suggestions for finding livies in Islamorada?

[DonK]

Anyone care to offer suggestions for finding live baits in Islamorada?

Any help would be appreciated....last time i was down there, ballyhoo were the 'flavor of the day' but that was in the winter...

do they catch/use gogs and pilchs there? where would be a good place to try catching them up?
Thanks!


DonK

[WhItEoUt 23]

Check the big bridges Pilchards and big greenies are thick around the pilings.

[DonK]

Originally Posted by WhItEoUt 23

Check the big bridges Pilchards and big greenies are thick around the pilings.

Thanks Whiteout!

[Captain Juan]

Not sure exactly where you're staying but there are pilchard in Tav and Snake Creek approaching the bridges and at the bridges. Be carefull with the boat traffic. One dude drives and the other should be ready with the net. Don't get hung up, though. (BTW, they sell pinners at Tav Creek Marina)

On the oceanside, drop a chum bag at any patch and you should be able to chum up hoos and runners. Hoos can be netted or hair hooked. Sometimes the bastards are thick but just out of net range. Runners will hit troll rite jigs tipped with squigley. Be patient and let the chum work. On the bayside, drop a chum bag over grass and you should be able to get plenty of pinners.

Buena suerte consorte.

Juan

[DonK]

Thanks Capt Juan!

We'll be staying at the Drop Anchor...just to the south(west) of Snake Creek, so we'll try that channel.

My rig stands tall, and will require bridge openings, so we'll probably stay on the ocean side.

I appreciate the tips...looks like the seas will be really nice!

[Captain Juan]

The Drop Anchor, oh boy. Cute place and clean but the dockage and approach are shallow as balls. To get into the place from the ocean you take the next Channel south from Snake Creek...super shallow at low tide. Once you get in, you have make a left and hug the seawall in what's a very narrow channel with some jagged, rocky edges sticking out. Once at Drop Anchor, there's not much room to even turn around. The flat's right there on the other side of the channel. The boat ramp on the property is really for small craft under 23' and a long and narrow way to back up a trailer from the road. I dinged my props right near the hotel in the channel hugging the sea wall and overheated in the main channel going out a couple times.

Be careful. Other than that, it's a nice place and great jumping off point to fish anywhere from Molasses to Alligator and beyond. Shark fishing at night casting out to the flat with some wire and butterflied grunt or cuda steak from the seawall is fun for the kids.

Good luck!

Juan

[floridadeckie]

for runners, chum around the sand holes by the whale harbor cut headpin. they will show up in short order, you can net them up or sabiki them. for pilchards, there have been lots of good numbers showing up around the alligator reef lighthouse. hoos have been thick around the Eagle (artificial reef, check your chart) and around crocker reef. just setup like you would for yellowtail and they will come right up to the boat.

[DonK]

Got in there ok...no kidding about the skinny and tight!

We ran down there, so the ramp wasn't an issue.

It was a little bit of a pucker factor the first time in the "channel"..but easy enough once you go thru it. I hardly even churned the mud even at low tide.

The Fish Tank is 30'x 10'....the cut at the dock is 12'! The only way to get turned around was to either nose into the ramp and spin around (avoiding the other boats and the tree that is right there) or to nose into the basin just to the east between the trailer park's seawall and the Drop Anchor's seawall.

Both spots have a nice big chunk 'o rock in the prop zone....either way it was tiiiiiight!

Notwithstanding, it is a nice, conchy place to stay...no complaints.
Like you said, it was easy access to some good fishing ground, and the view was awesome!

I had room 17, which is actually a travel trailer parked between two of the buildings, which was nice because it was more spacious than many of the rooms and had a full kitchen. The only downside is the "hand sprayer" shower common to boats and trailers...but not a big issue for me.

Definitely will go back...the price was very reasonable for the Keys over a Holiday weekend!

[DonK]

Originally Posted by floridadeckie

for runners, chum around the sand holes by the whale harbor cut headpin. they will show up in short order, you can net them up or sabiki them. for pilchards, there have been lots of good numbers showing up around the alligator reef lighthouse. hoos have been thick around the Eagle (artificial reef, check your chart) and around crocker reef. just setup like you would for yellowtail and they will come right up to the boat.

Thanks for the tips! We did get a bunch of ballyhoos out in 60'....some nice horsey ones in the mix to boot.

[gtrfred]

FlDeckie

Are you allowed to get in close enough to lighthouse at alligator and fish for those pilchards? usually there are giant schools of them up there, but I have never tried to catch them cause I thought you had to stay outside of the marked area.

are you easing up to the edge and chumming or making a quick dash in and out?

Thanks

[floridadeckie]

I havent gotten pilchards in a while, but my prefered live bait is cigar minnows or ballyhoo. I know the BnM guys use alligator, so I would assume they are sliding up to the nearby baitpatch and chumming them just like we chum up cigars inside of crocker. CG and FWC have been patrolling pretty hard with the recent lobster trap thefts, so I wouldnt push the boundaries at Alligator.