What’s on your bucket list? Tarpon? Yep! It’s happening right now—the silver king is here, and they are here in abundance. Are you ready to do battle with a monster tarpon between 100 and 200 pounds? Oh! Did I mention we’ll be using light tackle? That definitely makes it fun! And, don’t forget the bridge; aside from docks and old buoys, it is by far and away the tarpon’s favorite obstacle course.

So, a one-hundred, or more, pound fish that likes to jump a lot and tries to free itself by running you thru an obstacle course (a.k.a. Seven Mile or Bahia Honda Bridge) on light tackle and live bait? That’s sportfishing—or what memories are made of. Let’s do it all! The area bridges are loading up with tarpon and they are hungry.

Permit are wrecking it right now off Marathon and Key Colony Beach area, as well as a variety of other big fish gangsters like amberjacks and big mutton snapper—a wily and worthy opponent of the deeper wrecks. Oh, wait! Holy crap! It’s grouper season! Amen! May first is opening day and we’ll have to get a few of those for the dinner table too.

Permit are an absolute blast to catch on spinning/light tackle, 20-30 #. (P.S.—That’s a pound sign, not a hashtag.) Permit on the wrecks is primarily sight fishing, so bring your polarized sunglasses if you have them. It is truly an amazing fish to hunt and catch and, yes, release, after a quick photo.

The conditions need to be decent to do it right, so talk to the captain. Sometimes the water visibility may be down, so we’ll do another type of fishing until the clear water moves in or the sun gets high enough to make it happen. Imagine drifting over the wreck site. You see a few blue runners, maybe some spadefish. It gets your blood pumping, but they’re not the right flavor. If your blood’s pumping at just the sight of runners or spadefish, you have permit fever.

And then, it happens; the water gets a distinct gold color to it. Yes, sir, the permit have risen. You notice they seem to be moving in a certain direction. You cast ahead of the school and your bait drops right into the thick of them! A slight tap on the line and that’s it! Reel!!! BOOM! You’re hooked up with one, or more! Doubles and triples do happen! All the reels are screaming and it’s game on with one of the most elusive and prized game fish in all the Florida Keys! Permit, baby! Get some!

The slammer dolphin (fish, not Flipper) are moving through our Keys waters now and will continue for the foreseeable future. As with all big fish, the thrill of the hunt is half of the experience, while for some people, it’s all of it. Knowing which birds to chase, how far to go (or when you’ve gone too far), and having the rods rigged right and the baits ready to go, are no accidents—these skills take knowledge and preparation.

Your big fish will likely be in small groups of 1-20. Oftentimes, they may only have one to five birds with them. They, and the birds, will be moving and feeding in a westerly direction into the current aggressively. You will also find those really big dolphin around floating debris, as well as stalking schools of smaller dolphin.

A common mistake I hear from many recreational fishermen is that they had just gotten into a bunch of smaller fish and a big one, or pair of big ones, popped up, and they did not have a suitable rod rigged for the job, so they lost the fish. Don’t be that guy. Always keep two fresh rods ready for that trophy opportunity.

There are so many opportunities this time of year it’s almost endless, and it doesn’t al-ways have to be about some big fish. Some of the best memories are snapper fishing on the reef with the kids for a half a day, or spending some quality time with your dad or mom. It’s really what you want to make it because the fish are here, the weather is awesome, and the great memories are ready to be made.

The Florida Keys are home to some of the world’s best fishermen. Pick up the phone, send a text, or walk the docks and talk to them—we would love to set up a fishing ad-venture just for you!

A slight change in thinking and tactics is required as we move through spring, as many game fish are on the move. Some, like sailfish and kingfish, become less prevalent, although there will always be some stragglers left behind. Others, like permit, start to migrate from the nearshore flats to the wrecks on the edge of the reef. Tarpon are showing up in ever increasing numbers around the bridges and nearshore flats. Mangrove and yellowtail snapper just can’t seem to contain themselves on the reefs, along with a variety of other fish. This is a great venue for anglers, young and old alike, as well as families, as it provides non-stop action. It’s all just good; a great time to be fishing in the Marathon area, as well as the rest of the Keys coastal waters. 

Offshore we can expect the blackfin tuna bite to remain strong, as well as an increasing presence or influx of dolphin (dorado, mahi mahi -- yes, the fish, not Flipper!) Activity on the wrecks can really heat up this time of year. Mutton snapper and amberjacks will dominate for a while. Toss in the occasional African pompano and a variety of other jacks, and you get the idea. Spring is on!

April is also a time to kind of roll with the punches. As I stated earlier, the fish are on the move, so try to be flexible with your expectations. Talk to the captains to see what’s trending this week, or the last couple of days, and try not to fixate on one fish. For example, the water may be cold. Sounds funny, but mid-seventies is cold, so the permit may not be responding well. But, a little deeper, and the mutton snapper bite is on fire, or vice versa. Most captains are able to make adjustments on the fly. We pride ourselves on putting our clients on fish--some of us even guarantee it. So, pick up the phone or walk the docks, talk to the captains and mates, and let us put together a fishing adventure tailored to you. The Florida Keys are home to some of the world’s best captains. Stop wishing, go fishing!

Snapper of all varieties (grouper is out of season until May 1st), kingfish, Spanish and cero mackerel have all graced us with their presence. While all of these species are fun and, at times, challenging to catch, it’s the gamefish like wahoo, cobia and sailfish that garner the most respect. That’s because, if you aren’t on your game, you will not be catching these fish. Sure, a blind squirrel gets a nut every now and then, but you really have to be prepared all the time to capitalize on situations when they arise.

