Sailfish starting to show on reef edge!
Capt. Bob Brown
October 10, 2009
Marathon - Saltwater Fishing Report
On recent reef trips off of the middle Keys anglers have been surprised to find a scattering of Sailfish along the reef edge. Mostly they are charging in on the reef in search of Ballyhoo. Some nice numbers of Ballyhoo have been showing up in chum slicks by reef snapper fishermen and sometimes the sails are moving in on thier chum line to munch some tasty Ballys. This causes a huge upwelling of baitfish out of the water and makes them push toward shore ususally as the Sails are moving in from deeper waters and then back out again after a quick meal or two. This phenemenon went on most of last fall and winter all along the Keys. It should continue to improve in the coming weeks and months as Sailfish migrate into Keys waters where they like to hang out all winter. Usually be the first of November there are good numbers of fish through out the Keys but the Islamorada to Marathon area can be exceptional.
Some nice catches of Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi) continue to hit the docks in the middle Keys. Sometimes anglers are hitting some large fish and sometimes just school fish in the 5-15lb range. A Wahoo or two have been in the mix also, mostly around floating debris or around the 300ft mark along the Bahi Honda Key area by some trolling boats. Blackfin Tuna continue to be on and off out at the Marathon humps but have been good the past few days.
Deep dropping has been producing some nice fish for anglers trying that technique beyond the 500ft mark. Snowy Groupers and Tile fish are the most common. A few other critters have been showing up lately by some other deep droppers that have been swordfishing off the edge of the wall. Swords have been spotty but some have been caught recently up to 200lb!
Night fishing for reef snapper has been excellent lately off of Long Key and Duck Key. Most night fishermen like to avoid the hot sun this time of yr and get in on the good action the nigth provides. Some yellowtail snapper at night have been up to 27" in the Marathon area.
Bay fishing continues to be excellent off the middle Keys for a variety of fun and exciting creatures. Sharks have been plentiful in a variety of flavors and a few Goliath grouper, Mackerel, Cobia, Jacks, and Permit have been showing on the bayside wrecks.
If you would like more info on fishing in the Marathon and middle Keys area, check out our web site. Good luck in all your fishing adventures!
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