Key West action good, looking for spring
Capt. Ralph Delph
March 8, 2008
Key West - Saltwater Fishing Report
The Gulfstream report from NOAA does not agree with what I have found over the past week. The Gulfstream has been just outside of the reef from Cosgrove light to the Dry Tortugas. With a strong east current of around 3 knots, it has been very slow fishing for the bottom dwellers. If you stay right on the reef, Yellowtail Snapper, some Black Grouper and a few Mutton Snapper have been taken, however offshore along the color change, the birds are working the bait and indicate the location of Blackfin Tuna and a few Wahoo as well as Bonito. The sailfish have been spotty but appear to be on the increase. There are still some Kingfish along the reef along with a few Ciro Mackerel, however this will fade as the month goes by.
Inshore, the patch reefs have been yielding better grouper and snapper than the offshore reefs. Black Grouper up to 30 pounds have been taken along with some big Mutton Snappers, well into the high teens on the, on some of the 45 to 55 feet deep patch reefs. Patient chumming has yielded the best catches.
Most of the shallow water wrecks seem to be over for the winter season as the Cobia start moving north into the Gulf. Permit will soon be replacing the cobia as the spring comes on. The inevitable Goliath Grouper are in every crack and cranny, but, what's new there? Speaking of Cobia and the Gulf, the further that you travel north and east from Key West, the more Cobia you seem to find. Reports have filtered in that all of the wrecks in the mouth of Florida Bay have been yielding good catches of Cobia along with some Mangrove Snappers and, yes, Goliath Groupers. Come on Gov. lets open them up with a reasonable bag and slot limit. The Rock Pile out by the "W" Tower has been producing big catches of Kingfish, some in the 40-pound plus class. As you head that was, look for the commercial boats.
The harbor is still slow, however the flats are alive with Permit and Sharks. As the current cold front moves through the area, action should slow a bit, however by mid week things should be back to normal in the shallow water and you should hear more about it from the little boats.
That's it for now. Tight lines and good fishing.
Capt. Ralph Delph
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