Key West Fly Fishing

As I sit here listening to the rain slap against the window in the stiff 30mph breeze and the temperature is droping nearly 30 degrees from the highs of yesterday, I can’t help but think about how spoiled I’ve become over the last few days. 

February is one of my favorite months in the Keys. When mother nature co-operates with unseasonably high temps and low winds this place comes alive like no other time of year. It’s a roll of the dice to trying to time this good weather to coincide with a trip. Some years the good weather never materializes and some years it lasts all month. For the last week it’s been like the Discovery Channel on steroids.

Two days ago on my way to the Marquesas, there where schools of mackerel shredding bait in the Boca Grande Channel. As we pulled up to the first flat inside Mooney Harbor, we saw the first permit tail of the day before I had even turned the motor off. I lost track of the number of shots we had but to put things into perspective, I didn’t change spots until around 1:30. I can already hear the comments that John and Drew will make about my next statement but . . . my client wanted to catch a cobia so I ran to a wreck about 7 miles west of the Marquesas. While no cobia were present, we did see something that was pretty amazing. About a dozen bull sharks, some over 300 lbs, circled the wreck as we floated over it. The sharks were mixed in with hundreds of cudas, a few small schools of permit, a huge jewfish, and thousands of other smaller snappers and jacks. The wreck was a sight to behold.

We headed back to the east side of the Marquesas and continued to permit fish when we saw the first school of tarpon rolling towards us. After switching rods, we began to get into position for a shot when we came across a monster sawfish, as long as my boat, with a small cobia following close behind. The last hours of the day where spent casting to schools of tarpon. Mostly big fish, between 60lbs and 120lbs, rolling, sliding, cruising, and eager to eat a well presented fly.

I won’t bore you with our numbers for the day. . . you wouldn’t believe me anyway.

Jacob

The fishing thus far this month has been almost everything that you could want for early February. The weather has been beautiful and the fish have responded. After a fairly typical January with almost weekly cold fronts moving through the area, February brought us warming temperatures and bright blue skies.

In fact, the weather has been so nice that it has had John and myself thinking of March and April. We have not been able to help ourselves and have had to check some spring time tarpon areas to see if some fish have been present. They have. While there haven’t been as many tarpon as there will be later in the spring, the sight of laid up tarpon holding and sliding in the current has us as giddy as school kids on the last day of class.

I checked for tarpon with Kris Williams of Boston early last week, after his buddy Graham had to leave after four days of chasing permit. Despite increasing winds we found a handful of fish in the first spot I checked. After a few shots to get familiar with the game, Kris connected solidly with a fat 120lb fish, landing his first tarpon. Unfortunately he had to catch an afternoon flight and the day was a short one. I had the next couple of days off and gladly took my parents, who were in town, out to chase some early season tarpon. Dad took his rightful place on the bow making great shots in the 20 knot wind. The first day we had three fish eat, catching two, on 12-15 shots. Both of the fish that we landed were in the 120-130lb range. The second day, a little windier than the day before, didn’t bring us as good of fortune. There were fish around but they just didn’t want anything to do with our best presentations.

Of course with the warming weather permit have been a primary focus. The beautiful weather also coincided with the new moon on the 6th of the month. This brought much better current flows and water levels that the permit can’t get enough of. While the permit fishing has been fairly dependable this winter, in the past week it has been exceptional. I had the chance to fish with Paul Shahinian of New Jersey for a couple of beautiful days late last week. On the first morning we fished a strong incoming tide getting multiple shots at singles and groups of fish working the flats. We caught two permit in the 10-15lb range. As the wind slackened my mind again went to tarpon, so we ran into the backcountry to tangle with some ‘poons. Unfortunately, the tarpon didn’t realize this was the plan and the fish we found had lock jaw. We finished the day fishing for tailers on the Gulf getting several great shots but no takers. Lesson learned - don’t leave fish to find fish. Duh.

