For today’s Key West fishing guides update we did an evening 4 hour trip. It was a little slow at first but as the sun started getting low and the bite started to heat up. We were using live Pinfish fishing in about 25 feet of water on some shallow reef. We caught snapper after snapper and even a few nice Red groupers that we released before watching a beautiful sunset on our way in.

Today was a another great day on the water. We decided to go a little further than normal but I had recently fished this wreck and had great success. After about an hour boat ride we arrived at a wreck in about 250 feet. I anchored the boat near the wreck and the action was as fast as we could handle. We were catching fish so fast we needed breaks between putting lines in. We caught Amber jack, Almaco jack, Red snapper, Mutton snapper and even Vermilion snappers just to name a few. After putting enough fish in the cooler for dinner we let the rest go and had an amazing day of catching fish. We only needed one stop on today’s trip before we headed in even a bit early with tired arms ready to kick back and relax.

Today’s Key West fishing guides saw me getting to have the pleasure of taking 2 lovely couples out. Tina had called me to set up the trip and let me know that this would be here first time ocean fishing. We headed out with an intention of fishing one of my favorite spots. Sadly as I arrived the conditions were a worse case scenario. Knowing this I headed a few miles to another one of my go to spots. After setting the boat on a patch of reef in about 20 feet we started fishing. The bite was great we started catching fish left and right. We landed lots of Mangrove and Mutton snappers along with a handful of Red groupers. With lots of fish in the cooler and far more released we headed home to cut up our fish for a delicious lunch.

We started our day on a wreck in 150 feet where we landed multiple barracudas over 40 inches. We also landed a beautiful Mutton snappers and Black grouper before leaving our first spot. We then moved to a deeper wreck in 280 feet where we drifted large live baits in search of big Amber jacks. We hooked on our first 2 drifts but lost our first 2 bite sadly. On our next few drifts our luck turned around and we landed some big Amber jacks back to back before heading in.

Today I pulled double duty with a 4 hour trip in the morning and a second in the afternoon. The morning was a truly great trip so heading out on my second trip I had a rock solid game plan. We started our second trip off with some deep wreck fishing bending the rod on some Barracuda and Amber jacks. As the sun was getting lower in the sky we switched gears and started trolling for Blackfin tuna in the late afternoon. When it comes to blackfin tuna season, Flrodia just can’t be beat. We started catching some Bonita so we knew were on the right track. Not long after we saw some tunas breaking the surface in the distance. We headed over that way and got the species we were after. We hooked 4 tuna landing 2 and losing 1 to the sharks and 1 pulling the hook. With the light fading we headed in with a breathtaking backdrop of a stunning Key West sunset.

Today’s Key West fishing guides saw us headed out on a full day charter at 8 am. Knowing we had all day to catch fish I headed to a wreck about 15 miles west of Key West. We made a few stops for some live baits on the way and arrived at our fishing spot around 9 am. We anchored the boat and the rest is history. We couldn’t keep a bait on the bottom the action was non stop with countless jacks and snapper. We landed a beautiful Almaco Jack that was upwards of 40 lbs. We also landed to lots of Red snappers over 20 lbs. We battled multiple sharks and honestly we where catching fish so fast we had to slow down. Our angles were getting so tired they could hardly hold on to the rod anymore! After maxing ourselves in the deep we picked up and moves in to shallower water in search of some light tackle action. We set up on the reef in 60 feet of water and started catching some Yellowtail snappers and a few Barracudas. After all that the boys were tired, thrilled, and ready for a cold one back at the dock. We put the hammer down and charged home with a cooler full of fish for dinner soon to be filleted.

We had a big group of 6 awesome anglers this morning here in Key West on a business trip. We headed out early at 8 am and had our sights set on bringing home fish for the 6 out with us along with another 6 out on the town. We started our day catching Yellowtail snappers and a few huge Lemon sharks. After we had a cooler full of snappers we then headed to a wreck where we landed a few small sharks and one big Mutton snapper.

Today we started our day on a wreck in 90 feet where it was a little slow but we did get one monster Black grouper. After lots of photos we let the grouper go since the season is closed till May 1st. We then headed to a wreck in 220 were we had non stop action. We caught Amberjack, Mutton snapper, Yellowtail snapper and a few other we let go. It was a slow start but all in all an awesome day full of laughs and bent rods.

We started our day on the reef in about 60 feet of water. We anchored the boat and put the chum in the water. It was not long and we had the Yellowtail snappers eating right behind the boat. We landed more than enough for dinner and tossed a few in the livewell before moving the boat to a deeper area of reef. After a mile run I set the boat up in about 100 feet of water. We were still fishing hard reef structure but this time we were looking for big snappers and groupers. It didn’t take long and we had got a few big fish to bend the rod. We lost a few and landed a few the nicest being a 20 lb Red grouper. We snapped a few pics and tossed him back and headed for the dock ready to filet some fish for a fresh catch lunch.

Today was lights out from start to finish we made it happen and we only hit 3 spots. Our first stop was on the reef to catch Yellowtail snapper. We caught them left and right till we were close to a limit. We then moved to a deep wreck in 170 feet where we landed 2 big Mutton snappers a Black grouper and a few sharks. The sharks got a little aggressive so we moved to a wreck in 160 a few miles away. It didn’t take long and we where back on the fish. We caught a smaller Mutton snapper and a Margate right away.  Our next bite we landed a monster African Pompano that was just huge for the near Key West wrecks. With a full cooler Randy, Marty, and I headed in to start cutting fish after a near perfect day on the water. Cant wait to see these boys again someday.

Today was just a quick in and out 3 hour trip but my oh my were we on fire. I anchored the boat on a wreck in 90 feet and never had to move. We were catching nice sized Yellowtail snappers one after the other. After catching more than enough for dinner we put our focus on the bottom fishing. We were hardly able to keep the baits on the bottom the hits were coming so fast. We landed Black after Black grouper as fast as we were putting baits down. We then put a few live baits out on the surface and again struck gold with a monster King mackerel. After that we picked up the anchor and headed back to Key West full steam. We need to cut fish so my crew could make there 1 pm. flight.

Today we had a family of 5 out for a fun half day of fishing. This was the groups first experience salt water fishing it was also a first time ever even fishing for one angler. We kept thing light and fun with nonstop action on some patch reef fishing. We caught lots of Mangrove snapper some to small to keep but plenty for the cooler. We also caught and released 5 Red groupers from 15 to 24 inches. We even managed to land a big Nurse shark over 100 lb.

Today I got to take one of my favorite families out to the reef in search of some snappers for lunch. We headed out for one of my favorite patch reefs. We landed lots of snappers and groupers more than enough for a few meals. We then headed to a great spot to catch Barracuda to catch a few big ones before heading in.

I love taking kids fishing nothing is better or more rewarding. I have the best job in the world some days. We headed to a patch of reef in about 20 feet and had a blast catching tons of snapper and groupers. We even made a pit stop before heading home and caught a few big Barracudas as a bonus.

Well there is a huge gap in my post because like lots of us I was unable to for all of April and May to run charters. The road into the keys was closed so that put an end to our chartering. I took my boat out a few times to try some new things and gain confidence in new areas, styles, and spots. Not all attempts went well but today was a great day. I along with my friend Zach headed out to do some deep dropping. We hit a few spots we new but spent the majority of the day looking for new ones. We did much better than expected and we both now have a few more tricks up our sleeves that we can use on tough days.

Today my girlfriend and I headed out again to do some scouting for a few new deep drop spots. I searched in areas where I have caught fish before and found some nice structure on the bottom. I found 4 for 5 new areas where I am excited to fish in the future with my fishing charters. Today I was able to catch a limit of Tile fish and even one nice Golden Tile fish.

What a great day to be on the water with light winds and minimal waves we had it made. We spent most of our time today hitting some of the deeper wrecks. We caught countless fish drifting over several wrecks but one fish towered over the rest in size. We were on a wreck in 300 feet and had caught a few Amber jacks and a few Red snappers already. We set up in front of the wreck once more and dropped down our lines. Moments later Nick who was working a vertical jig hooked into a monster fish. After a 30 minute fight for the ages Nick had the biggest Amber Jack ever landed aboard the “ALL IN “. The fish was no less than 72 inches and over 100 lbs. It was truly a fish of a lifetime and the fact it come on a vertical jig makes it that much cooler.

The mutton snappers are done spawning but that doesn’t mean they stop eating. We fished hard today bouncing around on some spots close to Key West. We lost more than a few to the sharks today but that happens. When it comes to bottom fishing there can be a heavy tax you have to pay some days. We still managed to get a few beauties by the toothy critters. We also landed lots of Amber jacks and Barracudas to pass the time between snapper bites. Nothing like a good workout before heaving a delicious snapper dinner.

Had some guys call me up early this morning looking to do a little spearfishing. I was all about so I hopped out of bed and headed to the dock. We loaded up and got off the dock around 10 am. My divers today were very skilled so we spent most of the day diving in 60 to 80 feet of water. We had some issues with water clarity but managed to shoot a few nice fish. For a late start and battling dirty water I was proud of my crew and the had work it takes to do those deep dives.

With the water starting to get warmer its time to start working the deeper wreck. Bigger fish in my opinion leave the shallow reef and wrecks and go deep as summer sets in. That is why I have spent my last few trips hitting the deep wrecks hard. This is just a taste of what we have been getting this week. Fish species include ( Red snappers, Bonita, Mutton, Amber jack, Barracuda, Sharks and more)

The weather has been truly spectacular as of late here in Key West Florida. The waves have been less than 2 feet for the last week and 0 feet some days. The water has been clear blue and full of life as these last 3 trips will show. I have been starting the day on the reef in about 50 feet catching snappers and sharks then moving out to the deep wrecks. The action on both has been nothing short of perfect. We are catching ( Yellowtail, Mangrove, Amber jack, Almaco jack, Lemon sharks, Blacktip sharks and many more)

On my offshore days I have been Mahi Mahi fishing and doing great. When we had had out fill of catching Mahi we have been doing some deep dropping with electric reels in 500 to 800 feet of water. When deep dropping we are catching ( Snowy grouper, Blue and Golden tilefish along with lots of Blackbelly rosefish )

Today we fished a 6 hour charter looking for some nice fish for dinner. We started our day fishing some deep reef looking for Mutton snappers. The bottom bite was slow so we switched our focus to Yellowtail snappers. It was the right move as we were not disappointed. The fish were smart and the sharks were lurking below but we bested more than a dozen 3lb or larger Yellowtail snappers. After the box was loaded we headed to a beautiful reef  called Western Dry Rocks to do a little snorkeling. After my charters refreshing dip we did some deep dropping in 500 feet for some tilefish and grouper. It was a near perfect day on the water as he headed back to beautiful Key West Florida.

Today we headed out again on a 6 hour Mahi fishing charter. We headed about 13 miles out before we found a nice weed line to follow. We were catching Mahi Mahi as fast as we pit the baits in the water. The only downside was all of our fish we on the smaller side and we searched and searched for the monster bull Mahi but came out short. With about an hour of fishing time left I suggested we try a little deep dropping to break thing up. The deep dropping exceed all expectations we landed a few big Blue line tilefish and on our last drop we landed a big Snowy grouper. That was the cherry on top to an amazing day on the water. Just look how calm it was out there!!

Today a father and his two sons chartered me for 6 hours. The boys said they wanted some fish for dinner and something big to put up a fight. The is one of my all time favorite requests. We started our day on the reef catching some snappers and a few big live baits to add to the livewell. Once we had some big beautiful bait we headed for a wreck in 280 feet of water. This wreck almost always in loaded with monster fish than even the toughest angles struggle with. We landed 5 Amber jacks in the 30 lb. range and out largest upwards of 60 lbs. With tired arms the boys were ready for a break so we headed out looking for some Mahi. There were little to no signs of Mahi so we soon gave that up and brought out the electric reel to do some deep dropping. We had great success on the bottom catching a limit of Blueline tilefish along with a few other cool critter from the deep.

We had 5 anglers today who just wanted action and a good time. We headed out about 6 miles before anchoring the boat on my favorite patch of reef for snappers in 55 feet. We were catching fish one after the other. We caught nice Yellowtail snapper along with plenty of Mangrove snappers as a bonus. With 90 minutes of action under our belts and close to 100 fish caught we headed for deeper water to spend our last portion of the trip looking for something a bit bigger. We had to do little waiting after setting the boat in 120 feet on the edge of the reef we were again on a hot bite. We caught 3 small sharks and 3 nice muttons in under 45 minutes before we packed it in and headed home to Key West with a full cooler before noon.

For today’s Key West fishing guides update, I got to take one of my favorite repeat clients Alberto along with his son Cory and daughter Mina. We always crush it then they get the chance to come see me. We started our trip on a section of reef that has been red hot for Mangrove snappers. We caught close to our limit and even added a few nice Yellowtail snapper in the box as well before heading to deeper water. We re anchored this time much deeper and had our sights set on some big Mutton snappers. We didn’t have to wait very long before the snappers were going off again. We landed 5 nice Mutton snapper along with a few big sharks before we headed home. We had one hell of a catch and lots of filleting and bagging ahead of us. ????

Had a blast this afternoon fishing with a great family of 4 from Georgia. We started of day on a little patch of reef in about 50 feet. The action was non stop so the kids had a blast but nothing much was going in the cooler. We soon moved to a wreck in 150 feet where we had much bigger fish. We caught countless Barracudas as we waited for our big bight to come off the bottom. We caught a few small sharks and a hand full of nice Yellowtails in the mean time. With a few minutes left in the trip we got out big one. We landed a beautiful mutton snapper close to 15 lbs. After a quick photo shoot we tossed him in the box and enjoyed a beautiful Key West sunset as we headed back to the dock.

