Islamorada On The Fly

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June 2014 Fishing Report for Islamorada and the Florida Keys: Tarpon!

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Well June is here and things are in full swing here in Islamorada and the Florida Keys.  The winds have lightened a bit and hopefully we’re in for more summer-like conditions because May was brutal.  With the exception of a few days, it blew 15 – 20+ knots the entire month.  Remember kids, a knot is slightly more than a mph.  On top of that, we had a late season cold front!  In May!  I actually considered putting fleece on but decided to man up.  Sorry to whine about it, but when you make your living in the great outdoors the topic of “weather” is a biggie.  Needless to say, it made tarpon fishing a bit tough.  Tough for the expert casters and impossible for everyone else.  The lesson in all of this is be prepared for the wind.  Forget all the stuff you’ve seen on TV with slicked out conditions.  Sure it happens but most of the year you’re dealing with a breeze.  If you’re dead set on bonefish, permit or tarpon, dealing with wind is part of the game.  There’s simply no place to hide from it when you’re fishing for those guys.  Knowing how to double haul is essential to success.  Forget that $800 fly rod!  Buy a $400 dollar rod and spend the rest on casting lessons!  Unfortunately far too many anglers come to the Keys unprepared.  There is nothing more heartbreaking for a guide than to see blown opportunities due to bad casts.  Those missed opportunities add up and before you know it, you’re headed back to the dock fishless.

Anyways, I’ll stop ranting and start talking about the fishing.  Tarpon fishing has been up and down.  The weather being a huge factor as well as the migration itself.  With the balmy winter we had a ton of fish move through.  I’ve had a number of days recently when we’re only getting a handful of shots.  When fishing is like that, you have to make those shots count.  Not that they’re all eaters but you won’t know unless that fly fortnite-sex.com is in their face!  Tarpon fishing can be frustrating as hell but jump a 80 -100 pound beast and you’ll forget all the bullshit you had to deal with.  More and more permit are returning from offshore.  I like looking for those guys floating on the calm days with good overhead light.  Man I love those fish!  Haven’t done much bonefishing of late but things seem to be improving although it’s been hit or miss.  Redfishing has been solid but the great news outback is the snook.  They’re definitely making a solid comeback.  Seeing plenty of juvenile fish which is just awesome.  My new favorite fish outback however is the sheepshead.  Go ahead and laugh then try to get one to eat a fly!  They are as spooky if not spookier than permit.  And they tail too!  Sheepshead are awesome!

And now for something completely different!  My short story ‘Glades Tarpon was  published in the spring issue of The Drake and it looks like I’m going to be published in the summer issue as well.  If you haven’t picked up a copy go grab one!  Until next time.  -Pete

May 2014 Fishing Report for the Florida Keys and Islamorada: Tarpon Time!

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We’re into May and not surprisingly everyone has tarpon fever but will someone turn the wind off?  May is a peak tarpon migratory here in the Florida Keys and Islamorada with lots of fish around.  Most of these fish have been averaging 80 – 100 pounds so if you’re thinking about bringing your own gear plan on bringing an 11 or 12 weight.  They’re not fun to cast but they’re necessary for such big fish.

Almost all of the fishing has been on the oceanside.  The tarpon bite out back has not been great and besides when you can feed ocean fish, why make the boat ride?  Some days the fish have come pouring by and other days it’s been a trickle.  But that’s tarpon fishing for you.  There can be hours of boredom punctuated by moments of frenzy and pandemonium.  That’s why it’s so addictive.  For those who have never tarpon fished, don’t think of tarpon boated.  Think of tarpon jumped.  I’ve had a number of customers lately  ask how many tarpon can they expect to boat.  Whoa, big fella.  You’re getting ahead of yourself.  First step is getting a tarpon to eat.  There is a lot that goes simply into that first step and it mostly has to do with the cast.  Casts have to be quick, accurate and fairly long, especially on clear, calm days.  If you don’t know how to double haul, learn to do so. What amazes me and every other guide is the number of anglers that will spend thousands on gear, travel, food and lodging but never spend a single dollar on a casting lesson.  Trust me, putting two thousand dollars of fly rod and reel in your hand is not going to make you a better caster.  You have to start with the fundamentals.

Alright, I’ll get off my soapbox and onto the fishing.  The great news that keeps getting better is the number of snook out back.  Last week we had school after school after school of big snook pass by the boat.  It was awesome!  I’m glad they’re showing up on the shorelines because the redfish bite has been a bit off.  Not sure why but it’s been harder than normal.  The weather and water levels have still been kind of crazy and I’m sure once things settle into a consistent pattern, it will fire right back up.  Starting to see more and more permit around as they return from spawning on the reefs and wrecks.  And not to jinx things, but it seems that bonefish are returning a bit as well.  Reports well north and south of big schools showing up is a promising sign.  Well that’s it for now, until next time.  -Pete

April 2014 Fishing Report for Islamorada and the Keys: Tons of Tarpon!

