. But after a cold front we have to change our strategy, and fish deeper water where these fish will be seeking warmer water. The water temperature changes quickly on the shallow flats where the strong, cold wind cools the water fast, like a radiator. So all the flats fish will be in the channels, creeks, deeper basins, or deep water edges of these flats.

In these conditions bonefish will be mudding and cruising in areas three to five feet deep. We can pole the edges of the flats looking into the deeper areas for schools of bonefish mudding or schools cruising by, then pole out to intercept them with a cast. Some guides like to soak shrimp on three to five rods in areas where they are known to cruise by. This can be very effective in catching winter bonefish and a multitude of other flats fish for a rod bending fun day. Other guides like to throw handfuls of chop shrimp in the area then bind cast a shrimp tipped jig through the area. This is also a great way to catch cold water bonefish along with the other rod benders.

A great fish to sight cast to on the flats in the winter when the bonefish and permit are looking for warmer water are the barracuda. They often will be laid up on the white spots or hanging down current of sea fans, gorgonians, or Sargasso weed strings attached to the bottom. Cast a tube lure or a lure close by and crank it back fast. Hold on for a spectacular bite if you can fool them. Get ready for a couple short burning runs and a few nice jumps.  

The redfish, snook, baby tarpon, sea trout, ladyfish, jacks, and sharks will congregate in the deep channels and creeks when the water gets chilled by a cold front. There can be some bang up fishing when the fish pack it in there. Sometimes it can be as fast as you can put a bait in the water. Pilchards, pinfish, and shrimp tipped jigs are used. Keep in mind that snook season is closed Dec. – Feb.

Sea trout, ladyfish, and jacks will school up in the mullet muds in numerous basins around Flamingo. This is always a fun rod bending time. Kids love to do this. Remember, trout season is closed until the first of the year.

The Spanish mackerel will be hot and heavy just west of the inter-coastal waterway within 5 miles out. Take a few blocks of chum, live shrimp, pompano jigs, pilchards, spoons, lures, and flies – they will eat it all once you got them chummed up behind the boat. Often you will get mangrove snapper chummed up to, along with the sharks, blue fish, and be ready for a cobia to show up too.

Capt. Rick Killgore,

www.fish-killgore.com

305 - 852 – 1131 or  800 – 698 - 5773.


NOVEMBER, 2007

(My column in the magazine, OUTDOOR FLORIDA)

November is a great time to get out fishing here in Islamorada, both inshore and offshore. In between the early season cold fronts we have beautiful “spring like” days. If we get one of those early season cold fronts with strong winds and overcast “drizzly” rainy days, do not let it detour you. These conditions can turn certain species on. Getting to the fish in the back country is no problem. We just run the lee side of the flats and islands to get to areas that are sheltered by the trees on the islands or mainland shoreline. I’ve been out there catching fish with 30 knot winds blowing over the tops of the trees and virtually no wind affecting us.

Offshore these winds are N.N.W. to E.N.E which are essentially an offshore wind and the chop will be 1 to 3 feet on the deep side of the reef (70’ to 200’) where we are sailfish fishing. When the wind pulls around to the E. to S.E. that is when it becomes an onshore wind and the seas build to 4’ to 6’ with a 20 knot wind. It is sporty, but still very fishable depending on your experience. These are the winds that drive the bait down the E. coast and up against the reef. Right behind the bait are the “early season” sailfish, “late season” dolphin, blackfin tuna, kingfish, and wahoo. When it lays down to 10 knots out of the S.E., it is nice fishing the edge of the reef. Big grouper and mutton snapper fishing is very good on the wrecks and along the reef. Calmer conditions are needed to get the baits down on the wrecks.

 

INSHORE FISHING

SNOOK:

The "fall" is my favorite time to fish for snook, and my favorite place is the back country of the Everglades National Park in the "dense mangrove creeks", island motes, shorelines, and points. I have had days were we have caught more than 20 snook of all sizes. A good day is catching 8 to 10 snook, along with a few tarpon and mixed bag of other sporty fish like redfish, jacks, sea trout, jewfish, snapper, ladyfish, and maybe even a big shark which can account to catching more than 25 to 50 fish for the day.

Typically we use live bait to bang away at them and have a good "rod bending blast". My favorite live baits are pilchards, finger mullet, shrimp, and pinfish. We look for terns or pelicans diving on pilchards and mullet then catch them with a cast net. We can also cast lures and flies at these snook, tarpon, and other fish if that is what you like to do. They will eat top water lures and flies which is always a blast. On those overcast days they can hit top water lures like it’s dawn, sometimes all day. However, I do not recommend this for the novice, the action often is not as good as using live bait and we will miss more fish on top water too. For top water I like Zara Spooks (large and Jr. size), Bagley’s finger mullet, and Storm’s Chug Bug. Good colors are red and white; white, silver or copper and black back; and chartreuse. Any plug that “walks the dog,” and is in the size range of the others will work. For flies I like a deer hair sliders or small poppers in the same colors as the plugs, but I do have yellow and brown back sliders too. A little red is always good to have in the fly at the throat or nose. They will eat all types of hard crank baits, soft baits, and jigs typically more readily than top water lures.

We can also fish for snook on the flats as we are fishing for redfish in the back country. Often they will be hanging in the white pot holes, and will attack top water flies or lures - sometimes two at a time! There can be nice snook up to 12 lbs. They can also be cruising the flats and are also quite spooky, but if you get your lure in front of them before they spook, they will eat it. And what a nice run they make in shallow water, sometimes up to 75 yards. Then they come up shaking their head and you pray: “don’t shake that hook, please just don’t shake that hook.”

TARPON:

The big tarpon have moved on, but the juveniles stay to grow. We catch lots of tarpon in the 5 – 30 lbs. range with the occasional 50 – 80 lbs. tarpon. Again, the Everglades National Park is one of my favorite places to fish for baby tarpon back in the mangrove creeks, island motes, shorelines, and points. Quite often you can see these tarpon rolling and busting on bait a hundred yards away. Typically we catch a few mixed in with the snook we a fishing for. If you just want to target tarpon, we could do that all day and really bang away at them.

We also fish around the bridges for baby tarpon, especially if we are going to do a little bonefish and permit fishing that day. This can be hot fishing. We can catch up to 6 or more tarpon in a half day. We'll do about half a day each so the angler can experience both 1) the hunt for very challenging fish of the bonefish and permit, and 2) bend a rod at a bridge on tarpon, snook, jacks, barracudas, snapper, grouper, and cero mackerel with live bait. Typically we'll fish the bridges after catching bait first thing in the morning. Almost every time we're having so much fun fishing the bridges, the anglers do not want to leave. Then we'll take an hour or two to fish the flats for bonefish and permit. I cannot do the reverse because it's very hard to pole with my bait wells filled with 30 gallons of water and bait.

BONEFISH:

Some of the biggest bonefish are caught this time of year too, because there is a minor fall spawn. Our average bonefish is 8 – 10 lbs. with fish getting into the 13 lbs. range. Record size bones of 14 plus lbs. can be caught.

In November we can still find lots of “tailing and mudding bonefish” as long as the water temperature does not have a significant drop by a cold front. Do not get frustrated by overcast days, this is when we can chase tailing bonefish all day. The low light is like early morning which they like for tailing in very shallow water. We also focus on tailing bonefish in this low light because it is very hard to see them in the deeper water. If it is windy, this is an advantage if you are a good caster. It allows us to get closer to the bonefish with the bait or the fly. I have had excellent days with 20 knots out of the E. One memorable day a friend and I caught 6 bonefish on fly on the ocean side flats in 20 knot winds. If you really want to do something very exciting – that will put you on the edge of anticipation – try hunting these tailing bonefish with a fishing rod. (A couple of years ago, a client confessed that he had fished 5 days in the Bahamas and never saw a tailing bonefish, only cruising and mudding fish. What a shame.) 

We have some high tides this time of year so we fish our shallowest flats to get into tailing fish. If it is overcast and we have to fish cruising and mudding bonefish, I look for areas that will have dark clouds in the background. This cuts the glare of diffused light from an overcast day allowing us to see the cruising fish. Also I look for areas that have lighter bottom or small white spots where you can see the bonefish crossing these light areas.

PERMIT: There is very good fishing for permit into November, as long as we have good weather with high sun and good visibility. We find them right on the edges of the flats in schools of 10 to 20 permit. We can see 50 permit in a day while we are bonefish fishing. If we strictly permit fish all day, we could see a 100 permit or more on a good day. These fish average 15 – 30 lbs., and the largest we have caught was 39 ½ lbs.  Every year I see some very big permit in that +40 lbs. size. Any permit over 25 pounds is a big permit. I have caught quite a few permit on fly too, 5 here in Islamorada (9 total). If you want to catch a permit on fly, I can help you with the “nuances” of hooking a permit on fly.

Redfish: It is a good time of the year for “sight casting” to redfish. As the waters start to cool off, big schools of redfish are found up on the middle of the flats in north Florida Bay. Schools of 6 to 50 plus fish can be found and they average between 5 – 8 lbs, and we have caught them up to 12 lbs.  

As we “sight cast” to these redfish on the flats, I like to use artificial lures like jigs, soft baits, or plugs. Bait can be used, like shrimp or a shrimp tipped jig, but I do not find it necessary. Redfish are very aggressive once they see your lure, and will quite often hit your lure more than once if you do not get the hooks in him the first time. Keep your eye on the fish and lure, and strike him when he eats it, not when you feel him. A redfish can eat your lure with out you feeling it, by lunging forward and creating a moment of slack line then spitting it out.

Barracudas:  The big barracudas start to show up on the flats in November. As the run of fall mullet arrive on our ocean side flats, the big barracudas are right behind them, literally. When that big barracuda attacks your lure 20 feet from the boat as you’re cranking it in, it’s a real jaw dropper! In shallow water, they fight hard and jump well. These barracudas are 15 to 30 pounds. I always keep a barracuda rod rigged up while we are fishing the flats for bonefish and permit. When we see a barracuda, we are ready to cast at it if we want. If we come across a school of them we can rig another rod so both anglers can cast to them, sometimes getting a double header on.

Catching barracudas on live bait is a lot of fun too. It's a surface bite - an attack! We do this mostly to catch bait for shark fishing, but often we spend a little more time because the clients are really enjoying the barracuda fishing.

sharks: Big lemon sharks, black tips, and bull sharks are plentiful this time of year. We usually fish for them by chumming with big barracudas, which are fun to catch on the way out on light tackle. Once we anchor and start chumming we can get up to six or more sharks (up to 300 lbs.) cruising around right behind the boat in the chum line looking for our baits. It does not take long for them to find it, and they will take you for a good fight. Their size, power, aggression, and snapping jaws at the boat when releasing them, is impressive.

I also like using a fishing kite and live baits, if we have enough wind. Watching a shark chase down a live bait on the surface is awesome - they often explode on it. We caught a 230 lbs. bull shark this year off the kite. That was exciting, and it attacked the boat three times. At first I thought it felt trapped up on the flat and we just happened to be in the way of it trying to get off the flat. But the third time, we were in a channel about 7' deep. It was pulling on us at a perpendicular direction, like circling. Then it turned straight at us and charged, hitting us with its head or back and lifting the boat out of water a little! I got it on video! That's how I can see the boat jump up, and everyone is yelling and laughing, "he hit the boat!... he hit the boat!" That will be one of the videos I put up this year in my web site.

While we are fishing the flats for bonefish, permit, or redfish, we can cast plugs or bait to a passing shark. They are fun to cast to and they fight very hard. Fooling them on a big plug can be exciting. We can catch big ones on 30 lbs. spin (from 50 to 200 lbs.), or small ones on 10lbs. spin.

SPANISH MACKEREL: Look for the first waves of Spanish mackerel to come down the gulf coast with the first cold fronts of the year. These fish are good family fun. The kids really have fun catching them.

 

OFFSHORE FISHING:

SAILFISH: With the first cold fronts of November the sailfish start to push down the coast, and catching a few sails or more is possible. Sailfish fishing on the edge of the reef just 3 ½ miles offshore with live baits is a very pleasant way to fish. If we are drifting and fishing with a kite, we can fish for sailfish on the surface with the kite and flat lines, and fish for snapper and grouper on the bottom with a bottom rod or a deep jig or both. Also we can catch black fin tuna, kingfish, dolphin, cobia, wahoo, cero mackerel, and even big barracudas while we are drifting or even slow trolling. If the sailfish are showering the ballyhoo we will be slow trolling live baits so we can quickly charge over to the melee of sailfish without having to bring the kite in. More detail on the techniques and description of sailfish fishing is in my web site www.fish-killgore.com under the link: SAILFISH

SNAPPERS and GROUPERS: Snapper and grouper fishing on the Atlantic wrecks and reefs starts to get very good in the fall. Big mutton snapper, and nice gag and black groupers move back into these areas now. As we get to the end of fall they will start to move into shallower spots along the reef and even into the patch reefs.

While we are sailfish fishing we can fish for big mutton snappers and grouper by dropping a live bait down to the bottom or deep jigging. If you want to just catch big muttons and grouper, we’ll drop baits down on specific wrecks can catch some nice fish.

KINGFISH, WAHOO, and CERO MACKEREL: This is the time of year that that fishing gets good for them too. We catch them while we are sailfish fishing along the edge of the reef. Kingfish can be constant action and fish up to 30 pounds. They are mostly 10 to 20 lbs., but great fighters. When you find the cero mackerel (a great eating fish), the action can be so good you can cast out lures and get surface strikes right around the boat. Most of the time we locate them by trolling live ballyhoo on top of the reef in quite shallow, and we still catch sailfish in there too. Wahoo are found by mostly fast trolling just outside the reef line with lure, plugs, or rigged ballyhoo. If you know spots where they concentrate, you can fish for them with big speedos or blue runners by slow trolling.

BLACK FIN TUNA: There can be good numbers of them out on the humps, with the typical good tuna being 10 to maybe 20 pounds. As winter approaches, they will start to run just outside the reef line along with the big bonitas. We will occasionally catch them on the deep wrecks too. These are great fighting fish and excellent table fare for taking to the local restaurants or even sushi bars for a discount on the meal.

DOLPHIN "the fish" (Mahi Mahi): There can be some dolphin in November with fish in the 10 to 20 pound range, coming down the reef line following the bait down the coast. It is more of an incidental catch this late in the fall while we are fishing for sailfish, but always a welcomed sport fish

Capt. Rick Killgore,

www.fish-killgore.com

305 - 852 – 1131 or 800 – 698 - 5773.


10/2/07 (posted)

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER - NOVEMBER

FLATS FISHING:

This is the best time of year to fish the flats. The summer waters are starting to cool with the approach of fall, and these fish really respond by coming up on the flats and feeding all day long. Combined with the fact that there is 1/10th the amount of anglers out there chasing them, they take on a whole new attitude - they are not as spooky or nervous. This is very advantageous when pursuing our trophy size flats fish and can make for some great fishing. A couple of years ago I had an angler catch 5 bonefish in a day, casting at each one (Not just soaking shrimp on the bottom and waiting for a bite. This is what many guides do, which is not "sight fishing.").

SNOOK:

The "Fall" is my favorite time to fish for snook, and my favorite place is the back country of the Everglades National Park in the "dense mangrove creeks", island motes, shorelines, and points.

I have had days were we have caught more than 20 snook of all sizes. A good day is catching 8 to 10 snook, along with a few tarpon and mixed bag of other sporty fish like redfish, jacks, sea trout, jewfish, snapper, ladyfish, and maybe even a big shark that can come to catching more than 25 to 50 fish for the day

Typically we use live bait to bang away at them and have a good "rod bending blast". We can also cast lures and flies at these snook, tarpon, and other fish if that is what you like to do. They will eat top water lures and flies which is always a blast. However, for the novice at this, the action often is not like that of using live bait and you will miss more fish too.

We can also fish for snook on the flats as we are fishing for redfish in the back country. Often they will be hanging in the white pot holes, and will attack top water flies or lures - sometimes two at a time! There can be nice snook up to 12 lbs. They can also be cruising the flats and are also quite spooky, but if you get your lure in front of them before they spook, they will eat it. And what a nice run they make in shallow water, sometimes up to 75 yards. Then they come up shaking their head and you pray: “don’t shake that hook, please just don’t shake that hook.”

