January & February Fishing Perspective
Enero 01, 2017 Marathon 1 foto

Trip Summary

As winter settles in upon us here in the Keys, our weather is heavily influenced by major frontal systems, bringing both brisk winds and cooler air to our area. Backcountry fishing becomes a popular choice at this time of the year, as it provides winter anglers with comfortable fishing conditions even in a stiff breeze. January and February are two of the prime months for fishing the relatively protected waters of Florida Bay. Snapper, grouper, and cobia are the primary targets of those fishing 5-10 miles out in the Bay. By anchoring up tide of wrecks, trap piles, or natural coral ledges, and then creating a good chum line, anglers will be able to draw the fish away from bottom obstructions and catch them behind the boat. Bottom fishing in the Bay typically provides great action on 12-15 pound spinning tackle, and great table fare for those who like to eat their catch. One of my favorite Florida Bay activities involves targeting the enormous schools of Spanish mackerel (and occasionally bluefish) that arrive each winter. These fish are real people pleasers; whether I’m looking to keep a family group with kids busy for half a day, or just wanting to show a couple of retired fishin’ buddies a good time in relatively calm water, Spanish mackerel are the ticket! Usually I don’t have to look very hard for mackerel in the Bay…more often than not they find me, as long as I’ve got a good chum slick running behind the boat. Light tackle and Spanish mackerel are a matched pair; an 8 to 10 pound spinning outfit is just about right. While live pilchards are undoubtedly the bait of choice (in a perfect world, we’d all start our day with a bait well full of ’em), a white or yellow 1/4oz. jig tipped with either a shrimp or a small narrow strip cut from a ballyhoo fillet should provide about all the fun an angler can handle when the macks are in. Their sharp teeth are an issue; while some anglers are happy with a 40 pound mono leader, I prefer using a 6 to 8 inch piece of #3 wire and a tiny black swivel to connect it to my line. When the action is hot, a lot of jigs are going to get cut off above the leader, so I like to rig up at least 8 or 10 before getting into the mackerel. Another popular area for protected-water fishing can be found back in Everglades National Park. These scenic backcountry waters hold a wide variety of fish such as sea trout, redfish, snook, snapper, small tarpon, sheepshead, black drum, jack crevelle, ladyfish, and shark. Fishing the many finger channels that snake their way through the flats is a good method for targeting these fish, especially on a falling tide. A white shrimp-tipped jig (1/4 oz.) works well for this type of fishing. Many anglers prefer suspending their jig and shrimp combo under a popping cork, feeling that the “blurp” the cork produces when jigged helps fish (especially trout) to find the bait. Watch for mullet “muds” off the edge of a flat…finding one of these is often a pretty dependable means of locating trout, redfish, and occasionally snook. On our local flats, one can still expect some decent fishing for bonefish. Plan on doing your fishing between the hours of ten A.M. to three P.M. for maximum visibility and to take advantage of the water being warmed by the sun. Even after major cold fronts, local guides can often find bonefish in the deeper water off the edge of a flat. Quite often, bonefish will be “mudding” in water as deep as six to eight feet, and can be targeted there by bone fishermen willing to alter their tactics from normal shallow-water sight casting. It’s important for other boaters to realize that there is a winter fishery for bonefish, and to watch out for guides anchored or staked out in the deeper water off the edge of the flats. Because nothing blows fish out of a deep-water mud faster than a careless boater roaring by, those guides will appreciate your consideration in giving them a wide berth. For the angler that just wants to fight something in shallow water, barracuda will often be found warming themselves at midday on the edge of the ocean-side flats. Undoubtedly the most under-rated fish on the flats, ‘cudas will showcase their lightening fast runs and incredible jumps upon being hooked. Target them with surface plugs (I like the See-Bee with the plastic lip cut off), or with the traditional tube lures. One final note: Before heading out into the Florida Keys backcountry it’s always wise to consider hiring a guide. After a major cold front, you can’t always read the water due to murkiness. Chartering an experienced local captain will not only increase your odds of catching fish, but also save you from having to call in a marine towing service to drag your boat off a flat that you never saw until it was too late.
Buddy LaPointe
Marathon, Florida, United States
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Join Captain Buddy LaPointe in beautiful Marathon, Florida and discover what makes fishing in these waters so spectacular. With more than 30 years of charter fishing experience to his name, you will find Capt. Buddy to be both knowledgable and friendly. H...

Other reports from this captain

September & October Fishing in the Keys
September & October Fishing in the Keys
Septiembre 26, 2017
If you were to ask a local backcountry guide which time of the year is his favorite, the answer might just surprise you. Sure, springtime brings in wave after wave of hungry tarpon, and the flat calm mornings and evenings of early Summer are perfect for stalking the wary bonefish. Yet, I’m willing to bet that a good majority of experienced captains will tell you that the Fall is their favorite season…especially October and November. Here’s why. First, our weather is starting to cool off nicely thank you, making daytime fishing a comfortable all day affair. The new weather pattern consequently brings on major changes in the fishing…changes that are all for the better! And, last but certainly not least, the boat traffic just isn’t as heavy in the Fall like it can get in the Spring. You just get more of that “getting away from it all” feeling out on the water at this time of year. If you’re a light tackle enthusiast and enjoy viewing superb scenery and plentiful bird life, then it’s time to get serious about putting together a fishing trip up into Everglades National Park. Without a doubt, sight casting to redfish is the “hottest ticket in town” right now. Reds make perfect targets both for light spin and fly fishermen…and right now there are plenty of targets. But redfish aren’t the only show playing back in the Park. Snook and trout will be found in good numbers just on the edge of the flats and in potholes. And the larger creeks and passes above Cape Sable can provide some great tarpon fishing, especially for the plug casting enthusiast. Reds and snook also abound at the creek mouths, especially on a falling tide. This is going to sound a bit self serving, but a wise angler would do well to hire a knowledgeable guide for fishing the Park; your chances of angling success will be better and your chances of making it back to the dock before nightfall are far greater than trying to wing it alone. Because the waters way back in the Park are either tannin stained or murky from large schools of mullet, it’s not always easy to “read” the water. Many an inexperienced boater has ended up “wearing” a flat instead of fishing it. On our local flats, bonefishing should be excellent. Almost without exception, my largest bonefish each year comes in October. It’s the best time of the year for anglers to challenge large bonefish (8 to 10 pounders are common) with light tackle. The big bruisers are ultra spooky, but (when you are lucky enough to hook one) incredibly powerful. Another good thing that happens at this time of the year is the Fall mullet migration. And with those mullet comes (among other species) a fresh wave of tarpon to bolster the numbers of resident fish that have hung around through the summer. Most of these tarpon are small to medium sized (20 to 50 lbs.), but be ready for the occasional 80 pound fish mixed in. While fishing the bridges at night, don’t be surprised if a big snook grabs one of those live baits or plugs that were intended for a tarpon (although for snook fishermen the opposite usually holds true). I’ve always maintained that October and November are better months for snook fishing in the Keys than September (when snook season opens). A lot of diving activity takes place near the bridges in August and early September, a factor that both leaves many snook either spooked or (when they end up the victims of illegal spear fishing activities) dead! Florida Bay will see a definite upsurge of snapper (mainly mangroves), grouper, and mackerel activity as the water cools, For anglers that like “just plain fishin’,” anchoring and chumming the countless ledges and wrecks in the protected waters of the Bay is just the ticket. Look for some cobia to show up too…and if you’re real serious about chasing those “flatheads,” the wrecks further out in the Gulf of Mexico will be loading up with them. October will also be the last month for dependable permit fishing on the Gulf of Mexico wrecks.
