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Marathon, Florida Keys
Capt. Bob Brown
May 18, 2007
Marathon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Spring fish confused....
A couple of weeks of unseasonal, abnormal, just flat our crazy northerly winds in early May have had the normal offshore bonanza shut down and the Tarpon getting a good case of lock jaw..... Instead of the daily fiesta of all the Dolphin you want, the bite was spotty at best with some boats bringing in one or two fish from the depths of Dolphinville. The Tarpon action was slow too, and the fish could not understand why we had two full weeks of north and northwest winds in MAY!!....Well, you can't change the weather... just have to roll with the punches. The good news is that there is still some good fishing going on. The reef bite has been hot for Grouper and Snapper and the big Permit have been biting on the deep wrecks. The Tarpon and Dolpin should come around soon, but you may have to change your strategy when targeting the big spring species. Tarpon may prefer to feed more at night and more on the outgoing tide on the critters that the north winds are pushing out of Florida Bay. The north winds should also slow down the mullet migration back north so there may still be a good supply of mullet for Tarpon and offshore bait. The Dolphin bite may be concentrated to the gulf stream. You may want to get a water surface temp map to see where the best areas are to target. The fish are still out there, but may be further from shore. So you may have to burn more of that $3.50 per gallon fuel!! Also, look for birds as the main way to locate Dolphin that may be inshore. Sometimes in north winds, you may find a few larger fish in the 12-17 mile range offshore, but weed lines are usually ineffective during prolonged north wind conditions. Look for all hell to break loose once the winds come back around to the east/southeast. Meanwhile, you may want to stock up your freezer with some grouper, yellowtail and some Mangroves.....
Good luck in all your fishing adventures!
Capt Bob Brown, Jr
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