Fashion: Without a doubt, Amber is the Countess of Fashion Sunglasses. Gucci, Chanel, Dior, – she loves them, she collects them, she covets them- each pair lovingly placed back in their respective large, protective cases each time they come off her face. I have owned one pair of Gucci sunglasses because it took me one time to have too many cocktails and lose that much money, that fast. My lost Gucci’s were followed by a string of rebelliously purchased drug store Foster Grant’s that, quite frankly, I thought looked strikingly similar and never ended up lost. Oh, the irony. While Amber has been steadfast in her sunglasses shape; large round Jackie O’s, I have been much more experimental in my choices. I attempted the mirrored aviators; I thought they looked tactical and very Cool Hand Luke authoritarian-ish. However, they pulled out chunks of my hair when I mistakenly put them on top of my head and I felt like I could see around and above them…which was really annoying. I tried a couple of pairs of Amber’s Jackie O’s but they made my face sweat and created embarrassingly huge “raccoon eyes.” (Amber is always lathered in sunscreen so this is how she avoids this disastrous consequence). Finally, I have settled on my new favorite -actually an old favorite- pair of sunglasses- The Ray-Ban Wayfarer. To me, the Wayfarer says I am more “Risky Business” than SWAT Team. I am more “Boys of Summer” than I am Jackie O. To me, there is nothing more rock n’ roll than a pair of Wayfarers. I bought them in black and tortoise shell and I wear them with great pride. They tell the world that I am one with the Blues Brothers, I have seen Reservoir Dogs and I likely have ZZ Top on my playlist.

Function: As far as functional eye wear is concerned, the Florida Keys might as well be sponsored by Costa Del Mar. More people wear Costas in the Keys than any other sunglasses around. And for good reason. Ask anyone with a pair of Costas on and they will tell you there is nothing better to wear on the water. In fact, I was admiring a pair of Costas at Louie’s Backyard last week and was introduced to the Costa 580 Lens by someone who could politely be called, a fanatic. According to the Costa website, “580 lenses block yellow light at580nm for enhanced color and blue light at 400nm to reduce haze and blur.” According to the Costa fanatic at Louie’s, anyone who loves fishing or the water will wear nothing else. I will say the lens quality was unbelievable. However, as aforementioned, I am more of a fashion over function kind of girl. Michelle is right for the most part, I do love my designer sunglasses. I think of them like a handbag or a piece of jewelry.They are a must have accessory. What she may not know however, is I’ve also lost in the last two months, 3 pairs of my most coveted designer glasses. (this is a secret from my husband so shhhhh….) I have been looking for a replacement that offers coverage without the sportsman influence. Ray Bans are an excellent option, and they come in many shapes and sizes. If you want something colorful, try the Diane Von Furstenberg’s or DVF’s, they offer a super light weight frame. You won’t even know they are on. No slipping down your nose etc..( I have them in PINK)!

We asked a couple of our friends:
Jo Socha, Sheriff’s Office- I wear black Ray Ban “Jackie Os” for two reasons…they are available in prescription and they are available in a polarized lens which is mandatory since I drive a boat on the weekends. They also make an excellent headband. I still wear Oakley’s (Vented Radarlock Edge/Asian Fit) for bike riding because they are unbreakable and if a rock or something comes off the pavement, I don’t have to worry about them shattering. Also, they are aerodynamic and fit under my bike helmet. I never wear cheap sunglasses…ever. I would never wear anything other than polarized glasses in the Keys. Don’t even talk to me about it”
Dianne Scott, Editor / Island Jane – I wear polarized Maui Jims because I am out on the water a lot. I can’t see the shallow water spots very well without them and running aground is just NOT an option 😉

Well, I think we’ve made our point. Sunglasses are a must have in our lives and we are willing to spend whatever it costs to have the ones we like best. I think function may win the contest though. So let us hear your thoughts….what kind of sunglasses do you wear and what do they say about you???

by Amber Schafer & Michelle Maxwell

While you’re cruising around the Keys you will see many people fishing the shore line. You will see people fishing off bridges, sea walls, piers, and random culverts that pass threw the islands. Many times you wonder if they actually catch anything. You better believe they do! They catch a variety of snapper – like gray and lane snapper, grunts, groupers, and the occasional wassa or jewfish.

As a boy, my friend Ivan and I would fish from the seawall across from the car dealership on N. Roosevelt Blvd. We would buy some frozen heron and squid and fish from the shore line. Fishing strictly with a Cuban line, you might know it as a yoyo.