Due to my poor decision the first day we decided to focus strictly on permit the second day. The wind was light but the fish were active. The first spot we hit, we had 12-15 shots at actively feeding and tailing groups of fish. We briefly came tight to one before the fly pulled out of its mouth. Although not as good, the midday fishing was dependable as we got several shots at every spot we fished. The late afternoon, however, was epic. At the final spot of day we were greeted by large, tailing permit. The fish were tailing so aggressively that they would often throw water several feet in the air as they rooted for crabs. The fish, many in the 20-25lb class, were on high alert in the 18-24 inch water. The shallow, falling tide in combination with light winds and bright blue skies made the fish especially wary, but the numbers of fish and what they were doing made it a memorable afternoon. Although we didn’t get one, as I ran back to the dock I couldn’t keep the smile off of my face.

February always seem to be a special month. When you hit the weather right it can provide all of the great fishing that you expect later in the spring. However, it always seems to be a game of give and take. After a cold front Sunday, the wind has been 25-30 knots and the next couple of days are supposed to be rainy with occasional thunderstorms. In fact, I just heard the first rumble of thunder this year. Luckily, warmer weather is (hopefully) not far off and the fishing we had this week will become more and more commonplace. I for one can’t wait to consistently start tangling with laid up fatties.

Drew

BRRRR!  

We have just been hit by a major cold front, with 30kt winds, highs in the 50’s and night temps in the 40’s.  It does not get much colder than this.  Needless to say the fishing has shut down.  Hell it’s so cold, it almost makes the fishing of just a few days ago seem like a mirage.

Before this front, our weather had been spectacular.  Blue skies, E or SE winds, and warm humid air; perfect conditions for winter time permit fishing.  I would love to say I had been out there wearing them out, but that would be an untruth.  I, like most everyone else, spent the last half of December entertaining out of town family members and enjoying the holiday season.  Sometimes it is nice to have a little time off the water.

Still, I was very excited to get back on the water, and Rob Clark from CA gave me the perfect excuse.  We fished two days, on the 30 and 31st, and enjoyed spectacular weather, and good fishing.   We spent the 30th targeting permit.  A falling tide on the Gulf gave us some early shots at backing permit, but a long run to the west of Key West gave us fish.  Here we fished the last of the flood thru the fall.  With the exception of a slow couple of hours around mid-day (hey I hadn’t fished in awhile) we were into fish all day.  The highlight of the day, a 10lb fish that chased down an aggressively stripped merkin knock-off, was Rob’s first permit on fly.  We finished the day with a 6lb bonefish and numerous shots at hard-tailing permit. 

Not to be outdone that day, Drew and his client, Court Ramsay of Lafayette, Louisiana, caught a pig of a bone in the backcountry. The broad shouldered fish made the 12lb mark easily.

The last day of 2007 greated Rob and I with 77 degree air temps and slick calm conditions.  I couldn’t help myself, I had to go tarpon fishing.  At our first two stops , we were greated with numerous rolling tarpon.  Even better, these were big fish (60-100+).  While many single were rolling around, we only targeted the schools, some of which held 50 or more fish.  Unfortunately, luck was not on our side.  We came tight to three fish, but none managed to stay on for more than a moment. 

By 10:30 the wind kicked up a touch, the sun came out, and the conditions were perfect.  Again, I couldn’t help myself.  We fished six areas for laid up fish, and found them in three.  With the blue skies and laid-up fatties, it felt like April.

We finished off our day targeting tailers.  While not as crazy as the night before, there were enough to get excited about.  By the end of the day, we still hadn’t managed to get a fish in the boat. (Sorry Rob, a Lane Snapper doesn’t count).  Still, there aren’t many better ways to go fishless than this.

Happy New Year All.  I hope we can share a boat sometime.

John

Since our last report, the first legitimate cold front of the year came ripping through the Florida Keys. Low temperatures dipped into the low 60’s and highs struggled to reach the low 70’s for a couple of days. The front also generated a day of strong winds out of the north.

Prior to the front, the permit fishing had been perfectly mediocre. While most of the day was spent poling flat after flat looking for a handful of fish, there were brief spells that showed how good the permit fishing can be in Key West. Most of the fish were large and the majority of fish that I targeted were aggressively mudding in 3-4 feet of water. Although we didn’t connect on any fish, the good spells of fishing helped maintain everyone’s focus throughout the day.