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Well it’s mid-April and the flats and backcountry of Islamorada and the Florida Keys are buzzing.  For the most part the weather and the water have been warm but winter still has her claws in us a bit in the form of the occasional cold front and winds out of the north.  On days like that that tarpon bite has turned off but the good thing is a couple of nice days of weather and they’re back on the feed.  These fish should really start pushing once the weather settles a bit.  We’re practically into May and the season will be peaking shortly.  If you’re planning a tarpon trip, think “big game hunting”. It’s not a numbers game and there are no guarantees.  If you’re serious about boating a tarpon, consider booking at least three days.  A lot goes wrong while tarpon fishing and sometimes the fish are tight lipped.  Booking multiple days only increases your odds.  The good thing is, you only need one!  Get a 80, 100 or 100 pound plus tarpon to the boat and you’ll forget any sacrifice you had to make to reach that point!

One of the great things about this time of year is while everybody has tarpon on the brain, the redfish and snook in the backcountry are on fire and unmolested.  April is a great month for redfish as they bunch up to spawn.  You can find large schools of big fish pushing wakes and tailing on the calm days.  The past couple of weeks the snook fishing has really heated up.  I’m finding more and more juvenile fish which is great news and means that this awesome gamefish is making a strong comeback since the winter of 2010.  Far easier on fly when you can find them in the open, snook love cover, so be prepared to make accurate casts into the mangroves.  Sometimes putting a fly a foot deeper back into the mangrove roots means the difference of getting bit or not.  In addition to the redfish and snook, the trout bite has been excellent, with some large 4 – 5 pound breeders around gifscollection.com.  While not the “Gator” trout they catch in northern Florida, they’re big for the Keys and great on light tackle.  Also running around back have been the bad boys of the backcountry, the Jack Crevalle.  We’ve gotten into some tackle busting behemoths of 10 -12 pounds.  How these fish ever got the title of “Trash Fish” I will never understand.  Who cares if you can’t eat them!  They will smoke you!  I’m sounding like a broken record when it comes to bonefish but it’s been hit or miss and the hits haven’t been all that great.  Permit are still around but not in the large numbers of the last month but who cares, they’re permit!

As an ending note, just want to say thanks to James and Tabitha.  We spread Jame’s father’s ashes in Sandy Key Basin this week.  It was an honor to be part of that ceremony.  It was a windy, rotten day but we finished up with a big, glistening redfish tail waving at us that just had to have Jame’s fly.  Heaven sent?  Until next time.  -Pete

March 2014 Fishing Report for the Keys and Islamorada: Tarpon and Permit, Oh My!

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Well it’s mid-March here in Islamorada and the Florida Keys and apparently we’re not going to have winter, once again.  Air and water temps on the flats have been up the last two months and not surprisingly the fishing has been hot as well.  The spooky thing too has been the lack of wind. Not really sure what that’s all about but I’ll take it since it seemed like it blew all of 2013.  With a reasonably consistent weather pattern and the warmer than normal temps, tarpon have been showing up big time.  Not only in numbers but in size as well.  We’ve put in the air a number of fish well over a hundred pounds.   They can be hard to stay buttoned up to but they sure are fun to watch!

The mood of the fish is in direct relationship to the weather however.   Since it is still “winter” the occasional north wind can either give them a case of lockjaw or simply push them out.  The good thing is that the cold snaps we’ve had have all been short in duration with things normalizing after a couple of days.  I don’t care what the species, consistent weather lends itself to good fishing.  While it’s hard not to get distracted by telephone pole-sized tarpon, there just happens to be another species that has been making a solid showing.  Mr. Permit.

March is one of the best months of the year to get a shot on these guys, as they get bunched up before spawning offshore.  On calm days you can find big schools of permit floating, tails spiked out and looking sexy.  Man, I love those fish!  Permit are synonomous with doctorvideos.net crabs but they have no problem eating tarpon flies.  Just strip like hell!  Bonefishing has been hit or miss.  Some days have been good and some have been dismal.  It just comes with the territory.  Out in the backcountry the redfish and snook fishing is still solid with some days better than others.  Looking forward to fishing the new and full moons in April for redfish.  It’s one of the best times to get into large schools of large fish.  Love seeing tons of tails on calm mornings.  Seeing more and more snook and even though they’re numbers are not close to what they used to be they are definitely making a comeback.  Tarpon season will be in full swing before you know it so get on it before it’s too late!  Until next time.  -Pete

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Capt. Pete Rowney

Capt. Pete Rowney is a light tackle and fly fishing specialist who guides out of Islamorada, Florida Keys and Everglades.

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