I remember on one occasion, Ivan and I were fishing late at night when it started to rain. So I said, “Ivan I think it’s starting to rain”. When I said that he began to laugh hysterically as he was swing the line from his yoyo around about to cast his line and bait juice was flying all over me. We still get a laugh out of that. None the less, we always had a few fish to take home and fry.

Fish and Grits

Snapper:

• 1 snapper
• 1 cup flour and 1 cup corn starch mixed together and seasoned with salt and pepper
• 3 cups Peanut oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Any type of snapper or grunt is great for this dish. Make sure to clean your fish well, gut and de-gill your fish. By scraping the fish with a fork you can descale the snapper. After your fish is scaled give it a rinse and wash loose scales away. If you visit a fish market to purchase your fish you can have them clean it for you. Ask for it gutted and descaled.

Score your snapper by making cuts just through the skin.
Season your snapper heavily with salt and pepper.
Dredge in a mixture of 50% flour and 50% corn starch.
Deep fry the dredged fish at 325 degrees for about 10 – 15 minutes depending on size of the fish.
Plate it up with cheese grits and enjoy from the cheeks to the crispy crunch of the tail.
Make sure you are careful that you don’t swallow a bone. Hope you enjoy!

Cheese Grits:

• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup instant grits
• ½ cup Machego cheese (or your favorite cheese)
• Whole butter
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a medium size pot bring the chicken stock and heavy cream to a boil.
Add grits and stir.
Turn heat on range down to medium high heat and let the grits simmer for about 5 minutes.
Finish by stirring in cheese and butter. Then season to taste with salt and pepper. If grits become too thick add chicken stock and stir until desired consistency.

Author: Chef Martin Liz

There are many types of mackerel but the best is the cero mackerel. The cero mackerel isn’t the biggest of the mackerels but by far the tastiest. It is a sushi grade fish that is best served as sashimi and makes an amazing ceviche. It is a true delicacy of the Key West and the Florida Keys and often under appreciated.

My favorite way to enjoy cero mackerel is in sashimi form with a twist! Using local flavors and some Key West flair! Fresh slice the cero paper thin and eat with a key lime grain mustard vinaigrette. Slice, dip and enjoy.

Key Lime Grain Mustard Vinaigrette
1 minced shallot
2 tablespoons grain mustard
½ cup fresh squeezed key lime juice
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:
Add shallots, grain mustard, and key lime juice to mixing bowl. Stir with whisk and slowly add extra virgin olive oil until blended. Finish by seasoning your vinaigrette to taste with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. Serve with your fresh catch and enjoy!

Author: Chef Martin Liz

From catching grunts off a dock to targeting kings and sailfish in deeper water, the Keys offer myriad choices for the fishing enthusiast, no matter the season. Of course my favorite method of piscatorial pursuit is from a kayak in shallow water. This month I thought I’d lay out a general fishing calendar for the inshore kayak angler covering the winter time period, also known around here as the “dry” season – meaning almost no rain. Keep in mind that fish don’t read calendars! Water temps, tides, wind direction and available food are the primary factors affecting shallow water fishing no matter what month it is. But these guidelines will give you an idea of what you can expect.

November/December
The big variable for a kayak angler during these months will be the frequency and severity of the cool fronts that start to push in from the northwest. Early in November, these fronts may not make it here at all, meaning the bonefishing, tarpon fishing and permit fishing will stay very good. As we get closer to Thanksgiving, however, a weak front or two will probably hold together and sweep through the Keys, bringing north winds for a few days that gradually clock around to the east and back off. In December, the frequency and severity of these fronts will increase. But usually these fronts are infrequent enough to leave several great weather days in between. As to flats fishing, the main thing to keep an eye on is the water temperature. You can look at weather buoy data for a general idea, but locally, temps can vary considerably from one spot to the next and from one day to the next as well. Carrying a pool thermometer is a cheap way to get a local reading. If you can find water in the mid 70s and up, the “big three” (bonefish, tarpon, and permit) should still be cooperative, especially a few days after a front passes and the weather stabilizes. But as the days get shorter and water temps continue to trend downward, these three sport fish will thin out, and it’s time to change targets. Snapper fishing picks up nicely. Grouper on the patches and around structure make great targets. And some new players emerge. Speckled sea trout, pompano, BIG barracuda, cero mackerel, redfish, ladyfish, blacktip sharks, spinner sharks, and marauding schools of large jack crevalles (sometimes well over 10 pounds) are all pushed south into the Keys’ warmer water.

