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Marathon, Florida Keys
Capt. Bob Brown
December 4, 2001
Marathon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sailfish Season is Here!
Sailfish time is here again in the Marathon and Florida Keys area. Even though Sailfish can be caught year round in the Florida Keys, November through April is considered the peak of the season. The Islamorada Sailfish tournament just ended up Sunday with over 100 fish caught in the three day event on 29 boats. That may sound like a lot of fish, but it is actually a bit slow for this time of year as we have had exceptionally warm and nice weather for the past two weeks here in the Keys. Normally, after a few cold weather spells and breezy North wind conditions, the Sailfish action heats up. Since we have had none of that kind of weather, it has been a bit slow so far this season for Sailfish. The flip side of that equation is that the Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi)fishing has remained very good through a period where it normally drops off due to cool weather. We managed to catch several nice Dolphin on our last few trips and had a nice Sailfish on Saturday along with a large Black Grouper to go with the Dolphin.
Look for the Sailfishing to heat up with the next cooling trend and the King Mackerel should be heating up as well.
Black Groupers on the Wrecks
The past three trips out on the oceanside wrecks we found the Black Groupers to be big and biting. We managed to land several up to 20lb., but lost many larger ones to the structure below on several wrecks. This kind of fishing should remain excellent for the next few months. Live Pinfish seem to be the bait of choice as King Mackerel were eating all the Pilchards we tried to drop to the bottom. Kings tend to lay off the Pinfish a bit and allow them to get to the bottom where the Grouper hang out.
Mackerel Bite slows a bit
The hot Mackerel bite in Florida Bay has eased a bit in some areas, but has remained strong in some others. Look for the Mackerel fishing to heat up everywhere after the next cool snap. Warm weather the past couple of weeks has moved where the fish are hanging out, but Bay anglers have had plenty of great action lately. Mangrove Snapper have been biting on the Banks and near the Seven Mile Bridge and the Blacktip Shark action remains hot near the bayside wrecks.
For more info on Florida Keys fishing in the Marathon area, check out our website! Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
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