 |
Marathon, Florida Keys
Capt. Bob Brown
May 4, 2005
Marathon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Dolphin Scramble
As anticipated, the Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi) fishing off of Marathon and the middle Keys has heated up this week with some large schools of schoolie sized fish showing up all over the area. Several excellent catches of Mahi's hit the docks at the 7 Mile Marina this week with a few larger fish up to 35lb mixed in. Most of the action has been around 18-25 miles offshore of the islands or about 13-20 miles S/SW of Sombrero light. The area called "ups and downs", given the name because of the fluctuating bottom depths, has been one focal point. That area is about 17-19 miles offshore. The fish have been offshore from there also, out to "the Wall" which is about 30 miles out. A few nice Wahoo have also been showing up mostly around larger floating debris. Make sure you fish your Wahoo bait a bit deeper than your Dolphin presentation for best results.
A few Sailfish have been reported also lately, but mostly pretty far to the west of Marathon nearer to American shoal and down to Key West.
Tarpon Very Friendly!
The Tarpon action at the middle keys bridges the past few days has been just darn right HOT! We have been hooking as many as 9-12 fish on some of our 4 hour charters but even on the slow trips we have managed to hook a fish or two. Bahia Honda bridge has been the epicenter of the tarpon world this past week. Thousands of fish have shown up at this Tarpon mecca and the action has been fast and furious at times. Best baits to hook up the silver king at Bahia Honda have been live blue crabs drifted back on the outgoing tide, and live mullet or pinfish fished either on the surface or on the bottom. The 7 mile bridge has been hot lately as well. Yesterday morning we hooked 5 big Tarpon before sunrise on the "Sundance" and ended up catching one about 60lb. for angler Mike Motley from Conyers, GA. One good bet for the 7 mile bridge as far as baits goes is casting a large lure in the dark before dawn. Bomber long-A's or Mirro lures work well in a variety of colors. If you have to choose one color to try, red and white is a good all around producer here. Live mullet has been the hot live bait fished on the surface. Long Key bridge and Tom's Harbor have also been good lately so come down and get in on the hot action while it is happening. Look for Tarpon to be hot at the Keys bridges until late June. If you want more info on fishing in the Marathon and middle Keys area, check out our web site. Good luck in all your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