January/February
These are the potentially the toughest months of the year for kayakers as stiffer winds become a factor, and the wise kayak angler will take time to plan their route with this in mind. But all is not lost! One tried and true method is to start your day paddling into the wind, so you can use the breeze to help push you back to the launch after you’re tired. Another option is to get a friend with a boat to taxi you and your yak out back (Gulf side) and drop you off. Then you can fish your way back with the wind helping. Another idea is to fish out front (ocean side). Due to the general east/west orientation of the Lower Keys and the prevailing north to northeast winds, the south side of the islands will have a lot of days quite fishable in a kayak, even when the backcountry is blown out. Drifting the channels and throwing a gold spoon can yield some cero macks for the smoker and jack crevalles for fun. Most days are bright and sunny, making it easier to spot fish. Seriously large barracuda are terrific sight casting targets as they sit over sandy potholes to warm themselves. And the bright Florida sun will heat the water enough to make permit fishing quite doable during the warmup days between cool fronts. You can often find permit if you can find some afternoon water temps in the mid 70s. And these permit are almost always feeding aggressively. Fishing for snapper, porgy, and yellow jacks (delicious fish!) around the bridge pilings and patch reefs is still good and provides the makings of a nice fish cookout for your friends, while you brag about how you did it all in your little plastic human-powered boat!

Author: Captain Randy Morrow

Sailfish, or spindlebeaks (due to their long and spindly bills), converge on South Florida and the offshore waters of the Keys from November through April most years. I usually fish these highly acrobatic speed demons seriously from the month of October until about early May. The peak season appears to follow the third major cold front, driving down water temperatures and bait. I advise all of my clients that late November to early February is peak–where one can expect consistent catches that often come in double digits, nearly duplicating any Central American Country or Isla Mujeres fishery.

Early in the season, in late November, our catches seem to spike for a few weeks, then remain constant and spike again with every cold front, lasting several days.

The techniques to catch these neon iridescent speedsters of the sea, vary significantly. In South Florida and the Keys, live baits, in the form of goggle eyes, small blue runners, cigar minnows, and larger pilchards suspended from kites, are the most common approach employed by most charter captains.

Another approach is watching for spraying fish in the reef and patch reefs, where sails will converge upon schools of bait and, in their attempt to escape, become airborne, thus resulting in the “spray”. This can be a very exciting “hunt” for these fish, as well as an exciting sight when cast to individual sails. This action is generally accompanied by frigate birds and gulls diving in on the bait. This is mostly a one-on-one scenario, with your captain positioning the boat for an ideal cast to the hungry sail.

Inexperienced fishermen should allow the mate, or even the captain, to cast and hook these sails, as most yank the bait out of the fish’s mouth, not giving the sail enough time to swallow the bait and letting it go from the slightest pressure on its mouth. This, while trolling, has traditionally been called “dropping back”, but, in this case, when casting with a spinning reel, leaving the reel in free spool as the fish continues to strip line fast, is something that comes with practice to know when to come tight on the fish. We use Owner Mutu Light # 5 hooks that require only coming tight on the fish and letting the circle hook do its job.

The other common approach is trolling live ballyhoo, or other live bait with multiple lines, as well as employing natural dredges of the same fish. This technique, although at a higher fuel consumption, in my opinion, covers more ground and, in my case, outfishes the kite technique. Another technique, when sails are a bit skittish and non responsive, is as follows. I employ trolling with downriggers at different depths with live bait, as I do for blue marlin in the summer months. I use, what I call, “My Lake Michigan Approach”, which is a combination of top, mid and deep patterns to entice these fish into producing a violent strike! We often have multiple hook-ups in this technique that cause sheer pandemonium on deck.

Some other techniques are the bait and switch techniques, which I have employed in Mexico and Central America. Fresh, dead ballyhoo are trolled at higher speeds in the traditional “W” or “Diamond Pattern” and, when a sail comes into the spread, a live bait or fly is presented to the fish, often right at the transom. There is nothing quite as hair raising as seeing, and teasing up, an electrified and fully lit up sail, wondering where all the baits have gone, and then presenting one solitary morsel of a nose-hooked, live bait. If you have not become accustomed to catching sails this way…you haven’t sail-fished. This is by far the most exhilarating show that “Mr. Showmanship” can produce. It is what stories and memories are made from for years to follow. Although this technique is seldom, if ever, used here, it does bring in fish that are not responding to the usual approaches.

