Heading down to Key West tonight

Captain Juan · 05-04-2007, 01:52 PM

Capts. Art and Yuri and Tim K.:

Heading down to the Conch Republic tonight. However, not putting in at Oceanside as usual but at City Marina. I will be fishing between the Tail End and Rebecca and then going deep tomorrow evening for swords. I will be on 72.

Juan

Captain Juan · 05-07-2007, 11:15 AM

Fishing off Key West was dismal. We were on the water by 4:30 a.m. Saturday and stopped at an area off Boca Grande where we load up on baits. No white bait or ballyhoo, but plenty of pinfish, candy yellowtail and runners.

We then ran to 10 miles west of the Tail End Buoy and anchored and chummed hard in several spots. A few short grouper, a couple fish we could not stop, and nothing else. We headed back east to Cosgrove and Colbin and made few drifts with live baits and metal jigs and nothing. Beautiful baits on balloons on the surface did even get touched all day...not even by cudas or kings that are usually thick down there.

The problem was that the water quality sucked. Conditions, 1 to 3, were perfect but the water was very dirty even out to 300-feet. It was like a chalky green color off the edge of the reef all the way down to Rebecca.

Anyway, we headed out to the Wall around 5:00 p.m. and caught our only keeper fish of the day - a 19 lb. cow that hit a rigged ballyhoo. She was all alone. Around 7:30 p.m. we started swordfising the Wall, straight South of Sand Key. It was a nice 2 - 3 out there. We were making perfect drifts. We called it quits around 10:30 p.m. without a single hit or slash. We fished squids and I even rigged what Key Westers call the best sword bait, a bridled 14 inch yellowtail. But nico (nothing).

But we had fun anyway.

J

Gaitor · 05-07-2007, 06:11 PM

Damn Juan ... I guess that's why they call it fishin' and not catchin'.
But a bad day on the water is ultimately better than a good day at work!
Next time man!

Captain Juan · 05-07-2007, 06:23 PM

Yep. Thanks. I had really high hopes and fished hard. I had not fished Key West since last spring (2006) where in the same spots with the same approaches we caught six big grouper (four blacks, a scamp and a red), four muttons, two kings, and several nice dolphin later in the day at the Wall. I was really excited about swordfishing the Wall and applying some new tricks I've learned, but nothing. Next time. Oddly, I did not see another boat swordfishing at the Wall in those good conditions....only passing freighters.

Take care.

j

dmdfish · 05-07-2007, 09:38 PM

We fished Big Pine Thurs-Sat. We caught the yellowtail pretty good off Big Pine shoal Thurs night. 15 total and 4 were 4lbs + and the smallest fish was 17-18". Only one Mutton to 8lbs. Friday day we caught the 7 yellowtail to 4 lbs. Friday night ran to the east crack and fished until midnight. The water was dirty and it felt like we were in a washing machine. Missed a shark on a gog. Saturday there were 3 commercial YT boats on our spot so we moved to the patch reefs and caught undersized grouper and had a cuda jump into the boat. We'll be back down this wekend to fish.

Captain Juan · 05-08-2007, 11:55 AM

Nice yellowtails. However, it seemed slow across the board in the Keys this past weekend. I could've focused on the tails, but was hoping for muttons and grouper. I will try again memorial weekend. However, I am hoping to go to the Elbow out of St. Pete instead for true reds and big gags.

Good luck DM.

Juan

dmdfish · 05-08-2007, 01:25 PM

I really don't like yellowtailing that much but as you said the grouper and muttons were slow. The troll has been off also. Good luck at the elbow.
Jasin

05-04-2007, 01:52 PM	#1 (permalink)
Captain Juan Hooked Up Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Hollywood, FL Boat: Contender 25 Best Catch: 63 lb. wahoo, 26 lb. mutton, 11 lb. peacock Occupation: Dir. of Communications Posts: 648	Heading down to Key West tonight Capts. Art and Yuri and Tim K.: Heading down to the Conch Republic tonight. However, not putting in at Oceanside as usual but at City Marina. I will be fishing between the Tail End and Rebecca and then going deep tomorrow evening for swords. I will be on 72. Juan

