  Sundance Sportfishing Adventures 12-04-01 Sailfish Season is Here! Sailfish time is here again in the Marathon and Florida Keys area. Even though Sailfish can be caught year round in the Florida Keys, November through April is considered the peak of the season. The Islamorada Sailfish tournament just ended up Sunday with over 100 fish caught in the three day event on 29 boats. That may sound like a lot of fish, but it is actually a bit slow for this time of year as we have had exceptionally warm and nice weather for the past two weeks here in the Keys. Normally, after a few cold weather spells and breezy North wind conditions, the Sailfish action heats up. Since we have had none of that kind of weather, it has been a bit slow so far this season for Sailfish. The flip side of that equation is that the Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi)fishing has remained very good through a period where it normally drops off due to cool weather. We managed to catch several nice Dolphin on our last few trips and had a nice Sailfish on Saturday along with a large Black Grouper to go with the Dolphin. Look for the Sailfishing to heat up with the next cooling trend and the King Mackerel should be heating up as well. Black Groupers on the Wrecks The past three trips out on the oceanside wrecks we found the Black Groupers to be big and biting. We managed to land several up to 20lb., but lost many larger ones to the structure below on several wrecks. This kind of fishing should remain excellent for the next few months. Live Pinfish seem to be the bait of choice as King Mackerel were eating all the Pilchards we tried to drop to the bottom. Kings tend to lay off the Pinfish a bit and allow them to get to the bottom where the Grouper hang out. Mackerel Bite slows a bit The hot Mackerel bite in Florida Bay has eased a bit in some areas, but has remained strong in some others. Look for the Mackerel fishing to heat up everywhere after the next cool snap. Warm weather the past couple of weeks has moved where the fish are hanging out, but Bay anglers have had plenty of great action lately. Mangrove Snapper have been biting on the Banks and near the Seven Mile Bridge and the Blacktip Shark action remains hot near the bayside wrecks. For more info on Florida Keys fishing in the Marathon area, check out our website! Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! 11-26-01 Mackerel Bonanza! The annual run of Spanish Mackerel has started a bit early here in the Marathon and middle Keys area. The bite is ON right now as tons of nice sized Spanish have been coming in from the Florida Bay. Best action has been about 9-15 miles out in 11-15 ft. of water. Normally the Mackerel bite really heats up after Christmas, but a cooler than normal October and early Nov. has hurried up the migration to the Keys area. Best baits for the big Mack attack in Florida Bay are live shrimp, live pilchards, cut fresh Ballyhoo, spoons, jigs, flies, and just about any artificial bait that you can move fast through the water (don't forget the wire leader!). We had a bay trip yesterday and found live pilchards and small silver spoons to be the best ticket. The action has been all you want and after an hour or two of fighting these aggressive fish, you might opt for some of the great Snapper or Shark fishing that is also going on in the Bay right now. Lots of large Lemons, Black Tips and Bull Sharks have been invading the Snapper grounds near East Bahia Honda Key and the action has been furious with anglers wanting to hook into a large predator. Also in the Bay and Gulf right now are a few nice Cobia and Grouper on the wrecks a bit further out along with an occasional Goliath Grouper (Jewfish). On the Oceanside of the Marathon area, lots of Mackerel action to be had there as well on the reef and in Hawk's Channel around the humps and coral heads. Nice catches of Yellowtail have been coming in from the shallow reef with most fish in the 13-16" class. Larger Yellowtail have been a bit slower because of unfavorable current conditions, but has been decent near Big Pine Key and off of Duck Key in 65-85' of water. On the offshore scene, some nice Dolphin have been showing up lately close to the edge of the reef in 120-250ft. of water. Some as large as 45lb.!! Most have been nice sized shoolies, and charter boats fishing for Sailfish and Kingfish have had some nice surprises lately with the Dolphin. The Oceanside wrecks have been producing some nice Mutton Snapper as well lately and a few big Amberjack and Jack Crevalle also are inhabiting the wrecks presently. The offshore humps off of the middle Keys have been slow lately as far as the Tuna bite goes. The last report I have form out there was that there was no current and no fish. That can change overnight however, with the gulfstream moving back in over the humps and bringing the current and fish along with it. Best bet is to check with the local tackle shops that have the satellite maps of the gulfstream before heading offshore to the humps. For more information on offshore and Tarpon fishing in Marathon and the middle Keys, check out our web site! Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!! Capt. Bob Brown, Jr. 10-05-01 Lots of Reef Action! Reef fishing in the middle Keys area has been very good recently with nice numbers of Black Grouper and Mangrove Snapper inhabiting the 20-40ft. depths. Some nice catches of Red and Black Grouper have been coming in from Hawk's Channel on the humps and wrecks that are surrounded by the deeper waters. Lots of Small Yellowtail Snapper and some nice sized Mutton Snapper have been hanging in the channel as well. Larger Yellowtail have been coming in from the deeper reef edge and some big Black Grouper have been coming in from near the 7 mile bridge rubble and from other deep wrecks and reef structure. Best way to target larger Grouper is to fish near the bottom with a live bait and mono leader. Best live baits are Pinfish, Ballyhoo, Pilchards, Blue Runners, and Small Yellowtails. Spend and hour or two catching a few small live baits before heading to the reef edge and you may be rewarded with some great eating Grouper! Offshore still active The offshore scene has had some ups and downs lately with the windy conditions making it tough to venture further offshore, but there have been plenty of Dolphin and Tuna out there when adventurous anglers take the time and effort to head way out. The best bite has been from 20-35 miles out, but a few reports of some nice Dolphin have been coming in from nearer to shore. Bayside Bite Improving The Snapper fishing has started to improve in Florida Bay and some nice Grouper have been pout there as well. The fishing will start to improve as waters start to cool a bit and lots of Mackerel will be showing up in the Bay soon also. Look for the Cobia to be hanging out on the wrecks further offshore on the bayside mixed with a few Blacktip Sharks and some Permit. A Goliath Grouper is not out of the question either as they seem to be showing up on more and more of the bayside wrecks all the time. Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! Capt. Bob Brown, Jr 8-20-01 Muttons & Groupers The oceanside offshore wrecks have been loaded with nice size Black Groupers and Mutton Snappers lately anywhere from 90-240ft. of water. Use live Pinfish, Blue Runners, Ballyhoo or Small Yellowtails as bait and drop them just outside and up current of the wrecks. A few Sailfish might show up there from time to time to feed on the tons of bait fish that hold up on the wrecks, so keep one out there on the surface. You can also expect a few Barracudas and Sharks along with an African Pompano or two. Amberjacks will be piling up on oceanside wrecks too here real soon and you may already be catching a few on certain wrecks. Lots of nice Redfish and Trout have been reported coming out of Florida Bay along with Permit on the Gulf wrecks and plenty of Red & Gag Grouper. Jewfish have become alot more common in recent years on the Bayside spots and remember to release any you might wrestle to the boat. Plenty of Dolphin still out there on the offshore scene and a few nice Wahoo showing up too. Look for the Blue Marlin to make a showing in Sept. and Oct along the Keys as this is the time of year that we see the most of them. Best areas to target Marlin are 20-40 miles offshore and around the Humps and the Wall. Good luck to all who are trying for their first Marlin!! Capt. Bob Brown, Jr. 7-4-01 Summer Dolphin Bite is ON The summer Dolphin fishing offshore in the Marathon and middle keys area has been very good for the past couple months and should remain excellent through the nest couple months. Dolphin can be found just about anywhere offshore this time of year from the edge of the reef on out offshore. The best action lately on nice weather days has been around 25 miles offshore of the reef. This long run out by Keys standards has been the hottest area as of late, but can change overnight with weather and current influences. The approach of a tropical wave the next few days may cause an increase in southeast wind and push some good numbers of fish into the reef edge about 5 miles out. Trolling with ballyhoo and lures have been the best for Dolphin and a few Blackfin Tuna are still out around the Hump and near the Wall. You might encounter a Sailfish or two also, so be ready to drop back if you see a Sail in your spread. Some large Mutton Snappers have been coming in from the edge of the reef along with plenty of Mangroves mainly at night. Yellowtail are plentiful on the reef at night also and a few being caught during the day. A few large Tarpon still hanging around the bridges and flats but many have moved north on their migration. Plenty of great Tarpon action though is still available for the next few weeks. Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! 