 |
Key West Fishing Report - Offshore
Capt. Ralph Delph
December 1, 2006
Key West - Saltwater Fishing Report
December is here and the beginning of our winter fishing is at hand ( thank goodness). Although the wind has limited the number of boats that have had a chance to get offshore, a fair number have reported some fair to good sailfishing and some whaoo action with some fish going into the high sixties. The Gulfstream continues flowing east at around 2 knots just offshore between Sand Key and American Shoals. As you head west, the stream slows to a stop and then begins to trickle to the west the further west that you go. There the water turns a little off color with a slightly greenish tint however some blackfin tunas have been taken in these conditions. I know of no big smoker kings taken as of yet. The first of the big smokers should be showing up any day now.
Though yellowtails continue to be in good supply, bottom fishing in the Key West area remains slow. The black and red groupers are beginning to show up around Fort Jefferson in the shallow water and we have been taking some big blacks up to the 60# class in the deeper water. Some nice muttons are starting to show in the deeper water and both of the above should only be getting better as winter comes on. Small sharks and amberjacks in the 10# class have been a plague while fishing the deeper water.
Inshore, the fishing remains slow. The water remains very dirty from Hawks Channel past the keys and into the Gulf. I don’t know how far back it goes and have had no reports from the Gulf. It is time for the first of the Cobia to make their show around the wrecks in the gulf and you can bet that the jewfish are there now (come on govt. open it up).
Reports of a few tarpon and some bonefish have come from the shallow water boats, however this action should slow as the water temperature drops below the 70 degree mark as winter comes on.
That’s it for now. Tight lines and good fishing.
Capt. Ralph Delph
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
