Marathon- Florida Keys Fishing Report: May 28, 2010
Marathon Charter Fishing Report
Inshore, the silver kings have been the main target, with the annual Mcdonald's tournament being held this past week. A phenomenal turnout of anglers, as well as record catches of tarpon being recorded, made for a historic event.
For those of you that have yet to make it out to target these exciting gamefish, there's still time. The tarpon bite remains phenomenal at the bridges and in the channels and we'd be happy to arrange a morning or evening charter for your group.
In addition to the great tarpon bite, it was also nice to come back to light breezes and calm seas. The wonderful weather has provided the perfect conditions to run out in search of dolphin, and anywhere from 300 feet out to 1,000 feet we've been finding schoolies and gaffer-sized fish with a few slammers mixed in.
If heading offshore in search of dolphin your best bet is to fish early, work the weed lines (and birds if you see them), and make sure to have a well full of live baits. With dolphin feeding throughout the night during the recent full moon phase, and with hot temperatures in the afternoon, the dolphin have been less aggressive than they were this past week. Try and get to them early before they swim down to cooler waters, and if you can't leave the dock until the afternoon, use live bait to entice lethargic fish if they're refusing your cut baits and trolling lures.
Once you've got your fill of dolphin don't hesitate to head to the reef. From 50 to 110 feet the yellowtail snapper bite has been heating up. Try and locate the fish with your bottom machine, and then anchor up and get the chum flowing. While anchored up I also suggest dropping a live bait down to the bottom for a shot at landing a keeper black grouper. Over the past few weeks we've been catching numerous legal blacks, with a few up to 30 pounds. Just be sure to use a 10-foot stretch of 80 to 100-pound leader to get these fish up before they have an opportunity to rock you up.
For you locals working nine-to-fives, or for you visitors who don't prefer fishing mid-day when it can get a little warm, now's also a great time to reef fish in the evenings. Yellowtails and mangroves are beginning their spawns and you should be able to head out and load the box with quality fish.
YOUR BEST BET FOR THE WEEKS AHEAD: Take advantage of the evening bite
The one negative to light winds and calm seas is the temperatures can get a little hot. For those of you who don't like the heat, there are tons of excellent evening fishing opportunities here in the Florida Keys. From tarpon fishing at the bridges, to snapper and grouper fishing on the reef, to trying to hook a few big dolphin before the sun goes down, we will gladly arrange an evening charter for your party.
