islamorada sea horse report
Capt. Rick Rodriguez
December 19, 2016
Islamorada - Saltwater Fishing Report
Islamorada Sea Horse Off Shore Report
Off Shore Report: Sailfish have been cooperative and on some days as good as it could possibly be. The cold fronts that passed through ignited some fantastic Sailfish activity. We noticed schools of Sailfish slowly swimming down sea migrating towards the south west. Most of these fish were smaller than average and they had a tough time eating a whole live Ballyhoo. However cigar minnows or pilchards worked well to get the job done. To our surprise Mahi have been plentiful almost everyday close to the edge of the reef in 250 feet of water. These Mahi have been very cooperative and have eaten any bait that we had presented to them. Most of these fish are gaffing size or bigger and have been a welcome addition to our fishing adventures.
Fishing the Islamorada area during winter months requires fishing with LIVE bait. Most fishing crews do all they can to catch Pilchards, Ballyhoo, Cigar minnows, Blue Runners, Goggle Eyes, Thread-fin Herring, Pinfish, Grunts, and Sardines. All these baits are local favorites for catching fish around here. The more lively the bait the better. Lively baits get eaten more often by Sailfish and others compared to tired beat up baits that are missing scales and tails. 1st Best tip for protecting your bait is to use the largest live wells that your boat can safely carry. 2nd make certain there is as much water flow as possible.
Off Shore Forecast: Look for more Sailfish action along the edge of the reef and local wrecks. Along with the Sailfish we hope to enjoy more Kingfish, Cobia, Blacken Tunas, and Cero Mackerel.
Back Country Report: Mangrove Snapper are the fish off the month. All of the Whale Harbor Back Country guides have been topping off their fishing trips with limits of Mangrove Snapper. It seems that anglers are enjoying great Snook fishing in florida bay and around the cape. Some Redfish action and Sea Trout around the Snake Bite during the falling tides. Further in the Gulf of Mexico Spanish Mackerel are starting to show up in good numbers. With each passing cold front the mackerel are more abundant.
Islamorada Fishing Forecast:
more sailfish
Target Species:
everything
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