Marathon- Florida Keys Fishing Report: January 30, 2009
Courtesy of Marathon charter fishing boats, Best Bet Sportfishing and the Florida Keys Weekly Newspapers.
KARMA AND THE COLD
I may be partially responsible for provoking Mother Nature's summons of such frigid and sub-tropical temperatures to the Florida Keys this past week. I believe she read my previous Best Bet fishing report and decided the laughs I had at the expense of our friends up North (and their wintry weather) could not go unpunished.
I knew I was tempting fate when I wrote that I found humor in watching weathermen and women shiver in the snow as they reported negative temperatures and blizzard-like conditions. I had no idea however that the punishment, or the weather, would be so harsh.
For those of you that were not down here last week, or who spent too many days on Duval Street to remember that far back, we experienced temperatures nearly twenty degrees colder than our winter average. Overnight lows in the 40s were felt throughout the Keys, and those of us without heated accommodations were bundled up in whatever warm clothing we could find.
Frozen margaritas temporarily gave way to belly-warming shots of bourbon; air conditioners were substituted for space heaters; and at least a few of our European visitors had to surrender their Speedos in exchange for long pants. Maybe the cold does have its benefits.
In terms of fishing, the abrupt drop in water temperatures (as cold as 59 degrees inshore) left many of our more sought after winter-time species with a severe case of lockjaw. Anglers targeting yellowtails and grouper on the reef and patches, and mangroves and cobia in the Florida Bay and Gulf, were disappointed to find lethargic fish unwilling to take even the liveliest of baits.
Unfortunately, that's what happens when frigid cold fronts blast the Florida Keys. The inshore "table-fare" species shut down and you need to head out to the warmer water if you want to load up the cooler.
One of my favorite places to fish during these colder times is the offshore wrecks and deep reef (90 to 200 feet). Last week I had several of those trips aboard the Best Bet that produced excellent catches of keeper mutton snapper, big flag yellowtails, and delicious vermillion snapper in the one to three pound range. Of course there were also plenty of amberjacks around to keep us occupied as well.
In addition to the excellent wreck and deep reef fishing, the sailfishing continues to be solid, albeit not as spectacular as it was in the weeks prior. There are still plenty of fish around though, and you should have a great chance of catching a sail if you head out front.
The kingfish bite remains red hot up and down the Keys. While they may not offer the same food quality as other species, just remember they are second to none when it comes to the pound-for-pound fight on light tackle. If you've yet to catch big kings on light tackle, I highly recommend giving it a try.
Your BEST BET for the weeks ahead: Fish the Reef
The water is warming back up and the reef should again be teaming with life very soon. All the fish that weren't biting during the cold front should now be hungry and primed for the taking.
Be sure to visit TryCharterFishing.com to read next week's Florida Keys fishing report.
