August 1, 2008

Now that the snow birds have gone north, the fish, flats and the guides are starting to catch their collective breath and settle down. As folks leave the Keys, the fish sense that the pressure is off and prowl the flats. The migration of big tarpon has thinned out leaving lots of smaller tarpon in the bays and channels around Florida Bay. When the conditions are calm and the tides are strong, the big tarpon make another appearance in the backcountry.

Though it’s early August, we are enjoying June-like weather of calm, hot days and afternoon showers. I’ve been getting on the water early to hit the bonefish flats before the sun gets high. Later in the day I target redfish, which are more tolerant of higher water temperatures.

Permit and snook are also being caught daily in the backcountry. Hotter days mean fewer people on the water and less pressure on the flats. Robbie Ames and I fished the RedGhost Stalk tournament again this year and we had an enviable day of fishing. First, Robbie caught a tarpon out of a school of about 40 fish. Then the redfish got active, tailing and waking (pushing water) on the flats. He hooked up on 5 out of 6 casts, catching a total of 5 redfish. Then he caught 2 nice snook and lost one big one. Next came several shots at a tailing permit that just wouldn’t eat the live crab we were offering. We found another tailer that ate on the first cast. After a 10 minute battle using 10lb Sufix braided line, we got the fish to the boat for a quick photo and release. It weighed in at 15 pounds. At the final minutes of the tournament, we had a school of bonefish swim right in our crosshairs. Robbie put a great cast in front of the school with a live shrimp. A fish darted out and ate the shrimp before it hit the bottom. But we soon realized that it was a yellow jack schooling with the bonefish. But at the end of the day, Robbie caught 2 snook, 1 tarpon, 5 redfish and 1 permit. Not bad!

We should expect this kind of great fishing action to continue throughout August and into September. Until then, tight lines,

Capt. Steve

May 26, 2008

May is cruising by us like a school of tarpon. It just meandered in on you but is quickly swimming on by. May and June are probably the best months of the year to fish for large tarpon on the gin-clear oceanside flats. The backcountry waters of the Florida Bay and Everglades National Park are also a haven for large migrating tarpon. My anglers have been fly fisherman for the most part, and the flies we are using are black and purple for the early morning and overcast skies. When the light gets higher and the water starts to warm, I’m using smaller flies that are brighter in color, like a chartreuse and yellow toad fly or an orange palolo worm fly imitation. There has been a small “worm hatch” in the lower keys this past week and the tarpon are starting to key in on this tiny tarpon delicacy. I received a report last week from Capt. Doug Mayer who hooked and played 5 tarpon to the boat and “jumped” more than twenty in just a few hours! That’s good fishing.

While most anglers have been searching for the silver king, the bonefish or “grey ghost” are enjoying less pressure on the flats. Capt. Any Putetti has been reaping the benefits of wide open bonefish flats and is reporting multiple days of catching five bonefish or more each day. He’s been using live shrimp, crabs and flies early in the morning when the water temperature is just right. The bonefish he’s been catching are anywhere from 4 lbs. to over ten pounds. That’s great news because the bonefishing should only get better as the summer rolls along.

Sam Kaufman fished with me in this year’s Golden Fly Invitational Tarpon Tournament. This was his first competitive fishing tournament against some of the best fly anglers in the world. Sam fished hard for three days and learned that he can hang with the big boys. He hooked a lot, caught a couple, and had the time of his life. Congratulations to the winners and watch out for Team Steve and Sam next year!

Capt. Steve

April 16, 2008

It’s mid April and the warm water temperatures have triggered the tarpon to start moving along the flats. Despite a late season cold front that dropped the water temperatures by ten degrees, the tarpon were still chomping. In just the last few days we’ve caught 3 out of seven with the largest topping 140 pounds!

Congratulations to Scott Westfall on catching his first tarpon on fly. After a 45 minute battle the 110 pounder was brought boatside and released unharmed. Nice job Scott!

