Winter Fishing in the Lower Florida Keys; Tarpon and Permit!!
Capt. Scott Yetter
January 31, 2009
Little Torch Key - Saltwater Fishing Report
So much for my New Years Resolution of keeping current with fishing reports.. It has been 3 weeks.. Since my last report. Sorry...
The weather and the fishing was outstanding the first two weeks of January. We were finding tailing permit, rolling tarpon and bonefish on the in coming tides.. Then as is typical for this time of year we received a cold front, which dropped temperatures into the low 60's and even the 50's. Well, it is winter even in the Florida Keys..
A week later(felt like a lot longer then that) it warmed back up.. Just in time to take Pat and his girl friend fishing.. I was still wearing fleece, but they were from Alaska and were in shorts and tee shirts.. Water was still cool, fishing was tough, but we had fun with cudas, sharks and jacks. Pat hooked a permit off a coral head and a big goliath grouper on the flats next to the mangroves.
Later in the week I fished with John and Ed. It warmed up!! We got shots at redfish, snook, bonefish, permit(one ate Ed's live crab) Hooked several baby tarpon and even got some shots at 6 foot tarpon in a winter warm up spot.. Boated tarpon, cudas, sharks and jacks...fun two days. We fished till dark both days, chucking tube lures over a warm up flat full of 4 foot cudas when we lost the light to sight fish... John says he will be back..
Jan 29.... Got a last minute call to take Bruce fishing. A cold front was coming and he wanted to get in a day on the flats before it hit. Good thinking!! Tides and temperature were perfect. But I could not find bonefish... After 3 flats we gave up on bonefish and found permit and tarpon Bruce got 4 baby tarpon to eat a tan toad fly. Nice work Bruce!
Front hit yesterday after noon... but not before I checked out a big tarpon spot with a couple of friends. We got into a BUNCH of laid up 6 foot tarpon in the same warm up spot I took John,, Mark Raisler fed one a tan toad fly, before we had to race the front back to the marina..
That's all the news I have...highs in the mid 60s today... time to Tye flies... It will warm back up in a couple of days..
Target Species:
Tarpon, Permit, Bonefish, Redfish, Snook & Barracuda
More Fishing Reports:
