Patch reefs have been providing some sizable mutton snapper , big mangroves , yellow tail and mackerel . African please pompano bite is back on with a few good size fish, and inshore snook have been stewing along with some nice mangroves and tarpon.
Patch reefs have been providing some sizable mutton snapper , big mangroves , yellow tail and mackerel . African please pompano bite is back on with a few good size fish, and inshore snook have been stewing along with some nice mangroves and tarpon.
A great day aboard. The little migratory fish are here on the reef in Marathon Fl. The fish are little guys but a lot of fun. At one time we had over 12 fish behind the boat, an incredible sight. They are up on the reef in 20 to 30' of water pushing bait- mostly ballyhoo. To see this happen is amazing even to me doing it for 40 years. What a great time for my customers and crew. Also the bottom bite is off the scale. Yellow tail snapper, mutton snapper, king fish, and many other species. Time to...
A great day aboard. The little migratory fish are here on the reef in Marathon Fl. The fish are little guys but a lot of fun. At one time we had over 12 fish behind the boat, an incredible sight. They are up on the reef in 20 to 30' of water pushing bait- mostly ballyhoo. To see this happen is amazing even to me doing it for 40 years. What a great time for my customers and crew. Also the bottom bite is off the scale. Yellow tail snapper, mutton snapper, king fish, and many other species. Time to come on down here for dinner and a show. Don't forget the sailfish are all catch and release but as much dinner as you want otherwise!
Key Largo to Marathon Mid January 2023
Happy New Years to all from our wonderful Hawks Cay Resort location. Fishing over the holidays up till now has been spectacular in the Florida Keys, between Key Largo & Marathon. Just about everything is biting now on the reef / wrecks & offshore. The predominant bite offshore has been sailfish, wahoo, king mackerel & mahi-mahi or dolphin fish as we like to call them. Uncharacteristically for this time of year, we’ve been slamming the dolphins offshore between 120 feet - 300 feet while trolling wrecks looking for wahoo. For whatever reason they...
Maurice Y.
Lauderhill, FloridaReported 3 years ago
Key Largo to Marathon Mid January 2023
Happy New Years to all from our wonderful Hawks Cay Resort location. Fishing over the holidays up till now has been spectacular in the Florida Keys, between Key Largo & Marathon. Just about everything is biting now on the reef / wrecks & offshore. The predominant bite offshore has been sailfish, wahoo, king mackerel & mahi-mahi or dolphin fish as we like to call them. Uncharacteristically for this time of year, we’ve been slamming the dolphins offshore between 120 feet - 300 feet while trolling wrecks looking for wahoo. For whatever reason they are showing up, I’m totally happy about it.
The sailfish are here! They are around in good numbers between 100 - 180 feet & we’ve been getting multiple releases a day. Most of them have been caught either kite fishing, slow trolling live bait or pitching live ballyhoo at bait showers. The king mackerel have been caught in the same manner as the sailfish.
Like I said on my last report, it’s wahoo fishing time & onboard the Ace of Spades we’ve been catching them. Then bite has been up / down the outer edge of the reef & around the deep water wrecks between 115 feet - 250 feet of water. Trolling Normad plugs around 9 knots, high speed trolling lures with various size trolling weights & live bait fishing has been working for us.
On the reefs & wrecks, the Yellowtail snapper / mutton bite has still been consistent on the reefs between 45- 90 feet of water. This is also the best time of year for patch reef fishing.
recently aboard, Ms Jeniffer picked up this bruiser of a #redfish at 8.5 lbs it’s a great catch for us in the #flamingoeverglades It was released to fight again
Armando A.
Lehigh Acres, FloridaReported 3 years ago
recently aboard, Ms Jeniffer picked up this bruiser of a #redfish at 8.5 lbs it’s a great catch for us in the #flamingoeverglades It was released to fight again
Fishing in the last couple of weeks has been outstanding in the Florida Keys, between Key Largo & Marathon. The water is cooling down & the bite is in full swing on the reef / wrecks & offshore. The predominant bite offshore has been sailfish & blackfin tunas. The sailfish have finally been showing up in good numbers between 100 - 180 feet & it’s only going to continue to get better as we get deeper into the season. We’ve been catching most of them slow trolling live bait & pitching live ballyhoo at bait showers. The blackfins are still...
Maurice Y.