His buddy, “Jerk Bait” John Ferguson, has tangled with some pretty big muskies in his day, but the 90 pound tarpon he fought on a spinning rod was a whole new experience. Then throw in a 10 foot hammerhead, and all of a sudden the silver king looked like bait instead of a prized catch. We did a few wheelies around the tarpon to keep the hammerhead at bay. We quickly got the tarpon to the boat and released in good condition despite being “t-boned” by the hungry shark. Not a scale was disturbed but we followed the shark until the tarpon was far away, had time to revive and be on its way, way away.

“Jerk Bait” also deserves cudos for catching a tarpon that was on the heavy side of 140 pounds. An hour and a half battle and that “tank” of a fish put new meaning into a strong fighting fish.

But probably his greatest accomplishment of the trip was hooking and landing his first permit on fly. The permit was 15 pounds and after a 15 minute fight with the ten weight fly rod, he was all smiles after some quick photos and a release. Great job!

April 1, 2008

Now that the last of our winter cold fronts have moved through the Keys, we can now expect a warming trend to start. Winds continue to blow but the easterly direction brings warm temperatures. Water temperatures are steady around the low 70’s, and once they reach a consistent 75 degrees or better, we can expect to see more tarpon patrolling the oceanside flats and cruising the backcountry of the Florida Bay. Fly anglers will be staked out on their favorite points casting toad flies and homespun never-fail flies at schools of migrating tarpon, which include fish from 60 pounds to 170 pounds. I recommend using live shrimp, crabs and pinfish for the spin-casters. Sometimes, I’ll use a cork, or bobber, to keep the bait from dipping too deep before the tarpon reaches its meal.

Permit swarmed the flats the last few weeks--when the weather was consistent. When the wind is swirling, variable or just plain unstable, they’re hard to find. Permit are deep-water fish that have adapted to the flats to forage for food. But they still spawn offshore around wrecks and deep drop-offs. Now is when they prepare to move from the shallows to the wrecks, which means they’ll be cruising the flats looking for food and a lot of it. I fished with Loren Rea of Sugarloaf Key in the March Merkin Tournament this year and we had some great opportunities, but the fish just didn’t want to cooperate. This is a fly- only competition and three fish caught by Jon Ain, who was guided by Doug Kilpatrick, took home the hardware. An awesome job considering the less than optimal fly-fishing conditions.

Once the water permanently warms up and the weather is more consistent with spring trends, all fish are up for grabs. Along with tarpon, bonefish will be more active and will feel less pressure as many anglers set their sights on tarpon. Snook and redfish will also enjoy the respite. As mullet and other baitfish start to fill the backcountry, “muds” can be seen in the deeper basin around Flamingo, which will offer ample rod-bending action from ladyfish, trout and Spanish mackerel. This is also where snook, redfish and tarpon will lurk for their daily meals. Early morning spin casters can use top water plugs like a skitter-walk or a popping cork with a troll-rite jig tipped with a live shrimp. For the fly casters, a gurgler on top will induce a strike. I like to use the “Fishalicious” fly in black or white because of the way it moves in the water, sustains its depth and how it can be cast underneath the mangroves when shoreline fishing.

I still have some great fishing dates available. If you’re interested in booking a charter you can reach me through my email address which is steve@afishingguide.com or by my cell phone at 305-393-FISH. I’ve also added a credit card payment feature to my homepage for the convenience of deposit and payment. It’s all very secure through PayPal. Hope to see you this spring. Tight lines!

