I have been way over due, posting a fishing report.  My apologies..  But to be honest going fishing is alot more fun.

Speaking of fun my girlfriend Jane decided she wanted to learn how to fly fish.  She has worked hard on her casting and technique.  It paid off today, she got her first tarpon with a fly rod and a few more!  The weather and the fishing has been good.  

Come on down!

Happy New Year!

The weather and the fishing has been good for this time of year.  Highs in the upper 70's most days. 

Been finding juvenile tarpon on the flats.  Should be hunting big tarpon in another month or so on the nicer days.

Been doing a lot of "family fun" bend the rod trips over the holidays.  The barracuda fishing has been lots of fun.  Love seeing the big cudas smash surface plugs.  

Speaking of family fun.  This is usually the time of year, I do some trout, lady fish, jack, etc.. fishing.  It can be very good, with lots of action.  Have not been fishing the muds in the usual spots..  Still catching fish, but we have had to work harder.  Possibly the weather has been too nice..  

The weather and the fishing has been good recently.  On the nicer days, we have been finding schools of juvenile tarpon.  Been seeing some permit on the same flats too!  When the water warms up a little more, we can chase bonefish again.

Winter is prime time to target barracudas.  I love sight fishing barracudas in skinny water.  They are incredibly fast..  Vicious strikes, blistering runs and some times spectacular jumps.  

We do get cold fronts in the winter.  Redfish do not mind the cooler water temperatures.  Other cold front options are sharks, barracuda, trout and ladyfish.  Always something fun to fish for in the Lower Florida Keys.

Speaking of fun,  Are you looking for something fun to do with your family over spring break? 

A fishing trip to the Florida Keys is a pretty good option.  Checkout my Family Fun page.

The weather and the fishing has been hot!

Fall is my favorite time of year here in the Lower Florida Keys.

It is  "Off Season" here in the Florida Keys, even more so this year.  No snow birds, few tourists, vacationing families from the main land are back to school, etc.. Most destination anglers are hunting, elk, birds, etc.. The road, restaurants and bars are quieter then the rest of the year.  Some days we don't see another boat on the water.  Most places are offering discounts on lodging too..

Weather here this time of year can be warm. Not too bad if you are out on the water. Early morning starts can be very good.   Juvenile tarpon love the warmer temperatures and some mornings we can find them rolling and crashing bait.  I love watching tarpon hit a surface fly or top water plug. 

Bonefishing is also good in the fall.  Got to fish with my buddy Randy a few days ago.  Scouted out old and new spots.  Found quite a few hungry bonefish.

The Florida Keys have been reopened to non residents on June 1st..    We had closed to visitors since March 22 to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Restaurants are now serving food and beverages.  We are fortunate to have few cases of COVID here.

It is really great to get back to work!!  I missed taking people fishing.

When I met Jim at the dock this morning, he told me fly fishing for tarpon has been on his bucket list for a very long time.   He got several tarpon to the boat this morning

It was a lot of fun taking that one off the bucket list!

Jim's smile says it all.....

John with his first tarpon.

It was cloudy and a little windy last week, but the fishing was good.. With the cloudy weather, the tarpon were happy and we found them rolling in most of the spots we fished.

Fished a few days with John from Saint Augustine..  He likes to bass fish and found out he loves tarpon fishing.  Had a blast jumping tarpon on surface plugs...   he caught some nice Barracudas on plugs too.

There are still migratory tarpon moving though the Lower Florida Keys.  Bonefishing has been good too..  

Going to  fish for them tomorrow!

Corona Virus Information And Updates.

Monroe County plans to reopen The Florida Keys to visitors Monday, June 1 by suspending the checkpoints on U.S. 1 and State Road 905 and allowing lodging establishments to take in guests at 50 percent occupancy. The Florida Keys have been closed to visitors since March 22 to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Airport screenings and bus restrictions will also be lifted on June 1.

Monroe County lodging establishments, like hotels, campgrounds, vacation rentals, and other transient-licensed establishments will be required to implement sanitation procedures and follow the American Hotel and Lodging Association COVID-19 guidelines for enhanced cleaning practices

Restaurants are now serving food and beveradges.  We are fortunate to have few cases of COVID here.

The fishing has been good and it is strange seeing very few skiffs on the flats in what is typicaly the busiest time of the year.  My guess is even when we reopen in June there will be few boats on the flats..  June is a great month to fish for tarpon, permit and bonefish!

The Florida Keys County Commisioners has set up a web site that they are updating frequently. You can see it here.  

I also update my Sight Fish Charters Face Book Page with any and all new information.  

Stay safe and I hope we can go fishing soon!

I have been over due for a fishing report.  We had a minor cool front last night temperatures dropped into the 60s but will be back in the 80s in a few days..  Typical March weather here in the Florida Keys..  

Tarpon fishing has been good on the warmer days in between cold fronts..  Been finding a lot of big tarpon the last few days..  If the weather is good the tarpon fishing will be good and will continue to improve as the migration really gets started.  The migration will last into the beginning of July.

Been finding some permit on the flats to on the nicer days.  March is considered  to be the best month for permit...  You want some wind to fish for these spooky fish..  A little chop on the water helps us get closer to the fish with out spooking them.. They will be on the flats until mid April when they head off shore to spawn.  

On the windy days following cold fronts I have been targeting baby tarpon on the leeward shore line out of the wind..

Tarpon, permit and bonefish are the glamour species here in the Florida Keys...   But we have other fish too..  Barracudas are an absolute blast... 

Vicious strikes. They can hit speeds up to 30 mph and make some spectacular  jumps...  

I have been using more surface plugs this season..  Love seeing big barracudas smash plugs on top in a few foot of water..  Check out the scars on this plug.

For you parents on spring break, don't forget to take your kids fishing.

 Lady fish and sea trout are plentiful and can provide lots of action for young anglers..

Kids love sight fishing for sharks in shallow water..

Happy New Year!

Best wishes for a Happy New Year and a special thanks to every one that fished with me this year!

I had a great time!

Weather here in the Lower Florida Keys, continues to be warm and pleasent.  We have only had one minor cold front this winter.  Temperatures dropped into the high 60s a few nights...  our current day time temperatures have been around 80 degrees..   

Which makes for some good fishing..  The Tarpon fishing has been very good this week.  Tuesday we found a bunch rolling along the shoreline out of the wind.
David from Toronto is new to fly fishing but hooked quite a few and landed his first Tarpon on fly,,

YAY!

Got to fish with Mark this week too!  He is my longest regular client..  We have been fishing togeather since I started guiding in the Keys over 20 years ago.

Weather was warm, sea was flat and fly fishing for baby tarpon was good..  Mark hooked a bunch of tarpon..

The next day we fished for redfish and bonefish..  Got some shots at a bonefish and caught a redfish.  While Mark was fighting the redfish a shark came in an ate the tail off it, before we could get it in the boat.  (I am eating the rest of it tonight)

The shark kept circling the boat looking for the rest of his meal..  I gave Mark a fly rod rigged with wire for sharks..  Shark ate it on the first cast..

Fun day!

While most of the country has been enduring cold weather and snow, it has remained warm here in the Florida Keys.

This has made for some good tarpon fishing this month.. 

Been some redfish on the flats too..  They love flies and jigs..

It is that time of year.  The big barracudas are on the flats..  Sight fishing baaracudas is a blast!  We can catch them on tube lures, spoons and surface plugs

They are big, strong, fast, make long runs and big jumps.  If you like pike fishing, you will love barracuda fishing..

For the latest fishing reports, specials, fishing events and other Florida Keys happenings please feel free to check out my Face Book Page.