redfish

The Florida Keys Are Open!

June 6, 2020 By admin

After a few months of being closed to all non-residents, the Florida Keys officially opened to tourists on June 1. All hotels, restaurants and businesses are open but operating with social distancing measures in place but those measures dependent upon the policies of the business owners. It may not be exactly the Keys you remember or the Keys you dream about because you may need to wear a mask but the Keys are the Keys! There is no place like them!

If there has been one silver lining to the whole pandemic thing here is that the fishing has been nothing short of epic. I’m sure most of the migratory tarpon around swimming the Keys have seen this little harassment in decades! A month ago I had to drive to Marathon and from Islamorada all the way down and across the Seven Mile Bridge I saw three boats tarpon fishing! Three! In the month of May! Talk about happy fish! Bonefishing has been great, with a lot of fish in the backcountry. Redfish and snook fishing has been stupid at times.

The Keys closure came at the height of our busy season. I have been out of business since March 13. The Florida Keys have the second highest unemployment rate in the state. Our economy is based completely on tourism. I’m fortunate my wife works and has been able to float us financially during this time but she’s an ICU nurse so it’s not a lot of consolation. However, there are a lot of other folks here that aren’t so fortunate. I have a buddy that is a single dad, fishing guide, trying to support three kids. He’s suffering and so are a lot of others. So if you’re pondering a visit to the Keys don’t hesitate. Not only has been the fishing been great but visiting here will really help a lot of people in need. Times are strange, and it’s still a bit strange here but then again, the Keys have always been strange!

January 2018 Post-Irma Info and Fishing Report

January 8, 2018 By admin

Happy New Year everyone! Islamorada and the Florida Keys have rung in the new year with the same arctic blast that so many in the country are feeling presently. Man it’s been chilly! My wife and I have been huddled around the fire pit burning wood piles left by Irma every night now for a week! I know, I know temperatures in the fifties is warm to some folks but here in the Keys that means dressing like an Eskimo. I mentioned Irma, and no, she is not some neighbor dropping off split logs. Irma, as many of you are aware, was a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall in the Florida Keys in September. Thankfully the Upper Keys of Islamorada, Tavernier and Key Largo were spared from the worst of it. But “worst” is relative and while we were not impacted like the Lower Keys, particularly Big Pine Key, there were families that lost homes in the Upper Keys. As I mentioned in a previous post, the majority of oceanside hotels in Islamorada suffered flooding and wind damage. But the repairs and progress the last few months have been amazing.

Which brings me to the still unique lodging situation in Islamorada. All of the bayside hotels in Islamorada are currently open and some of the smaller oceanside hotels are open as well. Many of the oceanside hotels are still closed for repairs but are working to reopen quickly. This is the latest info on re-openings that I am aware of. This is not a complete list of local lodging, just a list of the larger hotels. Amara Cay Resort is open. Chesapeake Beach Resort is open. The Moorings Village opens January 15, Pelican Cove Resort & Marina opens February 1, La Siesta Resort & Marina opens March 1, Cheeca Lodge & Spa is due to reopen April 1, The Islander Resort reopens sometime in the fall but Islander Bayside is open, Postcard Inn, known by many as Holiday Isle is closed indefinitely.

Given the limited number of hotel rooms currently available in Islamorada, I know some are having difficulty in booking lodging in the Islamorada area. For those of you unfamiliar with the Keys, there are plenty of hotels in Key Largo as well as a few in Tavernier, and most less than a twenty minute drive from Islamorada. Thankfully those areas did not receive the kind of flooding that other keys did, and with the exception of the Key Largo Hilton, all hotels in Key Largo and Tavernier are open, to the best of my knowledge.

But enough of this minutiae and onto the fishing! Wintertime usually finds me poking around the backcountry of the Everglades. It affords shelter from the wind and it also holds fish! Sight fishing for snook and big jacks is about as fun as it gets, and finding slob snook sunning themselves in gin clear water after a cold snap is a dream come true! And when double digit jacks are roaming around in the same areas it’s even better! So get your frigid butt on a plane down to the sun and get some!