The local bridges will have some nice snook too, which we catch if we are fishing for small tarpon there instead of running back to the Everglades National Park. I'll fish the bridges if we want to mix it up with bonefish and permit for the day. We'll do half a day each so the angler can have the experience of the hunt for very challenging fish of the bonefish and permit, and bend a rod at a bridge on tarpon, snook, jacks, barracudas, snapper, grouper, and cero mackerel. Typically we'll fish the bridges first after catching bait. Almost every time we're having so much fun fishing the bridges, the anglers do not want to leave. Then we'll take an hour or two to fish the flats for bonefish and permit. I cannot do the reverse because it's very hard to pole with my bait wells filled with 30 gallons of water and bait.

TARPON: The big spawners have moved on, but the juveniles stay to grow. We catch lots of tarpon in the 5 – 30 lbs. range with the occasional 50 – 80 lbs.

Again, the Everglades National Park is one of my favorite places to fish for baby tarpon back in the mangrove creeks, island motes, shorelines, and points. Quite often you can see these tarpon rolling and busting on bait a hundred yards away. Typically we catch a few mixed in with the snook we a fishing for. If you just want to target tarpon, we could do that all day and really bang away at them.

We also fish around the bridges for them, especially if we are going to do a little bonefish and permit fishing that day. This can be hot fishing. We can catch up to 6 or more tarpon in a half day. We have also caught some nice snook while tarpon fishing the bridges. Big jacks can be a blast on plugs while tarpon fishing. Mackerels, snappers, and groupers can move in too.

We can also find some schools of baby tarpon around the flats to cast at. This can be quite fun and we can do it while we bonefish. They hang out at very specific spots, so it is not like at every flat you are bonefish fishing that you can encounter these tarpon.

BONEFISH: Some of the biggest bonefish are caught this time of year too, because there is a minor fall spawn too. Again our average bonefish is 8 – 10 lbs. with fish getting into the 13 lbs. range. Record size bones of 14 plus lbs. can be caught.

Let me tell you, an 8 – 10 lbs. bonefish is a completely different fish than a 2 – 4 pounder from the Bahamas or Central America. I am talking about our bonefish running 150 to 200 yards in 30 seconds, compared to a +40 yard run by the smaller bones, or a 20-minute fight compared to a 5-minute fight. I’ve caught those fish over there, and they are no comparison, almost boring after catching a few of those small fish.

We find lots of fish to cast at. If we find less than 100 bonefish to cast at, we have had a below than average day. Some days we have seen up to 300 bonefish.

This time of year we find lots of “tailing bonefish,” and we can find them all day long. If you really want to do something very exciting – that will put you on the edge – try hunting these guys with a fishing rod. (A couple of years ago, a client confessed that he had fished 5 days in the Bahamas and never saw a tailing bonefish, only cruising and mudding fish. What a shame.) 

PERMIT: They are back on the flats in big numbers because they have finished their spawn on the reefs by mid- July. There is excellent fishing for permit into November. We find them right on the edges of the flats in schools of 10 to 20 permit. We can see 50 permit in a day while we are bonefish fishing. If we strictly permit fish all day, we could cast at 100 permit or more.

These fish average 30 to 15 lbs., and the largest we have caught was 39 ½ lbs.  Every year I see some very big permit in that +40 lbs. size. Any permit over 25 lbs. is a big permit.

I have caught quite a few permit on fly too, 5 here in Islamorada (9 total). If you want to catch a permit on fly, I can help you with the “nuances” of hooking a permit on fly.

Redfish: It is one of the best times of the year for “sight casting” to redfish. As the waters start to cool off, big schools of redfish are found up on the middle of the flats in north Florida Bay. Schools of 6 to 50 plus fish can be found and they average between 6 and 12 lbs.  

As we “sight cast” to these redfish on the flats, I like to use artificial lures like jigs, soft baits, or plugs. Bait can be used, like shrimp or a shrimp tipped jig, but I do not find it necessary. Redfish are very aggressive once they see your lure, and will quite often hit your lure more than once if you do not get the hooks in him the first time. Keep your eye on the fish and lure, and strike him when he eats it, not when you feel him. A redfish can eat your lure with out you feeling it, by lunging forward and creating a moment of slack line then spitting it out.

Barracudas: There are not as many big barracudas on the flats as in the winter and spring, but at any time a big barracuda can be on the flats. When the mullet show up mid to late fall, big barracudas are right behind them, literally.

When that big barracuda attacks your lure 20 feet from the boat as you’re cranking it in, it’s a real jaw dropper! In shallow water, they fight hard and jump well. These barracudas are 15 to 30 pounds. I always keep a barracuda rod rigged up while we are fishing the flats for bonefish and permit, so when we see one we are ready to cast at it if we want. If we come across a school of them we can rig another rod so both anglers can cast to them, sometimes getting a double header on.

Catching barracudas on live bait is a lot of fun too. It's a surface bite - an attack! We do this mostly to catch bait for shark fishing, but often we spend a little more time because the clients are really enjoying the barracuda fishing.

sharks: Big lemon sharks, black tips, and bull sharks are plentiful this time of year. We usually fish for them by chumming with big barracudas, which are fun to catch on the way out on light tackle. Once we anchor and start chumming we can get up to six or more sharks (up to 300 lbs.) cruising around right behind the boat in the chum line looking for our baits. In does not take long for them to find it, and will they take you for a good fight.

I also like using a fishing kite and live baits, if we have enough wind. Watching a shark chase down a live bait on the surface is awesome - they often explode on it. We caught a 230 lbs. bull shark this year off the kite. That was exciting, and it attacked the boat three times. At first i thought it felt trapped up on the flat and we just happened to be in the way of it trying to get off the flat. But the third time, we were in a channel about 7' deep. It was pulling on us at a perpendicular direction, like circling. Then it turned straight at us and charged, hitting us with its head or back and lifting the boat out of water a little! I got it on video! That's how I can see the boat jump up, and everyone is yelling and laughing, "he hit the boat!... he hit the boat!" That will be one of the videos I put up this year.

While we are fishing the flats for bonefish, permit, or redfish, we can cast plugs or bait to a passing shark. They are fun to cast to and they fight very hard. Fooling them on a big plug can be exciting. We can catch big ones on 30 lbs. spin (from 50 to 200 lbs.), or small ones on 10lbs. spin.

OFFSHORE FISHING:

SAILFISH: With the first cold fronts of October the sailfish start to push down the coast, and catching a couple sails or more is possible. We can either troll live baits, or if there is enough wind we could fly a fishing kite to present live baits for the sailfish. My techniques and description of sailfish fishing is detailed in this link: SAILFISH

SNAPPERS and GROUPERS: Snapper and grouper fishing on the Atlantic wrecks and reefs starts to get very good in the Fall. Big mutton snapper, and nice gag and black groupers move back into these areas now. As we get to the end of Fall they will start to move into shallower spots along the reef and even into the patch reefs.

While we are sailfish fishing we can fish for grouper by dropping a live bait down or deep jigging. If you want to just catch grouper, dropping a big bait down on specific wrecks can catch some nice fish or trolling ballyhoo and plugs down the reef can be very effective for catching them also.

KINGFISH, WAHOO, and CERO MACKEREL: This is the time of year that that fishing gets good for them too. We catch them while we are sailfish fishing along the edge of the reef. Kingfish can be constant action and fish up to 30 pounds. They are mostly 10 to 20 lbs., but great fighters. When you find the cero mackerel (a great eating fish), the action can be so good you can cast out lures and get surface strikes right around the boat. Most of the time we locate them by trolling live ballyhoo on top of the reef in quite shallow, and we still catch sailfish in there too. We can even troll a live bait for a grouper too. Wahoo are found by mostly fast trolling just outside the reef line with lure, plugs, or rigged ballyhoo. If you know spots where they concentrate, you can fish for them with big speedos or blue runners by slow trolling.

BLACK FIN TUNA: There can be good numbers of them out on the humps, with the typical good tuna being 10 to maybe 20 pounds. As winter approaches, they will start to run just outside the reef line along with the big bonitas. We will occasionally catch them on the deep wrecks too. These are great fighting fish and excellent table fare for taking to the local restaurants or even sushi bars for a discount on the meal.

DOLPHIN "the fish" (Mahi Mahi): There can be some good dolphin fishing in the fall with fish in the 10 to 20 pound range and maybe a 30 pounder. Catching 10 to 20 fish like that can happen with the right conditions, or coming across floating debris can mostly have dolphin too.

COBIA: In October the cobia migrate down the west coast and start to show up on the wrecks, sometimes in big schools. These fish are ready feeders, and big fighters. They are between 15 to 30 lbs. with the occasional 50 plus pounder.


Fish Report: 3/1/07

Sailfish fishing has been good for me. We caught 4 out of 5 on last week on Tuesday, which included a double header for my party of two anglers. They also caught 3 nice kingfish, 20 to 25 lbs. We had a 6th sailfish up but it did not eat the bait. We were top boat in the fleet, from Bud-n-Mary's, Whale Harbor, to Holiday Isle. I had to check it out when I went to buy chum, because I knew it was slow in general. Most boats had one flag up, and one was skunked (he was fishing sailfish near me most of the day). One boat had 2 sailfish and another had 3 sailfish.

This is not a jab at my offshore friends (which I have many), but it shows we can hang with the "Big Dogs" (and every dog has his day). Most boats probably did not sailfish fish half of the day, but rather went bottom fishing which accounts for the few flags. But we were not strictly sailfish fishing either. I'll fish two baits up top for sailfish, and two down for kingfish when trolling with ballyhoo. The boat that caught 3 was probably only sailfish fishing, that's what they like to do. So, I felt very good on the drive home.

We have also managed a sailfish every day we've gone out full day fishing, and caught other fish too while sailfish fishing. On a half day trip, Dr. Michael Hughes caught a 12lbs. black grouper on #15 test in 100' of water. It ate a deep kingfish rod. He had to fight it for 30 min. in rough conditions (4 - 6 foot chop) before it finally succumbed. They lost a nice kingfish and barracuda by pulling the hooks at the side of the boat before we had to return.

It's been a great way to return from 5 weeks of surfing in Costa Rica.

Tarpon should be pushing in now after this last few days of hot weather. So get ready for a good tarpon season. I am!!!!


2006

Unfortunately, I've been so busy with fishing and projects that I have been unable to post any fish reports or compile all the stats for tarpon fishing for 2006.


2005

 

2005 TARPON SEASON:

A Good Season, considering the tough cool weather and 10 last minute cancellations due to illnesses.  

The tarpon fishing was a little off this year due to some late season cold fronts, which created unseasonable cool waters. Often the winds will blow 20 to 30 knots. Lots of guides were canceling trips because they are fishing small flats skiffs.

However, “We were fishing every day!”

Catching tarpon and other fish in my big boat, the 23’ SeaCraft.

While our average catch of tarpon was off, the “big” snapper and “keeper” grouper fishing was great – right where we are tarpon fishing! Take another rod and throw a live bait on the bottom - BAM! Your rod is bent, great little fight, and a diner. Good fun while we are tarpon fishing. The snapper are 3 to 6 lbs and the grouper are up to 15 lbs. Catch a few of these and you have enough to take home.

 172 tarpon released!

We caught them in 68 FULL DAYS OF FISHING. This is done live bait fishing the channels. I do not use "dead bait on the bottom

This was averaging just over 2.5 tarpon released per FULL DAY of fishing, which was the lowest catch rate we have had. We had some strange days of were we had more than 10 fish striking the baits, hooking quite a few and only catching 1 or 2 tarpon. Now this does happen, especially with novices, but usually even beginners release 50% of the fish hooked up. Experienced anglers will 80% or more. This is why my live bait technique is so important Typically we average just over or under 4 tarpon released per day

Considering the cool weather, this was good tarpon fishing action, with numerous strikes and fish jumped off. We averaged just more than 6 tarpon “striking the baits” per day, while “hooking and fighting” 4 tarpon a day, then catching 2.53 tarpon per full day.

Typically we have hot fishing action. In prior five seasons (1999 - 2003), we averaged just under 10 tarpon “striking the baits” per day, while “hooking and fighting” 6.5 tarpon a day, then catching 4 tarpon per full day. (1999 was the best year. We averaged just about 5 tarpon released for 9 tarpon “hooked up” for 14 tarpon “striking baits” per day. Check past fish reports for details).

 Ironically, during the coolest 2 seasons

We have our

“Best Day Ever:” 11 tarpon released

and catch the largest tarpon yet: 190 lbs.

Julie Prince of Arizona catches the 189 pounder to the utter amazement of her husband Lance and their three young kids (5 to 9 years old). Now the fish weight formula (girth squared x length, divided by 800) is plus or minus 5%.  If you add 5% to 189 lbs. it comes out to 198.45 lbs or 200lbs! However, I sincerely estimated this fish not near 200 lbs., but I believe it was as the fish formula calculated: 189, so I called it 190 lbs.

I am very good at estimating fish weights. Even fish I am not used to seeing, like the two swordfish I caught last year. The smaller swordfish I called at 90 pounds. When we weighed it at the dock three hours later it was 98 lbs.

Releasing 9 tarpon on July 15 was the best day of the season caught by Iraq war veteran (2nd war), Christopher Dorsi and his wife, Hope, along with her brother, Shannon Paramore from Georgia. I was so happy for them. I wanted them to have a good trip. All Chris wanted was to do was catch "a tarpon," just like everyone else. But let me tell you something, that is the last thing I want to do - "catch 1 tarpon!" And did they catch more than one tarpon: 80 lbs., 60, 45, 40, 35, 30, 30, 20, and 15 lbs. Now most of them were small, but that can happen in July. The big breeders start to move out in July and the smaller ones move in to replace them around the bridges. They too are fun, and you can always catch a nice one or two also.

In 2004 our "best day ever" was 11 tarpon released by the “Ferian” Gang. They kick some tarpon “butt.” Lad Ferian, Lad Sr., uncle Marti, Dave Langemo, and Steve Demboske have been fishing with me for a number of years and have become some excellent tarpon fishermen. How about this impressive  “hook-up to catch” rate: 11 tarpon released for 15 hooked-up for 15 strikes. They also have learned how to catch them relatively quickly, which improves your odds at more fish per day. Lots of pressure and changing direction of pull can even beat big fish quicker than one would expect. One fish was around 150 lbs. Another measured out to 135 lbs. (83” x 36”). Their fish weighed: 150, 135, 90, 80, 70, 70, 70, 70, 65, 50, and 25 lbs. Records are to be broken, let's try to catch more this year!

They even caught 6 tarpon the day before, and three were over 120 lbs.(140, 120, 120, 70, 55, and 40 lbs.) Great going guys. We have come a long way together and I look forward to the future.

Other top days: We caught 7 tarpon per day on one day, we caught 6 tarpon per day on three days, and we caught 5 tarpon per day on four days.

These are big fish. One tarpon was 190 lbs., and another tarpon was around 170 pounds. Six of the tarpon were 140 pounds or larger. I measure the length and girth to get these estimated weights from the very accurate fish formula: [length x (girth 2)] divided by 800.

 The percentages for catching big tarpon are:

     A)     Tarpon over 80 pounds:  58 % of the catch

B)     Tarpon over 100 pounds: 30 % of the catch

C)    Tarpon over 120 pounds: 14 % of the catch

D)    Tarpon over 140 pounds: 3.5 % of the catch

E)     Tarpon over 50 pounds:  84 % of the catch

 (In the last two weeks of July the big tarpon, “the spawners,” migrate out of the Keys leaving the smaller tarpon behind. We still catch big tarpon of 80 to 100 plus pounders, but the percentages start to fall. We catch more tarpon in the 50 to 70 lbs. range and more tarpon down to 30 pounds. The number of tarpon per day stays the same.)


BACK COUNTRY FISHING, THIS PAST FALL:  The snook fishing was excellent this year!  From bait fishing, to throwing plugs, and fly casting it was all very good and fun.

