 |
Marathon, Florida Keys
Capt. Bob Brown
December 19, 2003
Marathon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Cool Weather - Hot Reef Bite!
The recent trend of a cool front every three or four days has changed the fishing landscape a bit in the Keys. The cool weather this time of year usually ushers in some red hot Mackerel action and it has been happening the past couple weeks. The Cero Mackerel have been tearing up the in shore areas around the Keys especially in Hawk's Channel and on the patch reefs on the ocean side of the Keys. Spanish Mackerel have been found in good numbers from 6-12 miles North of Marathon on the bay side in the deeper areas and near wrecks. Live Shrimp or small pilchards work well for the Macks and make sure to use a small piece of wire leader for best results.
The Snapper and Grouper action has been very good on the patch reef areas and in Hawk's channel as well. Nice catches of Red Grouper have been reported with lots of keeper sized Reds along with some large Mangrove snapper and lots of smaller Grouper that have to be released. This area is a good place to find some hot action and remain in fairly calm waters during the Notherly winds that have been dominating the scene lately. Live Pinfish, Live Shrimp, and cut bait such as Ballyhoo or Mullet work well for the Grouper. The large Mangroves tend to prefer the Ballyhoo. Fresh Ballyhoo works best. If you are able to catch your own Ballyhoo, try to keep a few live ones to put way back on a long mono leader w/about a 2oz. lead for the occasional big Mutton that may be lurking in the area. Nice sized Mutton Snapper have been showing up all over the reef lately, but some 10-20lb. fish have been coming in from the patch reef areas as well. Nice numbers of Yellowtail have been coming in as well. All you want of the 13-16" fish have been common in the 30ft depth range with good numbers of the larger fish coming from the deeper reef in about 60-80ft.
Sailfish Action Good
The recent cool weather should only add fuel to the fire as far as Sailfishing goes in the Keys. Here off of Marathon lately some boats have been catching from 2-6 Sails per trip and there always seems to be one around at some point in the day. Generally right after a cool front, once the wind turns back to the NE, the bite usaully increases and lots of action is in store. Live bait is the ticket for best results. Ballyhoo, Blue Runners, Goggle Eyes & Pilchards are the best baits. If you have trouble locating them, some of the local bait shops are starting to carry live Pilchards and Mullet. They might cost you a few bucks, but well worth it if you hook into a few Sails.
The drawback to cool weather this time of year is that it cools off the Dolphin fishing on the offshore scene. Look for Mahi's to bite when the weather warms up for a couple days inbetween fronts. Look for debris or weed lines. One plus on the offshore scene is usually an increase in the number of Blackfin Tuna as the cooler weather pushes some down south ahead of schedule. Look for the Tuna action to really heat up in late Jan. and into Feb.
If you's like more info on fishing in the Marathon and middle Keys area, check out our website. Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
