Florida Keys fishing

Getting back into action

2011-01-11T19:48:00.000-08:00

Last year was a tough season for the guides in the Florida Keys as the first thing that hit us was the cold winter that resulted in a big fishkill, followed by the BP oilspill and dealing with a sputtering economy.
The fiskill was bad but at least the Tarpon showed up and the bite was the best in years! Then we got the news about the BP oilspill and when the media 'reported' tar balls on the beaches in Key West, tourism, such as it was, dried up almost instantly.
Hopefully a new year will bring anglers back to the Keys as there are plenty of fish to be caught.
I have been out a few times and at this moment there are plenty of redfish in Florida Bay and
a good number of bonefish on the ocean side flats.
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year I hope to see some of you out on the water!!

2010-03-24T15:28:00.000-07:00

March so far has been very good for fishing in the Florida Keys. The fishkill has resulted in a long term closure for Snook but that has not deterred folks from comming down and fish anyway
On the Bonefish dept I can say that they are a little scarce but Capt Ted Benbow managed to catch 4 on March 14th soaking some baits on the oceanside flats in Islamorada.
In the Backcountry around Flamingo speckled Trout, Redfish and some Snook are caught as well as large Ladyfish and Jack Crevalle's mixed in.
The weather is touch and go but when it stabilizes the Tarpon will be back and the season looks very good!!

Tight lines!!

Capt Oscar

2010-02-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

Hello Readers,

A few health issues in the family had me distracted for a long time. Now that things are better, I will try to keep the blog current again.
This past winter has been brutal on our fish population here in S.Florida. The long term effects are unknown but the strong fish that survived will make for a healthier population in the long run.
Dispite that there are still fish to be caught and the last few days were actually not to bad in the catching department. My anglers and I managed to get a mixed bag of Cobia, Spanish Mackerel, Trout and Jack's out in the Gulf.

The gameplan is to do the same for the next few days, weather permitting of course.
Snook season is closed till September but there are reports of them being in their usual hiding spots. We can fish for them but can not keep any. Frankly this is something I have done 99% of the time anyway. Redfish have been caught, by yours truly, in their own cubbyholes as well with some showing up on the flats in Flamingo.
When the waters finally warm up and the winter subsides we can expect a good fishing season despite the all that has happened in January..

Tight lines,

Oscar

2009-04-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry for being a bit late in the updates but I was swamped with fishing and doing night time trips tends to wear me out....Anyway fellow anglers the Tarpon are here. I fished the Redbone Tarpon tournament at Hawk's Cay Resort and despite the ongoing windy situation, 20 boats attended and 31 Tarpon were caught. The conditions were too rough for most boats to fish the bridges(25-35 Mph winds) and IMHO the catch rate was lower than it could have been. Yours truly wasn't that lucky with the tarpon but we managed to get spectacular jumps out of the sharks trying to eat our mullet.
The main goal of the Redbone series of tournaments is to raise funds for Cystic Fibroses. This is a worthy cause to fish for and I was happy to be part of it. I had a camera malfunction so hopefully I can add to this blog the photos of the other trips I did where my anglers caught redfish and snook. Next week snook season closes for the summer btw.
Stay tuned for the rest..
Tight lines!!

Capt. Oscar

2009-04-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

Again fellow anglers we were plagued by some nasty wind last week, but the fishing was on for real. During a half day trip in the middle Keys my anglers managed 2 out of 4 Permit to the boat.
Just yesterday during another 1/2 day we got a 5 pound bonefish.
The Tarpon bite has been phenominal during the past few nights, with reports of anglers hooking double digit numbers and landing multiple fish per boat. It seems that the Tarpon are here for the season!!!
So give me a call at 305 664 7272 and I'll will hook you up with a captain and some fish!!
Tight lines!!
Capt Oscar

Wind.....

2009-03-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

Well folks, 30 MPH winds kept me off the water this past weekend. This was unexpected as we are finally getting busier with springbreakers showing up in the Florida Keys.
Not much to report. Tomorrow I hope to get on the water again and will fill you all in on what happened.

2009-03-18T16:07:00.000-07:00

Today was a bit of a weather event as a front was comming through, bringing much needed rain although it stayed dry for me while I was fishing out of Hawk's Cay Resort. My anglers were from Nashville TN and usually stay at Cheeca Lodge but it burned during New Years Eve and is closed for now.

We managed to get a few fish and had a great morning with patchy blue skies and a 15 MPH wind.

The goal today was for my anglers to relax, catch a few fish and and enjoy the waters around the Florida Keys. I think it was a great day!!

Of Permit and Kids

2009-03-12T06:48:00.000-07:00

About two days back I get a call from Hawk's Cay Marina to take a dad and his 11 year old son out to catch a few fish on a half day charter. Any fish would have been good enough according to the father. We all know that kids are best kept happy by a lot of fish regardless of size......At least in theory right??

It turned ot that these intreped fisherman knew a thing or two and quickly caught on how things are done in the Florida Keys....

Well after a grunt or twenty and some snappers mixed in, the young man hooked into what we all thought was a big jack. The young man did all the right things and fought the fish with much gusto and landed a nice 5-6 pound Permit. The second permit was smart enough to find a sharp piece of rock and broke off.

The young man was very happy and dad was pleased too.

So was the guide btw.....

Tight lines!!

Capt Oscar

Fishing is getting good!!

2009-03-07T12:51:00.000-08:00

Well fellow anglers, the Islamorada flats were surrounded by beautiful blue water brought in by a pervasive east wind , but I managed to put my anglers on a few fish ( snappers, jacks, shark) and we did manage to hook a bonefish briefly before it broke us off on a coral head. These fish were hiding in deeper water (about 10 feet) to keep warm.
Permit fishing was on as well on the patch reefs and sailfishing has been good too, if you could handle the waves...There was a big tournament at Hawk's Cay this weekend and hopefully many fish were caught and released.
We are in the transition period where the big bait push will be followed but the Tarpon and other predatory fish. Shark fishing has been decent but will get better too when the water warms up a bit more. The reports I heard were that the western part of Florida Bay were better for fishing than the eastern part in the past week. Snook and Redfish and Trout were the catch of the day in the western area's of the Everglades.
It can only get better from here on in!!
Tight lines!!

Capt Oscar,

http://www.floridakeysanglers.com/

Tarpon have been seen already!!

2009-03-03T09:15:00.000-08:00

Even though it is not Tarpon season yet, the first big groups of the 'Silverkings' have been spotted already in the Backcountry of Florida Bay and the local spots near the Keys....
Their early arrival could promise a great season for anglers interested in hooking the 'big one' at least once in their fishing 'career'!!

The winter has been colder than normal for a lot longer too, but the water temperature seems to have stabilized above 65 F and that is good news.
Hopefully the economy won't depress the industry too much although it will be a tough year ahead. At least nature goes on as usual.
Fishing this past winter has had it's up and downs due to some strong cold fronts passing through our area, but there were plenty of Trout, Spanish Mackerel and Redfish and Snook around when it warmed up a bit. Mangrove Snapper, Jack Crevalle and sharks were in abundance too. When picking your days to fish, anglers should remember to be a bit flexible in the species they would like to catch. Some days are better than others and if anglers fish the Keys long enough, they are bound to have some great days too!!
Just remember that a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at the office!!
Mother Nature does provide other worthwhile sights to see and if birds and other wildlife are in your scope of interest you will be amazed for sure!! The winter brings a lot of migrating birds down here such as White Pelicans, Roseate Spoonbills etc.
See you on the water!!

Capt. Oscar