John Skiffington, his daughter, and her boyfriend caught over 20 snook one day, one baby tarpon, and 3 redfish, which we call a "backcountry slam": catching at least one of each tarpon, snook, and redfish. They also caught numerous jewfish, jacks, ladyfish, and snappers. They probably caught 50 fish. We caught these on bait.

We caught three backcountry slams this season, and numerous good keeper snook with lots of snook just under the legal size.

Bill Truppi came down for fly fishing and caught some nice fish in 4 days. First day was bait fishing with his son-in-law. The next day was the first day fly fishing. We permit fished, and saw over 60 permit. He had 25 - 30 shots at fish up to 30lbs. Hey, they are tough.

The next day he caught his first snook on fly out of two on "top water flies." Then we went out looking for tarpon, found them and fished them for 1.5 hours before getting chased off the water by a big storm. Before we found the tarpon, We came across a big school of jacks chasing ballyhoo across the flat. Bill caught a nice one about 10 lbs. What was awesome, were the dozen or so big blacktip sharks and bull sharks in with the jacks up in about 1.5' water. I was afraid they would get Bill's jack, especially after one attack the foot of my push pole without me knowing it was there because I was poling after his fish.

The third day fly fishing we hit the snook spots. He caught his first tarpon on fly, up against a mangrove island in a deep cut. You wouldn't believe the snook in there blasting the mullet. Then we ran out to a creek that's been good. Bill caught his first snook that day and had at least 6 more bites, including a couple from small redfish on the surface. Bill had to be back at the dock by 3:30 to catch a plane, so we ran over to a flat to go for redfish to try to get the backcountry slam. The snook were up on the flat in the pot holes like I've never seen. And did they explode on his "top water fly," one jumped completely out of water on the strike, like a "sky rocketing kingfish" almost. He caught 2 nice one just under the slot size. We had shots at maybe 10 more. We spooked two keeper size ones in one hole once, and we saw maybe 15 snook in total in about an hour of fishing up there. Bill had a couple shots at redfish in the holes too, but we just could not connect for the "slam on fly."

Blake Bartnick and friends came down for three days of fishing with total of 4 boats that I set up with my friends. First day we caught another "backcountry slam," by catching 6 snook, 1 tarpon, and 1 redfish; and we caught lots of jacks and a couple of jewfish. Second day we had tough weather, and went snapper fishing in the channels and did not catch much. Third day we hit the bridge channels and caught 4 tarpon out of 7 hooked up and on. One was about 60 lbs. which is good size for this time of year.

HURRICANE "WILMA" FISH STORY:

I could go on and on about this past fall, but I'll wrap it up with a hurricane Wilma fish story. I was getting sick of all the news hype. Same crap all the time! Wilma was approaching Cancun at barely 2 mph at Cat 5, but the forecast was it was going to turn with a cold front (which will weaken it) and come right at us. Hey it had not even turned yet and it was hundreds of miles away and barely moving, and they started evacuating tourist and mobile home residents on Wednesday! Remember it hit on Monday morning! Thursday they started evacuation of lower keys, and it had not even left Cancun area and was drifting North.

Again Friday morning still drifting North and just north of Cancun, hey screw these "jack asses" this thing is not going to hit till Sunday night Monday morning - I'm going fishing!!!! And what a day of fishing I had!

Hey I did the math on when this storm would hit: number of miles away and even if it increases speed I still got Sat. to get ready if it was going to speed up and hit on Sunday. On Friday I told my wife its going to hit Sunday night Monday morning. And every day the forecasters kept pushing back the track 10 to 12 hours. First forecast it was supposed to hit us on Friday night Saturday morning and at that time it was still 100 plus miles southeast of Cancun and moving at 4 mph to the NNW. All of us captains go through this crap every storm, ignore the hype, do your own math, call each other, come to a reasonable consensus, prepare for the worst and hope for the best. 

So I load up the fly rods and a couple spinners, a few beers, lunch, and a block of ice because I'm putting one of those snook in the box. I run back to Flamingo, and pole into this spot and the snook were going crazy! They were blasting bait so hard I could see them almost a hundred yards away. I fished my way in and caught one on a top water plug on the spinning rod. Then I got my fly rod out, tied on a deer hair popper and poled in to these fish. I caught another one just short of the slot. I catch another one just short. Then I finally hooked this nice fish that was just blasting the bait along the shore line. What a great strike on that popper! What a tug-a-war! I had to keep him out of the roots. He pulled the boat this way and that way. I finally got him up and netted that 30" snook (29 3/4"). Nice snook on top water fly, and dinner! I got a couple self portraits too.

So I keep fishing this stretch of water for 5 hours. It was awesome! the snook keep blasting bait, and tarpon are rolling. I get a couple short strike by the tarpon, and just cannot hook one. I was having so much fun. It was beautiful. The Everglades at its best, and I got it all to myself. I get home at dark. I fuel up, and ask Linda at the Marlin gas station if they are still evacuating. Yep, they have issued total evacuation of all keys residents - Bah Humbug!

Saturday morning, same forecast crap!!!! Going to hit Sunday night maybe Monday morning - now finally they concede. The Florida Keys are now in "total mandatory evacuation." Bull crap I tell my wife. We got all of Sunday to get ready - LET'S GO FISHING!

We pack the cooler and take off to the same spot. The fish are not blasting like they were the day before. She hooks a nice snook on a plug. She has to tease it. It takes her three strikes on the same cast to finally hook it. It's a nice one but just short. Her first snook on an artificial. A little later she hooks a nice tarpon on the same plug. What a jumper. Strong short runs to the mangrove roots. She stops it numerous times. She gets it up along side of the boat, I get a few photos, and it flips off before I have to get down to unhook it. We move spots, and I get back into this creek. The snook are blasting the bait, but I just can not get a strike from one. I catch a couple lady fish. We pole deep into this creek, its getting dark, she hooks a tarpon, snook are blasting, and two owls start hooting at each other - spectacular these Everglades and it is just an hour boat ride from my house. We get back at dark.

That night at the the Marlin gas station Linda confirms what I believe, Wilma is hitting Monday morning. Roads are vacant. I see the famous painter Milard Wells and his wife. I give him the fish report, he cracks a big smile, whispers good job. I know that must have touched his heart. He is famous for his dramatic water colors of fishing the flats with these great big Everglades thunderstorms in the background. I just gave him an Everglades fish report while the whole Florida Keys are in a "total mandatory evacuation." Hey there are a lot of us down here still holding the torch.

Only 20% of the residents evacuated. We had 110 mph gusts, and 5.5 feet of surge in my neighborhood, but most houses are above this level. Only one house got water in it, an older house on the canal. My house is 22' above flood, 12' above at the garage. Houses facing the water got most damage. The further south the higher the flood, 6 - 8' I think. Flamingo had 13' surge, I talked to a ranger. We are protected from the huge network of flats which act as flood gates on a hurricane coming from the west. We will be totally exposed to the full surge on a storm coming from the east.

BIG SHARK ON FLY, (TOP WATER POPPER):

A week after the storm, we went fishing again mostly to see the effects of the storm. Slagle ditch had an incredible amount of trees ripped out and aground at the mouth of it extending out maybe 100 yards. The next ditch west the sand bars were 2 - 3 times as big as before. East cape beach looked the same. You can see how high the water got.

As we headed to Snake Bite, I came across lot of sharks feeding in the shallows, blacktips and lemon sharks. So shallow their backs were out of water. I rigged my #12 fly rod with a shark fly popper. I got three bites before I finally hooked one. Now if you never have seen a shark take a top water fly or plug, it is great. They stick their whole head out of water, jaws wide open, just 30' or less from the boat, trying to eat the fly. It is tricky to hook them, but worth the effort. This lemon shark I hooked was about 105 lbs., and he took off like a scolded dog, because it was so shallow, at least a 100 yards. I could barely motor out of there. I ran the boat and fought the fish. Elena got video. We chased it around a grounded tree. I got it up to the boat in about 20 minutes. I put the lip gaff in it. Pulled it up on the boat and got some good photos. I'll post them soon along with the snook shots.

Lets Go Fishing, Rick

 


2004


FALL FISHING SEASON

This is the best time of year to fish the flats for bonefish, permit, small tarpon, redfish, and snook. for bonefish, permit, small tarpon, redfish, and snook. The summer waters are starting to cool with the approach of fall, and these fish really respond by coming up on the flats and feeding all day long. Combined with the fact that there is 1/10th the amount of anglers out there chasing them, they take on a whole new attitude - they are not as spooky or nervous. This is very advantageous when pursuing our trophy size flats fish and can make for some great fishing. A couple of years ago I had an angler catch 5 bonefish in a day, casting at each one (Not just soaking shrimp on the bottom and waiting for a bite. This is what many guides do, which is not "sight fishing.") To find out more about the fishing now click on fishing seasons.   

2004 TARPON SEASON:

A Good Season, considering the tough weather  

The tarpon fishing was off this year due to three months of unusual, continuous strong winds from the northeast, which created unseasonable cool waters. From March through May the winds blew 20 to 30 knots daily. Many of the “old timers” were moaning about how they have never seen it like this, and lots of guides were canceling trips.

However, “We were fishing every day,”

Catching tarpon and other fish in my big boat, the 23’ SeaCraft.

While our average catch of tarpon was off, the “big” snapper and “keeper” grouper fishing was great – right where we are tarpon fishing! Take another rod and throw a live bait on the bottom - BAM! Your rod is bent, great little fight, and a diner. Good fun while we were tarpon fishing. The snapper were 3 to 6 lbs and the grouper were up to 15 lbs. Catch a few of these and you have enough to take home.

 218 tarpon released!

We caught them in 79  FULL DAYS OF FISHING. This is done live bait fishing the channels.

This is averaging almost 3 tarpon released per FULL DAY of fishing (actually 2.75 tarpon per day). 

Considering the bad weather, this was good tarpon fishing action, with numerous strikes and fish jumped off. We averaged just more than 6 tarpon “striking the baits” per day, while “hooking and fighting” almost 5 tarpon a day, then catching almost 3 tarpon per full day.

Typically we have hot fishing action. In the past five seasons, we averaged just under 10 tarpon “striking the baits” per day, while “hooking and fighting” 6.5 tarpon a day, then catching 4 tarpon per full day. (1999 was the best year. We averaged just about 5 tarpon released for 9 tarpon “hooked up” for 14 tarpon “striking baits” per day. Check past fish reports for details).

Ironically, during the toughest year

We have our

“Best Day Ever:” 11 tarpon released

 

The “Ferian” Gang kicks some tarpon “butt”, 11 tarpon released. Lad Ferian, Lad Sr., uncle Marti, Dave Langemo, and Steve Demboske (all from Cincinnati, OH) have been fishing with me for a number of years and have become some excellent tarpon fishermen. How about this impressive  “hook-up to catch” rate: 11 tarpon released for 15 hooked-up for 15 strikes. They also have learned how to catch them relatively quickly, which improves your odds at more fish per day. Lots of pressure and changing direction of pull can even beat big fish quicker than one would expect. One fish was around 150 lbs. Another measured out to 135 lbs. (83” x 36”). Their fish weighed: 150, 135, 90, 80, 70, 70, 70, 70, 65, 50, and 25 lbs.

They even caught 6 tarpon the day before, and three were over 120 lbs.(140, 120, 120, 70, 55, and 40 lbs.) Great going guys. We have come a long way together and I look forward to the future.

Other top days: we caught 8 tarpon one day. We caught 7 tarpon per day on two days, and we caught 6 tarpon per day on four days.

These are big fish. One tarpon was pushing 180 lbs., and three tarpon were around 160 pounds. Ten of the tarpon were 140 pounds or larger. I measure the length and girth to get these estimated weights from the very accurate fish formula: [length x (girth 2)] divided by 800.

 The percentages for catching big tarpon are:

     A)     Tarpon over 80 pounds:  55 % of the catch

B)     Tarpon over 100 pounds: 31 % of the catch

C)    Tarpon over 120 pounds: 15 % of the catch

D)    Tarpon over 140 pounds: 5 % of the catch

E)     Tarpon over 50 pounds:  87 % of the catch

 (In the last two weeks of July the big tarpon, “the spawners,” migrate out of the Keys leaving the smaller tarpon behind. We still catch big tarpon of 80 to 100 plus pounders, but the percentages start to fall. We catch more tarpon in the 50 to 70 lbs. range and more tarpon down to 30 pounds. The number of tarpon per day stays the same.)

We had a couple good stretches of fishing when the wind would lay down.

At the end of April the wind backed off for a week the fishing really turned on. We caught 32 tarpon in 6 days. One of those fish was pushing 160 lbs., and another two fish weighed over 130 lbs. Then the wind picked up again from the northeast for another three weeks and the fishing slowed down.

Larry Voller, Dave Schaa, and Fred Krase from Ohio had a great three day trip. On the last day they caught 8 tarpon for 11 hooked-up for 13 strikes. On the first day they caught 7 tarpon for 12 hooked-up for 14 strikes. They caught a total of 18 tarpon in 3 days. They even caught 4 big snapper one day and a 10 lbs. grouper another day while tarpon fishing. The tarpon weighed around 130, 110, 110, 110, 105, 95, 95, 90, 85, 85, 80, 80, 80, 80, 80, 75, 75, and 55 lbs.

Jim Jones and Dan Huber from Illinois had a good day catching 6 tarpon for 9 hooked-up for 10 strikes, and caught a 10lbs. grouper. The tarpon weighed about 130, 100, 95, 90, 80, and 70 lbs.

At the end of May, the wind laid down finally and we had a run where we caught 30 tarpon in 5 days of fishing.

The best trip on this run has to be the “half day” trip catching 6 tarpon, including a 160 pounder (measuring 78’ x 40”) by the excellent anglers Rick Cardone, Chris Enright, and George Suarez from New York City. These guys kicked butt catching 6 tarpon for 6 hooked-up for 9 strikes, another awesome hook-up ratio and quick angling skills! This is Rick’s second year fishing tarpon, and they are getting it down. The fished weighed about 160, 115, 110, 90, 80, and 70 lbs.

Can it be possible that second fiddle actually caught more fish? In this stretch the most fish caught in a full day was by John Weidemann and Phil Eder from Chicago who caught 7 tarpon for 7 hooked-up for 10 strikes. That is another excellent hook-up ratio! What can I say, these guys are regular clients and are getting quite good. They can also slap some big snapper in the box too while we are tarpon fishing. They had some nice fish that day: 120, 105, 90, 80, 70, 65, and 60 lbs.

When the wind finally laid down in lat May and June fishing became more consistent but never really turned on, except for that one “best day ever of 11 tarpon.” Now I kept thinking the tarpon were going to pour in and flood the area. I was hoping for a strong late season. I’ve seen it before (strong late seasons). But the tarpon never really came in and those that showed up, departed early. 

While we are fishing, I can see the tarpon (so can you), and I believe only 40 to 60% of the tarpon showed up this year due to the weather. Even the barracudas and jacks never showed up in force, if we caught 15 of each this season I’d be exaggerating. Typically we catch a couple cudas a day and a few or more jacks a day, they are fun at first but become a pain after awhile.  All the tarpon reports I heard from around the state was the same.

 Tarpon Fishing Starts Feb. 15th – Aug.1

For example, starting March 4th the 2003 season had some incredible fishing days. We caught 54 tarpon in 10 days of fishing, and three of them were over 140 pounds (one was 175 lbs. and another 160 lbs.).  The tarpon start to show up here in mid-January. By mid-February we start to get a break from the cold fronts and the tarpon fishing can be good.

The only thing that shuts down the tarpon fishing early in the season, are the cold fronts. But that sparks up the sailfish fishing, reef fishing, and Florida Bay fishing (calm leeward waters). What great alternatives for those of you who must travel this time of year. There is always something to fish for.

My 23’ SeaCraft was originally designed for this type of fishing especially kite fishing for sailfish. Now I have caught quite a few sailfish off Islamorada when I ran a charter boat out of Bud-n-Mary’s almost ten years ago, before I started working for myself.

I have caught at least 725 sailfish for clients and quite a few myself while kite fishing off Key Biscayne down to Ocean Reef, slow trolling live baits off of Islamorada, and trolling dead baits off Isla Mujeres and Costa Rica. Check out my fishing log highlights for the details.