Capt. Steve

February 24, 2008

I’d like to introduce you to my newest addition to the AFG fleet: The 2200 Pathfinder from Maverick. I am very excited about this new vessel. Now not only can you get out on the water in comfort and style, but we now have the ability to fish offshore, gulf wrecks and deep into the shallow waters of the Everglades National Park. The Pathfinder is powered the reliable 250 Suzuki four-stroke engine that is so quite, you’ll hardly know it’s on. This aby boat is fully loaded with large livewell, lots of dry storage, a t-top for shade and plenty of seating for the whole family. We can also use the 109 pound thrust electric motor to sneak up on tailing redfish, permit and tarpon with the added ability to stop silently with the shallow water anchor, the Power Pole XL. The possibilities abound with this new ride. The best part is the rates stay the same. So if you’re interested in getting out on a charter on either the Pathfinder or site fishing the flats on my Hells Bay Guide 18, give me a call at 305-393-3474 or email me at steve@afishingguide.com.

January 29, 2008

I hate to do it, but circumstances have forced me to sell one of my Hell's Bay Guide skiffs. I've just purchased a 2200 Pathfinder to expand my fishing charter business and be able to access the patch reefs, wrecks, and long range exploration into the Everglades National Park. I still have another Hell's Bay Guide skiff that I use for sight fishing trips and shallow water fly fishing, but now I need to let go of the other Guide 18. If you are interested in going for a ride or just have some questions about this phenomenal poling skiff, give me a call at 305-393-3474 and I'll tell you about all the great features in this boat. She's caught a lot of fish and is going to make some other fisherman very happy. Thanks for checking it out.

2000 Hell’s Bay Guide 18
• Mercury Big Foot 60 hp with approx. 150 hours; stainless steel prop.
• Flip/flush bow light
• Flush cleat on bow
• Splash rails
• Toe rails
• Matching and removable cooler
• Edson steering wheel (hydraulic steering)
• Removable backrest
• Water temperature gauge
• Tach, water pressure and volt gauges
• Two rear crustacean wells
• Water/fuel separator
• Lenco trim tabs with trolling motors and remote power switch and water-tight up/down switches
• Front charging plug for trolling motor batteries
• Front hatch casting platform mount
• Single rear hatch for storage
• Twin batteries under front hatch with charger for trolling motors and starting battery under rear storage
• 26 gal. fuel tank
• Tibor push pole holder
• Custom canvas boat cover
• Custom Ram-lin galvanized trailer with Power Winch

$25,000 obo

call Steve at 305-393-3474 for more information

December 6, 2007

Just as I had mentioned that the winter winds of change were coming into the Keys, a cold front stalled north of us which brought calm, warm days farther to the south. We enjoyed the 80 degree weather and the mid 70 degree water temperature for the last two weeks. This isn’t necessarily unusual for this time of year, but I sure was glad to see it. I think the bonefish were as well. Instead of staying off into the deeper edges of the flats, the bonefish were happily tailing away on the crowns of the flats. The most unusual thing about the fish that I’m catching is that they’ve been on the smaller side ranging from 2 pounds to about 7 pounds. I’ve seen the big ones around, but it seems like the little ones are jumping on the bait first. I’ve been catching them on live shrimp, crabs and flies tied with chartreuse and tan craft fur that I call the Swashbuckler.

The other stars have been showing up too. Snook, redfish, barracuda, sharks and trout are being caught on a daily basis in the bay. I went fishing a few miles into the Gulf of Mexico on a calm day last week looking for Spanish Mackerel. Along with the macks, we caught more than a dozen different species of fish in one spot. We had sharks, lane snapper, mangrove snapper, remoras, jack crevalle, speckled sea trout and more. A great way to keep the rod bent all day. The mackerel bite was a bit slow, but we need that colder weather to settle in before the bite gets insane.

This month should trigger a great bite offshore of sailfish which is also an indicator that the snook will move from the outside shorelines up into the bays and channels around Flamingo. Along with the snook bite, we can expect redfish and black drum to be right along with them. I can’t wait to get back into the canoe and fish some no-motor zones to sight fish for laid up snook and tarpon and maybe some tailing redfish. So stay tuned for some great winter time action in the Keys.

Capt. Steve

November 11, 2007

We are just beginning to feels the effects of winter patterns coming across the Keys. The water temperatures are in the lower 70’s while the air temperatures are at a comfortable level hanging around the mid 70’s and reaching about 80 degrees. With the winter weather patterns settling in, the fishing tactics change with the cooler weather. Fish tend to find deeper holes or edges around the flats and mangrove shorelines. I like to use big flies that move some water and have some floatation allowing the fly to sink slowly yet stay under the overhanging mangroves. I also like to use soft plastic baits with worm hooks, Texas rigged, to allow the angler to avoid less snags on logs and overhangs. Redfish, snook, tarpon, snappers, grouper and many more species will be cruising the shorelines, lurking in potholes or stationing around deep edges.

Bonefish and permit are now moving along the oceanside flats. Once the waters have warmed up on the flats, you’ll find them happily tailing away up on the crowns of the warming flats looking for various crustaceans and other tasty morsels. The winter season is also the time when the largest bonefish of the year are caught around Islamorada. Just check the IGFA record book and you’ll see that many of the records were caught in the winter months. But you’ve got to practice your cast. The winds tend to pick up a bit and the fish don’t always show up down wind. Right now, the snook bite and the redfish catches are on fire. The spotted seatrout are starting to fill up the mud flats around the Florida Bay, and the Spanish mackerel are starting to show up in the Gulf.

Capt. Steve

September 30 , 2007

Summer still rolls on in the Keys. We are getting some frequent passing showers that have cooled the water temperatures to the low 80’s. This can be some ideal conditions for bonefish on fly. Cloudy skies and cooler waters bring the bonefish up to the flats to feed and tail into the falling currents. I had the opportunity to take advantage of these premium conditions with a legendary guide, Capt. Eddie Wightman. We headed into the backcountry to look for some tailing bonefish that might take the fly. Capt. Eddie has guided in the Florida Keys for over 35 years and knows a thing or two about the “Grey Ghost” of the flats. His clients have held numerous world records and have won many of the most prestigious bonefish tournaments in the Keys. It is always a thrill and an honor to have him on board and to watch him cast the fly. We both hooked and landed several bonefish that night and Capt. Eddie showed me that he still has fun chasing bonefish after all this time. Check out these photos I took of one of the bonefish we landed and tagged for research for Bonefish Tarpon Unlimited. As the cold fronts start to approach, we can expect the bonefish activity to continue to thrive. The snook and redfish bite will also be red hot because of finger mullet and pilchards invading the flats and backcountry of Florida Bay. Tight lines, everyone.

Capt. Steve

August 26, 2007

As the rest of the country is trying to stay cool, the fishing in the Keys is heating up. Oftentimes during the summer months, the best fishing can be had as the sun goes down. The water temperature has been in the mid 80's, and when we get some decent current, the bonefish can get active. I went fishing with Capt. Jon Milchman last night to take advantage of these conditions and we had a blast casting to tailing bonefish and waking permit. The fishing was good but not outstanding for what we thought it should have been, given the conditions we had. We left the dock around 3:00 and at the end of the day, caught 5 bonefish on fly and lost one or two more from pulled hooks. None were bigger than about 5 pounds, but it was just a great night to be fishing in the Keys regardless of whether we caught fish or not. The tides are getting better and this was a good sign that the permit fishing should get really good as the current flows harder and the wind kicks up a notch. Tight lines.

Capt. Steve

August 16, 2007

I took a busman’s holiday in between charters yesterday due to a bad case of permit-fever. I grabbed two of my favorite fly rods with my Hatch fly reels and a couple of my fishing buddies, Capt. Carter Bates, owner of Coconut Palmas Marina on Grassy Key, FL. and Capt. Doug Mayer, a pharmacist at Mariner’s Hospital in Tavernier, FL. Key West was our destination. The tide would be rising all morning which would allow the permit to gain access to the shallow flats. I was a bit bummed to see cloud cover increase as we got further west and hoped that the rising sun would burn off some clouds and let some sun shine though for some visibility. The winds were down and the cloud cover kept the temperature at a comfortable range. After searching a few flats and cursing at the clouds, we made a plan to put the boat back on the trailer to go up the road towards Marathon where we heard the light was better.

