The Key Largo Inshore Report

Key Largo Inshore Report – September

This past month saw the return of the big roaming schools of pilchards anywhere from Lower Matecumbe up to the Ocean Reef Club. Many locals feared that the bait (pilchards, mullet, and pinfish), which took the cold snap the hardest this past winter were on the verge of being wiped out. But not so! And let me say the pinfish are everywhere. Almost every place I have poled lately has held thousands of small pinfish flashing on the bottom destroying my live shrimp. There are mullet in the backcountry but we wont see the big schools of finger mullet until early October.

And with the bait come the sport fish. I have seen more snook lately than I have seen all year. My best day so far this year, 15 snook up to 28 inches. But most days we catch an average of 2-3 fish a day. Most of the fish that really eat are on the small side, but you will always see the bigger ones being wary of your baits. Don’t be fooled, these fish are still here because they are the smartest/toughest. Your best bet is to net up some pilchards, and then find a shoreline that the snook hang out on. Throw out handfuls of injured bait and wait until the snook start popping. I have had the best success with 2/0 circle hooks tied on 40lb fluorocarbon leader, if the water is gin clear you may have to step it down to 30lb leader to encourage a bite. I always tell my anglers that when they hook up a nice snook he will head straight to the nearest structure, when he does this put the tip of your rod into the water!!! A lot of the Mangrove roots/ branches do not extend all the way to the bottom. By placing your rod tip below the surface you will have a much better chance of avoiding potential snags that will cost you a great catch.

The small tarpon (5lbs-15lbs) continue to give us action all day long. Live shrimp hooked through the head with 30lb fluorocarbon leader has been the best way to hook up with one of these backcountry gladiators. Nighttime continues to be the best time to catch multiple fish. Fishing around channel entrances with moving water is all it takes to locate feeding tarpon. Ideally I like to throw pilchards or backcountry GOLD, as I like to call them. But when you cant find them live shrimp work just as well. To find your tarpon during the daytime look for them to be rolling in man made canals and areas that hold stagnant water (water with little to no oxygen).
See you out there….
Capt. Mike

On the Water Art

They’re coming to take them away hay, hay. They’re coming to take them away hay, hoe.  And for those of you who enjoy fishing it is time to avoid the madness that is Lobster season. Even thought the shallow water reefs are under attack does not mean you can’t get out for some great fishing action.

My suggestion is to head into Everglades National Park for some peace and quiet. Huge schools of mullet can be found on the shallow water flats all over Florida Bay and are great indicators of active areas. Just look for the mud’s and you will find the fish. My anglers have had great success with soft plastic jerk baits rigged weed less and with no weight or ¼ ounce Johnson silver and gold weed less spoons. Thrown blindly into active muds and retrieved back to the boat. Sharks, redfish, snook, seatrout, blackdrum, and sheepheads are the main players. Ospreys can also be a good indicator of active mud’s that will hold fish.

Over the last week bonefish have made their presence known around the Oceanside flats off the Upper Keys. From Ocean Reef to the north, and as far south as Channel 5 in Lower mat they are here and in force. The best tides have been the morning incoming tide and afternoon fall. Ultimately avoiding the middle part of the day will save you from polling endlessly with no results. Basically fish the morning and afternoon. One afternoon my clients witnessed the largest schools of bones I have seen all year so far.

Three schools averaging 60-80 fish each!!! In four hours we hooked 7 bones and landed 5, one of which weighed in at 11lbs but the average was around 8 lbs overall. Live shrimp and patience are the two best allies you can have. A 1/0 circle hook with a tiny split shot placed about 2 inches above the hook will prevent the shrimp from getting bogged down in the grass has proven to be the rig of choice. And for you fly anglers out there as long as the fly is relatively small I have not found a pattern that will not work. The permit action is day to day, with some days better than others. It seems that the early morning falling tide has been the best time to peruse these awesome fighting fish.
See you out there…

Capt. Mike Makowski
Blackfoot charters

December 2009: Key Largo Fishing Report

The dip in degrees has made its way down to the Florida Keys.  This sudden drop in water temperatures will have an effect on the movement and location of fish in Florida Bay and oceanside.  When you make plans for a cold water fishing day think deeper water and a slower presentation.  The deeper water will maintain more consistent water temperatures throughout the day and night.  Whether you are chasing snook or stalking bonefish the rules are the same, a slow moving bait in deeper water.