After the front, John and I headed to the Everglades. We figured that the weather for fishing the park couldn’t be better - cool temperatures, moderate north winds and blue bird skies. We couldn’t have been more wrong. While the conditions were great, the fishing was dreadful. We managed to only catch one small redfish (blind casting across a depression on a flat), get only one other shot at a redfish trailing a stingray and luck into a nice shot at a big tarpon (100 plus pounds) cruising through some muddy water. The tarpon must have been partly frozen as it refused several casts with different flies that brought the offerings right across its nose (the best presentation when the water is the color of whole milk). Despite what we had hoped, the fish in the park must have been as put off by the weather change as our fish in the Lower Keys. It should improve as the rhythms of winter take a firmer hold.

The weather this weekend looks good. Highs in the lower 80’s, a little bit of southeast wind, and good tides should be the recipe for some decent permit fishing. We’ll let you know if something truly exciting happens.

I want to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. Hopefully, you are able to spend the holiday with your friends and families.

Drew

The weather that John began his last post with, changed and brought about change to the lower Keys. After the warmest October on record in Key West, a cold front pushed through ushering in cooler temperatures and winds out of the north. This front has definitely brought a shift in the fishing and our approach.

After the arrival of the cool weather, I was again on the water with Graham Anderson and Dave Blair, owner of Fish Tales Fly Shop in Calgary. Despite the cool weather and high winds the permit fishing was suprisingly good. The mornings definitely seemed to provide the most consistent action with a strong falling tide until midday. The fish, although not as active as the past several months, were tipping and tailing as they searched the flats for crabs. The last two days that we fished we had about 15 or 16 shots each day, not numbers that will knock off anyone’s socks but not bad for the days after the first cool down of the year. The last morning Dave connected on a nice fish in the Marquesas, his first permit in the Keys.

The middle of this past week, the fishing definitely followed the weather’s lead and cooled off. Flats where we had been finding decent permit and bonefishing, had very little activity. The few fish that we saw were generally cruising about and not looking too interested in feeding. This is typical behavior as the fish try to adjust to water temps in the low 70’s (the coolest since March).

I spent the past couple of days fishing with Steve Morris from Knoxville, TN. He had fished earlier in the week with Alex, who had to head to the Bahamas on Thursday. The first day was brutal, almost no permit and only one group of very chilly bonefish. Yesterday was a little bit better. Although the permit were not thick, most of the fish that we had shots at were consistently tailing and mudding. We did catch a nice 8 lb bonefish out of a school of 12-15 fish. Additionally, the barracuda are beginning to show up on the flats and jacks are beginning to shadow mudding rays. Winter is definitely on its way.

I hope to get up to the Everglades sometime in the coming week to chase some redfish and snook. I’ll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, I need to get back to the fly tying bench and work on some new crab flies and watch some college football.

Drew

For anyone out there who has been longing to be in the Florida Keys this past week, don’t worry.  The winds have been cranking and the fishing has been slow (guide talk for terrible).  And before the wind started we had 4 1/2 days of clouds.  Still a few fish were caught, but a definite let down from the previous weeks.

I last fished on Sunday the 28th with Richard Berlin from Boston (a happy Sox fan).  We had mediocre fishing during the morning low in the backcountry.  Some schools of bonefish pushing around.  Richard managed to catch a solid 5lb fish.  The incoming gave us only a smattering of shots at a few bones and permit.  Richard came tight to a 15lb permit that chased down a rapidly stripped shrimp fly, but the hook didn’t stick.  It woud have been a great way to end the day.  That same day, Drew and permit addict Graham Anderson from Calgary managed to land a 8lb bonefish and 13lb permit in quick succession to end the day.

My previous two days of fishing with Richard produced only one other bonefish (7lbs).  On our second day a cast into a school of tipping/waking bones yielded a 10lb Jack and a cast into a school of hard-tailing permit found a 3lb cuda.  We didn’t manage to catch a bonnethead to complete our trash can slam.  Oh well.

