Weekend 4-Cast for Florida Sportsman Magazine written by Capt. James!

Welcome back to this week’s report! The fishing this week has been pretty good all around, but the Sailfishing has slowed a bit. We have been able to catch them every day but one, but there have been plenty of other contestants around willing to play the game. Believe it or not, there are still some Mahi around as the current is still close in to the reef and the water has started to really clean up from Islamorada to Marathon. The Blackfin Tuna bite has been pretty decent as well in depths from 125 to 200 feet. You can expect 2 to 4 shots a day at Sails, with other bites from Kings, Wahoo, Tuna, and Mahi mixed in. The kites have been the best tactic for us, but the guys slow trolling live baits have been getting similar results. The deep dropping this past week has been somewhat productive as well with some nice catches of Yellow Eye and Vermillion Snappers. The majority of this success has been around the Islamorada Hump, and deeper ledges in the rips. There were even a few Swordfish caught out in 1500 feet as a few boats were able to take advantage of the nicer weather conditions a little earlier in the week. Therefore, all-in-all, the fishing remains to be pretty decent. We are anticipating the Sailfishing to pick up for the weekend, as there is a front coming through over the next day or two and the wind will switch back to the N/NE and should provide some really great conditions for these guys. Bait has been fairly predictable thus far, and should remain pretty good throughout the weekend. The Pilchards have disappeared, but the Cigar Minnows, Ballyhoo, and Blue Runners have been relatively reliable.

The reef bite has been just good enough the past few days, as the Snappers have been adjusting to the cooler water temperatures and have definitely been biting better on the incoming tide’s warmer temperatures. Catching enough for dinner has been fairly easy, but if you time it correctly, you can catch more than your share. Plenty of Kings have moved in on the edge of the reef, and a lot of Cero Mackerels have been in the chum slick. The Grouper fishing has been pretty good to the South, as well as Mutton Snappers from 160’ in to the patches. Remember that Grouper season closes on the first of the month until May 1st, so if Grouper are what you are after you are running out of time. The Cobia have showed up well this past week with the calmer seas, and if the North wind slicks off a bit I am sure they will be around again. The best of this is by Tennessee reef, and if you can find the Stingrays, you will more than likely find the Cobia. Grunts have been the bait of choice for these guys, so load up on the patches and start looking. They are not very easy to find, but if you have the available time to put in you just might end up with a box full of nice fish. This past week the fish were averaging 20 to 60 pounds.

Well, that’s all I got for this week! I would like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday season, and if you need me please give me a call at 305-803-1321. I will be happy to help in any way that I can! Thanks again, and Merry Christmas to you all!

Capt. James Chappell
www.catchalottafish.com