Right now, cobia can be found anywhere from the wrecks in Florida Bay north of the Marathon and Key Colony Beach area; to Hawk Channel wrecks, or just cruising on the surface--especially on the color changes. They can also be found following large rays traveling the reef line or on the outside edge of the reef, again on the color changes, both in the greener water or the blue side. They may also just appear behind the boat while snapper fishing in any of these venues.

That’s where preparation comes into play. This time of year, even if I”m not cobia or sailfishing, I have several rods set up for just that occasion, ready to take advantage of an opportunity that may present itself--and they often do. I keep four medium to heavy spinning rods ready to go at a moment’s notice, especially while traveling to and from different fishing spots.

All four rods have 30-pound mono mainline with a Bimini twist. On one, I’ll have a six foot 50 lb. fluorocarbon leader 5/0 or 6/0 mustard 9174 live bait hook, and, on the other, a large fluorescent green buck tail jig, with a brown eel for casting. Use live bait on the jig to get the attention of free swimming or traveling cobia. My bait of choice are live grunts the size of your hand or a little bigger.

The other two rods are set up with circle hooks between 4/0-6/0, depending mainly on the size of the baits I have that day for sailfish. Bigger bait, bigger hook. But don’t overdo it. It’s very important for the bait to swim naturally. I can change a hook on any of these rods in under a minute and go to full sailfish or cobia mode in less than two minutes.

In addition to those four rods, I have a couple of medium-strong rods with 50 lb. braid. One is always set up with a 50 lb. fluoro top shot about twenty feet, with a 3-5 oz. egg sinker, followed by a swivel and two and a half feet of fifty-pound fluorocarbon with a 6/0 live bait hook. This rod is specifically for getting a bait deep to a ray, traveling with a cobia entourage.

Finding rays traveling deep with cobia takes a keen eye and some experience. I will tell you this, they are easier to find in the sandy spots on the reef than the darker spots of grass and rocks. They tend to be the six-foot square thing on the bottom that appears to be moving. Also, should you find a cobia or two milling about on the surface near the reef line, either inside or out, try to get them hooked up. But then, start looking for that ray because, chances are, there is one close by and it probably has more cobia buddies waiting to entertain you.

The Florida Keys are known for their laid back, slow paced lifestyle, however, when it comes to fishing, most of us are wide-open, full-throttle on it until September. The kids are back in school and people just seem to get back into the grind of life again--but nobody told the fish. September and October provide some of the best fishing of the year.  Whether it’s offshore, reef, or wreck fishing, it's just good all around.

As we ease into September, the wreck fishing for grouper and mutton snapper can be absolutely outstanding; it changes from day to day, but, overall, it is good to great.

Late September and October provide some of the best offshore fishing of the year.  As the surface water temps drop back into the mid to low 80's, those big dolphin (the fish, not Flipper) spend more time up on the surface where we can find them, instead of way down deep.  Tuna are still around in good numbers, as well as billfish.  October is also when we start to see the beginning of the wahoo migration through our local waters.

Lobster season is open and, contrary to popular belief, you can catch lobster all the way into December in our nearshore waters--it's not just a two-day season in July. In October, after the first real cold front, we get a big push of lobster through our islands. It's known as the October run. The front triggers the fall migration for lobster to head back to deeper water, and diving or snorkeling for them is good—in fact, it's really good.

The deep reef and patch reefs are always good for a mixed bag of snapper and grouper, as well as a variety of other species.

September and October are one of the best kept secrets of the year. The fishing and diving are outstanding, and you'll rarely wait in line for anything.

The Florida Keys are home to some of the world’s greatest fishermen and women. Walk the docks, or pick up the phone. We’re happy to offer free advice, or get you set up with an adventure of a lifetime.  “Stop Wishing!  Go Fishing!”

Here are the basics for reef fishing:

First, you have to chum--lots of chum.

Current is also very important. Snapper like some current to feed; they can become temperamental when the current is light or nonexistent.

One thing that goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, is that there has to be fish where you are fishing--this is really important. So how do you know if there are fish where you want to fish? Before you drop the anchor, slowly cruise over your spot and check it with your fishfinder or bottom machine. Hopefully you will mark some fish close to the bottom.

Before you anchor, put your fully loaded chum bag out and make another pass or two where you marked the fish. If they have come up off the bottom, that's a great start.

Anchor up-current of your marks and let your chum do its job for fifteen minutes or so. Most of the time, you should be able to see some activity in your chum slick.  If you’re not catching and seeing fish in 20 minutes, move.

Remember to “get lite” to get the bite. Light leader 12-20# is going to make all the difference in the world. You may lose a few more fish on the lighter leader, but you will have way more action.

Soon, you will find a balance taking into consideration water clarity and above surface weather as well (i.e., cloudy or overcast you may get away with a little heavier leader;  sunny skies/crystal clear water, you better get lite).

Now that you have the basics, step up your game with live bait. Small to medium size pinfish and pilchards, if you can find them, make great mangrove, mutton, and grouper baits. On the wrecks, it's all about live bait. Yes, you can dead bait them, but I'll take the live option every day.  Fifteen-20 foot leaders, minimum 30-50 pound leader, and just enough weight to keep it on the bottom 50 pound mainline.

Spin or conventional tackle is your call--just make sure your rods have the strength to catch fish up to one hundred pounds.

Good luck! The Florida Keys are home to some of the best fishermen and women in the world. Give us a call or hit the docks and let us set up a fishing adventure just for you!