THE FISHING LINE | Archives

2006 Reports

January 3rd, 2006

Florida is probably one of the warmest places in the states right now and the fishing has been incredible. This past December was one of the best on the water that I can remember. Water temps stayed warm on the flats and the bonefish fed actively on both shrimp and custom-tied flies. Baby tarpon gave us some great battles, the snook bite was on fire, and the redfish have been all over the backcountry flats.

As January cold fronts settle over the Keys, the bite slows up on the flats until mid-day when the water temperature rises. For early morning action, check the channels around Flamingo for snook, redfish and trout. That’s also a good time to do some sight fishing for sharks. It’s a great way to get some practice looking for your target, and they don’t seem to be as affected by colder water temps. All of the same principles apply when fishing for sharks on the flats. The cast needs to be on target and you need to work your fly or bait in order to entice a bite. Bonnet heads, lemons, black tips, and spinner sharks are just some of the species that regularly patrol depths of 3 feet or less.

This can also be a great time to get way back into the Everglades for a variety of rod bending action with jack crevalle, ladyfish, Spanish mackerel and more. Give me a call if you’re interested in booking a trip or just check out some of the archived reports to learn what to expect when you go fishing in the Florida Keys.

Fishin’ Line – February 3, 2006

Another Swamp Guide’s Ball tournament has come and gone and already it’s February. This means that we have passed the coolest water temperatures of the year and from here on out, the water should maintain or increase it’s temperature. Rather than waiting for the midday sun to heat up the water, redfish, bonefish and permit will enjoy the warmer water enough to move along the flats earlier in the day, seeking food.

When the wind kicks up, making it difficult to get to the flats around Flamingo, the patch reefs on the oceanside are a great place to get a lot of rod-bending action. A chum bag and some shrimp on the hook will entice yellowtail, mackerel and grouper to bite.

In February, the shark fishing can be dynamite. Catching barracuda or Spanish mackerel can bring sharks into the shallows – sometimes into water that looks too shallow to hold them. Bull sharks, lemons, spinners and maybe even a tiger shark can be targeted for a wild ride with a hook and line.

Remember to make your reservations for fishing as soon as you can. The books are starting to fill fast and will stay that way through June. If I don’t have a particular day available, I can put you in touch with some other great guides that can give you a fantastic day of fishing in the Keys.

Capt. Steve

Fishin’ Line – March 4, 2006

We are firing on all cylinders this month, gearing up for busy season. The fish are getting more and more active just as more and more people are coming down to visit our beautiful Islamorada waters. Looking back through my log books confirms that this year we have experienced typical winter weather, with some fronts making their way through the Keys. This brings some wind, rain and cooler temperatures. I make the most of clear, calm days by sight fishing during the afternoons when temperatures are at their peak. Tailing redfish and laid-up snook can often be found then. When the wind is blowing, reducing activity on the flats, it’s worth the time to work the creeks and runoffs around Flamingo. You’ll likely find snook, reds, nice groupers and trout down deep.

After the fronts pass by, the warmer days return. Water temperatures have leveled off into the mid 70’s, which allows most any fish to be caught on any given day. Bonefish look for food on the flats, and permit cruise along their favorite inshore coral heads and flats, getting ready to move offshore to spawn. Traditional tarpon season is still a few months away, when monster migratory silver kings swim through. But the warmer water and calm days have triggered bigger tarpon to move inshore. I’m not talking about the smaller, residential baby tarpon, but 100-plus pound fish. They can also be found in shallow waters of 5-feet or less, finning or laid-up to get some sun on their backs. In dirtier water, these big poons will be ready to take a dark fly that moves slowly across its face.

Spring is here and I can’t wait to take advantage of the hot action. There’s not much that isn’t possible to catch right now. Huge sharks, big permit, tailing bonefish and big snook just to name a few. The bite is on!

Capt. Steve

April 7th, 2006

I’m a little delayed in getting this month’s report out but with good reason. The fishing has been fantastic and I’ve caught a variety of species each outing. Oh yeah, and my son Benjamin Wallace Friedman was born on March 6! Between fishing everyday and changing the occasional diaper, it’s been an exciting time.

The first part of March brought a wealth of tarpon to the area. Many of my customers caught or hooked their very first tarpon ever. Some nabbed them on fly, and others jumped them on bait. It looks like we’re in store for a great tarpon season this year. Big bonefish have been around too, but they’ve been a little tougher to feed. The bones got a little spooky after a cold front breezed through. I expect smaller bonefish in sizeable schools to visit the flats more frequently in the next few weeks.

The tarpon and bonefish aren’t alone out there. Huge sharks, big permit, snook, redfish and a host of other rod-bending fish will keep the entire family in the action.

