Capt. Bob Fernicola: Florida Keys Backcountry Fishing

Key Largo fishing Charters
with
Capt. Bob Fernicola

KEY LARGO FISHING REPORT

BACKCOUNTRY FISHING:1-28-08 as of Jan. 1 trout fishing opened up after a 2 month closed season. Was out yesterday

And found trout in several locations with fish around 16” to 18” and up to 21”also lots of smaller trout 12” to 14’’ and some big ladyfish made for fast action while casting with Berkley gulps, live shrimp and jigs while drifting over the grass flats in Florida bay. Most of the snook are holding in the deeper waters of the many creek threw out the bay. Lots of smaller snook this year 18’’ to 24’’ being the norm with a few 5 to 8 lb fish mixed in. we also hit Snappers, sheepshead, goliath grouper, jacks and black drum while creek fishing. With the cold fronts and north winds shoreline fishing in the shallows has been hit or miss although some of deeper shorelines have been holing reds, jacks, sharks and bigger snook on the warmer days between the fronts. This pattern should hold for the next month or so.

REEF AND OFFSHORE FISHING: 1-28-08 Most trips this month have been on the reef. Jan. started with a good bite for big mutton snapper using live and cut ballyhoo. Grouper started showing up in the last 2 weeks mostly gags and blacks with some red grouper as well. Cero and Spanish macks are around but not as thick as I expected this time of year. More cold fronts should help.

As always black tips and lemmon sharks are eating our live baits keeping the big rod bending. With the lighter tackle (12 lb spin) lots Yellowtails, mangrove snapper, smaller muttons. Hogfish, porges and assorted jacks on most all trips. Farther out blackfin tuna has been

The staple. Dolphin have been in and out with fish up to 12 lbs, mostly on the east wind between cold fronts. Some smoker kings have

been hanging right on the edge of the reef , lots of big cuda mixed in and a few big cero macks as well. Live bait in the gulfstream has

turned up a few sails.

UPDATE: 2-12-08 Rain and a 25 mph ESE wind have me here in front of this computer today so let’s start with yesterdays trip.

The wind was blowing pretty well so we opted for an afternoon trip in the backcountry. Long time client Bill and Paula

Knunkle and friend Dave from Ohio boarded the skiff and we ran the shoreline across the deeper sound to get in the protected shallows of the backcountry. First cast in the creek mouth took a hard bend on the rod. After an hour or so of fast action we wound up with 14 snook between 20” and 24” and a bunch of jacks. Looking for dinner fish we started to work the interior of the creek and collected a dozen or so good snappers and threw back a lot as well. Also bagged 2 goliath groupers around 8 lbs.

On the reef this weekend weather was perfect with a light wind out of the east and 1 foot seas. The mutton snapper bite was good. Saturday; on a half day trip we landed 4 nice muttons 8 to 12lbs, and a nice Black grouper fishing with live ballyhoo on 25 lb spin. Cero macks were all over the ballyhoo on top so the trick was to get the bait past them. The action on the live bait was so fast we did not even fish with light tackle. Put out 15 lb spin and could not hold the bottom fish from the rocks. Between the muttons we released several black tip sharks up to 20 lbs and got a few big yellowtails on big cut baits on the bottom.

I did not do it but I saw the fish come in this weekend. Right on the edge of the reef line and out a bit we had a push of dolphin

Come threw. The fish came in as singles or pairs on the troll. Good size dolphin with most fish averaging 10 to 15 lbs and some as big as 30 lbs. Unskirted ballyhoo on the outriggers was the ticket. Dolphin are targeted more in the warmer months but if you got the right situation offshore I have had great action with them threw the winter months. Not schooled up as much but closer, bigger fish and less boats looking.

REEF 2-18-08 fishing out on the reef in the last few days after the mid week nasty weather was good. On a half day trip fishing

Light tackle and using shrimp and cut baits on 12 lb spin we got a lot of yellowtails, mangrove and some nice size lane snappers.

Also hit some porgies, jacks, black grouper and a nice permit (shown below).The next day in addition to the the light tackle bite

We had some good action on the big rods fishing with live ballyhoo and big cut baits. We landed some nice red grouper, mutton

Snapper, grey snappers, and shark. Rain expected for tomorrow as a cold front aproches.Will be in the backcountry after that.

BACKCOUNTRY-2-26-08 Snook still good. Finding snook on the bank and in creek mouths every trip. Most fish in the 20 to 24 inch rang with some up to 6 lbs. What they lack in size they make for up in numbers, not uncommon to find 10 or more in one spot. Trout was very good the past few days with a lot of fish over 20”.Got limits if the anglers wanted them. Ladyfish and jacks mixed in with the trout made for fast action on the drift casting with lures. The snapper were all over the deadwood on the shorelines, some fish up to 2 lbs. Jacks on the bank as well as snapper and snook.Strong cold front will pass threw tomorrow, some ocean trips after that.

UPDATE 3-28-08 Good bite for bigger fish on the reef, black and gag grouper are eating live ballyhoo the past 3 days. Got one about 30 lbs today and lost one at the boat slightly bigger. The past 2 days we landed several fish 7 to 12 lbs. Good bite this past week for nice size mutton snapper in deeper water 120 to 240.Scattered Dolphin stating to show up offshore inside of 10 miles.

Backcountry fishing is a solid bet still plenty of snook around shorelines and creek mouths. Trout fishing has been good with more fish showing up every week and starting to school up on the grass flats. Got a few big redfish while snook fishing last week along with some big jacks. With March ending and cold fronts subsiding some of the best fishing of the year is upon us in the next few months

Tight lines Capt. Bob