Windy and Chilly Fishing

With the wind against the current and the cold water temperatures fishing the past few days was a bit more of a challenge than normal. Free lining was nearly a total waste of time so the patches and bottom bumping was the ticket for dinner. Hog fish like the one above caught by my best angler Jess, is a nice bonus you get bottom bumping the patches. We manage four fat hogs and a few fat porgies including on four pound Sheeps Head. A few mackerel were added to the box with a frustrating amount of no longer keeper grouper released. Mangrove action was fast but the dinks move back out to the reef making catching of the fat girls very difficult.

We waded through about a hundred fish a day just to get a bucket of respectable keepers. For those in touch with their Michael Jackson side there are plenty of legal but small mangroves. I don't like people pointing and laughing at me at the fish cleaning table so I try to cull big. Still a gut hooked smaller fish will make it to the box once in a while, but not often.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas