Tom from Mt. with a nice barracuda..

It has been cold here in the lower Florida Keys these last several days...  Record breaking cold..  48 degrees tuesday morning in Key West..  Yikes..

Starting tomorrow we will be back in the mid 70's again..  These warming days will heat up the flats..  Barracudas, sharks and permit will prowling the shallow warmup water..  Should be great barracuda fishing..

                                                                  Barracuda Fly

                                                      Barracuda tube lures..

Barracuda are the most underrated fish on the flats.  Usual under rated by people that have never caught one..  Barracuda can hit speeds up to 30mph and make some amazing leaps..  When you hook a 20 lb cuda in 2 foot of water they go Berserk! 

It is fun!

Speaking of fun.. there will be some permit out there too!!

At midnight, a pirate wench is to descend from a ship's mast at Key West's Historic Seaport.

If you are not here... You should be..  

Florida Keys New Year's Eve: Fireworks And Festivities

New Year's Eve revelers can expect to combine "bubbly" with "balmy" in the Florida Keys...

http://www.fla-keys.com/news/news.cfm?sid=7924    

                              Holiday Blizzard Blasts Northeast

           Merry Christmas!!!!

It is officially winter in the Florida Keys...  The Looe Key Tiki Bar moved in the heat lamps and turned them on..  The last several days it has been in the 60's...  That may sound nice to you if you just got back in from shoveling your side walk... but it is cold to us and the fish here..  The good news is this front will move by fast and will get back in the mid 70's this week end..

What does this have to do with the fishing report???

 As the day time temperatures rise and the flats are heated by the sun.... fish concentrate into these warm up spots, just like the locals at the Tiki Bar..

                                      Barracuda release...

Barracudas are a fun fish to target when the water is cold...  Here on the flats they average 3 to 5 foot long.. are lighting fast and go berserk when they are hooked in a couple of feet of water..

                                         Capt. Jack Teauge releasing a New Years Day tarpon...

Just because it is December does not rule out our glamour species..  Tarpon, bonefish and permit can be found on the flats on the warmer days too..

 Florida Fly Fishing Magazine recently published an article written by my friend Capt. Jack Teauge...

 A New Years Day morning in the Lower Florida Keys Backcountry.

         Official weather reporting station from Little Palm Island Resort.

            Today the conch is swinging, with a shadow on the ground....

Our first major cold front arrived yesterday...  Dropping temperatures from around 80 degrees down into the 60's...  yesterday morning was beautiful, no wind, 60 lb. tarpon crashing bait at dawn and water temperatures near 80...  The cold front hit mid day...  Cool dry north winds collided with warm moist air, creating solid cloud cover and dropping air temperatures into the high 60's..

 North east  wind near 15mph  and all blue sky..highs in the low 70's for this weekend...

Today looks like a great day to tye flies...

                                 Speaking of tying flies..  Check out what Stuart is tying..

                                          Patterson Saltwater Flies

           Buy Flies to Fund Medical Research.      Proceeds from each sale go to ASAP.ORG

           This weekend????  Looks like a great week end to go barracuda fishing!!!

Forecasts call for sunny days with temperatures in the 70's ..  Cudas will move on to the flats with the tide.. seeking warmer water and prey..   Been finding some redfish too on the lower tides..