Irma

October 7, 2017 By admin

Hurricane Irma, a Category 4 hurricane, made landfall in the Florida Keys, September 9. Some areas were more severely impacted than others. Thankfully, the Upper Keys of Islamorada, Tavernier and Key Largo were mostly spared from the full wrath of the storm. Sadly, those living in Marathon and the Lower Keys were not as fortunate.

To be sure, the Upper Keys received their share of the damage. Some people lost their homes. Those properties on the Atlantic-side suffered the worst, particularly the mobile home parks where some homes were devastated by flooding. Trees landed on homes. Roofs were damaged. Most of the boat docks on the oceanside were severely damaged if not destroyed altogether. Many trees came down.

It sounds awful, and it is, but compared to what the Lower Keys are dealing with, we lucked out. Fortunately Islamorada and the Upper Keys were just outside the worst of Irma’s winds. The majority of the homes made it through with no or minimal damage. Thankfully my house made it through without a scratch. The screen porch didn’t even get a hole in it. My neighborhood only lost power for a couple of days. And while we certainly took a beating, the reality of our current situation is far different from that displayed in the media. Destroyed mobile home parks make good sensationalized news but do not tell the full story.

I won’t sugar coat it. Things do not look normal in Islamorada. Things do not look pretty. There are large mounds of tree debris and items damaged by flooding at the roadside awaiting pickup by the crews that have been working tirelessly to clean up this mess. But the recovery has been rapid. In less than a month’s time 70,000 cubic yard of debris have been removed from Islamorada alone by the twenty-five crews working there. When I returned to an undamaged home a week following the storm I had no power and could barely walk around my property due to all of the fallen tree limbs. The trees that remained standing were mostly denuded. But in two days, my entire yard was cleaned up and power restored thanks to friends and a utility truck from Wisconsin. Within a week, the massive pile of tree debris that obscured my house from the street was gone. And natures resilience has evidenced itself in the new leaves that I wake up to every morning.

People are working night and day to clean up the mess Irma left. The number of resources here from all parts of the country is staggering and the headway made in just a month’s time since Irma made landfall here is amazing. I can’t thank the emergency responders and linemen enough. I’ve seen firefighters and policemen that are a long way from home. The day we returned home and I saw a convoy of cops from Philadelphia I cried. And a special thanks to the Michel’s linemen from Wisconsin that strung a new service line for us. You guys are amazing. You make me proud to be an American.

Things are getting back to normal in Islamorada. Beers at Florida Keys Brewing, sunset cocktails at the Lorelei and dinner at Marker 88 is still the norm for me. And I’m not alone. But it’s just locals. Businesses are open with the exception of those oceanside hotels that want to return to a pre-Irma look and are rebuilding docks and re-planting palm trees before opening to the public.

And while it’s understandable that some may be hesitant to visit, there is one thing that Irma didn’t touch. Our fishery. Despite all of the gloom, the fishing has been amazing. Tarpon have been everywhere and there has been a ridiculous number of bonefish around. And nobody is fishing for them. So while things on land may be a bit grim, under the surface of the water, it’s a different story.

December 2015 Islamorada And The Florida Keys Fishing Report: Happy Holidays!

December 4, 2015 By Pete Rowney

It’s hard to believe it’s December and less than a month remains before 2016 begins. It’s also hard to believe that we’re in a winter month in the Florida Keys because fishing sure doesn’t feel like it. We had a slight cool down around Thanksgiving that was short lived and temps have rebounded since. It feels like summer to me here in Islamorada and as I write this warm southerly winds are blowing and the rain dumping. The rain is good because we sure have needed it. We just need things to cool down a bit. Unusually warm air temps and water temps for this time of year has meant inconsistent fishing. Things are very much in transition now. It’s been one day a hero the next day a zero kind of fishing. But as the saying goes, ‘That’s just fishing’. There’s nothing you can do about it except roll with it. And even a bad day of fishing in the Everglades is still a memorable experience.

