Florida Keys Fishing Report week of 4/17/2017
Provided by:
http://www.IslamoradaSportFishing.com
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Offshore:
There was a good showing of Dolphin last week as charter boats took a beating fishing in the windy conditions. The wind was onshore for the most part until a front blew through and the wind went North. Captain Ross on his Early Bird out of Post Card Inn had a great box of Dolphin on a rough day with a big Bull making a great centerpiece on the fish rack. Captain Brain Cone had a good day with the Dolphin running to the west out of Robbie’s marina on Lower Matecumbe Key. The bite on the Islamorada Hump was good with Tuna ranging from just a few pounds up to the teens in weight.
Reefs:
The big news on the reef is that the Sailfish bit their tails off last week. Release flags were flying from outrigger lines galore at Whale Harbor Marina last week. The Seahorse, Floridian, Dog House and Caribsea charter boats combined for fifteen sailfish releases between them one day. Yellowtail Snapper action continued to please with big flag Yellowtail the norm. Captain Ed Yanetti reported getting a limit of big Yellowtail Snapper on a private boat one trip last week. Captain Don on the Kay K IV got his gang a limit of Yellowtail and tangled with two Sailfish that escaped before being brought to boat for the release.
Gulf and Bay:
There were few that fished the Gulf with the fierce winds. Most skiffs as well as bay boat stayed in the shallows of Florida Bay and worked on the Seatrout. The Trout action had slowed down last week, but this past week things picked up nicely. There are two bodies of Trout in the Bay. One up along the mainland shoreline and the other out adjacent to the Gulf. There have been plenty of Trout up to twenty inches and some Snapper mixed in also. Look for the Snapper bite to get better as the water warms up. Captain Lou Brubaker had a nice catch of Trout one trip and then went and looked for the big bite. The big bite came in the form of two sharks and one Sawfish about 10 feet in length. While holding the leader for a picture, the Sawfish swung his head and took a chunk out of the gunwale, a not so subtle reminder about safety when dealing with those big nasty critters.
Flats, Backcountry and Flamingo:
For those wanting Tarpon, the conditions have not gotten any better this week. There have been Tarpon catches, but we are not in prime time just yet. The wind has muddied water and created lots of grass to deal with and water temperatures have struggled to maintain mid-seventies. That being said, we are on the way to calmer more stable weather very soon and the Tarpon will begin to cooperate better. Guides have been catching Snook and Redfish in the cape Sable area baiting with Shrimp and Pinfish.
CapMel Staff
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