Fish seem to be happier with arrival of cooler weather.
Keynoter PublishingJanuary 8, 2016
Finally some cooler temperatures make it down to the Keys giving us our first real taste of winter, and the fish could not be happier.
The cold weather was just what our fishery needed to get the shrimp running and the sailfish biting. Grouper season is closed Jan. 1 until May 1, but at the same time hogfish opened to the delight of light tackle anglers.
Offshore, catching bait has been the key to fishing the reef edge. Baits like ballyhoo, speedos and pilchards have been plentiful and are the main ingredient for a solid day of catching.
Before the front, boats fishing for sailfish along the edge of the reef in 100 to 150 feet had been hooking a few fish almost every day. After the front passed, those numbers increased and will continue to do so with the arrival of more fronts later this month.
Captain Jon Reynolds and his crew aboard the Drop Back out of the Post Card Marina reported lots of wahoo in the 15- to 30-pound range caught while fishing live baits like pilchards and speedos either slow trolled or drifted along the reef edge in 100 to 150 feet off Islamorada. Mixed in with the wahoo were sailfish, kingfish, cero mackerel and the occasional blackfin tuna weighing 10 to 20 pounds.
Capt. Chan Warner aboard the party boat Gulfstream out of Key Largo got a surprise this past week as an estimated 14-foot great white shark was spotted while fishing in 80 feet off Molasses Reef. He put his clients on a great yellowtail/ mangrove snapper bite in 75-90 feet south of Molasses Reef all week long.
Along with the snapper have been hogfish, groupers, yellow jacks and a few kingfish. The fish were caught while sandballing for the yellowtails and fishing cut bait like speedos and ballyhoo for the mangrove and groupers. During the windier days of the week the Gulfstream had great success fishing the shallower patch reefs in 20 to 50 feet. The patch reefs have been producing hogfish, porgies, mixed sizes of mangrove and yellowtail snappers, lots of small mutton snappers, and assorted reef fish.
Live or fresh dead shrimp fished on the bottom have been the baits that cover all bases, while cut bait like ballyhoo or dead pilchards target the larger groupers and snappers.
In the backcountry, the cold weather has really turned on the bite in the back with good amounts of redfish, snook, sheepshead and black drum caught while fishing shrimp on the bottom. Areas with deeper waters like the protected channels of East Cape and Lake Ingram have been rough to get to but worth the ride this week.
Capt. Mark Johnson of Florida Keys Fun Fishing out of Angler House Marina in Islamorada has had another great week with clients. He fished the Gulf for Spanish mackerel, mangrove snappers, jacks, sharks, and a few cobias with chartreuse quarter- and half-ounce jig heads tipped with shrimp. When targeting the mackerel, he uses light wire leaders and several blocks of chum in areas with broken bottom or structure. Mackerel have been averaging 2 to 4 pounds, with larger ones up to 6 pounds caught almost every trip.
Those of you who know me, know that to me, fishing is more than just a game, it is a way of life. So fish hard and fish often!
Capt. Mike Makowski is a backcountry fishing guide and owner of Blackfoot Charters in Key Largo. His column appears biweekly. To send him fishing reports or photos, e-mail captmikemakowski5@gmail.com or call (305) 481-0111
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