Lauderhill, FloridaReported 3 years ago
Fishing in the last couple of weeks has been outstanding in the Florida Keys, between Key Largo & Marathon. The water is cooling down & the bite is in full swing on the reef / wrecks & offshore. The predominant bite offshore has been sailfish & blackfin tunas. The sailfish have finally been showing up in good numbers between 100 - 180 feet & it’s only going to continue to get better as we get deeper into the season. We’ve been catching most of them slow trolling live bait & pitching live ballyhoo at bait showers. The blackfins are still super thick on the humps & it’s been nothing but pure fun! We are catching them in just about every way possible from trolling feathers, to live bait pilchards, to slow pitch jigging the Mobster! ( Captain Maurice’s secret weapon- try them) It’s also wahoo fishing time & I’ve been hearing of a few being caught. We onboard the Ace of Spades will actively start fishing for those hard fighting, tasty torpedoes throughout the holidays, so hopefully I’ll have something good to report on the next fishing report.
On the reefs & wrecks, the Yellowtail snapper / mutton bite has still been consistent on the reefs between 45- 90 feet of water and on the deeper water wrecks in 100 plus feet. Also the Spanish, cero, & king mackerel bite has been insane on the patch reefs out to the deeper reefs.
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I can’t say enough positives about Captain Ken! His preparation for the trip payed off big time! Including my first tarpon and snook! We caught multiple of each. He is super personable but also works relentlessly to find the fish for you. If you are serious about fishing, Ken is the guide for you! Highly recommend!!!!!
GW is the man! My wife and I booked a fly fishing / spin fishing trip. He had us on fish all day long, and went out of his way to make sure we had the absolute best time we could! He asked us ahead of time what we wanted to target, how we wanted to fish, etc and incorporated all of it into the trip. His knowledge of the area and the fish are impressive as well. We'll 100% book with him again when we visit next time!
Our trip with Aaron was enjoyable even with the choppy waters. Aaron’s boat was extremely clean and we felt safe aboard. He had radar/fish finder there to help pick a spot and dropped in some bait to entice the fish. He helped bait hooks for us which was very appreciated even by our more experienced angler. We caught mostly yellowtail and they were fun to reel in. Lines were snapped by some bigger fish so we’ll always tell the stories of the ones that got away! Thanks for helping make the trip happen.
Great day on the water with Captain Eric. Started off slow but caught some great fish including the Goliath Grouper and Tarpon below. Eric is very knowledgeable and a great teacher! I have fresh water fished my whole life, this was my first inshore experience and I learned techniques from Eric that I didn’t know. My wife and I truly enjoyed our time of the water with Captain Eric! The sea trout that Eric filleted was prepared at of local restaurant and was delicious! I highly recommend Captain Eric for a guided inshore fishing trip! Hope to be back again! Frank Gallione Lieutenant (Retired) Lombard Illinois Fire Dept.
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What an awesome six-hour charter with Captain Andrew (“Drew”)!
He actually took the bay boat out a little early to catch bait before we even got started, and that pretty much set the tone for the whole day—he came prepared and ready to put us on fish. Even with that, we still beat other charters to the honey holes! Gave us a demonstration on throwing the casting bait net in the bay and that in itself was priceless!!
We caught mahi and tuna, learned a bunch of little tricks along the way, shared some great stories, and really enjoyed the entire experience. Drew is a Key Largo lifer with generations of family roots in the Keys, and it shows. He knows these waters, the fishing, the weather, where to run, what to look for, and where the fish are.
We even navigated through a beast of a storm and got a little wet, but honestly, that just became part of the adventure! Drew handled it calmly and confidently, and it made for one of those stories you’ll laugh about afterward.
He is sweet, humble, kind, knowledgeable, and incredibly easy to communicate with. With just three of us, the charter felt personal and relaxed—not like you were just another group being shuffled through.
If you’re looking for a smaller charter with a captain who works hard, knows the ocean, shares what he knows, and genuinely wants you to have a great day, Drew is your guy.
Great fishing, great conversation, a little adventure, and some awesome memories. We would absolutely go out with him again! 🎣🌊
Eric was fantastic, patient, a great teacher, and a super cool guy to talk to. As beginners he helped us learn to cast and is super knowledgeable about fishing, guiding, and knows the Keys like the back of his hand.
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