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Key West Fishing Report - Offshore
Capt. Ralph Delph
June 8, 2003
Key West - Saltwater Fishing Report
As the summer comes on and the water temperatures rise, we see a substantial decrease in the fishing activity. A flurry of large dolphin made a brief appearance, however only a few peanuts are being taken on a daily basis. There seems to be a drastic reduction in the availability of dolphin this year over past years. I don’t know if the targeting by long line commercial fishing, as blamed by many, or what is to blame. I only know that there seems to be a substantial decline in the number of dolphin brought to the dock by the recreational fisherman over the past several years.
Most pelagic species have vacated the area, however bonito and a few skipjack tunas are still around, especially to the west of Cosgrove light. The bottom has been yielding only a few mutton snapper, but they have been large. Some running into the low to middle twenty-pound class. Black and gag grouper have been cooperating south of the fort with a good number running well into the 50’s and some higher. I have noticed a large amount of algae on the terminal rigs and the bottom fish have thinned out in these areas, however, when an area of little or no algae can be found, the grouper have been very cooperative.
June has traditionally been one of the best months for tarpon on the flats as well as the harbor. This year has been the exception. June has been punctuated by some of the slowest tarpon fishing that those in the lower keys can remember. Permit have been slow as well. Bonefishing has been better in the cooler morning and late evening hours.
The blackfin tunas have vacated the gulf and only bonitos remain around the shrimp boats. Permit have moved into the gulf with the heaviest populations holding on the structures well to the north of their normal ranges. Jewfish are still in good supply for those interested in checking their testosterone levels.
Summer is here and we come to the close of our fishing season here in Key West. We will be heading for the giant tunas in Cape Cod. We now have the facilities to keep you updated on our summer adventures and we will try to keep you updated with photos as well. Have a great summer and thanks for visiting. Our regular reports will resume in December.
That’s it for now. Tight lines and good fishing.
Capt. Ralph Delph
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