If there is one thing that inconsistent fishing will reinforce it is making the most out of every opportunity. Botched casts add up and before you know it we’re headed back to the dock fishless. Bad casts are hard to watch when there are a lot of fish around but when it’s slim pickings, it’s more than just upsetting. Bad casts to fish when you’ve worked all day to simply find something to cast at take on a whole different meaning. Those casts are critical. Sure bad casts happen but you can do one thing to minimize them: practice. I sound like a broken record when it comes to this but practicing your casting beforehand will pay huge dividends. You wouldn’t tee off at August National without at least hitting the driving range before you went.

Snook and redfishing in the backcountry has been okay but as I mentioned, not consistent. One day they’re eating, the next day they’ve got lockjaw. There are still tarpon around and as long as the water remains warm, they’ll stay around. Permit fishing on the flats has been decent and ditto for bonefish. Spanish mackerel have started to show in the gulf and that fishing will improve when the water cools a bit. That’s it in a nutshell.

Happy Holidays everyone!

-Pete

December 2014 Islamorada/Florida Keys Fishing Report: Merry Christmas and Tightlines to All!

December 20, 2014 By Pete Rowney

Merry Christmas everyone! I always have to pinch myself this time of year and reflect on the fact that much of the world is a frozen wasteland. Not here in the Florida Keys! I am writing this report while sitting on my porch on a beautiful Islamorada morning with temperatures in the low 70’s. That said, we did have a bit of cool down the last few weeks with nighttime temperatures dipping into the fifties. I absolutely love it. Sitting around a fire pit enjoying with your favorite beverage is one of life’s great pleasures if you ask me. It’s not a bad time to think about fishing either. North winds and cooler temps mean cooler water. I enjoy the seasonal change but sometimes it can make the fishing a bit tough for some species, particularly if you are throwing a fly first thing in the morning. The good thing is that our backcountry, comprised of Florida Bay, is shallow and warms quickly. Sometimes you have to suffer through some dead water for part of the day until the water warms a degree or two and voila! There they are!

The past month the snook bite continued to be solid, especially with all the finger mullet around. I know I sound like a broken record but I am so happy these fish are recovering so well. Mixed in withe the mullet were some decent sized jacks and the occasional monster sized (pushing 20 lb.) redfish. Although I wish the jacks had been larger, jacks in the five to seven pound range are still a blast to catch, especially on fly or light tackle. Hearing a customers knuckles getting rapped by a reel handle is not a good sound, but at the same time I know that whatever they fish for back home is probably not going to run off line like a jack crevalle. The funny thing about jacks is that when you want to catch them they can be almost impossible to get. They move so damned fast and are constantly cutting cutting right or left that getting a fly in front of them or even getting the boat positioned can be tough. The good thing is that any frustration is quickly forgotten when you find yourself looking at your backing in the blink of an eye.

Speaking of rod bending species, the trout and ladyfish bite the last month was also good. Sure, it’s not sight fishing or anything technical, but both fish species pull good and are a lot of fun. Sometimes we forget, but fishing is supposed to be fun! They’re great fish to hone skills on and a great stress reliever as well. With the cooler water temps, the Spanish mackerel bite has really fired up. The best bite is out in the Gulf and entirely weather dependent given the fact that you’re in a flats skiff, but when the winds are down and you can get to the fishing grounds, it is a blast! Until next time. -Pete

October 2014 Islamorada/Florida Keys Fishing Report: Backcountry on fire!

October 18, 2014 By Pete Rowney

Well it’s mid-October and fishing has really heated up. The bait has arrived, the bait has arrived! It’s a good thing because the past month was very up and down for me. Some days a hero, some days a zero. But last week I was all hero, thanks to Mr. Finger Mullet. I am so glad because something needed to change. Too many days of being surrounded by tons of tailing redfish that were moody and wouldn’t eat. Sure, some of that moodiness can be attributed to fishing pressure, but when fish on every spot are responding in the same fashion, you know something is up. I know on those lockjaw days that if I resorted to soaking baits or live chumming like many guides do, my results would be different. But soaking baits isn’t hunting for fish and live chumming takes the “sport” out of sportfishing. In fact, I wish guides would stop the practice of live chumming. It ruins spots. But enough of that, the bait has arrived, the water is cooling and fish are putting on the feedbag!