6-12-01 Beware of the Blues! Some nice catches of schoolie Dolphin are still coming in to the docks in Marathon and the middle Keys. The larger slammer Dolphin have been a bit thin this week after a couple of weeks of great catches on large fish of over 40lbs. Reports of a few large Blue Marlin have been coming in from boats trolling for Dolphin offshore mostly out beyond the 15 mile mark. Blues have been showing up in the spread of many offshore boats the past couple weeks and Capt. Andy Wing on the "Best Bet" reported missing three big Blues recently. They are definately out there and one needs to be prepared if you are going to try to tame sportfishing's King of the ocean! Most Blue Marlin off of Marathon and the middle Keys range from 150-300lb. range but I have seen some as big as 500lb. behind the boat eating our small Blackfin Tuna that we were reeling in. A few nice Wahoo have been coming in from offshore as well plus a few nice Blackfin Tuna coming in from the west hump and from near the "Wall". The hump has been a bit slow lately, but if you get out there early or stay late you might have some great Tuna action. Tarpon Still around Tarpon season is still in full swing in the middle Keys and plently of large fish are still around. Generally the large migratory Tarpon will move into the Keys in Feb.and hang around till early July. Some years large fish hang around longer than others, and this year has seen some big Tarpon still showing up at Bahia Honda bridge, Seven Mile bridge, Long Key bridge, and out in the bayside around the islands and near the everglades around banks, channels, and inlets. Try drifting large Blue crabs or large shrimp after dark or use live mullet if you can find them. Mullet have started ot disappear a bit from the area and may be a hard bait to come by the next few weeks. Large lures also work well after dark with the "Bomber long A" being one of my favorites. Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! 5-7-01 Dolphin Scramble! The offshore fishing off of Marathon and the middle Keys lately has been dominated by Dolphin. The breezy conditions have kept most private anglers off the water the past week or two, but charter boats have been venturing out and scoring big time on nice Dolphin. Most fish have been in the "schoolie" class of up to 15lb., but some nicer fish have been hitting the docks up to 45lb. this week! There has been some good weed lines in the 400-600 ft. range in the past two days full of schoolie Dolphin and a few larger fish coming through under frigate birds. A few nice Wahoo have also been reported coming in from around floating debris. A few Sailfish have been caught lately off of Marathon. With most boats targeting Dolphin and rough seas limiting the movement of boats, the Sailfish bite actually is a bit of a mystery right now. It should still be happening with all this east wind. Look for tailing Sails if you are ventuing out the next few days in the 100-200ft. range. Tarpon need a warm up! The water temperature at the bridges here off of Marathon has been hovering around the 73-74 degree mark the past two weeks or so and the Tarpon have been hanging around and wating for the next heat wave. Some days the Tarpon action has been red hot especially at Bahia Honda bridge, but even there, they have had a slow morning or evening lately. The main reason is the cooler than normal water temp along with consistant winds from the NE at around 20+ knots. This breeze won't allow the water to heat up to it's normal 78-80 degree mark for early to mid May. Once the breeze calms down, the fishing should go through the roof again and the Tarpon should be biting! Even through the rough conditions, we have had some excellent catches. Yesterday morning, our anglers Bert, Matt, and John Copeland of Jupiter, FL. landed two large Tarpon in the 125-150lb. class. The larger fish put on quite a show and even caused some other boats some anchoring problems around the Seven Mile Bridge as we chased him around the pilings! Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! 3-30-01 Tailing Time! Yesterday, the bite was on! Sailfish, Cobia, Hammerhead Sharks, Dolphin, Wahoo, Bonito.... All these blue water species were on the bite yesterday and today as "tailing" season kicked into full gear. Tailing is the term we use to describe the way fish surf down the waves as they migrate westerly along the Florida Keys. Sailfish and Cobia are usually the targeted species of this phenomenon which is caused by the wind whipping up from the east/southeast and a strong current heading into the wind (to the east). Any time the waves start building up to 4-5ft and above, the fish come to the surface and expose part of their tail fin as they surf down the waves. Hense the term "tailing". This helps them gain momentom in their trek to head west and brings them into the view of fishermen seeking a fight from the Sails. Just about all the boats out there yesterday had Sailfish hookups