Although there were some great Kodak moments on my boat this month, I left the camera at home to take photos of the newest fisherman in the family. So, if the anglers who snapped them send me copies, I’ll get them posted soon.

I still have some dates available in April and a few for May so give me a call if you’re interested in booking a charter. (305) 393-3474.

Capt. Steve

May 2006

If you’re a fisherman, you know that springtime in the Keys is the place to be. I’ll bet if you asked seasoned anglers, that have fished around the world, where they would want to be fishing now, hands down, they would all say the Florida Keys. The reason is simple: the tarpon are here. For the tarpon fisherman, this is the best time of year to catch that trophy class, three-digit monster of a fish. Many tarpon seekers will have the gall to try to catch these brutes on fly.

But for the angler who has engaged a few silver king in one of these seemingly never-ending battles, it may be the mighty permit they’re after. On windier days with sunnier skies, permit will be moving along the gulf side flats seeking they’re favorite meal, the blue crab. We use imitation crabs for the most part to catch permit, and sometimes they might even eat it.

Perhaps bonefish are the answer when your sore arms and arthritic fingers can’t handle any more battles with fish tipping the scales at 100, 125 or maybe even 180 pounds. Bonefish flats can to be void of boats this time of year, and the fish can be easier to feed because of less pressure from anglers that are now looking elsewhere for tarpon.

If these options don’t excite you, there’s always tailing redfish, ambushing snook, hungry sea-trout and ferocious sharks of many sizes and varieties to target, just to name a few. This is the time to be here and if you’re not here now, get here soon.

Capt. Steve

June 26, 2006

Just a brief report this month as I’ve been fishing nearly everyday and haven’t found the time to get the new report posted.

The main target this month has been without a doubt, the mighty tarpon. I’ve been fishing tarpon in just about every way I know how: casting to laid up fish in the backcountry, staking out along oceanside flats and casting flies at huge groups of cruising tarpon, using live bait to jump them around bridges, and the list goes on. Certainly one of the highlights of the month was watching Anthony Jordan of Two Guys Fly Shop in Lafayette, Colorado tangle with a giant that we estimated to be around 170 pounds!

This has also been a busy month for tarpon tournaments, which I managed to stay away from this year. I avoided the crowds that were looking for tarpon by making the boat ride to the backcountry, the area called Flamingo, to find tailing redfish and laid-up snook. The action was great and it was very consistent. A lot of fish were caught in the mullet muds and we ambushed prey in the murkier water. A stealth approach to the tailing reds, by casting light flies and jigs tipped with soft plastic baits, was met with success.

The rains have started to come in during the afternoons and this has cooled the water temperature down to more tolerable levels for the bonefish. As of right now, the water temps are in the low 80’s and the bonefish have been very active. They are aggressively eating live crabs and well-cast flies. I expect this to continue for the next few weeks until the water temps start to rise again.

Check back again soon for the next update. I’ll have the July report posted much earlier and it’ll have some more great actions photos for your viewing pleasure.

Capt. Steve

July 2006

One of the highlights of fishing in Islamorada in of July is participating in the Rolex/IGFA Inshore Championship. This tournament is the world series of inshore fishing. It places anglers, who have already won IGFA-endorsed tournaments throughout the world, against each other for three days of fun and intense fishing. The objective is to catch as many fish in the “slam” as possible. A slam consisting of bonefish, tarpon, permit, snook and redfish. The anglers draw from the filed of participating guides and fish with a different guide each day. I had the good fortune to fish Dave Collier from New York; Tony Cockayne, all the way from Uganda; and ex-NFL star and all-around good guy, Mark Cooper from Colorado.

After the dust cleared, five anglers were able to complete the slam of all five species. This had never been done before in the history of the tournament. I was lucky enough to fish with two of those guys: Dave Collier and Mark Cooper. Dave started off with me on a hot streak and caught a tarpon and redfish on fly, and then finished the day with a snook on artificial. In the end, Dave was our overall release champion and fly division champion. Mark Cooper was hot on the hunt in the first couple of days, catching all but his snook and redfish in the first two days of competition. We managed to get several snook in the morning that didn’t measure up and lost a few more to the branches and bad luck. But he caught his redfish on fly and got his qualifying snook late in the day on artificial to finish his slam. It was another great tournament put on by Mike Myatt and the IGFA which featured some of the best anglers and guides in the world.

Check out these photos of Mark Cooper and his slam of fish!

Capt. Steve

August 2006

Probably one of the best things about fishing the Keys in August is the possibility of landing the flats “grand slam.” This is when an angler catches a bonefish, permit and tarpon in the same day. The odds are in your favor this month because of the consistent weather patterns. In addition, summer tides bring higher tides and create a lot of current with the larger volume of moving water.

In my experience, water temps that range from the mid eighties to the high seventies are ideal for all three species. Permit seem to relish the warmer waters, tarpon enjoy calm early morning waters, and bonefish get active late in the day as cooler waters start to flood the flats.

In additional to the treasured three, there are many varieties of fish to target. Redfish, snook and sharks are very active. For example, I was fishing with Lee Schifferal and his wife Jill, who came in from Wisconsin to enjoy some great summer fishing in the Keys. While we were hunting for laid up tarpon and tailing permit, Jill hooked and landed a 24” red grouper on 10 lb. tackle and later added a nice bull shark just for good measure. Lee wouldn’t be outdone, jumping a tarpon on a Gulp shrimp, and later had great shots at huge mudding bonefish. He didn’t hook any of the bonefish, but ended up with a killer catch. The bonefish seemed oblivious to the live crab Lee was trying to serve. But a permit came tailing along behind the bones, and with a long accurate cast and about a 15 minute fight on light tackle, Lee brought his very first permit to the boat, weighing in at a respectable 17lb. It was released unharmed after several great photos.

Capt. Steve

September, 2006

Some of the best bonefishing of the year happens in September. The weather is mild and the days are long. But I got the opportunity to take the family to some of my old fishing waters on the Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers in Colorado. But this September was also a great time to get away with the family and enjoy a vacation. When one of my customers, Sam Kaufman invited us to Colorado to see the mountains and fish with him in the 4th Annual Rocky Mountain Classic, we decided it was time to go on vacation and go river fishing.

The Rocky Mountain classic is a Redbone @ Large event which brings anglers and celebrities together to have fun fishing for brown trout and rainbow trout while, at the same time, raising some money to find a cure for cystic fibrosis. We arrived in Colorado to enjoy one of the prettiest weeks of autumn. We enjoyed 70 degree days with clear blue skies and then a day later, 8-10 inches of snow fell on the mountain range making for a true life painting of the peaking colors on the aspen trees heavy with white flaky snow.

As pretty as the snowfall was, the rivers boated and were off colored when we hit the ramp. Sam was the lead angler for us on the first day catching some beautiful rainbow and brown trout using streamer flies, san juan worms and a variety of nymphs. I tried to hold my own while getting used to mending and casting up to 3 flies at a time. I think I spent as much time getting untangled an re-rigging than I did having the flies in the water. Taylor, our guide for the two day event, helped out tremendously and was very patient with me and my re-acquaintance to river fishing. I somehow managed to catch a few fish to save face. The second day proved to be even more challenging with chocolate colored water, but I managed to fish a little better and Sam kept us going with some great catches. Best of all, we had a blast just floating down the river and I enjoyed the fishing end instead of the guiding end for a change. It was a great event for a great cause and got to share some time with some great folks.

Capt. Steve

Fall/Winter Fishing Report

As the cold settles into the northern states, many of you under the blankets may be wondering how the fishing is this time of year in the Keys. As you may have seen from the homepage, I have described many of the best fishing “seasons”. The seasons I refer to are the best times of the year to pursue certain varieties of sport fish. The big migratory tarpon, for instance, tend to be flooding the keys area in the springtime starting in late April and they’ll stay around until early July. But there is no time of year when a particular fish is just not found.

Simply put, any fish can be caught any time of the year.

As cold fronts bring in cooler air and water temperatures, the fish start to move just as they do when the water warms. They sink to deeper channels or basins where the water temp is more favorable. They still have to eat and usually when the sun is at its peak during the day, the warmest temperatures are going to be on the flats where the water is the shallowest and has time to heat up the bottom. This can be a great time to approach the flats for many of our most challenging game fish.

One such quarry is the barracuda. As the winter settles in, you can be sure to find stacks of barracuda lining the beds of flats just soaking up the warm afternoon sun and waiting for a quick snack. It’s important to approach these dormant strikers with caution and stealth. A long cast out beyond the aggressive fish and a fast retrieve will bring an impact like few others to the rod and reel. A fly resembling a needlefish or ballyhoo will work as will a shallow running plug or a top water lure skimmed along the surface.

Along with the wiley barracuda there are loads of other species to be caught. Bonefish can be found mudding along deeper edges of flats. Sharks cruise around for an easy meal. Baby tarpon will be close to the surface on calmer days to warm up in the sun. Snook and redfish will be grouped together in deeper holes off of the flats and runoffs in the Everglades National Park. This only lists off a few of the opportunities that are present in the wintertime in the Keys. Keys winters may feel cold to me, but balmy to you. Lows in the 50’s and highs in the 70’s. Not too bad. The wildlife abounds in the park too. Roseate spoonbills, bottlenose dolphin, ospreys, eagles, manatees, migratory white pelicans… You’ve just got to see it to believe it. So, please contact me at 305-393-3474 or email me at steve@afishingguide.com to book your trip now!

Capt. Steve