The arrival of the finger mullet is a cause for celebration. Finger mullet are just that, mullet the size of a finger. These mullet are not the same as the big daddies used to live bait tarpon. These juvenile mullet are mouth-sized morsels that every gamefish predator can get in their gullet, and in the Everglades backcountry that means redfish and snook. When you’re on a shoreline watching finger mullet schools pushing along and being blown up and smacked by snook, you know you’re in for some good fishing. The same goes for redfish. Sure, mullet muds are always a good place to look for reds, but finger mullet muds are a different story. Redfish with shoulders will be blasting finger mullet and in that dirty water, they’re far easier to feed than in the clear stuff.

Bonefishing is still the same story. It’s slowly improving. Key word: slowly. We’re still along way to get back to what we had but at least we’re moving in the right direction. Truth be told, if you can’t put a fly or bait exactly where you want, in a wind, you will not be successful. This stands true with any type of sight fishing, but when you’re only afforded limited shots, there is absolutely zero room for error. This is strictly black and white fishing. You can do it, or you can’t. That’s the reality of it.

I had a tough permit month. It seemed that every day we had to permit fish we were contending with clouds and wind. Tough spotting in those conditions but we had our shots. That’s all you can hope for fishing for Mr. Rubber Lips.

Well, even though I have the day off the weather is perfect and I’m going to go chase some fish with the wife. Until next time. -Pete

July 2014 Islamorada Fishing Report: Summer time fishing is red hot!

July 14, 2014 By Pete Rowney

Well it’s mid-July and summer is definitely here. Hot, humid and buggy and I love it. Strangely, most northerners are afraid to visit the Florida Keys in the warmer months because they think it’s going to be “too hot”. The shocking truth is that our temps rarely get over ninety degrees. Most of the time it’s upper eighties. That’s almost cool compared to many places in the summer, even New York City!

The nice thing about summer is that the winds have lessened, the snowbirds are gone and the fishing is great. Weekends can get a bit busier but during the week almost no one is on the water. Having Everglades National Park to yourself isn’t a bad thing, not by a long shot especially since the redfishing has been off the hook. Slicked out mornings you can find redfish doing headstands, waving that big old tail around. I love coming across a flat that looks like a sheet of glass and seeing tailers and pushers. It’s a beautiful sight. Along with the redfish, snook will be found up on the flats as well, usually sitting in depressions or holes.

I know I keep repeating myself, but it’s so good to see those fish coming back as strong as they are. Snook are just an awesome gamefish and it’s great seeing them everytime I go out. I still think the state should have kept the season closed for another year however. Too many fisherman, including guides, went back to their old ways of killing every legal fish they caught. That kind of old school attitude still permeates the Keys and that kind of offshore mentality really has no place where sportfishing provides everything to our economy. Well enough of my ranting and onto the fishing! As mentioned the redfish and snook fishing has been awesome in the backcountry. The areas around Flamingo have been loaded with mullet and not surprisingly the gamefish are there as well. While the tarpon migration is over, there are still plenty of fish around. These residents will remain well into fall and some fish will overwinter at the bridges.

Although I don’t want to call it a recovery, bonefishing has been steadily improving. The great news is seeing lots of juvenile fish in the 2 – 3 pound range. That is certainly encouraging. Fingers crossed that the fishery will make a full comeback. When I think of summer I think of permit. I love seeing those sickle tails spiking up on a glassed out morning. Talk about an adrenaline rush! For those of you that think it’s too hot to come to the Keys, you’re mistaken and you don’t know what you are missing! Until next time. -Pete

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

January 13, 2014 By admin

Happy 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