Offshore:
A few charter captains are taking their fare out to the
Islamorada hump and dropping for Amberjack. Capt. Jeff
on the Genesis and Capt. Don on the K Kay III have both
been offshore and boating a few Amberjack per trip. While
on the hump, Capt. Don had a few small Dolphin run up
on him to add to the dinner menu.
Reefs:
With the Sailfish action declining, most reef anglers
are concentrating on the King Mackerel. The Kingfish
will range in size from 8 to 18 pounds depending on
what batch of fish you find. The action on Cero Mackerel
is great also. The Cero are roaming the top of the reef
in around 25 to 30 feet of water and are caught by anchoring
and casting jigs or Shrimp into the chum slick. Many
skiff guides have been fishing the shallow patches in
10 to 15 feet of water on a north wind. The Mangrove
Snapper have been biting well as have been the Yellowtail
and small Grouper. With the continued cold weather these
shallow minded Snapper and Grouper should be gorging
on Shrimp riding the flow out of the backcountry.
Gulf and Bay:
It has continued to be a harsh winter with moderate
to strong wind and very cool temperatures. Many backcountry
anglers have been fishing the Spanish Mackerel close
to 9 mile bank rather than taking the additional six
to eight mile ride to the traditional mackerel area.
The mackerel have been present, but very lethargic.
“The Mack’s are nipping at jigs tipped with
Shrimp crawled along the bottom and it is not unlike
a Carp bite. You really have to keep the line tight
and set the hook and wind fast to keep them attached”,
is the report from Capt. Lou Brubaker. There have been
small Bluefish, Ladyfish and Jacks to add to the action
in this endeavor.
Flats, Backcountry and Flamingo:
The good Bonefish action of a couple of weeks ago has
cooled off as the water temperatures just will not climb
to the comfort zone of the flats fish. In the backcountry
around Flamingo the Red and Black Drum are the only
news worthy of mentioning. The Drum species seem perfectly
happy in the cool water and are inhaling live Shrimp
drifted in channels. There is a good Trout bite usually
on the warmer incoming tide. Looking ahead to next week
it seems we are in for a warming trend and the big migratory
Tarpon will soon be a regular addition to angling reports.