Hot moonlight tarpon in Key West
Capt. Paul Ollariu
July 20, 2008
Key West - Saltwater Fishing Report
Tarpon Fishing in Key West in May, June and July is, in this boat captain's opinion, the most exciting there is anywhere in the world. On several moon lit nights in June we jumped well over 12 fish and got on an average of two and three of those fish on the boat. We have had great success so far this month, July, with the same numbers although July is usually slow for Tarpon but great for other inshore gamefish like Permit or Shark. I think the migration was a little late this year and that would explain why the Tarpon are still here in such large numbers. Key West does have its share of resident Tarpon, but the big numbers are in the migrators.
The mornings start as early as 4:00 a.m. or, at the latest, 5:00 a.m. Tarpon feed at night or early morning. Try to find them mid-day and you are only going for a boat ride.
We were also pleasantly surprised this year to find other large species such as Grouper, Cobia and some impressive Red Snappers at the end of our lines in areas where they should not have been. It is always a rush to have that rod give you that serious bend and you just know the monster silver king is on the other end.....but, wait!!! No, what you really have is 'dinner' !
The night shift starts between 5:30 and 6:00 p.m. and goes as late as 1:00 a.m. If you want to talk Tarpon and you want to be successful catching them, you just have to fish hard and fish for the fish when they are feeding. Go to my web site www.flatsfishingkeywest.com and take a look at some of the trophies we have caught in the last two years. None of those fish were caught on TLDS. They were all caught with small spinning rods.
Most of our fish we caught between 4 feet and 16 feet of water. So get ready for a good old fashion 'fish fight'!
It is that time of year to talk about Bonefish. I don't write very much about Bones and Reds because, as the old saying goes, knowledge is power and we all have our fishing secrets. (ha ha) I also don't say much about Pompano spots either, but; call me and we can talk. There are several good locations for Permit if you know the great edges and the perfect summer time tides. On a split day charter we can try for all three. I fish hard up until November then it's off to Panama for Marlin, Rooster, Sail and Yellowfin Tuna, as well as great lake fishing for huge Peacock Bass, Snook and Tarpon over 200lbs
I have personally fished Key West for the last 30 years. I was not renting jet skies 5 years ago. This is my passion and I love to share it with you. I have over 20 years of Key West charter fishing experience and the respect of my peers. If you are thinking about fishing for Tarpon, send me an email with your phone number and I will call you personally and we can talk all about your expectation.
I or someone in my office can help you make hotel, motel or guest house reservations. You will find us very helpful in making your fishing adventure the best it can be.
So, I hope we can talk together 'reel' soon. Until next time..."Tight lines and fish on!"
Thank you,
Captain Paul Ollariu
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