Archive for the ‘Fishing Articles’ Category

Islamorada is very unique area to fish when it comes to being able to fish in windy conditions. Wind and waves are always a factor when planning a day on the water and many fishing days have been cancelled due to strong winds and waves.

Here in Islamorada we have many options of fish to catch, and we have a unique thin piece of land that gives anglers options to fish in almost any weather conditions. In the winter our cold fronts come from the north and winds blow from that direction when these fronts pass. Islamorada and the connecting island chain sets up a natural barrier from north as the chain heads in a westerly direction down to Key West. When we get strong winds from the north we get protection from the islands.

The reef where we target most of our fishing in the winter is 2 to 3 miles away and the waters that lead up to the edge of the reef are shallow. There are many inshore patch reefs in 15 to 25 feet of water that hold lots of nice fish in the winter and as the water cools with these cold fronts the fish move into the shallow water reefs. Many of these reefs are only a mile from shore and with a 15 mph wind blowing you will have maybe a 1 to 2 foot chop when fishing. In addition, the series of bridges that connect the island chain provide great structure and cover for fish and are very good places to fish. These bridges will hold world class tarpon, large sharks, groupers, snappers and many other types of fish. The winter also provides some very good Spanish Mackeral and Cobia fishing back in the gulf waters which again is protected from the wind by the southern tip of Florida and the Everglades.

islamorada live baits for sailfishing and using circle hooks.

There are many different places and techniques to catch sailfish off of Islamorada. One of the most important things is having good live bait. Ballyhoo, pilchards, goggle-eyes, blue runners, and cigars minnows are some of the ones the we use. We also like to have a variety of different baits as some days Sails will only eat one bait.Goggle-eyes, blue runners and cigar minnows are great to use when kite fishing and the smaller the bait the better. Goggle-eyes are caught only at night in deeper water on quills.Blue Runners and cigars can be caught on the patches by chumming them up.They  also can be caught on quils.Ballyhoo can be found on many of the patch reefs and can be caught by cast net but they don’t last long in the live well after being beat up in the net. It is best to take a little extra time and catch them one at a time with a small piece of shrimp on hook and line.

We use the smallest circle hooks possible when fishing small baits like Pilchards and we use a little bigger hooks when using bigger baits like Ballyhoo.We will use 30 to 40 lb fluorocarbon leader but we will also have two 20lb fluorocarbon rods ready for those fish that get a little leader shy.

Setting the hook in a sailfish with a circle hook or kite fishing is a little different than most people are familiar with. It requires dropping your baits back on the bite. Sailfish are very sensitive as they pick up your bait, if your bumping in and out of gear a Sailfish can come up on your bait, mouth it, and if your drag is tight the boat will pull it from his mouth and he might not come back. We prefer to keep our drags in free spool with the clickers on, or on a spinning outfit I will leave the bail open, attach a piece of thin wire to the arm that is attached to the rod and make a small hook to hang the line on, when there is a bite, the sailfish will pull the line from the tiny hook in the wire and put this reel into free spool as it runs with the bait. The Sailfish  needs to eat for at least 5-10 seconds, or until he takes off speedily, then close the bail on the reel and wind until line starts peeling off the reel. When the kite bait gets hit, the Sailfish needs time to eat just like above, as you reel down on the fish the line will pop off the clip, so reel fast to get tight before he jumps. If he jumps before you get tight, chances are you missed him.

Islamorada and the keys have some of worlds best grouper fishing.You can find groupers on patch reefs in as little as 15 ft of water and on the deeper wrecks in 200ft of water.Here are a few tips to help you boat more fish.Live bait is your best bet, we believe for the bigger groupers in deeper water a live speedo is your best bait.We rig it with 50 to 60 lb fluorocarbon leader about 10 ft or longer, a barrel swivel and a egg sinker that allows the line to slip through the weight with no resistance.I f you can’t find speedos for bait,live pinfish, or grunts also work well. Fish your baits right on the bottom. Keep your line tight, but leave the weight  on the bottom. Grouper live on the bottom and are holding up in either rocks or wrecks. By keeping your bait on the bottom, you’ll have it right in front of the grouper’s face where the fish can eat it.  

Don’t jerk or lift the rod when the grouper takes the bait. Reel as fast as you can to set the hook, and put as much pressure as possible with your drag to get the fish out of his home. Next reel down really fast, and lift the grouper up again with the rod. It is very important to get the fished turned and out of his hole at the beginning of the fight, this is where most fish are lost