Marathon- Florida Keys Fishing Report: December 5, 2008

SAILFISH AND RIVALRIES

I'm not going to lie; the result of last Saturday's Florida- Florida State football game was not what I was hoping for. No offense to all of you Gator fans (good luck in the SEC Championship and possibly the BCS Championship), but I was optimistic that this would be the year the Noles turned the rivalry around. Of course that was not the case, and I'm still picking up the shattered pieces of garnet and gold that I left at Sparky's Landing in Key Colony Beach on Saturday, but I still have hope that next year will be our year!

That's the wonderful thing about college football rivalries. No matter what team you root for (and we have a diverse collection of college football fanatics down here in the Keys), and no matter if your school is playing for a spot in the National Championship Game or looking for their first win of the season, we all have rivals that we love to hate- and every year we get to play them.

Auburn- Alabama, Ohio State- Michigan, USC- Notre Dame, even the mighty Zips of Akron have a rivalry game against the Kent State Golden Flashes every year (how exciting). It's what makes college football so intriguing, and it's the reason I'm glued to the television set on Saturday afternoons when I'm not out fishing.

But there's another type of rivalry that heats up this time of year in the Florida Keys that takes place on the water, not on the gridiron. December marks the beginning of the sailfish tournament season and gives us captains the opportunity to compete head-to-head in some of the world's most prestigious billfish events.

There's nothing quite like being in the lead of a tournament on the final day and trying to hold on before "lines in." Or trailing just one fish behind the leader with minutes to go and searching frantically for that one last sail to get you into contention. It's an intense experience, and it brings out the competitive spirit in all of us.

But you don't need to be a professional fisherman or woman to appreciate the thrill of fighting such an amazing fish. Anyone can do it, all you need to do is hook up with me or one of the many professional charter captains throughout the Keys. We'll do our best to provide you with a memorable sailfishing experience that you'll not soon forget.

The sailfish bite has been very consistent of late and there's no better time than now to get out and enjoy the very best of Florida Keys sailfishing.

Elsewhere on the water, the bottom fishing at the deep reef and on the wrecks remains steady with good bites of snapper, grouper and jacks. However the yellowtail fishing has been fairly inconsistent at times as opposing winds and currents have made fishing difficult. As many of you know, yellowtail can become a little spooky this time of year so always have a backup plan if the fish aren't biting.

An excellent alternative is to head closer to shore and fish Hawk Channel. Lately the channel humps they have been teaming with life and we've been catching a variety of species including muttons, mangroves, cobia, jacks, cero mackerel and kingfish.

On the other side the fishing continues to be excellent in the Florida Bay and Gulf of Mexico. Large mangrove snapper continue to be the hot ticket near shore, with excellent cobia numbers being taken several miles back. Look for the cobia to gradually start moving in as we enter the winter months, and be prepared if one swims up in your chum line.

Overall, the fishing has been excellent and I expect the weeks ahead to yield similar results. This is one of my favorite times of year to fish in the Keys and you shouldn't let the winds deter you from getting out on the water. There are plenty of excellent fishing opportunities for you to enjoy even when it's blowing.

Your BEST BET for the week ahead: Fish the Florida Bay.

If the winds begin to howl I suggest heading into Florida Bay where conditions should be more accommodating than on the Atlantic side. Look for holes, structure or coral heads and anchor up with your chum bag out. You should be able to bend your rod on any of a number of species including mangrove snapper, Spanish mackerel, jacks, bluefish, and more. And if you feel like tussling with one of those toothy critters just drop a mackerel behind the boat. It won't take long for a bullshark or blacktip to find it and you.