and releases and several boats caught as many as 10 Sailfish. Some nice Cobia were also spotted and caught, some up to 50lb. Quite a few nice schoolie Dolphin also made their way to the docks on charter boats as well. On the "Sundance" we also had an opportunity to hook up a large Hammerhead shark but he went down before we could get a bait to him. Several other reports of Hammerheads were on the airwaves yesterday as well. Any time the conditions get rough in March and April, tailing action will be at it's peak. If you can handle the seas or have a charter planned this time of year, don't be afraid to get out there and try your luck on this yearly phenomenon! It may turn out to be a fantastic day! For more info on fishing in the Keys and the Marathon area, check out our website. Good luck in all your fishing adventures! Capt. Bob Brown, Jr. 3-5-01 Sailfish Heat Up The Sailfish action here off of Marathon has warmed up lately with some outstanding catches happening. It has been a bit inconsistant, but three of the past 5 days have been excellent for charter boats targeting Sailfish. Saturday, a fleet of 19 boats fished the Capt. Leon Shell Memorial Sailfish Tournament and hooked up more than 50 fish and about 25 were released. The top two boats had 5 and 4 fish respectively. Two days before that several boats saw as many as 40 Sails hooking up 8-9 and catching 4-5. Inbetween has been a few slower days, but a late afternoon bite has saved the day for Sailfish anglers. Kingish Still Hot! King Mackerel fishing has been alive and well here off of Marathon. I know it probably sounds like a broken record, but it's hard not to mention how good this fishing has been. Lots of "school" sized Kings around 5-15lb. and a few larger ones up to 35lb. have been hitting the docks. Also, a few nice Wahoo have been mixed in with the King action with some up to 45lb. Some nice Mutton Snapper and large Black Grouper have been coming in from the deep wrecks and reef areas. Amberjacks to 50lb. have also been around on the deep wrecks and some nice African Pompano. Also on the offshore scene, the Dolphin action has started improving with some nice catches coming in the past few days. Today on the "Sundance", we brought in 12 nice Dolphin and released several small ones. The weather has been warm and water temp is getting up to the mid 70's which means more and more Dolphin will be showing up in the next few weeks. A few nice Blackfin Tuna have been coming in from the offshore humps and from the 200-300ft. depths. For more info on fishing in the Marathon and middle Keys area, check out our website! Good luck in all of your fishing adventures. Capt. Bob Brown, Jr. 2-16-01 The past couple of days here off of Marathon and the middle Keys, a nice batch of clean water moved in on the reef edge. This happens when the wind turns to the East/SE and an eddie wips in from the gulfstream and makes it to the reef edge. Today, even though we have had some breezy conditions, the water on the edge of the reef was amazingly clear. When this condition exists, the Sailfish may be just about anywhere as they are moving along the reef. Today, many of the fish were found in the 20-60 ft. of water range. Usually we are targeting Sailfish in the 100-200 ft. depths, but when the water is super clear, Sailfish may come up on the reef to feed on Ballyhoo, Houndfish, and any other small baitfish they can find. Look for Frigate birds to be dipping low or for flying fish or Ballyhoo to be getting up and "showering". If your boat has a tower, you can cruise along the 30-50ft. depth where there is sandy bottom and just look for the Sails cruising along. The white sandy bottom makes for a good contrast to the dark colored Sailfish and makes them easy to spot. Have a live bait hooked up and handy to toss to the fish. Once you spot one on the move, determine the direction of movement and get ahead of the fish. Then toss the live bait out in front of the fish and hopefully you will be "hooked up"! Cobia and Hammerhead sharks can also be spotted using this technique. Also on the offshore scene, there were quite a few Dolphin caught the past couple days in the 100-200 ft. range and lots of King Mackerel action still going on as well. Most of the Kings have been on the reef edge from 40-90 ft., but a few have been from the 120-180ft. range as well. Blackfin tuna have started to heat up a bit at the offshore humps and also a few nice Wahoo from offshore trollers. For more info on fishing in the Marathon and middle Keys area, check out our website! Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! Capt. Bob Brown, Jr. 2-2-01 Kings Rule!! The King Mackerel action in the Marathon and middle Keys area has been scorching hot lately. Nice sized Kings up to 40lb. have been coming in from the reef edge in anywhere from 50-200ft. of water. Several traditional hotspots have had an abundance of Kings and only a short period of time has been required to catch a limit of Kings for a charter party. Live bait fishermen trying to catch Grouper and Snapper in the deep reef area have had a hard time getting the baits to the bottom without the Kings biting off the hooks. Best baits for scoring on the King Macks are trolling Ballyhoo mostly using a deep planing device or downrigger. Also, slow trolling live bait such as Pilchards or Ballyhoo with a 12 oz. weight down about 40-50 ft. produces many Kingfish attacks. Make sure you use a wire leader and a stinger hook is a must. I use a treble hook for a stinger and a regular hook to hook the baitfish in the nose. Bucktail jigs tipped with shrimp and flashy silver spoons also work well for Kings. An erratic and fast retrieve is the ticket when casting for them. The Sailfish action has been fair this past week as green, dirty water moved into the Sailfish target area earlier in the week. The hard Northwest wind pushed some dirty water out into the 200+ ft level and caused the hot areas to cool down a bit. There were still a few sails caught during this time, but many fewer than we have been getting. Now that the wind has turned back to the east, look for the action to heat back up again as blue water gets pushed in from offshore. A good color change condition should start to form the next couple of days and the bite could bust loose again with large numbers of Sails. Tarpon time just around the corner! Our favorite inshore gamefish, the Tarpon, should be starting to increase in numbers here in the middle Keys in the next few weeks. I've already seen some Tarpon at the 7Mile bridge in the past couple of weeks, and as February wears on, look for more and more of the large migratory fish to show up at the Keys bridges. Just before the last cold front, Tarpon guide Jeff Napp, who docks next to me, caught several Tarpon after dark at the 7 mile bridge. One even was over 80 lb! Nothing can match the great Tarpon action here off of Marathon once it heats up! Now is the time to set up your Tarpon trips! For more info on Tarpon fishing in the middle Keys, check out our website! Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! Capt. Bob Brown, Jr. 1-16-01 Dolphin & Sailfish on the Rip! Every once in a while a good condition for catching offshore fish moves into our area in close to the reef. The gulfstream current that moves along the Keys sometimes throws eddies in towards the islands and a "current rip" is created. Usually along this current edge, there is debris, sargasso weed, and other grass that builds up. This creates a hiding place for small fish and the larger fish gather as well to feed on the smaller ones and so on. The other day off of Marathon and the entire Keys, a classic "rip" came in along the reef edge in about 150ft. of water with all kinds of weed, debris, tons of flying fish, lots of Frigate birds, and lots of Dolphin. The dolphin were pushing up flying fish all over the place and some nice schools were in the area. We caught several nice Dolphin in the 15-20 lb. class and a few other "schoolies" that we kept for dinner. The rest of the Dolphin were released as we were really targeting Sailfish. We did manage to hook up a double header Sailfish and landed one. Several other boats were also hooking up Sails in the vacinity of this rip and lots of Dolphin were caught by the local charter fleet that day. A cold front that rolled in the following day wiped out the rip and slowed the Sails for the day. Today was a different story though, as the Sailfish were biting and we had 5 or 6 opportunities on a half day trip. For some reason we were having trouble hooking up the fish, but did manage to hook up and catch one as Mike Anderson of Lima, OH. caught his first Sailfish. The King Mackerel fishing has been red hot off of Marathon lately in the 60-160ft. range. Lots of school sized Kings have been showing up in traditional hot spots and a few big "smokers" up to 40lb. have been hanging along the reef edge. Lots of Spanish and Cero Mackerel have been in the shallow waters of Florida Bay and from Hawk's Channel to the reef on the ocean side. Mangrove Snappers have been biting in Florida Bay and around the bridges and patch reefs. Yellowtail Snapper have been biting on the ocean side when the current has been running with the wind. A few nice sized Grouper (some up to 40lb!) have been coming off of the deeper rocky areas on the Atlantic side in 120-200ft. of water. Live bait is the best bet for the big Groups. Looks like a nice stretch of weather is in the forecast for the Keys and the fishing should keep improving with the warming trend. Look for the Tarpon action to start heating up with the temps and lots more Sailfish when our breeze turns to the E/SE. For more information on fishing in the Marathon and middle Keys area check out our website. Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! Capt. Bob Brown, Jr. 12-28-00 Sailfish Are Hot!! Last week proved to have some superb Sailfish action in the Marathon and middle Keys area. Last Monday, our party of Mike Robbins and Reed McClosky of Ft. Lauderdale, and Mike's Dad, Tom Robbins from Connecticut had a great day of Sailfishing when they hooked 10 Sailfish by noon! Mike and Reed both got releases on two fish and had some great fights form the ones that released themselves! After sandwiching in some good Snapper action which included a 21lb. and 15lb. Mutton, we went back to Sailfishing and hooked one more before the day was done. Trips like this have been becoming more and more common recently in the Marathon area. The day before, several boats had good trips by releasing as many as 6 or 7 Sails. Recent windy weather and cool conditions have made it tough to get out and work the Sailfish areas, and boats venturing out the past couple days have been "roughed" up by 6-8 ft. (and higher) waves and the action has slowed a bit. Look for it to get back to normal as soon as the wind turns back to the East/Southeast and calms a bit. If you don't want to fight the waves on the Atlantic side of the Keys, you might opt for some the good Snapper fishing that has been going on at the bridges and in Florida Bay. Nice sized Mangrove Snapper have been hanging out at the 7 Mile bridge and at the Bahia Honda bridge. Also, some of the local guides have been working the areas between the bayside islands Northwest of Marathon. This gives you some protection from the breezy weather and makes for a fun day of lots of action on Snapper, Grouper, Jacks, Sharks, Cudas, and a few other surprises. Just because it's breezy doesn't mean you can't go out and have a great day on the water in the Florida Keys! One thing is for sure, you can't catch 'em sittin at the dock! For more information on fishing in the Marathon area, check out our website! 12-15-00 The winter months are prime time for King Mackerel here in Marathon and the entire Florida Keys. Recently, good numbers of Kings have shown up in spots along the reef edge on the ocean side of the Keys. Some days they are out in 120-160ft. and others they are concentrated along the reef edge in 50-100ft. Some big "smoker" Kings have been coming in from the gulfside lately also off of wrecks that are 30-40 miles offshore. A few nice Dolphin have also been coming in from the Atlantic side and coming off of scattered weedlines mostly inside of 20 miles offshore. Lots of charter boats that have been targeting Sailfish have had a nice surpise lately by catching several nice Dolphin in near the edge of the reef in 100-200 ft. of water. Even though we have had a bit of cool weather, the water temp at Sombrero light off of Marathon has been 77-78 degrees. This warm water should hold some Dolphin in near shore as long as it stays that way. The Sailfish bite in the middle Keys just continues to improve all the time. In a half day trip yesterday we had several shots at Sails although not connecting on any of them, the fish were definitely there! Boats that fished all day caught anywhere from 1-5 Sails yesterday in the Marathon area. Other days this week were even hotter. The hot areas have been from Duck Key to the Red Can off of Lower Matecumbe Key and off of Sombrero light off of Marathon. Some good reports have also been coming in from our west off of American shoal. Live baits have been working the best but several boats have caught and released Sailfish this week trolling dead bait. Best live baits have been Ballyhoo, Pilchards, Blue Runners, Cigar Minnows and Small Speedos. (If all else fails finding bait, sometimes a small Yellowtail fished off the kite will get Sailfish action!!) If you can't get any good live baits, some well rigged dead Ballyhoo will produce lots of Sailfish bites. Looks like a great Sailfish season shaping up so don't miss out on your chance to catch one of these magnificent fish! Check out our website for more info on fishing in the Marathon area of the Florida Keys. Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! Capt. Bob Brown, Jr 11-22-00 Just a quick note to wish all you anglers out there a "Happy Thanksgiving"! I'm sure for lots of you it means some extra time to GO FISHIN!! Well the bite has been "ON" in the Marathon and middle Keys area for a variety of fish. Looks like the breezy weather we've had the past few days is starting to subside and a warming trend is in store for the weekend. Recent cool weather should really heat up the SAILFISH action! This last cold front brought unseasonable cold to all of Florida and that should push the migration of Sailfish into the area in greater numbers. Also, the King Mackerel action was great before the cool spell, and this should only reinforce the fact that it is Kingfish time of year! The action has been in the 80-200 ft range but 150-160 ft. has been the prime zone! This could fluctuate depending on currents and water clarity after a big blow like we have had, so you may have to look inside and out