The bonefishing has been great on the oceanside flats around Key Largo and Ocean Reef.  The key factor has been to fish the incoming tide which will flood the flats with warmer water.  As the tides rises the fish have been moving onto the flats using deeper impressions and potholes to maneuver through.  The past few weeks there have been large schools of fish milling around in these deeper impressions which can be found on most flats.  The wind can act as an ally allowing you to get closer than usual to the fish.  This is when a boat with no hull-slap can be a great benefit for poling in the wind.  The slight wind chop on the water also makes it tougher to spot fish.  But by keeping the sun at your back and moving at a slow constant speed you can maximize your visibility.    On the windiest of days you can concentrate on light bottom where it’s much easier to spot bonefish.  You can also anchor on the edge of a deep pothole and chum with cut pieces of shrimp.  Bonefish have a sensitive sense of smell which you can use to your advantage.  The most productive chumming areas will disperse the shrimp smell over the flat as the tide rises.   As always, it’s important to know the tides and wind direction when planning your fishing trip.

In the backcountry, the black drum bite is improving with the drastic drop in water temperatures in the Flamingo area.  These cousins to the redfish will school in the channel bottoms feeding on shrimp and crabs as they get swept-by in the current.  Find channels with hard bottom and drop down a live shrimp on a 1/0 circle hook with enough of an egg sinker to hold your bait to the bottom.  Don’t be surprised if you hook a redfish or snook mixed-in with the black drum.  Take some time to work the creeks over in Flamingo tossing baits along the shorelines around the numerous fallen trees and mangrove roots.   The snook and redfish will hang close to deadfall on the down-current side where they can wait to ambush baitfish without expending too much energy.   This cold snap should also school-up the trout and jacks in the channels.  These fish are a blast to catch on light tackle and can save a slow day on the water with some rod-bending action.  The trout will be on the bottom during the early and late parts of the day then rise in the water column as the sun warms the water.  I prefer using Gulp Swimming Mullet curly tailed bait on a HookUp Lure when working baits in deep water.  The curly tail creates a lot of action and vibrations when bouncing the bait slowly off the bottom.  During the middle of the day as the water temperatures rise you can probably switch to a popping cork to catch the trout suspending above the grass.

Captain Lain Goodwin of Dirty Waters Charters offers backcountry fishing and lobster trips from Key Largo and Islamorada to Florida Bay, Everglades National Park and Biscayne Bay. You can find him online at www.DirtyWatersCharters.com

November 2009: Fishing in Florida Bay Has Been Consistently Good

I can’t wait for the upcoming cooler temperatures.  I am not one to normally complain about the heat because I’m not a fan of the cold.  But when it’s snowing in the north and we’re setting record highs in the Florida Keys, I start looking forward to the gradual cool-down of the fall.   Fishing in northeast Florida Bay has been consistently good despite a few bouts with the wind which is the normal pattern emerging as we enter fall.  There are many areas that become more productive when the wind creates a good current which will push baitfish around a corner or through a channel.   That’s where we’ve been catching plenty of those highly sought-after Everglades’ snook.  My live bait of choice is usually pilchards but the fall finger mullet run should be in full swing in the next few weeks and are like candy to hungry snook.  If you don’t know how to throw a cast net, this is a great time to learn as there will be schools of mullet moving all around Florida Bay.  The Everglades restrict nets to under 10’ radius which is plenty big for catching bait in the shallows which only averages 3’ deep.

Although site-fishing can be tough with the high winds, it’s still possible to work along the leeward side of shorelines looking for fish.  There’s always a good number of fish around the islands throughout Florida Bay feeding on the schools of finger mullet that have invaded the backcountry.  Many of my most productive spots have come from fishing new areas in an attempt to hide from the wind.  When doing your homework the night before a trip, take out a chart or aerial photo to find a few new areas to try the next day.  Keep in mind that deeper channels abutting shallow flats become highways for baitfish moving with the current.  These are great ambush spots for feeding snook, redfish and those tackle-busting jack cravelles.

The trout bite in the bays around Flamingo will continue to improve as the water temps drop.  Find the grass beds and you will find the schools of trout ranging from 12” to over 25”.   Shutdown the boat on the upwind side of the flat and drift across while casting Cajun Thunder popping corks with an 1/8 oz. HookUp Lure and Berkley Gulp shrimp.  On the windy days, drifting can be difficult as the boats move too fast for anglers.  But, consider using a drift sock to slow the boats speed allowing you to get more time in the productive areas.  Once you get a few bites, quietly drop the anchor or push pole to stop the boat.   This will allow you to work the area thoroughly.   When the bite slows, go back to drifting until you find another school of fish.   If you don’t find any trout in the basins on those cold mornings, stake-off in one of the deep channels around Flamingo and bounce some baits off the bottom.  Don’t forget that trout season is closed November and December so handle these fish with care and get them back in the water quickly.

Captain Lain Goodwin of Dirty Waters Charters offers backcountry fishing and lobster trips from Key Largo
and Islamorada to Florida Bay, Everglades National Park and Biscayne Bay. You can find him online at www.DirtyWatersCharters.com.

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