When drove back to Coconut Palmas where Carter had his skiff ready to go in the water, and after we transferred the fly rods and some water to his boat, we were off to find some fish. It wasn’t long before we had a shot at a cruising permit that didn’t seem to see the fly. We had several more shots at some tailing permit on the falling tide on some hard bottom strip banks. The light started to fade in and out when Doug was on the casting platform. We both spotted a nice group of bonefish moving towards us and he put the cast in a perfect spot where one darted towards the fly but decided to keep moving off the flat bringing the others closely behind. Doug suggested that Carter get another fly rod out and ready with a bonefish fly in case more bones showed up. Sure enough, three big bones cruised up on the edge of the flat. Carter quickly picked up the bonefish rod, and from the middle of the boat, put a cast about 5 to ten feet up-current from the trio and the lead charged it like it was the first morsel of food it had seen in days. Game on. A short fight and some drag screaming and we had the 7 pounder to the boat and took some great photos of Carter’s prize.

The light got worse and we made a few more moves and had some more great shots and even better refusals. But as the evening started to fade in, I was back on the casting platform and got my shots at some tailing bonefish. By now the tide was getting to its low point. Doug’s little toad fly did the trick and I was hooked up to a strong 6 pound bonefish. So now it was up to Doug to complete the day with everyone slimed up with bonefish, but they just didn’t want to cooperate. He had some amazingly great shots at some tailers but they wouldn’t eat his fly. But a day that could’ve been a lesson in frustration, was salvaged with a decision to move to a totally different area. In the end, it was another great day of fishing in the Florida Keys.

August 2, 2007

I woke up to another Islamorada Chamber of Commerce day today. The water was calm, hot and flat and I had lots of options. I had the good fortune to have three folks from the Tampa area want to go to the backcountry to bend a rod. Julie Stroebel, her daughter, Jessie and Trevor Thompson put a spanking on the reds, snooks, mangrove snappers, sharks and even a few jacks. Check out the photos to see a redfish Trevor caught that proves how tough these fish can be. This one had its gills exposed on one side from a long ago battle and was still fighting hard after eating a jig and a Gulp! shrimp. Once the bite slowed after the tide got going, we decided to attempt to complete the backcountry slam of a redfish, snook and spotted sea trout all in one day. But the specs didn’t want anything to do with us that day. Just blame the guide.

Capt. Steve

August 1, 2007

The annual RedGhost Stalk fishing tournament took place on Monday, July 30 for junior anglers (ages 9-16) and young adults (ages 17-29). Some of the best young anglers from south Florida compete every year to target bonefish and redfish.

Thirty-six anglers on 35 boats competed this year and caught and released a whopping total of 23 bonefish and 115 redfish all of which were over 20” to count on the score card. Each redfish were wroth 100 points if caught on bait or artificial and were worth more than that if caught with a fly rod. Bonefish counted 300 points if caught with bait or artificial.

My angler was Robbie Ames, 14, who fished like a champ. This was the third year that we’ve fishing this tournament together and we’ve improved each year. Even though Robbie does all the fishing, it’s definitely a team effort. Robbie did a great job this year by catching 7 redfish and 2 bonefish. And I have to mention that the bonefish were the first ones he’s ever caught. We tagged both bonefish to benefit research for the Bonefish Tarpon Unlimited organization. To find out more about BTU and to see some of their findings, go to www.bonefishresearch.com

After all of the results were in, Robbie won first runner-up with his 2100 points and won the conservation award by tagging and releasing two bonefish. Congratulations Robbie on a great day of fishing!

Capt. Steve