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Marathon, Florida Keys

Capt. Bob Brown
December 12, 2000
Marathon - Saltwater Fishing Report

Kings, Dolphin, and Sails

The winter months are prime time for King Mackerel here in Marathon and the entire Florida Keys. Recently, good numbers of Kings have shown up in spots along the reef edge on the ocean side of the Keys. Some days they are out in 120-160ft. and others they are concentrated along the reef edge in 50-100ft. Some big "smoker" Kings have been coming in from the gulfside lately also off of wrecks that are 30-40 miles offshore. A few nice Dolphin have also been coming in from the Atlantic side and coming off of scattered weedlines mostly inside of 20 miles offshore. Lots of charter boats that have been targeting Sailfish have had a nice surpise lately by catching several nice Dolphin in near the edge of the reef in 100-200 ft. of water. Even though we have had a bit of cool weather, the water temp at Sombrero light off of Marathon has been 77-78 degrees. This warm water should hold some Dolphin in near shore as long as it stays that way.

The Sailfish bite in the middle Keys just continues to improve all the time. In a half day trip yesterday we had several shots at Sails although not connecting on any of them, the fish were definitely there! Boats that fished all day caught anywhere from 1-5 Sails yesterday in the Marathon area. Other days this week were even hotter. The hot areas have been from Duck Key to the Red Can off of Lower Matecumbe Key and off of Sombrero light off of Marathon. Some good reports have also been coming in from our west off of American shoal. Live baits have been working the best but several boats have caught and released Sailfish this week trolling dead bait. Best live baits have been Ballyhoo, Pilchards, Blue Runners, Cigar Minnows and Small Speedos. (If all else fails finding bait, sometimes a small Yellowtail fished off the kite will get Sailfish action!!) If you can't get any good live baits, some well rigged dead Ballyhoo will produce lots of Sailfish bites. Looks like a great Sailfish season shaping up so don't miss out on your chance to catch one of these magnificent fish! Check out our website for more info on fishing in the Marathon area of the Florida Keys.

Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!

Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.

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Light tackle sportfishing for Sailfish, Tarpon, and other sport fish in the middle Florida Keys. Since 1980 Capt Bob has been putting anglers on the big fish! Offshore, reef/wreck, Gulf wrecks, and Tarpon fishing. Live bait specialist, tournament winners!

Contact Info:

Sundance Sportfishing Adventures
PO Box 504345
Marathon, FL 33050
Phone: 800-282-1712
Alt. Phone: 305-289-1542
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