Before the clouds arrived I managed to sneak out on a canceled day with Drew and long time friend Chris Guarino.  The fishing was fairly slow until the falling tide in the afternoon.  Drew lost a large bonefish (10+) next to the boat and I managed to land a 12 lb permit. 

This permit, like all of those that have been caught recently by Drew and I, aggresively chased down a stripped shrimp fly.  Quick 12-18 inch strip to get the fish to see the fly and chase.  A brief pause after the chase began to let the fish eat the fly, then re-start the strip cadence.  Continue till the fish spooks off the boat or the fish comes tight.  This sure beats the drop and wait crab fly technique. 

I will be out tomorrow.

John

The lower Florida Keys have been under a windy sometimes cloudy pattern for the past week and a half. Despite this the fishing has not been as bad as the conditions would typically warrant. The cooling water and air temperatures have the fish frisky and active on both the incoming and falling tides.

John and I had the opportunity to fish together today and despite winds of 20-25 knots, we headed out with the plan of ambushing some bonefish. While the fishing and shots were not as fast and furious as we’ve been spoiled with the past several months, the fish were around and greedily ate our flies. John had the particularly hot rod today as he caught four bonefish on five shots. Not a bad average, although that kind of success can make John a little hard to deal with on a small boat. He even managed to buck his trend for the summer of only catching small fish, by fooling a 12 1/2 pound tailer around midday. The other four that we landed averaged seven pounds. We were even treated to a shot at a nice redfish sitting in just inches of water at the bottom of the tide. The fish greedily pounced on the bonefish fly that I pulled just in front of its face.

We also had the opportunity to fish last Monday. We were unexpectedly greeted by 25-30 knot winds, but had a great sky with nice visiblity. The tides were abnormally high and we worked the crowns of flats to the north of Big Pine. We caught one nice tailing bonefish in the first hour of the day. As the water poured onto the flats the bonefish became a little tough to find but we did manage to find a few permit. We ended the day with about 15 shots, both catching a permit, the largest of which was about 15 lbs.

These two days, while not ideal, show two important truths. The fish generally don’t mind the wind, often getting more aggressive when it is up. And secondly, persistance pays off. It is easy to give up when the conditions are tough, but by working with the elements presented, the fishing can provide you with the rewards to keep you focused and action to make the weather more bearable.

Drew

Summer has definitely settled on the Lower Florida Keys this month. With the so called “summer doldrums” the fishing can be a bit of a roller coaster ride. One day fish will be everywhere the next they can be difficult to find and feed. Tides are critical this time of the year, the strong flows associated with the new and full moon bring cooler, more oxygenated water to the flats making the fish happier and often more agressive. August, being one of the slower months (business wise), typically provides us with a lot of opportunities to enjoy some time on the bow of the skiff.

The bonefishing this month has been, for the most part, nothing short of outstanding. Good numbers of strong, fat fish have frequented backcountry banks on both incoming and falling tides greedily feeding across the flats. We have had several mornings of catching at least four fish and loosing several others. Most of the fish have been in the 5-8 lb range, with some larger fish including a personal best 14 lb midday tailer that I caught earlier this month. The fly pattern has not been particularly important as long as it is appropriately weighted to stay in the fish’s feeding zone.

The permit fishing has been a little disappointing. Some days there are good numbers and a few days later on a “better” tide they are scattered and spooky. John and I experienced just that last Monday despite near perfect tides and wind. The permit seemed to be concentrated in small areas, certainly not widespread, and the fish were very unsettled. The fish that we found were quickly cruising and when they did feed and mud they would quickly pick up and start moving again showing very little interest in our offerings. Hopefully the fish will return to their normal late summer pattern as we get into September and October.

The tarpon fishing, epecially in the backcountry, has been a very consistent fishery. Lots of juvenile fish in the 10-30lb range have been swimming the edges of basins and banks and holding under the shade of overhanging mangroves. John, depsite windy conditions, found a good shrimp hatch yesterday getting numerous bites and putting some fish in the air. Additionally, at the end of the day he found several toads laid up in a secluded cove and his angler managed to coax a hundred pounder into biting and giving a brief showing of its magnificent power.