The key element to this fishery is live and fresh bait. For kites, gogs are the candy, whereas the other methods are a bit more forgiving with live bait selection.

Throughout December and January this year, we had those kind of shows. We employed every tactic we had until one, or several, would work consistently. On our best day we had 10/14 releases without even employing the kites. The following day produced 3/6 and the subsequent day, 5/7. Our clients were so impressed that traveling to Mexico or Costa Rica became less of an option for these US residents. Winter sails in the Keys rival some of the places in these Central American fisheries and are available within several hours from most major US cities and fishing several days can be accomplished in a single long weekend. I advise my clients to book a week prior to a cold front and, at times, to buy tickets within a day’s notice of this incredible hot action. Obviously, availability on both is the deal breaker, as bookings for this time of year are generally a six months to a year in advance.

If you haven’t fished Islamorada for sailfish at this time of year, you are missing out on one of the Keys’ best fish to battle, the sailfish.

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREAM…
While we fish Bahamian waters, this time of year can be a bit frustrating knowing the fishing is phenomenal for wahoo but making the crossing can be a bit uncomfortable in the heavy seas.
The wahoo are numerous in the Bimini area, as well as throughout the Bahamas. The fish generally average 50 lbs. to some real bruisers.  Dolphin begin showing up at this time of year too. With a good SE wind blowing for several days, dolphin, tuna, and a few marlin, stack up at “The Pocket”. Along with dolphin, look for triple-tail in the weeds and, again, a few blue marlin. That makes the bite exciting, as you never know what will blast that short flat line with your largest lure!

This time of year, you will also find sailfish, amberjack, barracuda, kingfish and, the ever present, snappers. “Deep dropping” for yellow eye and queen snapper often interrupts the AM and PM low light wahoo fishing.

While the temperature plummets and the winds spike up white foam on the waves, the sails of winter will leave your muscles cramped and memories aglow!

Author: Captain Jorge Pinero

The difference between weather and climate has been explained by various sources in the following simple quote: “Climate is what you expect, and weather is what you get”. At NOAA/National Weather Service, an observational record of 30 years is used to represent the climate “normal” for a given weather element. Actually, these “normals” are more accurately described as statistical averages. These averages are updated every 10 years, so the numbers one may view in today’s daily climate report are based on the most recent 30-year observational record, which is the period 1991–2020.

One of the great things about winter weather in the Florida Keys is the temperature-humidity combination (usually!). For most of December, January, and February (a period known as “meteorological winter”), one can expect the air mass in the Florida Keys to be “mild”, sometimes warm, and occasionally cool, but rarely hot, and almost never cold; okay for shorts or a long-sleeved shirt, but rarely requiring a jacket. This is because the cold, polar or arctic air rushing southward off the North American continent will usually modify and warm quickly over the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean before reaching the subtropical Florida Keys. At the same time, the sultry maritime tropical air will be pushed to the south, and relegated usually to the Caribbean basin.

Using the Key West International Airport data record, the average daily high temperatures for the months of December, January, and February are 76.0°, 74.3°, and 76.0° (Fahrenheit), respectively. The average daily low temperatures for December, January, and February are 67.0°, 64.8°, and 65.8° (Fahrenheit), respectively.

While wintertime temperature and humidity in the Florida Keys go down, the winds come up. In fact, winter is the “windiest” season in the Florida Keys, on average. Using data from the Florida Keys Coastal-Marine Automated Network (C-MAN) stations, the average sustained (2-minute average) wind for the December–February period is 12–14 knots (gusts 14–17 knots). Contrast this with the June–August average of 8–10 knots (gusts 10–14 knots).

The winter is also the “dry season” in the Florida Keys. Any user of weather forecasts is very familiar with the issuance of “precipitation probabilities” (or, “rain chances”). In the National Weather Service, this number represents the 12-hour probability of “measurable” rain (0.01 inch or greater) falling within a given forecast zone. During the peak rainy season months of August and September, the forecast rain chances typically fall in the range of 30–40 percent. However, during the winter months of December, January, and February, the forecast rain chances typically drop closer to 10 percent. Wintertime rain in the Keys usually occurs along an approaching cold front.

For more information on winter weather and climate in the Florida Keys, please visit the NOAA/Florida Keys National Weather Service web site at weather.gov/key, or find us on Facebook and Twitter (“NWSKeyWest”).

Remember to check the winter weather before heading out on the water, and as always, be weather-ready, and stay safe!

Author: Kennard “Chip” Kasper – Meteorologist-in-Charge at NOAA/Florida Keys National Weather Service