05-07-2007, 11:15 AM	#2 (permalink)
Captain Juan Hooked Up Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Hollywood, FL Boat: Contender 25 Best Catch: 63 lb. wahoo, 26 lb. mutton, 11 lb. peacock Occupation: Dir. of Communications Posts: 648	Key West very slow this weekend Fishing off Key West was dismal. We were on the water by 4:30 a.m. Saturday and stopped at an area off Boca Grande where we load up on baits. No white bait or ballyhoo, but plenty of pinfish, candy yellowtail and runners. We then ran to 10 miles west of the Tail End Buoy and anchored and chummed hard in several spots. A few short grouper, a couple fish we could not stop, and nothing else. We headed back east to Cosgrove and Colbin and made few drifts with live baits and metal jigs and nothing. Beautiful baits on balloons on the surface did even get touched all day...not even by cudas or kings that are usually thick down there. The problem was that the water quality sucked. Conditions, 1 to 3, were perfect but the water was very dirty even out to 300-feet. It was like a chalky green color off the edge of the reef all the way down to Rebecca. Anyway, we headed out to the Wall around 5:00 p.m. and caught our only keeper fish of the day - a 19 lb. cow that hit a rigged ballyhoo. She was all alone. Around 7:30 p.m. we started swordfising the Wall, straight South of Sand Key. It was a nice 2 - 3 out there. We were making perfect drifts. We called it quits around 10:30 p.m. without a single hit or slash. We fished squids and I even rigged what Key Westers call the best sword bait, a bridled 14 inch yellowtail. But nico (nothing). But we had fun anyway. J

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05-07-2007, 06:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
Gaitor Hooked Up Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Palm Beach Gardens,FL Boat: 25 ft HydraSports Best Catch: 150 lb Pacific Sail, 100 lb Tarpon from the surf Occupation: Old Retired Fart Posts: 558	Damn Juan ... I guess that's why they call it fishin' and not catchin'. But a bad day on the water is ultimately better than a good day at work! Next time man!

05-07-2007, 06:23 PM	#4 (permalink)
Captain Juan Hooked Up Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Hollywood, FL Boat: Contender 25 Best Catch: 63 lb. wahoo, 26 lb. mutton, 11 lb. peacock Occupation: Dir. of Communications Posts: 648	Yep. Thanks. I had really high hopes and fished hard. I had not fished Key West since last spring (2006) where in the same spots with the same approaches we caught six big grouper (four blacks, a scamp and a red), four muttons, two kings, and several nice dolphin later in the day at the Wall. I was really excited about swordfishing the Wall and applying some new tricks I've learned, but nothing. Next time. Oddly, I did not see another boat swordfishing at the Wall in those good conditions....only passing freighters. Take care. j

05-07-2007, 09:38 PM	#5 (permalink)
dmdfish Grunt Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: big pine key, merritt island Occupation: dentist Posts: 2	We fished Big Pine Thurs-Sat. We caught the yellowtail pretty good off Big Pine shoal Thurs night. 15 total and 4 were 4lbs + and the smallest fish was 17-18". Only one Mutton to 8lbs. Friday day we caught the 7 yellowtail to 4 lbs. Friday night ran to the east crack and fished until midnight. The water was dirty and it felt like we were in a washing machine. Missed a shark on a gog. Saturday there were 3 commercial YT boats on our spot so we moved to the patch reefs and caught undersized grouper and had a cuda jump into the boat. We'll be back down this wekend to fish.

05-08-2007, 11:55 AM	#6 (permalink)
Captain Juan Hooked Up Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Hollywood, FL Boat: Contender 25 Best Catch: 63 lb. wahoo, 26 lb. mutton, 11 lb. peacock Occupation: Dir. of Communications Posts: 648	Nice yellowtails. However, it seemed slow across the board in the Keys this past weekend. I could've focused on the tails, but was hoping for muttons and grouper. I will try again memorial weekend. However, I am hoping to go to the Elbow out of St. Pete instead for true reds and big gags. Good luck DM. Juan

05-08-2007, 01:25 PM	#7 (permalink)
dmdfish Grunt Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: big pine key, merritt island Occupation: dentist Posts: 2	I really don't like yellowtailing that much but as you said the grouper and muttons were slow. The troll has been off also. Good luck at the elbow. Jasin

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