While the fishing has been inconsistent at times this month, for the most part it has held its own and provided us with some great fish and memories. The past several days have given us clues that fall is not too far away. The sun is getting a little lower in the sky, the humidity is down and the wind has been out of the east to northeast. As fall begins to take a grip, the permit and bonefish will become main targets.

Capt Drew

Now that the chaos of lobster mini-season has passed the fishing regains it appropriate place as our primary focus. This past week I fished with one of my favorite clients, Graham Anderson from Calgary. We spent five days fishing hard for permit. Despite the outstanding tides and a more than capable angler, we were unable to get any love from the permit gods. Whether it was the west winds, shifty visibilty, stormy weather, or some return to a former level of ineptitude on my part, the fishing was just not what I had hoped for. We fished from east of Key West all the way to the Marquesas, often on the same day, and the fish were not widespread and they seemed to have little interest in even our best offerings. It was a very disappointing week at least in terms of catching.

As usual, the day after Graham left town the skies cleared and winds shifted out of a more normal southeasterly direction. The only way to rebound from a tough week is to go fishing and John and I finally had the opportunity (the first time in months) this past friday. Despite wanting to focus on permit, we left the dock early hoping to get into some early morning hatches for tarpon. We arrived at the basin and were greeted by a number of large fish happily rolling in all directions. Not fifteen minutes later a cloud line swept over bringing winds of 15-20 and ending any chances of getting some fish in the air. For several hours we waited for the tide to come in and the sun to get high enough to begin permit fishing with confidence.

We focused on a small area, thouroughly fishing the flats and making short runs to take advantage of current and water levels. We managed about 18-20 shots at happy, aggressive permit that worked across the flats tailing and mudding in search of food. The first fish that we hooked, grabbed the fly and violently began shaking its head (much like a tarpon will do) as it swam toward me. The fish stayed on and was running against a light drag when it randomly broke off. After a closer inspection, there was some abrasion farther up the leader so the fish must have clipped it on the bottom. Luckily, redemption wasn’t far away and a few shots later I hooked and landed one about 18lbs. Not much after that, John felt and saw the fly pull out of another fish’s lower lip.

Definitely an enjoyable way to spend a day. I don’t know if it was the weather, the lack of guiding pressure to immediately find fish, or the confidence of having some permit fishing under my belt after a long tarpon season, but the day was much more like we expect than my fishing earlier in the week.

Capt Drew

We have seen a change in the fishing since last reporting at the end of last month. The numbers of big tarpon have begun to dwindle, but the permit fishing has been getting steadily better. While there are still some large tarpon both swimming and laid up, the numbers that we were seeing even as recently as two weeks ago have declined. However, the baby tarpon fishing has helped fill in the slack created by the departure of their bigger brethern. Many of the edges that hold them in the summer are filling up and they can be found rolling and holding in the shadows of their mangrove lairs. Additionally, the permit fishing has been very good. The fish have been tailing, mudding and cruising and suprisingly relaxed given the calm weather we have experienced the past couple of weeks.

This past week I fished with Tomonori Higashi, Tomohide Kashiwagi both of Japan and Bernard Ramanauskas, cane fly rod builder extradonaire. They rotated and shared bow time throughout the week primarily chasing tarpon. Although the main target of some late season giants proved difficult, we managed to jump or catch fish from 120lbs down to 15lbs (most in the 20-50 range). I definitely enjoyed the week, but certainly had hoped for better numbers of big fish. Hopefully next year.

I did get the opportunity a couple of weeks ago to fish an afternoon with my Dad, Jim, and borther-in-law, Alex Neubauer. Despite getting on the water after five o’clock we managed to catch one tarpon about 130lbs, have two more eat (three shots total) and catch 3 bonefish. It was the first time I had looked for evening tailers and they were moving in waves across some of my favorite gulf side flats. Hopefully it is a sign of things to come this summer. The two photos are from that evening.

Capt Drew