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July & August Fishing in The Keys
July & August Fishing in The Keys
Julio 1, 2017
Now that we’re through those prime time months of May and June, there is often a general attitude among the angling public that backcountry fishing is over with until the Fall. Not so! Excellent, yes excellent fishing will continue in the backcountry especially during the month of July. However, those who wish to do battle in the backcountry during the summer months must take into account the heat factor. Four vital items that no angler can afford to be without during these months are a powerful sunscreen, a wide brimmed hat, polarized sunglasses, and plenty of water (soda and beer just won’t cut it out here gang). From my position as a backcountry guide, the best solution I’ve found for dealing with the summer heat is to break my day up by fishing for four or five hours in the morning, and returning to the dock around noontime to get out of the heat for awhile. Then we’ll hit the flats again during the late afternoon, and finish off the trip at sunset (or later if we’re going to fish for tarpon after dark). Both the fish and my anglers have been quite happy with this routine, for years. Flats fishing should remain excellent, especially on those “big water tides” of the full and new moon in July. Look for tailing bonefish early and again late in the day, especially on late falling or early incoming tides. But don’t limit your bonefishing to tailers only, as there should be lots of cruising fish (albeit somewhat smaller bones) up on many of the oceanside and gulf side flats during the higher stages of the tide. Permit will also be plentiful throughout the summer, especially on those aforementioned new and full moon tides. Though they are a thrill to take when they are tailing, most permit will be caught in somewhat deeper water along the edge of the flat. While on some of those deeper flats, expect to see some tarpon on the move. These are the rear guard of the Spring tarpon run, and you’ll be involved mainly in “mopping up operations”, but there will still be enough of them around during the first part of July to keep things interesting. July will be the last month that fly-rodders can reasonably expect to have shots at the silver king along the oceanside flats. Speaking of tarpon fishing, don’t think that the season is over as far as live-bait fishing at the bridges is concerned. The best four hour tarpon trip I had last year was in August! Fishing a family from Birmingham, Al., we had twenty-three strikes, put sixteen fish in the air, and landed ten tarpon ranging from fifteen to fifty pounds. Though not every summer night will be as red hot as that one, it does show what’s available during the “off-season.” Put those twenty and thirty pound outfits away until next spring; now is the time to have fun with these smaller tarpon on your 12-15 pound “snapper” rods. The waters of Everglades National Park will be productive for those able to tolerate the heat of an all day trip up there. Sight fishing for redfish is a good bet, as they are receiving very little fishing pressure now. Also available in many of the “lakes”, channels, and flats are the ever- present tarpon. The fishing in Florida Bay will slow down considerably in July and August, as most of the spawning size mangrove snapper will have moved from the Bay, through the bridges, and out onto the reef to do their summer spawning thing. Yet, it always surprises me that we get a few nice (pound and a half to three pound) snapper each trip. We do drop down on leader and hook size at this time due to the exceptional clarity of the water, and anchor further up-tide from our “honey holes” to keep from spooking the fish. Another thing that really helps is to pick a time when both the wind and the current are lined up in the same direction to improve the flow of the chum (a good tip for Bay snapper fishing at any time of the year actually). You might even dabble with some night fishing out in the Bay during the summer months; it’s a great way to beat the heat. Further out into the Gulf of Mexico, permit are the hot item out on the wrecks. Some captains can literally put you on hour after hour of bone-tiring action with permit on some of their “secret wrecks.” For anglers who can manage to get a live bait down through the hordes of barracuda stacked up on those wrecks, some nice size snapper and grouper can be caught at this time (again provided you can get those bottom fish up through the hungry ‘cuda mob. And, finally a summer backcountry report wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the lobstering activity that will be taking place in late July and throughout the month of August. Those same Florida Bay ledges that are so productive for mangrove snapper and grouper are transformed into crawfish condominiums during the summer months. Though this column is about fishing rather than diving or snorkeling, I do want to pass on one piece of advice: The spotted jewfish is making a remarkable recovery in Florida Bay due to the moratorium placed on them seve
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