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Winter Bonefish in the Lower Florida Keys
Capt. Luke Kelly
December 29, 2008
Key West - Saltwater Fishing Report
Air temps have been in the eighties these past two weeks and it has done great things for Bonefish here in the Lower Florida Keys. Dec 26th, 2008 - John and his two sons Josh and Joe of North Carolina, were aboard with me for charter. The day started with some sight fishing for Barracuda and Jack Cravel over top beautiful sand flats. They were successful here, and along with their father, Josh and Joe proved to me their large passion for fishing. Morning wore off, the tide was flooding, and the weather was turning for the worse. The previous night's wind forecast of 10 - 15 soon proved to be 15 - 20 with vast cloud cover. Most people know these kinds of things can happen during this time of year, though I would be lying if I said I wasn't rethinking my game-plan by 9 a.m. I've heard in certain circles that most things happen for a reason, but that day convinced me of it. I did what I normally would have done in these conditions and began focusing on the deeper water of about 6 to 10 feet in depth, knowing that the wind would obviously knock everything off the flats. As a Lower Keys flats guide, for me this can be a little unnerving at times because you are literately fishing blind, leaving it up to a hunch, mother nature, and lady luck. Conditions leading up to that point were perfect for early winter Bonefish, so I knew we stood a chance for at least one or two as they began threading their baits thru the deeper water, a stones throw from the flats. The three of them went on to catch and release seven Bonefish in the 5 - 8 lb range not before pulling the hook on at least three long screamers. Along with it they released what seemed like two dozen jack cravel and pompano. I guess you could say I was a little surprised, but then I stood back and remembered that you really never can tell what the Lower Florida Keys are capable of, especially when you have eager anglers with you. If you're a fisherman or fisherwoman with children, you should most definitely take them fishing. Lady luck tends to shine upon them in particular. The cool water Bone-fishing this year should be great, as long as you have had at least two days of warm weather leading your day of fishing. Cold fronts will prove for tough Bone-fishing.
If you would like to book a charter with Capt Luke Kelly in the Lower Florida Keys you can reach him at 305-304-3152 or drop him a message at [email protected]. Check out http://www.lowerkeysflatsfishing.com for more information. Thanks for reading
Target Species:
Bonefish
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