While you are sailfishing, the grouper, snapper and kingfish can be very good on the outer reef. If it is rough, and one is prone to seasickness the patch reefs have nice mutton snappers, med-size groupers, small yellowtail snapper, some mackerel, and big barracudas. And if one definitely does not want to take a chance on getting sick, fishing the lee of the flats of Florida Bay in 10 feet of water for big sharks, Spanish mackerel, mangrove snapper, small grouper, and sea trout is very fun because there is a lot of action.

So if you’re planning a trip early in the season, we have a good chance of having some great tarpon fishing. But if we get hit by a cold front, we got some great options too.

So do not delay, the season is booking up fast. Call me or e-mail.

Capt. Rick Killgore  

Islamorada, FL Keys

rick@fish-killgore.com

800-698-5773

 


2003


 

Tarpon Fishing Starts Feb. 15th – Aug.1

Most of May and half of June are already booked (9/15)

 

2003 TARPON SEASON: Another Phenomenal Season

 

328 tarpon released!

  

We caught them in 77  FULL DAYS OF FISHING. This is done live bait fishing the channels.

This is averaging more than 4 tarpon released per FULL DAY of fishing (actually 4.26 tarpon per day).

This is hot fishing action, lots of strikes and fish jumped off. We averaged 9 tarpon “striking the baits” per day while “hooking and fighting” more than 6 tarpon a day, then catching more than 4 tarpon per full day. (1999 was better than this year. We averaged just about 5 tarpon released for 9 tarpon “hooked up” for 14 tarpon “striking baits” per day. Check past fish reports for details).

Starting March 4th the 2003 season had some incredible fishing days.  Starting March 6th we caught 54 tarpon in 10 days of fishing, and three of them were over 140 pounds (one was 175 lbs. and another 160 lbs.).  Also in mid-May we had a stretch where we caught 44 tarpon in 7 days (that is averaging 6.3 tarpon per day of fishing). In June we had another stretch of 58 tarpon in 10 days of fishing.

Best day: 10 tarpon released Kevin Starek and Cheryl Harrison of Erving, Texas caught 10 tarpon (the last time we did that was in 1999).  Every year our best days would be catching 9 in a day. Believe me, I’m not complaining, but 10 tarpon were always just out of reach. It took 1,117 tarpon caught in 5 seasons to catch 10 tarpon in a day once again.

Other top days: we caught 9 tarpon per day on two separate days. We caught 8 tarpon per day on four different days. We caught 7 tarpon per day on five days, and we caught 6 tarpon per day on eight days.

These are big fish. The biggest was pushing 180 lbs. and two tarpon were around 175 pounds. Sixteen of the tarpon were 140 pounds or larger. I measure the length and girth to get these estimated weights from the very accurate fish formula: [length x (girth 2)] divided by 800.

 The percentages for catching big tarpon are:

      A)     Tarpon over 80 pounds:  63 % of the catch

B)     Tarpon over 100 pounds: 32 % of the catch

C)    Tarpon over 120 pounds: 16 % of the catch

D)    Tarpon over 140 pounds: 5 % of the catch

E)     Tarpon over 50 pounds:  85 % of the catch

 (In the last two weeks of July the big tarpon, “the spawners,” migrate out of the Keys leaving the smaller tarpon behind. We still catch big tarpon of 80 to 100 plus pounders, but the percentages start to fall. We catch more tarpon in the 50 to 70 lbs. range and more tarpon down to 30 pounds. The number of tarpon per day stays the same.)

BEST DAY (this year): 10 tarpon released

Kevin Starek and Cheryl Harrison of Erving, Texas surpassed their expectations. Their fish weighed approximately: 140, 140, 135, 135, 120, 105, 100, 100, 80, and 65 pounds.

Kevin knew he and Cheryl were having a great day, but I dared not mention the fact that we had just released 9 tarpon and that we had time for that magic double digit day. I had been so close many times before, I did not want to jinx us.

He hooked up number ten! Not a word from me! Just played it like another fish, but I chased that S.O.B. hard.  Then the leader hit the rod tip, “release! 10 tarpon once again, YeeHaaaaa!!!!!”  I screamed. I scared the crap out of Kevin at first I think. But as I kept hootin’ and hollerin’ and screaming “10 tarpon,” he was stoked to know how significant a day he had. I insisted we by a couple of beers for the ride home, something I never do when running the boat on a charter (I just do not want that legal liability). But this was a deserved exception. Congratulations you two.

SECOND BEST DAYS (this year): 9 tarpon released

A)  Robin Macklin, Steve Tellam, Mark Fried, Gordy all Key Rats (Those known as deviant, tough teenagers who grew up on Key Biscayne. Being a younger, crazy Key Rat myself, these are the guys that set the bar for all of us younger Rats.), and Andy who was Robin’s navigator when they were in the navy, flying carrier fighter jets. The tarpon weighed: 115, 110, 105, 105, 100, 80, 75, 70, and 65 lbs.

Not only was fishing hot, but the old time stories were hilarious as all these old friends reminisced about their youth growing up on the Key and time in the Navy.

B) Brian Glazier and Mark Bailey both from England.  The tarpon weighed: 175, 120, 115, 90, 90, 85, 75, 75, 60 lbs.

They caught 28 tarpon in 4 days of early March (3/11 - 3/14). The biggest were 175 and 160 pounds. Brian even caught one on the fly. It was 115 lbs. and fought hard for 1:45 in that cool deep water of the channels. It is not like catching one in the shallow warm waters of the flats in the summer.

THIRD BEST DAYS (this year): 8 tarpon released

A)  Mike Bell from Sagamore Hills, Ohio and future son-in-law, Jon Rice. Was Mike stoked. At first Mike was a little doubtful on my stories of the tarpon fishing, but as you can see, we kicked ass. They caught some big fish. He has fished here for a number of years and wanted to turn his daughter’s man on to some awesome fishing. Congratulations. The tarpon weighed: 150 (80” x 37”), 130, 120, 100, 100, 95, 85, and 80 pounds. 

B)  How about 15 tarpon striking the baits, hooking 10, and catching 8, that is what by Larry Voller and Dave Shaa of Toledo, Ohio did. The tarpon weighed: 120 (71” x 36”), 100, 95, 90, 90, 85, 80, and 70 pounds.

C) Again Brian Glazier and Mark Bailey from England. The tarpon weighed: 120, 105, 100, 95, 90, 90, 85, and 75 pounds.

BEST KIDS TRIP (this year): 7 big tarpon released, for 8 hooked-up, for 9 strikes! (% !!!)

Long time clients Jose Juncadella and his two sons, Sebastian and Diego (14 and 12 years old) caught 7 big tarpon in one day, for 8 hooked-up, for 9 strikes. Not only was the percentage excellent for caught to hook-up, but look at the sizes of the fish these kids caught with no assistance.

Sebastian, 14 yrs., caught a 133 pounder (81” x 35.5”) which took him every bit of an hour to catch as I can remember now.

Diego, 12 yrs.,  caught a 125 pounder (80” x 34.5”) which kicked this 12 year old’s butt, but he triumphed after almost 1 ½ hours of fighting that Big Dog.

They actually caught both fish say probably a half an hour earlier by getting the leader up to the rod tip for the technical IGFA release. But these tarpon were by far the largest fish they have ever caught, and they wanted to get a picture. So I have to play it some what conservative while grabbing the leader and trying to wire the fish up to the boat for a picture. One has to constantly let go of the leader as these fish make a few hard kicks of the tail, or they will pop off. I think, actually Diego’s fish popped off while I was on the leader. You never know exactly how much of the leader has been chewed through.

The weights of all the tarpon were: 133, 125, 100, 95, 95, 90, and 85 lbs.

BEST INDIVIDUAL ANGLER DAY (this year): 7 tarpon released

Long time client Dwight (a.k.a. George) Haight, was abandoned by his fiancé, Susan Ashen and friends, Gregg and Vickie Russell on his second day of fishing. Story was they were sick. It could have been they were sick of catching too many tarpon, that’s the better story if you ask me (two days earlier they caught 6 tarpon, for 8 on, for 12 bites).

Actually, Susan was very sick. She is a fishing fool, loves it! Dwight is a very lucky man, to have found a woman as beautiful as Susan and who loves to fish all day like Dwight. It is something most fishermen look for. I am just as lucky, and I’m glad my Mom and Dad showed me by example how it can strengthen ones relationship.

So Dwight released 7 tarpon, for 12 on, for 15 bites, an awesome day for a single angler that has been matched only once before that I can remember. They were some big fish too: 130, +120, 120, 105, 80, 70, and 55 lbs.

 Congratulations, in more than one way.

 TARPON FISHING STARTS IN MID-FEBRUARY:

The only thing that shuts down the tarpon fishing early in the season, are the cold fronts. But that sparks up the sailfish fishing, reef fishing, and Florida Bay fishing (for those prone to sea sickness). What great alternatives.

Now, we only had two days effected by cold fronts last year. Why insist fishing for tarpon at its worst conditions, when the alternatives are at their best conditions. Two groups of clients did that last year and got skunked. No one was happy even though I explained it to them before we left.

My 23’ SeaCraft was originally designed for this type of fishing, especially kite fishing for sailfish. Now I have caught quite a few sailfish off Islamorada when I ran a charter boat out of Bud-n-Mary’s almost ten years ago, before I started working for myself.

I have caught at least 725 sailfish for clients and quite a few myself while kite fishing off Key Biscayne down to Ocean Reef, slow trolling live baits off of Islamorada, and trolling dead baits off Isla Mujeres and Costa Rica. Check out my fishing log highlights for the details.

While you are sailfishing, the grouper, snapper and king fish can be very good on the outer reef. If it is rough, and one is prone to sea sickness the patch reefs have nice mutton snappers, med-size groupers, small yellowtail snapper, some mackerel, and big barracudas. And if one definitely does not want to take a chance on getting sick, fishing the lee of the flats of Florida Bay in 10 feet of water for big sharks, Spanish mackerel, mangrove snapper, small grouper, and sea trout is very fun because there is a lot of action.

So if you’re planning a trip early in the season, we have a good chance of having some great tarpon fishing. But if we get hit by a cold front, we got some great options too.

So do not delay, the season is booking up fast. Call me or e-mail.

Capt. Rick Killgore

Islamorada, FL Keys

rick@fish-killgore.com

800 - 698 - 5773


ISLAMORADA, FL “fishing report” with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the week of Feb. 23, 2003

 

13 ¾ lbs. Bonefish

Largest Bonefish We Have Ever Released

 

Caught by

Bob Stephens of Rutherford, NJ

 

Congratulations Bob!  It was a great fight. He hooked it up on the edge of the flat and fought it through the sea fans, getting hung up once. I thought it was over then, but the line pulled free and we still had him on. The fish took a while to get to the boat even though I was chasing him down with the boat, it was too deep to poll after it and keep up with it, plus you got to be close to them when they are in an area of sea fans (bottom obstructions).

Not only was this a very large bonefish, but it was a very significant catch for S. Florida and the world of bonefish. This fish had a relatively old tag in it, full of algae. I was very excited, because of the useful info we could get from it. I thought it had been longer period of time because of the algae, but it had just been about one year since being tagged.

What is very interesting is it was the exact same weight as last year. March 19, 2002 Jim Bokar (famous bonefish tournament fisherman) tagged this fish and weighed it at 13lbs. and 12 oz. (at least my “de-lying tool”, the chattilion scale, is confirmed accurate by someone else’s scale. I calibrate it every year any way with known weights here at the house.). It might still have grown a little because in March they should be bigger do to the spawn and they will be heavier with row.

TARPON: They have already stared to show. We cast to about 50 tarpon in about 2 hours of fishing for them and had two eat our artificials only to miss the strike. But I tell you what, having an 80 pounder eat a lure right next to the boat still puts goose bumps up the back of my neck. Man is that exciting!

 

 


2002


 

Get Ready for another Banner Year of Tarpon Fishing

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

2002 TARPON SEASON: Another Phenomenal Season

 

282 tarpon released!

  

We caught them in 72 ½  FULL DAYS OF FISHING. This was done live bait fishing the channels.

We averaged  4 tarpon released per FULL DAY of fishing.

This is hot fishing action, lots of strikes and fish jumped off. We averaged 9 tarpon “striking the baits” per day while “hooking and fighting” 6 tarpon a day, then catching 4 tarpon per full day. (1999 was better than this year. We averaged just about 5 tarpon released for 9 tarpon “hooked up” for 14 tarpon “striking baits” per day. Check past fish reports for details).

The 2002 season had some incredible fishing days. The week of June 10th we caught 24 tarpon in 3 ½ days of fishing in bad weather where most people were not fishing at all (that’s because we fish a big, seaworthy, 23’ Sea Craft). And in mid-May we had a stretch where we caught 31 tarpon in 4 days.

 

One day we caught 9 tarpon.  On three different days we caught 8 tarpon per day, and we also had six days where we caught 7 tarpon per day.

These are big fish. The biggest was pushing 180 lbs. and two tarpon were around 165 pounds. Nine of the tarpon were 140 pounds or larger.

The percentages for catching big tarpon are:

A)     Tarpon over 80 pounds:  65 % of the catch

B)     Tarpon over 100 pounds: 34 % of the catch

C)    Tarpon over 120 pounds: 17 % of the catch

D)    Tarpon over 140 pounds: 4 % of the catch

E)     Tarpon over 50 pounds:  91 % of the catch

 (In the last two weeks of July the big tarpon, “the spawners,” migrate out of the Keys leaving the smaller tarpon behind. We still catch big tarpon of 80 to 100 plus pounders, but the percentages start to fall. We catch more tarpon in the 50 to 70 lbs. range and more tarpon down to 30 pounds. The number of tarpon per day stays the same.)

BEST DAY (this year): Nine tarpon released in one day by high school English teacher, Paul Molkin, and friend, Matt Nolan, from Dover, Delaware. Their fish weighed approximately: 155, 135, 105, 90, 85, 85, 75, 70, and 65 pounds.

They followed up the next day with Paul catching a 180 pounder in 25 minutes. They caught three fish that morning in a half-day trip: 180, 95, and 75 pounds. 

SECOND BEST DAYS: Two different days we caught 8 tarpon in a full day trip.

The Michigan boys, Doug Terhorst, Paul Freihofer, and Mike McGarry caught 8 tarpon for 12 tarpon (hooked-up and on) for 15 tarpon (striking the baits). There were a couple of big ones too: 135, 125, 95, 75, 70, 70, 50, and 40 pounds respectively.

Regular clients Ed Hinkle and friend, Joe Leonard from North Carolina caught 8 tarpon on one day of their five-day fishing trip. That day they had 11 tarpon hooked-up and had 17 tarpon strike at their baits numerous times. The tarpon weighed: 85, 80, 80, 75, 75, 70, 65, and 55 pounds approximately.

BEST MULTI-DAY TRIP: Again it has to be Ed Hinkle and friend Joe Leonard from North Carolina. They caught 25 tarpon in 5 days of fishing, however they caught 24 of the tarpon in basically 3 ½ days of fishing because the last two days were severely shortened by bad weather (the last day we only caught 1 tarpon in basically a half day fishing).

PERSONAL THRILL:  One afternoon, I was given the shot to fish and hooked a big fish.

On May 29th I took out solo angler, Steve Chapman, from Orlando. After he caught three tarpon (125, 80, and 50 lbs.), and a big jack on fly tackle (+10 lbs.), he insisted I catch a tarpon.

So off we go - praying Steve didn’t “kiss” the bridge pilings with my boat - after a 140 pound tarpon that I hooked up. Determined to test my new “meat stick” of a spinning rod and my angling savvy, I whipped that tarpon in 12 minutes with “down and dirty” fighting angles and heavily palming the spinning reel. It was a serious “tug-a-war”.

It took me three times to successfully wire the fish (it was hard to keep the rod from getting tip wrapped while in the rod holder). By the time I got the lip gaff into the fish, it took me a good two minutes to catch my breath while hanging over the gunwale. I hope I got a good picture, because that fish whipped my ass too.


ISLAMORADA, FL “fishing report” with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days 10/09/02 to 12/19/02.

I have had a few days here and there, but the last 6 weeks I have been busting butt on some major work on my 23’ SeaCraft (which I am progressively rebuilding which most of you know about).

Since deciding to put a T-top on it with a second helm station, I decided to put a new fuel tank in it replacing the 20 year old tank as preventative maintenance. I also made room for a water tank. This took quite a bit more planning and work than I anticipated to get it right. T-top is on it now I just have to rig it and get the canvas on it.

The fishing has been typical fall and late fall fishing. When the weather is good the bonefishing and permit fishing has been good. If a front comes through, we’ll go back in the park fishing for redfish, snook, and trout. We have caught some nice fish this fall, and even caught some nice tarpon too.

Call me or send an e-mail to get the most current report.

Capt. Rick Killgore


ISLAMORADA, FL “fishing report” with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days 6/22/02 to 10/09/02

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING RECENTLY: In the last two weeks we have had a couple of good days.

TARPON: This is a great time of year for juvenile tarpon and we have had a couple great trips.

            A) Jose Juncadella and his two sons, Sebastian and Diego (13 and 11 years old), had a banner day.

            They each caught their first tarpon on fly, all from 25 to15 lbs. This was also Diego’s first fish on fly. Can you imagine? We couldn’t get a picture though. A big 400 lbs. hammerhead made a dramatic end to Diego’s fish (after he got the leader to the tip numerous times.

            Jose also caught around 15 mackerel on fly too. Diego caught about an 8 lbs. mackerel on bait. Seb caught an 11 ½ lbs. black grouper and a 6 lbs. mutton snapper on bait. These are large fish for the bay.

            Great going guys, that was a fun trip.

 

            Bill and Debbie McDaniel, had a fun trip. They hooked-up 7 tarpon and caught only two, but had a great time. One of the tarpon that jumped, may have been 50 lbs. They caught a 35 and 20 lbs. tarpon that day. They also caught about a dozen mackerel.

 

One afternoon I went fishing with a friend of mine. We got into the back country, and he put me on a 50 lbs. tarpon which I caught on fly on a popper. I also caught a 10 lbs. tarpon, and jumped off two small snook and missed a nice snook also on fly. We had numerous other strikes that afternoon. 

BONEFISH:  This time of year is excellent bonefishing.

             Jeff Cayo and friend, Brian, had a good time bonefishing. Jeff caught his first FL bonefish, 7 ½ lbs., and was amazed how they smoke the typical Bahamian bonefish. He really wanted a photo, and we got him one. Brian just could not connect. He had some nice shots at a school of 30 bonefish circling around and mudding. But the wind was deflecting his casts and he just couldn’t see them. They also had a shot at a school of a dozen bones mudding too.

PERMIT: This time of year the permit have migrated out to the reef to spawn. One will see maybe 10% of normal on the flats.

However, on the way back from an offshore dolphin trip, stopping at one of the many spots on the reef to catch a permit can be a fun pursuit.

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS: All year long is good fishing for these guys.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day fished or every fish caught.  To those anglers not reported, I am sorry; but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports.  I’ll do my best.

Capt. Rick Killgore

Islamorada, FL Keys


ISLAMORADA, FL “fishing report” with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days 4/30/02 to 6/22/02.

 

Phenomenal TARPON FISHING once again

 Fast fishing and big fish

 213 tarpon caught in 54.5 days of tarpon fishing

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 In the last 35.5 days of fishing, we have caught 166 tarpon

 That is averaging almost  5 tarpon caught per day of fishing (4.7 tarpon/day)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 JULY TARPON FISHING

is also

 PHENOMENAL

 (Just like May and June)

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Fishing has been incredible. Just last week we caught 24 tarpon in 3 ½ days of fishing in bad weather where most people were not fishing at all (that’s because we fish a big, seaworthy, 23’ SeaCraft). And in mid-May we had a stretch where we caught 31 tarpon in 4 days.

One day we caught 9 tarpon.  On two different days we caught 8 tarpon per day, and we also had four days where we caught 7 tarpon per day.

These are big fish. The biggest was pushing 180 lbs. and two tarpon were around 165 pounds. Nine of the tarpon were 140 pounds or larger.

A)   Tarpon over 80 pounds:  65 % of the catch

B)    Tarpon over 100 pounds: 34 % of the catch

C)    Tarpon over 120 pounds: 17 % of the catch

D)   Tarpon over 140 pounds: 4 % of the catch

E)    Tarpon over 50 pounds:  91 % of the catch

 

Capt. Rick Killgore

Islamorada, FL Keys


ISLAMORADA, FL “fishing report” with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days 3/17/02 to 5/9/02.   

The Tarpon are Here

Hot Fishing and Big Fish

72 tarpon caught in 24 days of fishing

Banner Fishing Through July

There are lots of big fish, more than normal; and the tarpon are here in numbers. We have caught up to 7 tarpon in a day (twice), numerous 5 and 4 tarpon days, and even catching 3 and 4 tarpon in a half day a few times. This can be considered excellent, because many consider March and April pre-season. In the last five days of fishing we have caught 25 tarpon. 

The tarpon have been bigger than my past seasons averages. We have caught two fish 165 lbs. and eleven have been over 120 lbs. Here are the percentages.

      A)   Tarpon over 120 pounds: 23 % of the catch (typically 10 %) 

B)    Tarpon over 100 pounds: 51 % of the catch (typically 30 %)

C)    Tarpon over 80 pounds:  66 % of the catch (typically 50 %)

D)   Tarpon over 50 pounds:  90 % of the catch (typically 70 %)

The season started out with a “bang” on 3/17/02 when my anglers had 13 tarpon hit their baits, hooked 8 tarpon, and caught 2 big tarpon that first day of my season. One tarpon weighed 140 lbs. and the other was 65 lbs.

BEST DAYS (this year): So far on two different days we have caught 7 tarpon in one day.

 

A) Duane Stonestreet and Joel Teddy from Elyria, Ohio drove all the way down to catch tarpon on 4/23/02. They caught 7 tarpon, for 9 hooked-up and on (we had to cut one off because it was a double-header), for 13 tarpon striking the baits.

They were big fish: 110, 100, 100, 80, 80, 75, 45 lbs.

 

B) The second day that we caught 7 tarpon in one day was during two half-day trips.

In the morning Randy Duke, Arthur Kitchens and Carol Paul drove down from Savanaugh, GA, and  released 3 tarpon, for 3 on, for 3 striking the baits. Each tarpon weighed around 85 lbs.

Immediately after their trip I took out Richard Dent and his girlfriend, Elli from Ontario, Canada. They caught 4 tarpon weighing around 105, 80, 75, and 40 lbs.

NEXT BEST DAYS: Were catching 5 tarpon in a day, which we have done 3 different times.

Craige Engebretson, and his wife, Amy along with his father-in-law, Dick caught 10 tarpon in two consecutive days.

Their first day they caught 5 tarpon, for 9 hooked-up and on, for 16 tarpon striking their baits. Two tarpon broke off after hook-up: one by getting wrapped briefly in the bridge pilings, and the second by the line getting wrapped in the reel on the initial strike.

The tarpon weighed about 110, 100, 80, 70, 50 lbs.

            The second day they caught 5 tarpon, for 7 hooked-up, for 10 striking their baits.

The tarpon weighed around +135, 110, 100, 90, 70 lbs.

Dr. Stanely Krugman and his daughter, Lauran both from Miami, FL also caught 5 tarpon. They hooked 7 tarpon and had 12 tarpon strike their baits. This was a gift from Lauran to her dad, and they were thrilled.

Their tarpon weighed 90, 90, 80, 80, 55 lbs.

BEST HALF-DAY TRIPS: Along with the two half day trips that caught 7 tarpon in one day,

Jay Werthheimer and Chris Whiting of Atlanta, GA caught 3 tarpon, for 7 hooked-up, for 12 tarpon striking their baits all in a half-day charter.

Jay, one of my veteran tarpon fishermen, took Chris out for his first tarpon. Chris went through the gamut of errors to catch his first two tarpon, which were 50 and 40 lbs. Then at the end of the trip, Jay stepped up to the plate and hooked the first tarpon that hit his mullet. It was a nice fish, about 110 lbs.

OTHER GOOD DAYS: There were numerous other 4 and 3 tarpon full day charters and 2 tarpon half-day charters in this preseason, which is just getting me juiced-up for the on coming days through July.

SLOW FISHING: Only on 2 different “half-day” charters did we not catch a tarpon, but on each of those half-days we had a tarpon or two hooked-up and on, and on both half-days we had three tarpon strike our baits. Both those days were in early April, about a week apart.

OFFSHORE: This is the time of year that dolphin fishing gets hot, along with the blue marlin, wahoo, and occasional yellow fin tuna if you are really far offshore. I will be doing these tips too, which is an excellent complement to tarpon fishing. Take some fish home and freeze it for the up coming months. I know lots of people who do that.

PERMIT: This time of year the permit have migrated out to the reef to spawn. One will see maybe 10% of normal on the flats.

However, on the way back from an offshore dolphin trip, stopping at one of the many spots on the reef to catch a permit can be a fun persuit.

BONEFISH:  This time of year is excellent bonefishing.

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS: All year long is good fishing for these guys. Just yesterday Craige Engebretson caught a nice 50 lbs. black tip shark on a big plug, which is a nice feat to fool a shark on artificial. We did this while bonefishing, which earlier in the morning he caught a bonefish on shrimp. It was small, 2 ½ lbs., for Islamorada standards, but they can be just as tough to approach and hook as your average 8 – 10 pounder.

REDFISH and SNOOK:

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day fished or every fish caught.  To those anglers not reported, I am sorry; but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports.  I’ll do my best.

Best Regards, Capt. Rick Killgore


ISLAMORADA, FL “flats fishing report” with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for week of 3/10/02.

Fishing has finally turned around after the last two consecutive fronts we had last week, which brought strong cool winds.

These types of conditions are bad for the flats, so week fished the channels for small tarpon and snook. We caught a few tarpon in the 20 to 30 lbs.

Friday the weather finally got back to normal March days, blasting sun and 15-knot breezes - perfect for bonefish and permit. 

They are up on the flats and feeding hard. Now is one of the best times to catch bonefish and permit. Cudas, sharks, redfish, snook, and some early tarpon (80 plus pounders) are also up on the flats this month.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day fished or every fish caught.  To those anglers not reported, I am sorry; but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports.  I’ll do my best.


ISLAMORADA, FL “flats fishing report” with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for week of 2/24/02

The weather has been typical of this time of year, chilly and windy days followed by a couple good clear warm days. You got to catch it just right to effectively sight fish the flats.

BONEFISH: This is a great time of year for bonefish. We often find big schools of big bonefish mudding in 1 to 3 feet of water. They are a great “sight casting” target for spinning tackle or fly tackle. They are often in schools of 10 to 30 fish and sometimes can be more than 50 in a school. It is not uncommon to see more than a 150 fish in a day. Our bonefish average 8 – 10 lbs. and we catch 12 to 13 pounders every year.

The bonefish will get up on the crowns of the flats to tail as the water warms during the day, so fishing for tailing fish from midday through the afternoon is a thrill.

Fishing one day after a mild front came through, we found numerous schools of mudding bonefish with Nat Ritter and two of his friends. We cast at maybe more than 80 bonefish, butjust could not get the bait in front of the bonefish.

Jose Juncadella and his two sons, Seb and Diego, had some OK fishing. We had some shots at tailing bones on fly, but the weather went from bad to worst and made the visibility very tough. I gave him the option to cancel, but the boys were too excited for that. They fish with me often, and understand the elements. We slugged it out, and they got their first shots at bonefish on fly. They are enthusiastic beginners.

PERMIT: Permit can be found quite reliably as long as the water doesn’t get under 70 degrees. From singles to schools up to two dozen are quite common. These fish average 15 to 30 lbs. and bigger. They are a great fish to sight cast to, and a real trophy to catch on the flats. 

We saw a couple while tarpon fishing with fly.

 

Tarpon: Small tarpon can be caught primarily around the bridges here on live bait and light spinning tackle. These fish are 10 to 30 lbs. and are a ball to catch. Sometimes we can catch 4 or 5 in a half day or so of fishing then hit the afternoon for bones, permit, cudas and sharks to wrap it up. 

Fished one day with live on a strong +20 wind day, and still caught fish. Catching the bait was tough.  

Steven Lane and son, Peter, from England caught some nice fish during that tough weather. They caught: 12 lbs. SNOOK, 25 lbs. tarpon, 15 lbs. barracuda, and a 3 lbs. mangrove snapper (very nice size). They had a lot of bites too, maybe more than 20.  

Another day while fly casting, when the wind laid down one day we checked one of my spots for laid-up tarpon with Jack Salisbery. We saw two tarpon about 60 – 80 lbs. in 1 ½ hrs. of fishing there, and got casts at one. We also saw a couple of permit, but were unable to get a cast at them. We saw a few schools of bonefish, and he had some nice casts at tailing bonefish. It was slow that day, because it was quite chilly in the morning. 

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS:  This is the best time of year to “sight cast” to big cudas on the flats, and when that big cuda attacks your lure 20 feet from the boat as you’re cranking it in, it’s a real jaw dropper! And in shallow water, they fight hard and jump good. These cudas are 15 to 25 pounds.  

Went out for a ½ day with Bill Linquist for fly fishing. We had a couple shots at bonefish and some nice shots at cudas too(15 – 25 lbs.). However, Bill is a novice at the flats and was having the typical short falls of a freshwater fly caster. He improved greatly as the morning progressed, but you really need a full day to improve your chances. And I recommend at least 3 days if you want success as a novice fly fisherman to the flats. 

Lemon sharks are the most common this time of year and are fun to cast to and they fight very hard. We can catch them on bait or plugs. We can catch small ones on 10lbs. spin or catch big ones on 20 lbs. spin (from 50 to 150 lbs.)

We saw some big lemons and a bull shark that all were around 200 plus lbs. while we were fly fishing for bones and tarpon. I look forward to getting back there soon. 

REDFISH: Redfishing is quite good this time of year and they are not as affected by the cooler water after a front. A couple of years ago we caught 62 reds in two days. All caught sight casting on the flats and they were all 6 to 12 lbs., big reds for here. Sometimes one 

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day fished or every fish caught.  To those anglers not reported, I am sorry; but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports.  I’ll do my best. 

Capt. Rick Killgore


ISLAMORADA, FL “flats fishing report” with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for February 2002.

Just got back from surfing in Costa Rica, so this fish report is what one can expect for the next month. It is also why I have not answered your calls or have a current fish report. (Interested in a little reminiscence of a surf trip? It’s at the end of the report).

BONEFISH: This is a great time of year for bonefish. We often find big schools of big bonefish mudding in 1 to 3 feet of water. They are a great “sight casting” target for spinning tackle or fly tackle. They are often in schools of 10 to 30 fish and sometimes can be more than 50 in a school. It is not uncommon to see more than a 150 fish in a day. Our bonefish average 8 – 10 lbs. and we catch 12 to 13 pounders every year.

The bonefish will get up on the crowns of the flats to tail as the water warms during the day, so fishing for tailing fish from midday through the afternoon is a thrill.

PERMIT: Permit can be found quite reliably as long as the water doesn’t get under 70 degrees. From singles to schools up to two dozen are quite common. These fish average 15 to 30 lbs. and bigger. They are a great fish to sight cast to, and a real trophy to catch on the flats.

Tarpon: Small tarpon can be caught primarily around the bridges here on live bait and light spinning tackle. These fish are 10 to 30 lbs. and are a ball to catch. Sometimes we can catch 4 or 5 in a half day or so of fishing then hit the afternoon for bones, permit, cudas and sharks to wrap it up.

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS:  This the best time of year to “sight cast” to big cudas on the flats, and when that big cuda attacks your lure 20 feet from the boat as you’re cranking it in, it’s a real jaw dropper! And in shallow water, they fight hard and jump good. These cudas are 15 to 25 pounds.

Lemon sharks are the most common this time of year and are fun to cast to and they fight very hard. We can catch them on bait or plugs. We can catch small ones on 10lbs. spin or catch big ones on 20 lbs. spin (from 50 to 150 lbs.)

