Fishtails Report

[Fishtails]

Hey guys....thought I'd check in and say hi From the Fl. keys and give a report on the fishing for the ones still planning a trip down here. We have wireless here, just have had no time to get on the computer. I'll try to keep it as short and as to the point as I can.

First off before I forget, Knights key looks real nice Rick. I drove by and checked it out. Great location to stay for fishing & central location in the keys. Stay on the water though....inner sights didn't look so good. According to my gps, the reef is much closer to shore in that area than where I am on fiesta key. This KOA is really nice also.

It's been Sunny, hot and windy as hell! Out of the 8 days we have been here so far, only two were calm (10 mph or less is calm down here). The breeze is great unless your plan is to go boating...it cools you down a little.

Overall, we've been having a blast. The fishing has been very good the three days I've gone out. Never made it to the reef on our little 16 foot boat. It's about 5 miles off shore in this area of the keys and most days have been 4-7 at the reef. I did go out on the ocean about 3 miles out yesterday morning and caught some good fish. Just about everywhere It's been one fish after another. It's hard to get past the little guys though. Yesterday we had a manatee come into the marina. My son went down on the rocks and played with it....really cool!!

I have gotten into plenty of keeper size Mangrove snappers, porkies (the yellow one on ray's photos), some keeper yellowtails and grunts. Lots of crevelle jacks and all kinda of miscellaneous fish. I've been fishing mostly for table fare fish, so every time I hook up with something big, It tore my line. That happened 5-10 times :x . Had several big sharks and tarpon swimming around the boat. I also got out once to snorkel for lobster....caught 4 of them!

Here are a couple pics...I'll put more in the picture section.

Justin and I with a triggerfish he caught in the ocean. Along with the following hogfish, it's said to be one of the very top table fare fish in the area.

A hogfish

Our little 16 fter

Mangrove snapper....delish!!

I'll put some other catches in the picture section. Heading back to Pa on Sunday....hope to get out fishing again but they are calling for super heavy winds so it ain't looking likely.

[ray koziatek]

if ya launch at the first launch past the 7 mi bridge heading west all ya need to do is go about 1or 200 yds past the end of the walking fishing bridge(boating back east)and fish under the bridge you will see many charters anchored there.or if you want a tarpon hot spot call me with a keys map in hand and ill put you on top of them.if you want a snapper (fish bob ) hot spot there is a nice one bout 3 miles north of "no name " key but wind is a factor there

[Fishtails]

Thanks Ray. I am familiar with the area your talking about, but I am 20 miles from 7 mile bridge and I'm stuck here with the boat cause I pulled it down with the rv and can't launch it myself. The KOA did it for me. Damn rental cars don't have hitches. Tarpon are FUN, but I caught them last time and since ya can't eat them I've passed them up this trip. If I would have had more time to fish I might have gone after them. Had em swimming around the boat. Had a big shark grab a yellowtail when I tossed it back in the water. Makes ya think twice about washing your fishy hands off in the water

Been doing good catching keeper size snapper, but as you know it's not as easy as it sounds. For every one over the 12" keeper size, there are lots of smaller & faster ones ready to jump on your bait for the ride to the boat. I'm learning that you chum in the small ones and cast beyond them for the bigger fish. They are all fun far as I'm concerned.

There has been a small craft advisory every day but two, and it's now in effect again till Monday so it looks like I'm done unless I hit the bridge to use up my last box of chum. Thanks for the info though....next year I'll be staying down in that area so I'll keep that in mind. I hear there is another Manatee in the marina, so I'm off to check it out........

[dieselhp]

Thanks for the info Rod. Made reservations at Big Pine Key, just past the 7 mile bridge, where Ray is talking about. This will be my first time there, so I definitely want to get into a tarpon. Let me know about catching the lobster, we would like to try that. Thanks for the report. Have a safe trip back!

Rick

[ray koziatek]

diesel,Capt. Kevin Rowley,305-393-2618 will put ya on some silvers he has a 16 ft flats boat and gre up and lives on big pine grew up fishing if ya got your own boat you need to get under the "bahia honda " bridge. give me a call if your bringing your own boat and i might be able to help..

[dieselhp]

Ray,

I am renting a boat at Captain Pip's. I have to see how far by water to the campground on big pine is. If it's not to far I am going to keep the boat at the campground. I don't want to have the boat at the campground and get bad weather the last day I am there and can't get the boat back to Pip's. I don't know any thing about the keys as far as channels and all the kind of stuff.

[ray koziatek]

607 9363029 or 769 7947

[dieselhp]

Thanks Ray

I will give you a call.

A little info from my wife, you guys may need to know. I told her about Rod catching Lobster and she would like to do that, but she told me “you know that the claws won’t have bands on themâ€

[Fishtails]

Rick.....I'm on my way home (in nc @ the moment) and I'll pm you as soon as I get settled in tomorrow.

[Fishtails]

BTW Rick......If you haven't already, tell the wife spiny lobsters don't have claws, but they are just as good

There are lots of really good eating fish to be caught also. You'll want to pick up a book to identify them.

We're pulling out and the wife is snarling at me to get on the road....Talk to ya in a day or so.