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Marathon, Florida Keys
Capt. Bob Brown
April 7, 2004
Marathon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Dolphin Turning On
The winds have finally died down in the Keys and the offshore action has been heating up since anglers can now find thier way offshore without battling 6-9ft seas. Nice catches of Dolphin have been coming in from 14-20 miles offshore of Marathon. Today there were weedlines 14 and 16 miles out and some larger fish were caught in the 550ft depths under frigate birds. The weedlines were producing lots of schoolies in the 5-15lb class.
Tuna fishing offshore at the Marathon hump has been up and down but mostly good lately. The bite has been good early and late in the day when boat traffic dies down a bit and the fish pop back up. Blackfins up to 30lb have been common with lots of large sharks around the area also. Live bait techniques have been working best for the larger Tuna but plenty of small to medium sized fish have been taken lately trolling lures. Flying fish colored cedar plugs have been a hot ticket out at the hump lately so give them a try.
Sailfish have been around but spotty since there has been no current and not much east wind lately. Look for a Sailfish bonanza if the current picks up along with the east winds. A few Cobia and Hammerhead Sharks should be in the mix when this condition forms also.
Tarpon Heating up
The Tarpon action at the 7 mile bridge in Marathon has been very spotty with all the NW winds we have had lately but now that with winds have died down and turned easterly look for the action to bust loose! Good action was reported yesterday morning and should continue to imprive in the coming days and weeks. Yeehaa!
Potential World Record Permit Released!!
A split second decision to keep or release a potential IGFA junior world record Permit on the "Sundance" yesterday resulted in releasing a record sized Permit. Michael Brooks, age 15, from Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. caught a huge Permit that weighed in on a reliable hand scale at 55lb. This would have shattered the current record of 46lb. We decided since the fish were spawning this time of year, to release the fish. We still have the memory and the photos but did not kill a spawning fish just to get our names in the IGFA book. Maybe someone will catch a record fish someday that was the offspring of the fish we released! Anyway, a great catch for a young angler on the "Sundance", where we throw back world records!! If you want to see a photo of this fish, check out our website!
Good luck in all of your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
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