REDFISH: Redfishing is quite good this time of year and they are not as affected by the cooler water after a front. A couple of years ago we caught 62 reds in two days. All caught sight casting on the flats and they were all 6 to 12 lbs., big reds for here. Sometimes one

 

SURF TRIP:  “just what the doctor ordered”

After rebuilding that 23’ Seacraft for 5 months and 2 years of fishing without a break, I was primed for dropping into some deep, fast, cranking barrels. Some of those “little mackers” had 10 foot faces, and you could hear me screaming two hundred yards away.

A couple of days I surfed a lone reef break, by myself, 400 yards out, waiting for a double overhead wave (12’) to break over some very jagged “can opener” rock peaks just under the surface by 4’. The drops were breathtaking for me after two years, and a couple of waves lined up, but most were mushy. My buddy, Steve, the only other guy that has surfed this spot, says its much better when it’s triple overhead (18’) or bigger. I hope to surf it like that one day.

I returned to another secret reef I had surfed 10 – 12 years ago with one other guy, Brian, when no one else would go out. This was the biggest, baddest, waves I ever surfed, and when I ran into Brian three years ago his recollection surprised me. He had surfed Hawaii, and had been a surf guide out in American Samoa for two years. He said, “that was the narliest surf  I’d ever surfed.”

I’ll never forget that day. It was breaking close to triple overhead, fast, huge “buss size” barrels, and closing out after 80 yards. It is a serious wave, but one of the spookiest things are the huge, “brown sand,” boils (up to 10’ across) that pop up in the green face of the wave as you ride down the line. You just know there is some “big reef” down there. I rode 4 or 5 waves that morning with Brian while another friend, with 20 years of surfing, sat on the beach.

I often day dream of that day, and of surfing it again. That’s what made me drive three and a half hours from one spot to that one. We had a swell predicted and it was the end of my trip. I got out there in the afternoon, caught a couple of minor waves and saw one nice set about 12 foot come in and break just to the side of me, I just could not get to the peak to catch one of the waves. The next morning the swell dropped, and as I sat out there waiting for a wave I thought, it was nice to see remnants of that big wave again. I will return and ride those “mackers” again someday.

This trip had countless days of  “perfection:” head high or bigger waves, with deep barrels held open with sculpting offshore winds, and often long rides. Surfing sunset orange waters, thirsting for a cold beer or a rum with a squeeze of lime and “root water, ” I dream of those sun swept days on the flats chasing bonefish, permit, tarpon, etc. in the keys – I love both these places, each draws me to the other.

 


2001


 

ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days  11/10/00 to 9/18/01.

Sorry for the "radio silence".  The 23’ Sea Craft I rebuilt for tarpon fishing, kicked my butt as a project boat, but it was well worth it.

This whole year all my spare time was dedicated to finishing off the SeaCraft, little things which make it more fishable for me as a captain. I had no time to post periodic FISH REPORTS.

bonefish and permit: Fishing has been great, and will continue into Nov. About two weeks ago we caught 7 bones in one day, and almost every day we have been catching one to three bones per day. 


2001 TARPON SEASON: A Good Season Considering the Tough Weather

 

148 tarpon released!

  

We caught them in 50  FULL DAYS OF FISHING. This was done live bait fishing the channels.

We averaged  3 tarpon released per FULL DAY of fishing.

This was GOOD fishing action, numerous strikes and fish jumped off. We averaged 8 tarpon “striking the baits” per day while “hooking and fighting” 5 tarpon a day, then catching 3 tarpon per full day. (1999 was better than this year. We averaged just about 5 tarpon released for 9 tarpon “hooked up” for 14 tarpon “striking baits” per day. Check past fish reports for details).

Typically, it is hot fishing action, lots of strikes and fish jumped off. The prior two years we averaged 11 ½ 1/2  tarpon “striking the baits” per day, while “hooking and fighting” almost 8 tarpon a day, then catching more than 4 tarpon per full day.  

The tarpon fishing was off this year due to five weeks of unusual, continuous strong winds from the north-northeast, which created unseasonable cool waters. Starting around April 20th the cool winds blew 20 to 30 knots daily. Lots of guides were canceling trips.  

However, “We were fishing every day,”

Catching tarpon and other fish in my big boat, the 23’ SeaCraft.  

The 2001 season had some incredible fishing days. The week of April 14th we caught 26 tarpon in 4 days of fishing.  

One day we caught 9 tarpon, and on another day we caught 8 tarpon. On two days we caught 7 tarpon.

Typically, these are big fish. The biggest will push 180 lbs., but we had none this year that size. We had two fish around 130 -135 lbs.

The percentages for catching big tarpon were:

A)     Tarpon over 80 pounds:  42 % of the catch

B)     Tarpon over 100 pounds: 14 % of the catch

C)    Tarpon over 120 pounds: 4 % of the catch

E)     Tarpon over 50 pounds:  75 % of the catch

 (In the last two weeks of July the big tarpon, “the spawners,” migrate out of the Keys leaving the smaller tarpon behind. We still catch big tarpon of 80 to 100 plus pounders, but the percentages start to fall. We catch more tarpon in the 50 to 70 lbs. range and more tarpon down to 30 pounds. The number of tarpon per day stays the same.)

 


2000


 

ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days  11/10/00 to 9/18/01.

Sorry for the "radio silence".  The 23’ Sea Craft I rebuilt for tarpon fishing, kicked my butt as a project boat, but it was well worth it.

bonefish and permit: Fishing has been great, and will continue into Nov. About two weeks ago we caught 7 bones in one day, and almost every day we have been catching one to three bones per day. 


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD.

TARPON:  Phenomenal for 2000 and 1999 seasons

 361 tarpon released!

We caught them in 91.5 FULL DAYS OF FISHING. This was done live bait fishing the channels.

We averaged 4.25 TARPON RELEASED per FULL DAY of fishing.

This is HOT FISHING ACTION, lots of strikes and fish jumped off. We averaged 11.5 striking tarpon a day while hooking and fighting 7.5 tarpon a day, then catching 4.25 tarpon per full day. (1999 was better than this year. We averaged just about 5 tarpon released for 9 tarpon on for 14 striking tarpon per day).

THESE ARE BIG TARPON: Chances for catching a big tarpon were great. Check out the percentages.

  1. Tarpon over 120 pounds: 10 % of the catch.
  2. Tarpon over 100 pounds: 30 % of the catch.
  3. Tarpon over 80 pounds: 50 % of the catch.
  4. Tarpon over 60 pounds: 65 % of the catch.

THERE WERE SOME BIG "NUMBER" DAYS TOO (to name a few):

  1. Best day was 10 TARPON released.
  2. Second best days were releasing 9 TARPON in one day "on three different days" for a total of 27 tarpon released.
  3. Or how about 30 striking tarpon, 19 tarpon on, and 7 released in one day (5 ¾ hours fishing).

HOW AM I DIFFERENT FROM OTHERS: I catch fresh, live bait daily "before your trip". I do not use tired, "store bought" bait like all the other guides or fish carcasses. When I catch your bait, it is before your trip, not on your fishing time. It is an action packed fishing trip with big tarpon blasting live baits on the surface within 50' of the boat (sometimes 10' away).

We are fishing from a comfortable 23' Sea Craft, openfisherman. It has a big canvas top (lots of shade), lots of seating, stable, dry, and can fish any tarpon spot on any wind (where the other skiffs cannot go when it is windy). Ask about the hook-up guaranty.


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days 8/20/00 to 11/10/00.

Sorry for the "radio silence", I have been swamped in fall projects. I finally found a 23’ Sea Craft for tarpon fishing next year.

This will be a much more comfortable boat for live bait, tarpon fishing. We will be able to fish the best areas in any wind condition, which can be a major factor. I will be able to take 6 anglers max, but 4 adults is recommended. Lots of room and lots of SHADE. We now have the "Cadillac Ride" to the tarpon grounds.

Currently I’m doing a lot of customizing to it: fiberglassing (and grinding L ), bait wells, electronics, and cosmetic (it’s a used boat). So I have booked minimum trips.

 

TARPON: Had a couple of good days in October with Bill Sr. and Jr. Morgan. One day we caught 4 small tarpon and 3 big snook. They had 17 fish hooked up and had 18 strikes. The tarpon were 30 to 15 lbs., and the snook were 33", 32", and 30" strikes. The last day we finally got back in the fish the last 2 hours of the trip and caught 2 tarpon for 5 on for 7 strikes.

 

PERMIT and BONEFISH: It is typically great this time of year. But while I was booked we were plaged with strong, cool north wind for two weeks. The bones and permit were almost nonexistent on the flats. It was as if we were in the dead of winter with a number of successive cold fronts with north winds, the fish stay in the channels. Not only does temperature drive then down, but wind direction also alarms them to change of weather. North and west winds are the toughest winds to find fish on the flats.

REDFISH: During the hellish north winds, we fished the lee of the north FL bay for redfish and found ok groups of singles and small schools of redfish.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry; but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I’ll do my best.


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days 7/1/00 to 8/20/00.

TARPON: Again the season was "GREAT": 214 TARPON RELEASED!

We caught them in 61 FULL DAYS OF FISHING this season. This was done live bait fishing the channels.

We averaged 3.5 TARPON RELEASED per full day of fishing.

This is HOT FISHING ACTION, lots of strikes and fish jumped off. We averaged just over 6 tarpon on for 9.5 striking tarpon and catching 3.5 tarpon per full day. This comes to the total of 214 caught for 376 tarpon on for 573 tarpon striking the baits. And this was actually a slow tarpon season.

Last year we averaged just about 5 tarpon released for 9 tarpon on for 14 striking tarpon per day. Looking forward to next year, but we still had some phenomenal days this year.

THESE ARE BIG TARPON: Chances for catching a big tarpon were great. Check out the percentages.

  1. Tarpon over 120 pounds: 10 % of the catch.
  2. Tarpon over 100 pounds: 30 % of the catch.
  3. Tarpon over 80 pounds: 50 % of the catch.
  4. Tarpon over 60 pounds: 65 % of the catch.

TOP TARPON TRIPS: Releasing 9 tarpon in one day. We did this three different days for a total of 27 tarpon released.

Ed and Gar Hinkle with Joe Leonard caught 17 tarpon in two days of fishing (9 one day and 8 the second day). Michael Laskow and Doug Minnick caught 5 one morning (weights: 80, 75, 75, 60, 60 lbs.), and then Jim Justin caught 4 that afternoon (weights: 70, 60, 60, 45 lbs.). Sal Renna caught 3 tarpon one morning, and Roy Murdock caught 6 that same afternoon.

TOP TARPON "ACTION" TRIP: How about 30 striking tarpon, 19 tarpon on, and 7 released in one day. Rick and Dick Farwell had a great time their first day tarpon fishing. Fish weighed: 85, 80, 55, 40, 35, and 40 lbs.

TOP PERCENTAGE TRIP: Jay Werth and J.J. Vegotski caught 4 for 5 on for 6 strikes in one morning. That’s a 67%, good going guys.

TOP KIDS, TIE: Jose Juncadella with sons Sebastian (10 years old) and Diego (6 years old) hooked their own fish and caught them with absolutely no help. This is very tough. They went through their shots to learn how to bow to the jumping tarpon to keep the fish on. There was also a greater learning curve for them, bracing yourself for #30 test spinning and pumping a fish in is very tough at that age. They were 3 caught for 8 on for 8 strikes (80, 30, 20 lbs.) in one day fishing.

Scott Miller and sons Justin, Josh, and Jeff caught 6 tarpon for 8 on for 10 strikes in half day fishing. This was at the end of the season and all weighed between 35 to 15 lbs., but they are a great fight on light tackle and while staying anchored up in the current.

PERMIT, BONEFISH, REDFISH, BARRACUDAS and SHARKS: All these species will be really turning on because of the cool waters of fall.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry; but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I’ll do my best.


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days 6/18/00 to 7/1/00.

TARPON: Live bait fishing the channels

Tarpon fishing has been good this year. We have now released 122 tarpon in 40 ½ days of fishing. This is just over 3 fish per day of fishing. Last July (1999) was very good fishing. We released 44 tarpon in 10 days of fishing (most were ½ day trips). I expect the fishing to be very good through July.

Top day in the last two weeks was with Ed Hinkle and Joe Leonard of N.C. They released 7 tarpon, for 9 hooked up, for 15 striking tarpon – that was some great action.

For those of you who might be daunted by the supposed Florida heat, think of this. Almost every day we have a cool ocean breeze with ambient temperatures from 85 to 94, much cooler than the rest of the states this time of year. And to get out of the sun’s rays, I have a big umbrella. It is like sitting under our own palm tree, in the cool breeze, catching 100 plus pound tarpon – awesome!!!

Last year’s tarpon season, we caught 147 tarpon in 31 days of fishing that’s an average of almost 5 fish released per day. Best day was 10 tarpon released in a day. These are big fish, 48% were over 80 lbs., and 25% were over 100lbs.

Check out my web site for last year’s phenomenal photos (which down load very quick as thumbnails) and the complete statistics during tarpon season. It is in the photo gallery, "Tarpon fishing with live bait".

PERMIT: Are showing back up on the flats after their early spring spawn out on the reefs and wrecks. July through October is an excellent time for them.

BONEFISH: Excellent summer fishing

REDFISH: Excellent summer fishing

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS: Good summer fishing

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry; but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I’ll do my best.

Capt. Rick Killgore


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days 5/12/00 to 6/18/00.

TARPON: Live bait fishing the channels

We have now released 100 tarpon for 35 full days of fishing, just about 3 tarpon per day. We still have one of the best months for tarpon fishing left, July.

Best day so far was 6 tarpon released for 8 tarpon hooked for 10 tarpon striking the baits. Many days we have had between 10 to 16 tarpon striking the baits. This tarpon fishing is challenging. The angler has to be very alert to dropping the rod tip when the fish jumps so as to minimize a thrown hook, and not to create slack when fighting the fish. This is where many fish are lost. The day we had 16 striking tarpon, the anglers hooked 9 tarpon, and only caught 1 tarpon.

Another great day was 3 BIG tarpon for 9 hooked and 10 striking the baits. The tarpon weighed 167 lbs., 145 lbs., 105 lbs., estimated with the "length x girth" formula.

Tom Spontack from NJ caught two big tarpon. One I estimated at more than 140 lbs. It was 80.5 inches long (but we could not get the girth). The other was around 85 lbs. He caught 2 tarpon for 5 tarpon hooked for 7 tarpon striking the baits.

Sal Renna from NJ caught 2 nice bonefish and lost a third one day.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry; but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I’ll do my best.

Capt. Rick Killgore


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days 3/11/00 to 5/12/00.

Wow! I can’t believe it’s been 2 months from last report. Fact is, been fishing excessively, and the book keeping burden for taxes is overwhelming for me and my physical job, which took all my spare time for over a month.

TARPON:

Live bait fishing the channels has been good, and is getting better. It should be red hot for the next three months, turning on now any day. 

(5/18/00 update) It has just turned on. Big fish and lots of them. Call me for details. We have caught tarpon up to 167 lbs. (formula), and quite a few over 115lbs.   Report will be out soon.

Last year’s tarpon season, we caught 147 tarpon in 31 days of fishing that’s an average of almost 5 fish released per day. Best day was 10 tarpon released in a day. These are big fish, 48% were over 80 lbs., and 25% were over 100lbs.

Check out my web site for last year’s phenomenal photos (which down load very quick as thumbnails) and the complete statistics during tarpon season. It is in the photo gallery, "Tarpon fishing with live bait".

This past March and April have had some good catches.

Stuart Epstein and son, Ben catch 4 tarpon one afternoon. One was 150 lbs.

Jim Justin and Mike Henderson caught 3 tarpon one day: 140 lbs., 105 lbs., and 85 lbs.

Steve Eichenblatt and Greg Page catch 3 tarpon in ½ day: 120 lbs., +100 lbs., and +85 lbs.

Jim and Austin Walker with Clyde Strickland caught 3 tarpon one day: 115lbs., +90 lbs., and 80 lbs.

These are just a few of the tarpon we have caught this spring. Many tarpon will be between 30 to 50 lbs., but you can target big fish too.

PERMIT: We have been picking away at the permit this year but it was nothing like last year during the spring. I believe the permit moved out to the reefs early down here because of the mild winter.

