CapMel.com - Florida Keys Fishing Report

By http://www.islamoradasportfishing.com

Offshore:
Dolphin action is still good and will get only better come July. There are some Mahi being caught close to the reef, but for the most part the better fish are farther offshore. Capt. Ron on the Fish Tales had a great rack of fish mid week, but only made his day by lingering in the deep blue til late in the afternoon. Capt. Jack on the Hang em’ High was trolling his way back inshore one day when he saw a small boat with a good size fish hooked up jumping, then lost. As the Captain trolled a wide circle around the skiff they caught a couple of nice cow Dolphin, then Jack spotted a very large bull. After casting to and catching the huge Dolphin it weighed in at 69.9 pounds. It reportedly had three other leaders that had broken off in its mouth.

Reefs:
The mainstay of reef action is still the Yellowtail Snapper. When the conditions are right, as far as current and water clarity (or lack of it) the Yellowtail feed well. Best success will be in darkness or in low light. Capt. Lou Brubaker fished the reef last week on a ¾ day. His clients had a ball catching huge Blue Runners on the Eagle wreck using backcountry Trout rods. Captain Lou fished three reef wrecks on the outing and caught Mutton Snapper and Yellowtail Snapper along with twice doing battle with hoards of undersize Dolphin also on the light 10 pound spin using jigs.

Gulf and Bay:
Most of the angling in the gulf/bay boundary area is being done by Tarpon fly guides. Reports tell of plenty of Tarpon sighted with a handful of hookups. This is the way it goes in the “ultimate pursuit” of Tarpon fly fishing. In the deeper 5 to 9 foot grassy depths the Sea Trout and Mangrove Snapper are still in good numbers and will hit a jig dredged through the grassy bottom.

Flats, Backcountry and Flamingo:
Few reports came in from the Flamingo area this week with most guides fishing Tarpon close to home. The action on the Silver King has been great. The fish are eating Crabs and dead bait anglers are catching Tarpon well as well, along with the obligatory Nurse Shark and the occasional Barracuda. Again the fishing should be done in low light or darkness for best results.