Key West Fishing-Incognito-Light Tackle

Key West Fishing Report

***You can read my report in the Weekly Fisherman Newspaper available throughout the Keys***

Key West Report 6/2/08

Fishing in Key West has hit summer fishing conditions. Hot and humid air, warm water and light winds. Anyone looking to venture offshore will be rewarded but it may take some time and gas money. There are plenty of small Dolphin around and fishing should remain good for a while.

Offshore is looking good for Dolphin, Wahoo, Sailfish and Marlin. There should be lots of Blue and White Marlin flowing in with the smaller Dolphin we are starting to see heading this way. There have been a few Blue and White Marlin caught over the past two weeks and they will come into a Dolphin spread and eat just fine. Last year they came in a little earlier but hopefully there will be an increase in quantity this year. Most of these fish are on the small side for a Marlin but they are loads of fun on 20 pound tackle unless you run into an exceptionally large fish for these waters. Most of the fish I have picked up were on plain Ballyhoo on a long rigger. The weight range was anywhere from 120-300 for Blues and in the 60-70 pound range on the Whites. Wahoo should also be coming in with Dolphin waves. Look for them deeper around debris as well as keeping a deep trolled bait out at all times. Sails will be widely disbursed unless a weather system pushes them into the reef on occasion.

On the reef the fishing is good for Yellowtail and Grouper. Conditions are tough for the angler with the extreme heat and humidity we are getting. Try to fish earlier in the morning or at dusk when bite is steadier. Mid-day fishing can be excellent but the action is in quick spurts with periods of very slow in between. The key is to keep moving. If the current is light try just drifting or pick up and move as soon as the bite drops if you are anchoring. Live Pinfish or chunks of Bonito or Dolphin roe are best baits to use. Look for fish on drops in 75-120 feet. There is a nice population of small Kingfish out there on the reef as well as Cero and Spanish Macks. If you are getting cutoffs on your yellowtail free-lines, drop one back with a few inches of wire. You usually pick up a nice King or a bunch of little Spanish Macks that make great offshore baits either trolled live or dead or free-lined under debris.

Tarpon are filtering through channels and moving into basins. Shrimp boat trash is the best bait for chunking but it is hard to come by these days. Live crabs will always work and if you want to increase your odds keep a few live crabs if you don’t mind paying the price on them like everything else. Low light with tide flow is what you are looking for or you can also work the harbor under the dock lights after dark with a live shrimp.

I have not fished the Gulf in a while but you should find some big Kingfish on most wrecks and rock-piles. Cobias are usually around is small numbers along with plenty of sharks and just under keeper Grouper. Mangrove Snapper and some nice Muttons are there as well.

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2008 Key West Ladies Dolphin Tournament

2nd Place Aggregate 43.9 pounds

16.8 and 27.1

4th Place fish 27.1

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2008 Southernmost Swordfish Tournament

2nd Place

Angler: Mike Burleson with release of 80 pound (estimated) Swordfish at 4:30 PM

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2007 Key West Gator Club Dolphin Derby

3rd place Women's division

30.4 pound Dolphin

15.9 pound Dolphin

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2007 Key West Fishing Tournament

Largest Kingfish Men's Devision-66 1/2 pounds in 50#line class

Largest Cobia Women's Division 14 1/2 pounds in 12# line class

Largest Dolphin Women's Division 22 pounds in unlimited line class

Largest Skipjack Tuna Women's Division 12 1/2 pounds in 50# line class

Largest Yellowjack Women's Division 16 1/2 pounds in Unlimited line class.

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2007 IGFA Junior World Championships

Tiffany Smith, happy to have finally caught her first dolphin, as well as taking home Junior Female Stringer award, Top Junior Female Day 1, and Top Junior Female Day 2

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Video Links:

Blue Marlin 4/21/07: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKjURGqPYjc

Mutton Snapper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDPN830xzUk

Goliath Grouper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN-x-1Hf794

Red Snapper: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zE26UvDE6dk

Blackfin Tuna: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK3cV2E4Okg

Recent catches

click to enlarge