Islamorada On The Fly

Islamorada, Everglades, and Florida Keys Flats and Fly Fishing Charters

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August 2014 Islamorada / Florida Keys Fishing Report: Go Get Some!

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Well it’s mid-August and not surprisingly it’s a bit hot here in Islamorada and the Florida Keys.  The light winds of summer can have you wishing for more wind but I love it.  Slicked out conditions means spotting tails of all kinds.  Redfish, bonefish and permit tails to be exact.  When it’s glassy calm you can see fish on the flats from a distance, pushing, waking with tails flashing.  There is nothing better, than getting a fluorocarbon fishing line to tackle them, and grab a quick bite.  The flip side to glassed out conditions is the fish are far spookier.  Calm conditions demand stealth.  Dropped hatches and cooler lids will have happily feeding fish running for their lives.  The same goes for talking too loudly.  Remember, you’re hunting except you’re armed with a rod.  Long leaders are not fun to cast but they’re necessary when you’re faced with those kind of conditions.  Fish, especially those in shallow water, can hear and feel everything and they will keep their distance if something doesn’t feel right to them.  A boat rocking from putting too much “body English” into a cast will have fish pushing off in the opposite direction from the pressure wave created.  Efficiency of motion is what is needed for good casting.  Forget all the pics in the magazines and the videos that show guys casting as if they’re doing some track and field event.  You don’t have to double haul with your whole body!

The great news as of late has been the steadily increasing numbers of bonefish being found up and down the Keys.  There have even been some schools out in the backcountry.  Even better than seeing them is the fact that these fish have been juveniles.  It is certainly encouraging.  Along gifsex.blog with the juvenile bonefish have been some juvenile permit as well.  So cool to see bunches of five pound permit spiked up and tailing away.  Sure they’re not big but who cares, they’re still permit and they will still smoke you.  Redfishing and snook fishing in the backcountry of Everglades National Park is still rock solid.  Look for bait, look for wakes.  Still plenty of tarpon around both on the ocean and in the Flamingo area.  Sizes vary, but I like finding fish in the 30 pound range.  Great acrobatics and they don’t beat you up too much!

If you haven’t already picked it up, the summer issue of The Drake is out and my essay “The Hum” is featured.  I had a good time writing it and I hope it’s enjoyed.  It gives a little taste of what summertime fishing in the ‘glades can be like.  Until next time.  -Capt. Pete Rowney

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

January 2014 Islamorada and Florida Keys Fishing Report: Happy New Year!

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Islamorada redfish guideHappy New Year from Islamorada and the Florida Keys!  Hard to believe another year has gone by and hard to believe it’s January because the weather has been downright balmy. Other than the cold snap last week winds out of the south have had it feeling more like summer than winter. That being said, the fishing has been consistent and I’m starting to sound like a broken record when it comes to reports.

Out back the snook fishing keeps getting better and better. I’m seeing more snook in parts of the bay that had been devoid of fish in the not so distant past. A lot of these fish are juveniles which is a great sign. On the cooler mornings we’ve found them out in the open sunning themselves but for the most part their doing their snook thing and staying tight to cover. Definitely makes it tougher with a fly. Casts have to be as close to those pesky mangrove shoots as possible. Expect to get hung up, it’s simply part of the game. The redfishing has been consistent as well and with our lower winter water levels a bit easier to find. Wintertime means black drum. While not particularly attractive they still will eat a fly and put up a good fight. You will still find tarpon around Flamingo and gulf side banks. Trout fishing has been solid. Oceanside and around town, the bonefishing has been okay but be prepared to log some miles.

While bonefishing don’t be surprised if you stumble across the odd permit. Most of the fish will be singles but that will change in a month or so. March is a phenomenal permit month. The fish get bunched up in big schools prior to spawning offshore and the fishing can be insane. 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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