Florida Keys Fishing Report week of 6/19/2017
Provided by:
http://www.IslamoradaSportFishing.com
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Offshore:
Dolphin catches remain very good with the Mahi being caught from 350 feet out to 750 feet of water. The Islamorada hump area has been giving up some good catches of Blackfin Tuna. The Tuna action drops off as the sun gets high in the sky and of course with lots of boats present. There are some big Dolphin, but mostly school size fish from 4 to 8 pounds make up the bulk of catches. The 5th annual Ladies Dolphin Tournament winning team was the Islamorada Beer Company with the large Dolphin weighing in at 45.6 pounds. Captain Billy on his Vera Vita out of Whale Harbor Marina fished a six-hour trip and wailed on the school Dolphin big time ending up with thirty Mahi to fillet. Captain Glen on the Gonefishin V had two slammer Dolphin weighing in the thirties. Captain Easy with Captain Bruce Anderson also had a couple Slammer Dolphin one trip last week.
Reefs:
Yellowtail Snapper fishing is quite good all along the reef from Tennessee up to Conch reef. The yellowtail are being chummed up to baits drifted in the 60 to 70 foot depths. Look for some Mutton and Mangrove Snapper to be in the catch also. There have been a few “summer” Kings caught, but with most charters being offshore it is tough to get a handle on how substantial the King Mackerel populations are. Bay boat guides are fishing the patches and getting good catches of Snapper, Porgy, Hogfish and Grouper.
Gulf and Bay:
Not much has changed in this venue recently. The Trout and Snapper action is good to great with the Snapper being more aggressive than the trout as the water warms. Just drifting and jigging is the method for success for the Trout and Snapper. Tarpon and Sharks are in good supply where the bay meets the gulf and live or dead baits will do the trick. In the Gulf, there are a few wrecks and plenty of areas of live bottom or reef bottom that are holding Snapper, Grouper, Trout, Sharks and the occasional Cobia and Permit also. When in the gulf in depths of ten to fifteen feet keep an eye on your depth finder and look for the dark line that shows hard bottom.
Flats, Backcountry and Flamingo:
It is fair to say that the Tarpon is still king in the shallow water areas. The channels in the Islamorada area or back in Flamingo hold plenty of Tarpon. In the Islamorada area fish darkness or low light for the best shot at a Tarpon. Back in the Flamingo area find the tide change to spur the bite. Captain Skip Paxton went in search of Bonefish one day last week and got his client shots a few on fly. Captain John Gargan has been Tarpon fishing evenings and getting lots of action chumming and dead baiting. Look for Permit around the overseas Highway bridges and give them a shot by drifting a small live crab in the tide. And of course, Seatrout are pretty much all over the Flamingo area especially on and around the banks that bump up against the Gulf.
CapMel Staff
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