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.