This time of year they are schooling out on the reefs to spawn. They typically return to the flats in July. August through October is a great time to permit fish here. Because they moved out to the reefs early this year, maybe they will return to the flats early.

Ed Hinkle caught a 28 ½ lbs. permit on #10 spin, the biggest he has ever gotten on the flats.

David Paul caught a 24 ½ lbs. permit on #15 spin, his first.

Steve Tellam caught a 14 lbs. permit, his first.

John Shubert catches his first permit on the flats, 10 lbs.

Gene Bartels "hooks a permit on Fly", and tragically looses it after 3 minutes when the fish makes a dash at the boat.

BONEFISH: The bonefishing has been great this spring. We have caught some big fish, and there have been some days where we have seen hundreds of fish in schools of 10 to 50 fish.

Gary Fisk caught a 13 ½ lbs. bonefish (weighed), and what a fight it made.

Steve Tellam caught a 12 ½ lbs. bonefish (weighed), and Dwight Haight caught a 9 ½ lbs. bone (weighed) in one day.

Ed Hinkle and Bob Cecil caught 3 bones in 2 days. Bob caught a 12 ½ lbs. and Ed caught a 9 ½ and 8 lbs. bonefish. Bob also caught two nice cudas and each had numerous strikes.

REDFISH: I have not been redfishing, but it is great this time of year.

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS: There have been a lot of big cudas (20 to 30 lbs.) on the flats this spring. We hooked a lot on artificial but for some strange reason lost most.

Sharks have been around too. They have arrived with the spring mullet run and big bulls are showing up with the tarpon migration.

I came across a "16 foot hammer head" with Jim Obenour and his son. How can I be so accurate? We idled along side of this beast for 5 minutes. Right next to it, less than 10 feet away in 8 feet of water. I think it was at least 800 lbs. It was awesome! I even tried to hook it on my #30 spin rod. Why the hell would I do that? Why not!!!!!!

Bill Bartels catches 160 lbs. lemon shark sight casting on the flats. What a fight. I love this big game fishing on the flats.

John Hummell caught a 40 lemon on #10 spin sight casting on the flats.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry; but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I’ll do my best.

Capt. Rick Killgore


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days 2/22/00 to 3/10/00.

TARPON: Tarpon season last year we caught 147 tarpon in 31 days of fishing that’s an average of almost 5 fish released per day. Best day was 10 tarpon released in a day. These are big fish, 48% were over 80 lbs., and 25% were over 100lbs.

Check out my web site for last year’s phenomenal photos (which down load very quick as thumbnails) and the complete statistics during tarpon season. It is in the photo gallery, "Tarpon fishing with live bait".

Currently, the tarpon have started to show up in the flats. You can find them laid up in certain areas, big ones too. This is a good time to cast to them with either fly rod or spinning rods.

There are a few around the bridges; most of them are small I’ve heard, 30 to 50 pounds and an occasional fish up to +80 lbs. This can be good fishing, but it can be inconsistent this time of year, sometimes only getting a few strikes in a day.

In contrast, this is the time of year for big bones and big permit. There will be plenty of time for excellent tarpon fishing from mid April through July.

 

PERMIT: This is the season and so is late summer and fall. We are finding good numbers of permit and big ones too.

David Paul of Orlando, FL released a nice permit weighing 24 ¾ pounds. What a great fight it made and we should have some good photos posted next week.

ON FLY today, Gene Bartels of Leeds, NY hooked, fought, and lost a permit. Ooooooh! How bitter sweet! He has vowed to return.

 

BONEFISH: There are some big fish now! They are tailing and finning in the ultra shallow flats too. It has been consistently good fishing, except for a couple of days with a west wind right before a front last week.

A very big bonefish, 13-½ lbs. (weighed) is caught by Gary Fisk of California. What an incredible fight, and Gary did an excellent job for his first bone ever. Photos to be posted.

 

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS: This is a great time of year for "sight casting" big sharks and big barracudas with artificial lures.

Bill Bartel released a +150 lbs. lemon shark on #30 spin. What an aggressive strike on the plug, then an incredible first run, and a dogged fight pursued. I got the leader in my hand a couple of times trying to get a lip gaff in it for a photo, but it was not ready for that yet. It rolled up in the leader once then pulled the hook. Bummer! I really wanted to lift that shark for a photo because it is about the largest I would do it with. I need something like that for my web site photo gallery. I did get a couple fight shots with the shark on the surface in the background.

Barracudas, large ones (20 to +30 pounders) have been attacking our lures every time we are throwing to them. And what ferocious attacks, one 25 pounder grabbed the lure and just shook it like a mad dog on the surface not 20 feet from the boat. It then made a scalding run and jumped 6 feet out of the water, throwing the hook out. We have now hooked maybe 6 fish in the last week, and each time we cannot keep the hook in them.

They either bite the lure between the treble hooks, or just throw the hook on the first big jump. The bizarre can happen too.

Bill Bartels holds on while a 20 pounder makes its first run and jumps simultaneously as a cormorant flies into the line. The bird skids through the air, the cuda throws the hook, and we just breakout laughing. What can you do?

 

REDFISH and SNOOK: This is a great time of year for them, but I like to pursue the bonefish and permit instead.

One day we went out back to get some eating fish. Lee Toback, Ft. Lauderdale caught a 27" snook on the flats while we were redfishing. He and David Witters had other shots at reds and snook to no avail. Earlier they caught many trout, ladyfish, and jacks. They caught 4 big keeper trout plus the snook for a great mess of fillets for dinner.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry; but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I’ll do my best.

Capt. Rick


1999


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat BONE YARD for the days 9/1/99 to 11/14/99.

First I need to apologize for the "radio silence" on these fish reports. We’ve been overwhelmed by the many major projects to complete during the fall fishing season.

Most significant project: my new web site www.fish-killgore.com

TARPON: Tarpon have still been around. The fish will not be the large migrating fish that we have in the spring/summer, but they are the fun size of 50 – 15 lbs. Fifteen pound test is perfect for a great time. In the last two weeks the small tarpon action has slowed to almost nothing. Prior it was very good. Check the reports.

Tom Spontack and daughter, Heather, caught 8 small tarpon (35 – 15 lbs.), for 16 on, for 19 strikes. We also ran back to Flamingo and caught a 10 lbs. snook and a 10 lbs. redfish.

Bill Steedle, Brad Thomas and John Thomas caught 4 tarpon, for 11, on for 14 strikes. They weighed 40 – 20 lbs.

Sal Renna and Casey Dominic caught 5 tarpon (35 – 15 lbs.), for 11 on, for 13 strikes, and also caught 6 snook (8 – 10 lbs.) all before midday. We then went bonefishing and cast at 25 – 30 tailing bonefish to no avail.

Second day of the Renna trip, Sal and Casey caught 3 small tarpon, for 6 on, for10 strikes. In the afternoon Sal caught a 28 lbs. permit, and had casts at a few others. We also had shots a quite a few big cudas (+20 lbs.). We had a strike, but missed it.

 

PERMIT: Will start to slow down with the oncoming cold fronts and cooler waters.

Sal Renna caught a 28 lbs. permit on the flats.

 

BONEFISH: Will start to slow down with the oncoming cold fronts and cooler waters.

 

REDFISH: Will start to slow down with the oncoming cold fronts and cooler waters.

 

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS: Barracudas will start to show in good numbers and size during the winter months.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry; but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I’ll do my best.


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat
BONE YARD for the days 7/30/99 to 8/30/99.

TARPON: Tarpon have still been around, but I have been unable to fish for
them because I injured my wrist while throwing the cast net. The fish will
not be the large migrating fish that we have in the spring/summer, but they
are the fun size of 50 – 15 lbs. Fifteen pound test is perfect for a great
time.

PERMIT: They are here now.

Jeff Smitley catches 31 lbs. permit on #12 test, his first. He also lost
another of equal size, all in a half day trip. Earlier he had shots at
about 20 tailing bonefish.

Dick St. Pierre catches his first permit, about 15 lbs., on #12 test. It
made a heroic fight in a shallow water flat.

BONEFISH: Bonefishing has been great.

Jay Werth and father-in-law, Charlie Green, had a fantastic morning. They
hooked 5 tailing bonefish on spin, and caught 2 nice bones of 8 ½ and 9
lbs. That morning was incredible. We saw about +200 bonefish tailing in
schools between 6 to 30 fish each. Unfortunately they lost the other fish
to the horrid snags of the mangroves.

REDFISH: Redfish have been very good. Bart and Diane Vinish fished one
hour for reds on a ½ day. Diane caught large red at 9 ½ lbs. on
artificial spin sight casting to a school of about 30 reds tailing. Bart
too caught a red about 4 ½ lbs. Earlier they wanted to start the day
trout fishing, catching 3 keepers, and a few shorts.

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS: Will still be very good.

Daniel Kron catches +25 lbs. barracuda on #10 test spin, what a great run
with a sensational two jumps.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day
fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry;
but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I'll do
my best.

Capt. Rick
Killgore
Islamorada, FL Keys
Captgore@terranova.net
800-484-3449,code2068


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat
BONE YARD for the days 6/28/99 to 7/29/99.


TARPON: It continues to be "PHENOMENAL" - 143 tarpon released!

We have released 143 tarpon for 30 full days of fishing this season
(actually 15 full days and 30 half days of fishing). This was done live
bait fishing the channels.

We are averaging just about 5 tarpon released per full day of fishing.

This is hot fishing action: lots of strikes and fish on and jumped off. The
last 15 ½ days we have caught 76 tarpon, for 145 on and jumped off, for 214
strikes. This is averaging just over 9 fish on and just about 14 strikes
per full day.

These are big tarpon: Chances for catching a big tarpon were great. Check
out the percentages (actual weights are listed at end of this report).

A)    Tarpon over 120 pounds: 7 % of the catch.
B)    Tarpon over 100 pounds: 25 % of the catch.
C)    Tarpon over 80 pounds: 48 % of the catch.
D)    Tarpon over 60 pounds: 73 % of the catch.

TOP TARPON TRIP was Mike Doro and son, Geoff on a full day. They released
6 tarpon, for 10 on, for 12 strikes. Their tarpon all weighed between 65 –
85 lbs.

TOP TARPON "ACTION" TRIP was during a half day with Jake Kelly and Jeremy
Bailey. They released 3 tarpon, for 5 on, for 10 strikes.

TOP PERCENTAGE TRIP was during a full day with Jim Justin and Gail
Chatelain. They released 5 tarpon, for 6 on, for 7 strikes = 71%.

PERMIT: They are starting to show up again. It will get progressively
better through August to October.

BONEFISH: It has been excellent, the times I've gone between tarpon
fishing. It will continue through October.

Carl Beeler caught an ultra-shallow, tailing bonefish one afternoon
charter, and had shots at about 40 bones. These are the toughest to fool.
It was about 6½ lbs., and he got it on spin with bait. It was his first
time bonefishing - congratulations!!!!

On my birthday, I went out with my Mom and Dad for the afternoon, and got
into about +40 ultra-shallow tailing bonefish. We all took turns fly
casting. I hooked up a smoker. After three bruiser runs while my Dad poled
after it, we finally got it to the boat. It weighed 11 lbs. on the
chatillion scale. This was a fantastic b-day. Earlier that day I also
caught a 50lbs. tarpon on fly with my brother-in-law, and we both caught 3
tarpon on bait.

REDFISH: Will be very good all summer.

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS: We have been catching some nice barracudas while
tarpon fishing, weighing between 10 – 30 lbs.

Shark fishing on the flats is very good now, and very exciting too.

Pat Moore had an excellent day fly fishing for them, especially for a
novice fly fisherman. He caught 5 lemon sharks, 4 were caught on just a
fly (5 – 20 lbs.) and the 5th incidentally ate a small cuda he had hooked
on his fly rod (30lbs.). He also had a nice blacktip shark (about 35 lbs.)
on artificial spin, but broke it off after line got tip wrapped on the rod.
………………………………………………………………………………………………
These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day
fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry;
but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I'll do
my best.
………………………………………………………………………………………………

Weights of the tarpon per number of fish caught:

A)    140 pounds and larger: 4 tarpon (165 lbs., 145 lbs., 140 lbs., and 140
lbs.)
B)    130 – 140 pounds: 3 tarpon
C)    120 – 130 pounds: 3 tarpon
D)    110 – 120 pounds: 9 tarpon
E)    100 – 110 pounds: 16 tarpon
F)    90 – 100 pounds: 4 tarpon
G)    80 – 90 pounds: 27 tarpon
H)    70 – 80 pounds: 18 tarpon
I)    60 – 70 pounds: 17 tarpon
J)    50 – 60 pounds: 10 tarpon
K)    40 – 50 pounds: 11 tarpon
L)    40 pounds and under: 16 tarpon
M)    Tarpon not estimated: 5 tarpon

Capt. Rick
Killgore
Islamorada, FL Keys
Captgore@terranova.net
800-484-3449,code2068


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat
BONE YARD for the days 5/28/99 to 6/27/99.

TARPON: It has been "PHENOMENAL"!!!!!! We have released 99 tarpon for 30
trips ( 10 full days and 20 half days, which could be considered equal to
20 full days ). This was done bait fishing the channels. The last 8 trips
( 3 full days and 5 half days, equal to 6 ½ days ) we have released 32
tarpon, for 59 on and jumped off, for 88 strikes.

Top trip was 10 tarpon released for 12 on in one day, caught by Michael
Cassidy, from "Field and Stream", and his friend Tim Cliggott, hunting
guide from Texas. We even had to leave early (2:15pm) so they could catch a
plane. They had four tarpon weighing between 80 lbs. to 100 lbs., four at
60 to 70 lbs., and two at 40 to 50 lbs.

A close second was 9 tarpon released, for 13 on, and 14 strikes during a
full day trip and a sunset trip. This was a day for big fish. Brian Hassel
and Rosetta Servideo released 5 tarpon, for 8 on, and 8 strikes. Brian
released 145 lbs., 90 lbs. and 65lbs. tarpon, and Rose released 130 lbs.
and 105 lbs. tarpon. Later that afternoon Jackie Brady released a +100
lbs. tarpon. Her friend Matt Joseph released an 80 lbs., 50 lbs. and one I
could not get a good estimate on.

Top day of action was 30 strikes with 14 on and released 7 tarpon done on
one full day trip and one sunset trip. During the day Rick Colberson and
son, Matt caught four tarpon weighing in at 140 lbs., +100 lbs., +80 lbs.,
and 35lbs. At sunset Jay Wertheimer and his son, Drue released three
tarpon weighing +130 lbs., +100 lbs., and 75 lbs.

Top Teens could almost be "top day". Matt and Ryan Eidelstein along with
their father Gary released 8 tarpon, for 17 on, for 24 strikes. Ryan (14 ½
years old) had a heroic battle with a 140 lbs. tarpon on #20 spin which
lasted 1 ½ hours mostly because there was a good fray in the line near the
double line. We wanted that picture and fish measurement. Even after the
long fight, the fish revived quickly and swam off. Matt (16 ½ years old)
released an 85 lbs. tarpon. Gary insisted the boys catch all but one of the
tarpon, which his weighed +85 lbs. All their tarpon weighed: 140, +85, 85,
85, 70, 50, 45, and 45.

Good Luck to Hard Luck award goes to Mitch Lackey. His first sunset trip
he caught 4 tarpon for 6 on, a good percentage. The following full day
trip, he went 2 released for 9 on (however he did lose a third tarpon about
50 lbs. on my anchor line). He was pissed that he went out drinking the
night before, celebrating the prior 4 tarpon. The tarpon weighed 110, 100,
80, 60, 60, and 60 lbs.

PERMIT: They can still be found, but it will be better in July through
fall.

Leon Glaze of Indiana released a 28 lbs. permit (weighed) on #15 test
during a half day charter. What a fight! It hit so hard it exploded the
surface with its tail when it went down. It also dragged us about 500
yards from where we hooked up. He lost another later. I think it bit
through the line by crushing the line against the eye of the hook

BONEFISH: Excellent all summer.

Christian Lommer of Denmark caught a 9 ½ lbs. (weighed) bonefish. This
fish's great power and agility shocked him.

Mike Sovan released a 6-½ lbs. bonefish that was so shallow its back was
out of water when he cast to it. This is the toughest situation to catch a
bonefish – a great feat.

REDFISH: Excellent all summer

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS: Good all summer.

Rich St. Pierre released a 26 lbs. barracuda on artificial, #10 test, spin.
What a strike and what a great couple of jumps it made. He also had two
other ferocious strikes by another big cuda.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day
fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry;
but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I'll do
my best.


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat
BONE YARD for the days 5/13/99 to 5/27/99.

TARPON: It has been incredible. We have released 25 tarpon in 6 trips ( 3
night trips and 3 full days) while live bait fishing the channels.

Last two days "Bill Bud" Reynolds and Julie Santilli had a "run" on
catching 13 tarpon out of 14 bites (12 weighing between 100 and 125 lbs.
and 1 at 35 lbs.)

Tim Willis and Steve Robertson caught three tarpon. Jay Werteimer and
Kevin Rubin caught two tarpon. Rich McGovern caught three tarpon.
Brothers, Rich and Frank DiMeo caught 4 tarpon.

On fly Randy Roberts caught his first tarpon on fly.

PERMIT: They are still around. David Silber caught a 10 lbs. permit, and
his dad lost a 25 lbs. permit on #10 test after a long fight which ended in
the sea fans.

BONEFISH: Bonefish will be great through the fall, however we have not
been fishing for them much because it's tarpon season. Ben Epstein caught
a nice bone one morning before going sight fishing for tarpon on spin. He
saw the fish himself while his dad and I were stalking another group of
fish. His second cast hooked the 6 ½ lbs. bone on his rod and it made
three great runs. We were also casting at bones so shallow that their
backs were out of the water.

Ben and Stewart Epstein also caught maybe over 30 jacks on plugs. These
jacks would not let us get a bait to t the tarpon, so instead of moving, we
fished for them on light spin. They weighed 6 – 10 lbs.

REDFISH: Will be great through the fall.

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS: Will be great through the fall.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day
fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry;
but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I'll do
my best.


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat
BONE YARD for the days 4/18/99 to 5/12/99.

Wow! I cannot believe it's been three and half weeks since my last report.
Fishing has been great, and I've had no time to report. Eventually I'll
do it weekly. These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not
report every day fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not
reported, I am sorry; but I only have so much time and energy to put in
these reports. I'll do my best.

TARPON: Tarpon have finally started to move along the flats consistently.
They have been eating the flies well. Channel fishing with live bait has
been very good too, and I've heard of a few very big fish (160 lbs. to 180
lbs.) being caught.

Some days we've seen up to 350 fish, but today was a tough day (I had to
move five times and spanned maybe 20 miles trying to find more fish, but
every spot was just a trickle of tarpon). This was the first slow day, and
the first day I've seen less than 150 tarpon. Seeing schools of 30 to 50
tarpon is a daily occurrence, and occasionally a school of a hundred fish.
There are the big fish too, tarpon of over 130 lbs

On fly, Michael Cassidy of Field & Stream, and his friend, Robert Lord, had
a good 2 ½ days fishing for their first tarpon fishing trips. Robert
landed his first tarpon on fly, about 70 lbs. What a great fight. It
jumped close to the boat many times, and Robert fought it from a dead boat
most of the time, getting the leader into the rod three times. Robert and
Michael both broke fish off. They also missed hooking their first strikes,
and had a few serious follows. This is typical when learning how to tarpon
fish. They had good action.

Sight casting with spin, Ron Raymond caught his first tarpon, about 80
lbs. He released it after a tough 20 minute fight on #15 test.

PERMIT: Permit are still around the flats, but not in the big numbers like
they were a month ago. They have started to move out to the reefs to
spawn.

Tony Carter caught a 29lbs. permit on #10 test spin. That is a great
catch. It got up into the flat and raced across it with its back and tail
thrashing the water. I almost couldn't chase it with the boat, but it came
back off the flat on the same side as the boat. It then made a heroic fight
for almost 30 minutes - great fish Tony.

BONEFISH: Has been good to great.

Tony Guida and Chuck Maimon (sp?) each caught a bone by 1 pm. We saw maybe
130 bones, one school was about 30 fish. Tony was shocked at the strength
of these smaller fish. Pound for pound they are tough!!!! And tough to
stalk and hook. Congratulations.
REDFISH: Will be good all summer, but I have not been lately.

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS: Tony Carter's friend, Evan, caught two nice
black-tip sharks on artificial plug. These sharks are real bull dogs, and
make an exciting attack One I think was around 80 lbs. where the other was
about 45 lbs. I'm not going to weigh these lively guys, I'm lucky if I can
get the plug back.


ISLAMORADA, FL "flats fishing report" with Capt. Rick Killgore
on his boat BONE YARD for the days 3/30/99 to 4/17/99.


PERMIT: It has been great, lots of fish and big permit. Some schools have
had more than 50 permit.

Bob Ottaway and son, Teddy, had an excellent day. Teddy caught a bruiser
28-lbs. permit, a 25 minute fight that taught Teddy a little something
about determination. His dad, Bob caught a big permit of 24-lbs. which was
also a butt kicker. These were their first permit, and they are hooked
now.

Mike Harkom caught a 28-lbs. permit while it was tailing in water so
shallow its back was out of water.

Mark Schermer released his first permit, a nice fish of 17 lbs. (est.).

TARPON: They are arriving daily. Consistent schools migrating have not
show, but isolated groups of tarpon in the flats can be found laid-up and
rolling. Fishing the channels with bait has been consistent and there have
been big fish.

On fly, Mike Fox tried his shot at them and had a few bites but never
seemed to keep one on. That's the breaks.

While sight casting with spin, Jay Lovelass and John Ehlen made a few good
casts and could not draw a bite out of a school of tarpon 50 to 80-lbs.,
and a few singles. I myself have also had a few bites casting the spin
while backing up the angler on the bow, but have missed the strike too.

Live baiting in the channels, Melinda Zodda fought a big tarpon (est. +80
lbs.) for about 10 min. before the hook pulled at the boat. Harry and son,
Kim Routzahn had about 5 bites one afternoon and jumped two off. Now is
the time to use mullet and it's amazing how the tarpon have a hard time
catching the mullet.

BONEFISH: It has been excellent, lots of fish and giant ones too. A
bonefish of 15lbs. 4 oz. was released by an angler on 16-lbs. fly for a new
potential world record. This is the time of year for fat, spawning
bonefish.

Tony Primavera released his first bone on spin; it was 7 ½ to 8 lbs. Kim
Routzahn lost a nice one on the first run.

REDFISH: Continues to be great. We saw hundreds of reds with David Weig and
Corey Yraguen. They caught 11 reds on artificial spin on the flats sight
casting. They could have even caught more but wanted to try the fly too,
and we spent over an hour casting at them.

CUDAS AND SHARKS: Has been good too. Lots of blacktip sharks on the flats
from 50lbs. to 300lbs. They are an awesome creature. When they attack
their whole head and body can explode from the surface. Once hooked they
jump countless times with vengeance, hence giving them the name "spinner
shark". Big cudas are still on the flats, and a carefully placed lure can
draw a bite.

Erick Vanlill released a 20 lbs. (weighed) cuda on #10 spin. It made three
good jumps and put up a good fight from a dead boat.

Mark Nuzzo fought a 150 lbs. blacktip shark for three sensational jumps,
burning 100 yards of line in a flash, before it spread the hook with shear
jaw strength.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day
fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry;
but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I'll do
my best.


BACK COUNTRY FISHING REPORT

with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat, BONE YARD docked at
Holiday Isle Marina in Islamorada, FL for the days of 3/22/99 through 3/29/99.


PERMIT: Continues to be great. Charles Beatty released a 34 lbs.
(weighed) caught on spin. His fishing partner, Paul Fenn, had great shots
and a few follows on the fly. We saw maybe +75 permit that morning.
Monday Tom Scorrone fought a 25 – 30 pounder for 25 min. only to have the
knot pull out of the gap of the hook's eye. A heart breaker, but a lessen:
always check the eye of the hook.

TARPON: Are arriving on the flats. Paul Fenn had three bites in two
mornings of fly fishing. He jumped one off.

Evening bait fishing was great last four nights. David and Jeff Wingfield
both caught tarpon. David's was a large 160 plus pounder (est. and
measured). Jeff's was about 90 lbs. (est.). Joe Szewczyk released a 110
lbs. (est.). Each night had three to five bites, except Fri. which we only
jumped one off.

BONEFISH: This is the time of year for big bones, but I have been spending
time permit fishing and tarpon fishing.

REDFISH: George Haight and his brother caught 32 redfish the day after
George and Dad caught 30. Charles Beatty catches his first fish on fly, an
6 lbs. redfish out of a school of about 30 fish. Redfishing is almost a
sure thing , all year.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day
fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry;
but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I'll do
my best.


BACK COUNTRY FISHING REPORT

with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat, BONE YARD docked at
Holiday Isle Marina in Islamorada, FL for the days of 3/16/99 through 3/22/99.

PERMIT: After a half-day morning charter, I went back out with my wife and
caught three permit on fly in one afternoon, awesome!!!! I'm still
"stoked". These were my 7th , 8th, and 9th permit on fly. Pictures will
be posted soon. They weighed: 14, 9, and 5 lbs. (on a chatillion scale).
Gina Stewart released a 39lbs. permit (weighed) a 25 lbs. permit (est.),
and husband Mike caught a tailing permit of around 15 lbs.

Needless to say, lot of permit around!!!!! March and April are two of the
best months for permit fishing. One day I saw close to 500 permit. In
schools of 10 to 100 fish.

BONEFISH: Lot of bonefish on the flats after the water warms up from the
cool mornings. Schools of tailers and mudders (15 to 30 fish). Big fish
are being caught. March and April are the best months to catch the heavy
bones full of roe and milt.

TARPON: Are starting to show up. Found some around the flats the other
day, but they were on the bottom and not interested in what we were
casting. Did not have the fly that day, some times that is the magic
trick for tarpon that are not on the move.

They are starting to show in the channels. Fellow guides have been
catching and jumping fish off in the 30 – 70 lbs. range. I have yet to
fish for them. Finding bait has been tough, so most of the fishing has
been during the day which is not as good compared to night. I will start
night fishing soon.

REDFISH: Dwight Haight and son, George caught 30 redfish today on
artificial spin on the flats sight casting. That is a great day! Fish
weighed 6 – 10 lbs., no puppy reds there! Redfishing will continue to be
great.

CUDAS & SHARKS: Gina Stewart caught a 60 lbs (est.) lemon shark on #10
test, a great feat. Austin Dishman caught a 20 lbs. (est.) cuda on #15
test spin artificial. What a great attack and it made a great fight in the
shallow water. Sharks will start to show more on the flats for spawning
and the Bull sharks come for the tarpon migration. Big cudas will start to
leave the flats for the deeper water as spring arrives.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day
fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry;
but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I'll do
my best.


BACK COUNTRY FISHING REPORT

with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat, BONE YARD docked at
Holiday Isle Marina in Islamorada, FL for the days of 2/22/99 through 3/15/99.

I did not realize it had been that long since a report. Doing taxes have
been a real diversion at night.

The fishing has been a roller coaster with these fronts.

Had a phenomenal day PERMIT FISHING the other day. On fly, I caught three
permit one afternoon with my wife. This was after a half day charter in
the morning, where we found over 200 permit but could not get one to hit
our baits. When I returned in the afternoon, they wanted my flies. The
fish weighed 14 lbs., 9 lbs., and 5lbs. Those permit were my 7, 8, 9th
permit on fly. I will post the pictures in my sight soon.

BONEFISHING has been good. Lots of fish as long as the wind is out of the
northeast to southeast, and the temperature is warm. Some days we've seen
up to 150 bones.

TARPON are showing in the channels, but bait has been tough to find due to
the weather. It is only going to get better, and with the arrival of the
silver mullet soon.

BARRACUDAS and SHARKS are on the flats. Lost a big cuda the other to
garbage on the flat. It was about 30 lbs. and attacked the lure with
vengeance – what a bite. Big bull sharks are showing up on the flats
anticipating the tarpon. We had a couple shots with the fly, but it was
very windy and could not get it to him. Saw four bulls in the 200 to 300
lbs. range. Might try today, wx depending.

REDFISH are prevalent. Client caught a 10 lbs. red this past Fri.

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day
fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry;
but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I'll do
my best.


BACK COUNTRY FISHING REPORT

with Capt. Rick Killgore on his boat, BONE YARD docked at Holiday
Isle Marina in Islamorada, FL for the days of 2/16/99 through 2/22/99.


Fishing has been good in the backcountry for redfish on the flats. Tim
Shearer caught 4 big reds all sight casting on artificial with spin. Fred
Zell with his 14 year old son, caught 3 reds on the flats (sight casting),
one small lemon shark, and about 20 trout.

Bonefishing has also been good, as long as you can find warm water. The
morning after the cold front we only saw one school of 20+ bones. But in
the afternoon it turned on. We had countless good shots at maybe 8 schools
of fish totaling around 110 fish. One school was of 30 fish, three other
schools of 20 fish. We had great opportunities but just could not get the
bait in the right spot.

Tarpon are around the channels, but I haven't fished for them yet. Couple
guides have been fishing them. Getting 4 - 6 hookups in a morning,
catching a few or more. Some of the fish are pushing 50+ lbs., averaging
20 – 35 lbs.

Permit should be showing up as the water warms after the cold fronts pass.
Looks like we're not going to be hit again for a few days. I might go
looking for them.

Barracudas have been around too. I have yet to fish for them, but I'm
looking forward to it. Saw at least 6 or 8 big ones (15 –20 pounds) the
other afternoon, but we were bonefishing.

Few small sharks (5 –10 lbs.) are on the flats of Flamingo too, but not as
many as in the spring and summer. Have not seen any big ones (50 –100
lbs.).

These reports are highlights of fishing days and do not report every day
fished or every fish caught. To those anglers not reported, I am sorry;
but I only have so much time and energy to put in these reports. I'll do
my best.


1998 - 1997

I started fishing full time "charter fishing" the flats in 1997, after buying my skiff. Prior I was running an offshore boat out of Bud-n-Mary's for a year and a half before I decided I finally had "to be my own boss" and fish the flats like I did when I grew up in Miami on Biscayne Bay. I did not start a fishing report until 1999.

I grew up on Key Biscayne from the 60's to the 80's. It was a great place then. My friends and I all loved fishing, free diving, water skiing , and wakeboarding - especially in a full moon cutting in along the mangroves!

This is where my Dad and I and the rest of the family fell in love with bonefish and fishing the flats. Ironically, we started out as avid offshore fisherman. We had been fishing for sailfish since I was 8 years old, and also going to Bimini since I was 10 years old. When I was around 12 my Dad bought me an old Bahamian skiff we brought back to Key Biscayne so I could start fishing Biscayne Bay on my own. This was the beginning of our bonefish fishing and flats fishing. The captivating hunt had begun.

A year later we had to replace the bottom, keel, knee, and a few ribs. I did this almost all on my own with daily guidance from my Dad. On the two man jobs he was there to help. It was my first big boat project, but not the first time working on a wood boat.

I had been helping my Dad repair the old wood 34' Norseman sportfisherman for years. I started out handing him chisels and other tools, then sanding and priming. Gradually I moved up to chiseling out bad wood and gluing in Dutchman repairs, in minor areas, and grinding fiberglass into shape for micro-balloon putty then priming. Last was learning the finish coats of Z-Spar Enamel and varnishing Mahogany trim with a brush.

My Dad and I could paint the whole side of the hull in 1.5 hours on a float with my Mom and sister holding both ends of the float up against the side. When painting with a brush you have to get the paint thinned out just right to keep the wet edge going so as to not make any "cat paws" or "lags" in the paint. When you miss a spot it's called a "holiday." It would take us two weeks just to paint the whole boat every year (2 - 4 weeks of wood work prior that). The finish coats go fast, minimum of two. It's the priming and sanding and prepping for the final coats that takes a lot of time. But when we were done, we could stand on the dock 10 feet away and see our reflections in the paint like a mirror - that was good work!