04/15/2009 06:31 PM

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 14^th 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.

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.

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!!!!

2005

Lets Go Fishing, Rick

2004

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

B)     Tarpon over 100 pounds: 34 % of the catch

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

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.

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

 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.   

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 %)

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:

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.

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.

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.  

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 

Capt. Rick Killgore

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.

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

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

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 20^th the cool winds blew 20 to 30 knots daily. Lots of guides were canceling trips.  

 (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

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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

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.

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

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.

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

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