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Key West Fishing Report - Offshore
Capt. Ralph Delph
October 18, 2001
Key West - Saltwater Fishing Report
It seems as though, each year that we head north, we have a preconceived idea of what to expect, based on our past year of experience. The one thing that I have learned is to expect the unexpected and deal with it or take advantage of it, whichever the case may be. This year was no exception.
The weather was much rougher that what we have experienced in the past and our fishing was much further offshore than expected. The bluefin tunas ran a little larger on the average than the past two years, averaging perhaps 550 pounds. The largest fish that we landed was taken by my son Capt. Billy Delph and weighed in at nearly 800 pounds. This was Bills’ first bluefin tuna on standup tackle and it put him to the test. He fought the giant with smooth persistence and skill, earning him the bragging rights to use the photo on his business card. Bill will begin his second year of full time guiding this fall.
All together, we brought to boat, more than thirty bluefins of which 14 were considered giants (fish more than 73” in length). The baitfish were not in their usual locations and it may be that commercial seining of the herring stocks is taking its toll. Only time will tell.
The southwest corner of Stillwagon Bank provided good early season action and an unusually large number smaller bluefins. It was not uncommon to see schools of busting tuna throughout the day. These fish became quite the nuisance because of their aggressive nature. When they came through, any rods with baits in the water were sure to bend. It seemed as though they numbered in the hundreds at a time and often as far as the eye could see. The fish ran in size from 35 pounds to as much as 200 pounds. This may be good news for our future and an indication that our stocks are beginning to rebound. This run of smaller fish has never been the norm for this area.
The latter part of the season saw our efforts concentrated about 50 miles east of Chattum, off of Cape Cod. These runs often began at around 3:00 a.m. before sunrise, and culminated at the dock around 10:00 p.m. after dark. With the weather rougher than usual this season, it made for some long and tiring runs. The fishing was good and the average fish this season was larger than the past two seasons. Although no one season can give a conclusive indication as to the condition of a fishery, it appears as though the fishery may be on the upswing.
Join me this fall when we resume our season of fishing reports from Key West Florida, and keep up with the action of some of the best and most exciting fishing in the world. Tight lines and good fishing.
Captain Ralph Delph
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