I somehow didn’t have a trip for opening day of lobster mini season so I loaded up some friends and we headed out to grab our limit. I headed out away from the madness that is mini season. If you have been here for it you know what i mean. We set the boat on my favorite rock and that was all she wrote. We had our 4 person limit and headed back in after really no time at all.

After hitting the dock a passer buy asked if I would go back out and take them for a lobster charter. I of cores said yes. I asked them to meet me at the boat in a few hours as I had friends and gear to take home. So as fast as possible we went home ate and I headed right back out there. We tried a few of my favorite spots but my divers were very novice and could not manage the 13 feet depth. I picked up and headed near shore and we got quit a few lobsters before heading home.

I ran a charter this morning with a few awesome friends of Cory the son of Alberto who I had fished with the day before. We had intended to head right back out and catch Mutton snapper as we had so easily the day before. The ocean had different plans however. The fish had moved on and the the bite we previously had was dead. We immediately switched gears and settled the boat on a section of deep reef that always has big Yellowtail snapper and Back grouper.

We fished really hard and after some blood sweat and tears we got exactly what we came for. We had huge snappers just behind the boat all 3 lb or more. We fished hard bottom for grouper and lost a few nice Black groupers in the bottom. with just minutes left before heading home we hit the jackpot. Jett Perry a friend of Corey’s hooked a monster and maxed out himself and the fishing tackle to best and near 35 lb Black grouper. We all cheered and hugged as we had been working for this fish for almost the last 4 hours. After taking tons of pictures we stuffed the fish in the ice and headed home to Key West Florida.

Today was a great day on the water. We had calm seas clear skies and the fish were hungry. We started and stayed our whole morning on the reef in about 60 feet. We started off by catching lots of Yellowtail snappers. We then caught a few Nurse sharks along with some pesky Barracudas that had been eating our snappers. Shortly before the end our our morning half we landed a beautiful Black grouper and a few nice Mangrove snappers. Very close to our limit of snappers we headed home to beautiful Key West Florida in time for lunch.

This morning as we were catching Yellowtail snappers we had a few Lemon sharks lurking 30 feet or so behind the boat. Swimming in and amongst our Yellowtails. Every time we hooked a snapper it was a race to get the fish in before it became shark food. Once we had our snappers along with a dozen nice sized Blue Runners in the livewell we set off to a wreck in 300 feet. Sharks are always present at every single spot I have ever fished here in the Florida Keys. When it come to shark there are few places with the shear size and verity we have here.

We hooked up right away on our first drift as we got to the wreck. To our dismay we were greeted again and again by the sharks not able to get a whole fish to the boat. We landed a few jacks before waving the white flag and moving to another wreck to only meet the same problem once more. We did land a few but, paid a heavy tax this morning before heading home to clean what was left of our catch.

Key West Fishing Guides Update: Jigging Trio August 10, 2020

We started our day out catching some really nice Yellowtails as we often do aboard the ALL IN. With meat in the cooler and a perfect start to the day we decided to head further offshore in search of some Mahi Mahi the fish so nice they named it twice. I didn’t have to run more than a few miles before finding a school of birds feeding on the water. My crew quickly put out the spread and were hooked up in no time at all. We landed another 20 Mahi in that second part of our trip running from flock to flock of little birds. We kept the better sized Mahi and let the borderline ones grow up to be caught on a later date.

As we left Key West behind for today’s Key West fishing guides update we headed for the reef to start our day off by doing some Yellowtailing. The bite was not as good as we had hoped so we took a few for dinner and put a few of our bycatch in the livewell. We next headed to a deep wreck in 280 feet of water where we made a few drifts unsuccessfully. I was determined to get it right on my 3rd spot and boy did I ever. We anchored on a wreck in 190 feet of water where the bite was nonstop. We caught 4 Amber jacks to start off with all in the 30lb range. After changing our fishing tactics we started catching Black after Black grouper. All in all we caught 5 black grouper, 6 Amber jacks, and 2 Mutton snapper before heading home with a full cooler.

Today my crew wanted to head out and do some Mahi Mahi fishing offshore. We left the dock early and headed south for deep water with a  full head of steam. We made it 15 miles with out seeing much of anything at all. We had landed 2 small Skipjack tuna in our first 2 hours of fishing. Then seemingly out of nowhere the Blackfin tunas started going bonkers. We ran from spot to spot following the birds and tuna crashing and jumping clear out of the water. We started catching one after the other. Before we know it we had our limit and headed in with little room at all left in the box. We had set our sights on Mahi but ended up with more tuna than we knew what to do with. That’s Key West Florida fishing for you one day its one thing the next its something totally different. Fishing will keep you on your toes so you have to be ready for anything and everything.