for the Kings. Blackfin Tuna have also been showing up along the edge of the reef and in as shallow as 80ft. of water. Mostly, the 200-600ft range has been the target zone for Blackfins. Live Bait is the key to catching Blackfin Tuna in on the reef edge, so keep that in mind if Blackfins are in your plans this weekend. I have been talking with several guides that have been working Florida Bay for Snappers and they are saying that the past two months have been the best Snapper action they have had in many years! The fish have been hanging out over the grassy areas so finding the wrecks may not be necessary to have a fine day of Snapper fishing in the bay. You will need lots of chum and some fresh Ballyhoo to get the best action. Also, the Spanish Mackerel run is set to explode as well so plenty of great action is in store if Florida Bay is your target area. A few nice Cobia have also been showing up Bayside and on the wrecks further out in the Gulf. Lots of great action will be in store for Keys anglers this weekend so get out there and enjoy it! For more info on Keys fishing in the Marathon area, check out our website. Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! Capt. Bob Brown November 2000 Some good numbers of Mangrove Snappers, some up to 24" have been showing up on the patch reefs recently. Best baits lately have been live shrimp fished mid range in the chum line. Also, fresh cut Ballyhoo on bottom with a 20lb. fluorocarbon leader will produce large Mangroves. They have been biting both during the day and at night. According to my good friend and good fisherman Tom Wammack of Grassy Key, the Yellowtail Snapper have been biting excellent after dark in the 80-90 ft. range. Tom says not too many chum lines out there at night lately has the Yellowtail to balling up quickly in the chum and the bite has been on with some big "flags" up to 23". Some King Mackerel and Ceros have been showing up on the reef lately as well adding to the hot reef bite. Live baits work well on the Macks, especially a live Blue Runner or Pilchard on the Kite. Look for the Kingfish action to continue to improve as winter approaches. November is Sailfish Time! November usually means the kickoff of the Sailfish season in the Florida Keys. Even though there are Sailfish caught in the Keys year round, the winter months are the peak of the season. Traditionally, November was regarded as one of the best Sailfish months of the year, and many Keys tournaments for Sails were held in this month. The Islamorada Sailfish tournament is held the last week of Nov. and usually there is plenty of hot action every year! This year should be another great one for Sails as we are already seeing some showing up. The action should last through April so start making your plans to get in on some of this great fishing! Oct. 2000 MUTTONS AND GROUPERS! This time of year the nice sized Mutton Snappers and a variety of Grouper species can be found just off the reef edge here in the Florida Keys. Recently, some large Mutton Snappers in the 15-20 lb. class have been coming in from depths of 115-200ft. To find Muttons, look for a small break in the bottom contour or a little "fuzz" on the bottom on your fish finder. Or you could work around oceanside wrecks. Then drop a small live bait to the bottom with a fairly long mono leader. I use 50-60lb. test leader when working a reef area and 80-100lb. when fishing wrecks. My favorite live baits are Pilchards and Pinfish and the smaller the Pinfish the better. Muttons will also hit on live Ballyhoo and small Blue Runners. Sometimes jigging works good over wrecks and plugs will also entice large Mutton Snappers along the reef edge. But live bait is your best bet, and will also produce a few large Black, Gag, and Red Groupers. I like to use a leader of as much as 20 ft. long when targeting Mutton Snapper, but you can get away with much shorter leader for Grouper. Largest Mutton Snapper ever brought in on the "Sundance" that I actually weighed, was 24.5 lb. We catch lots of 10-20lbers and see a few over 20 at times . Sailfish action has started to heat up a bit here off of Marathon, and will continue to improve over the next couple months. Look for the Sails in 80-200ft. of water along the reef edge. Also, a few Dolphin are still hanging around but are mostly spotty and showing up just about anywhere just off the edge of the reef. King Mackerel are also on the increase along the Marathon area reef edge, mostly in about 50-150ft. depths. Yellowtail Snapper have been showing up in good numbers lately in the 60-100ft. range, but have been a bit hard to catch during the full moon in the daylight hours. Lots of large preditors (Sharks & Cudas) lurking around also, causing the 'Tails to be a bit skiddish. Some nice Grouper have been coming in off of the patch reefs and humps in Hawk's Channel lately also. Lots of undersized Cobia also showing up, which is a good sign for the future! Also, some Amberjacks and Mangrove Snappers showing on the patch reefs on the oceanside. The bayside wrecks have had good action on the Mangrove Snapper and a few Cobia. Also, lots of Barracuda, Jacks, Grouper, Permit and a few sharks and Jewfish showing on the wrecks gulfside as well. The flats fishing has been very good for Bonefish and Permit lately, and a few Tarpon still showing up at the bridges and around the Bayside flats. Lots of great fishing is on tap this fall & winter in the Marathon area of the Florida Keys. Come experience it with us and enjoy the catch of a lifetime! Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! Sept. 2000 YELLOWTAIL TIME! Fall usually means the Snapper bite is on in the Keys and this year has proven that over again. Nice numbers of big "flag" Yellowtail Snappers have been showing up on the reef lately. Look for the great eating 'Tails to be in 60-100ft depths on the edge of the reef. Smaller but still some keeper sized Yellowtail (12"+) are usually on the shallower reef from 20-50ft. Best way to target Yellowtail is to use a variety of chums to attract the fish to the boat. Then use a small #1 to #4 sized hook with a small piece of cut Bonito, Shrimp, Glass Minnows, Squid, or Silversides. Use little to no weight and light weight leader of 12-20lb. test. Fluorocarbon has come to the surface as the leader of choice among most charter Capts. in the Keys. Also a gray colored leader seems to work well, such as Jin Kai, or Silver Thread in 15-17lb. test. Let the bait drift back in the chum offering no resistance. Once the line starts ripping off fast, start winding fast!! Then try to get that 'Tail in quick before the Bull Sharks come in to feast on your hooked up fish! Usually when there is good Yellowtail action on the reef, the Sharks aren't too far behind. Large Bull Sharks tend to hang out around the schools of Yellowtail, and are attracted by the chumming of the Yellowtail fishermen. Once you "hook up" the shark is triggered into feeding mode by the underwater "scream" your hooked up fish is emitting. They pick up on the vibrations of distress and zero in on the target which is your Yellowtail. So work 'em in quick as you can, and keep that heavy rod handy if you want to do battle with one big Bull Shark. Some of our hardy anglers like to battle these big beasts and a 300lb. Bull will give you a big time fight even on 50lb tackle! Use a whole live Yellowtail or Bonito if you have one and some heavy wire leader #14-19 with a 12/0 hook or larger. Still a few Dolphin showing up on the offshore scene but are very spotty compared to the hot bite all summer. Some Blackfin Tuna still showing at the Humps and at the 30 mile range offshore. Some nice King mackeral, Amberjacks, Cobias, Grouper, and Mutton Snapper are showing on the Oceanside wrecks along with an occasional African Pompano. Bayside wrecks producing Mangrove Snappers, a few Cobia and Permit. Inshore fishing has been good for Small Tarpon and some Snook after dark. Also some large Barracudas, Jacks, Groupers and Snappers hanging out around the bridges. Some small Tarpon can also be found around canals and beaches. Fish around dusk or after dark and use live Pinfish or Shrimp or try casting plugs. Flats guides are reporting good numbers of Bonefish and Permit on the flats and a few Tarpon still around. Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! Capt. Bob Brown, Jr. August 2000 Dolphin & Blackfins! The great summer Dolphin fishing continues on in the Marathon and middle Keys area. Recent catches have been great for the large "slammers" 15-19 miles off of Sombrero Light around floating debris and weed lines. Also nice sized "schoolies in the 15 lb. class have been found in good numbers lately. Most charter boats are looking for floating debris and trolling with Ballyhoo or plastic lures. Also finding Dolphin under working Frigate birds in the same range offshore. Nice sized Blackfin Tuna have been moving through also in the 15-25 Mile offshore range with some nice sized schools of 15-30 lb.ers being found. They are usually on the move quickly and you need to plan your attack out ahead of the moving school. Live baits, such as Pilchards or Ballyhoo, are the best to hook up with the fast moving Blackfins but are harder to find this time of year. When trolling, run your baits much further back than your traditional Dolphin spread and you might hang a big Blackfin or two. On the inshore scene, good numbers of Bonefish are being found on the flats. Best bet is to get out there early or fish late evening. Some nice Permit and Tarpon are also being caught in the backwaters around Marathon and Big Pine Key. Most Tarpon now are in the 20-60 lb. range and can also be caught at the bridges at night fishing plugs. Good luck in all of your fishing adventures! Capt. Bob Brown, Jr. Sundance Sportfishing Adventures Return to The Outdoors Guide Home |
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