Capt.ChrisLembo
11-26-2006, 11:34 AM
Key West Offshore Report 11/26/06
The recent fronts have pushed the water temperature way down. At the dock at Murray Marine my fish-finder was reading 64 degrees. In the middle of Hawk Channel I was showing 66.8 and just at the reef I fished water that was 69 degrees. These temperatures along with the NE wind is precisely what will get the fishing going. We should be in for some slightly warmer weather this week. Air temp in the mid 70’s during the day with a good NE wind.
Offshore fishing should really turn on with this weather and moon phase. Look for a big influx of Sailfish this week along with more Wahoo and a steady run of Blackfin Tuna. Dolphin should mix in a little here and there outside the reef and frequently turn up in your chum slick. There is no need to venture far offshore as the amount of bait at and just beyond the reef will keep the fishing tight to the reef. Sailfish should be cruising the 100-150 range and Wahoo and Tuna should follow suit. Tunas, Wahoo and Sailfish will also hang around structure like deep wrecks and drop-offs. A color change is becoming a little more pronounced outside the reef where the currents and inshore and offshore waters merge. Look for fish on both sides of the change.
Reef fishing has been excellent this week and should continue to get better. There are big Grouper and Mutton Snapper on drop-offs and hard bottom structure in the 70-110 foot range. Live Pinfish are the best baits followed by Bonito strips or Mackerel chunks. Yellowtail fishing is OK in these water temperatures but not quite as good as the warmer water. Now is the time of year when a mixed bag of 7 or 8 species of fish is a common occurrence on the reef. I try to mix up the baits with some dead and some live. The current is moving pretty good again so be sure to bring along plenty of weights in all sizes. Water clarity is excellent with a nice greenish-blue on and just outside the reef. It is not crystal clear but not too clear to bring up the wariness factor. Kingfish are beginning to make a showing as well so keep a rig ready with a wire leader and stinger set-up.
Hawk Channel fished pretty good this week. With the easterly component to the wind there were quite a few boats staying just inside the reef to work the many patch reefs. The reward is calmer seas for smaller vessels and good catches of Red, Black and Gag Grouper, Mangrove, Lane and Mutton Snapper along with Spanish and Cero Mackerel. You need to sift through a bunch of smaller fish in between the big ones but it makes for a day of non-stop action. I find that the patches just inside the reef hold many more Gag Grouper than outside on the drop-offs. Drifting and Jigging works well on the deeper patches. The ones that are in 35-40 feet and then come up to 20 feet or so. Drift and jig the edges on the deep side with butterfly type jigs, diamond jigs or bucktail jigs tipped with a Squid, Ballyhoo or Bonito strip. Slow trolling deep diving plugs is another method for finding large Grouper on the patch reefs. Use a heavy rod with braided line in the 80 pound range. This will allow the jig to run at its rated depth and have zero stretch to the line. This method and equipment works well because it yanks the Grouper away from structure taking away its ability to “hole up”. If your plug gets hung up stop and back up immediately. Usually the plug will float out backwards.
A family charter usually involves a little sightseeing when we find a pod of Dolphins playing.
The recent fronts have pushed the water temperature way down. At the dock at Murray Marine my fish-finder was reading 64 degrees. In the middle of Hawk Channel I was showing 66.8 and just at the reef I fished water that was 69 degrees. These temperatures along with the NE wind is precisely what will get the fishing going. We should be in for some slightly warmer weather this week. Air temp in the mid 70’s during the day with a good NE wind.
Offshore fishing should really turn on with this weather and moon phase. Look for a big influx of Sailfish this week along with more Wahoo and a steady run of Blackfin Tuna. Dolphin should mix in a little here and there outside the reef and frequently turn up in your chum slick. There is no need to venture far offshore as the amount of bait at and just beyond the reef will keep the fishing tight to the reef. Sailfish should be cruising the 100-150 range and Wahoo and Tuna should follow suit. Tunas, Wahoo and Sailfish will also hang around structure like deep wrecks and drop-offs. A color change is becoming a little more pronounced outside the reef where the currents and inshore and offshore waters merge. Look for fish on both sides of the change.
Reef fishing has been excellent this week and should continue to get better. There are big Grouper and Mutton Snapper on drop-offs and hard bottom structure in the 70-110 foot range. Live Pinfish are the best baits followed by Bonito strips or Mackerel chunks. Yellowtail fishing is OK in these water temperatures but not quite as good as the warmer water. Now is the time of year when a mixed bag of 7 or 8 species of fish is a common occurrence on the reef. I try to mix up the baits with some dead and some live. The current is moving pretty good again so be sure to bring along plenty of weights in all sizes. Water clarity is excellent with a nice greenish-blue on and just outside the reef. It is not crystal clear but not too clear to bring up the wariness factor. Kingfish are beginning to make a showing as well so keep a rig ready with a wire leader and stinger set-up.
Hawk Channel fished pretty good this week. With the easterly component to the wind there were quite a few boats staying just inside the reef to work the many patch reefs. The reward is calmer seas for smaller vessels and good catches of Red, Black and Gag Grouper, Mangrove, Lane and Mutton Snapper along with Spanish and Cero Mackerel. You need to sift through a bunch of smaller fish in between the big ones but it makes for a day of non-stop action. I find that the patches just inside the reef hold many more Gag Grouper than outside on the drop-offs. Drifting and Jigging works well on the deeper patches. The ones that are in 35-40 feet and then come up to 20 feet or so. Drift and jig the edges on the deep side with butterfly type jigs, diamond jigs or bucktail jigs tipped with a Squid, Ballyhoo or Bonito strip. Slow trolling deep diving plugs is another method for finding large Grouper on the patch reefs. Use a heavy rod with braided line in the 80 pound range. This will allow the jig to run at its rated depth and have zero stretch to the line. This method and equipment works well because it yanks the Grouper away from structure taking away its ability to “hole up”. If your plug gets hung up stop and back up immediately. Usually the plug will float out backwards.
A family charter usually involves a little sightseeing when we find a pod of Dolphins playing.