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Marathon, Florida Keys
Capt. Bob Brown
December 27, 2004
Marathon - Saltwater Fishing Report
Mackerel Mania
Winter in the Keys is usually Mackerel time and this week the fishing has busted loose in several areas with several species of Mackerel. Florida Bay is usually the Mackerel fisherman's paradise in Dec through Feb and lately the bite has been fantastic with Spanish Macks everywhere north of Marathon from about 7 miles out to about 15 miles offshore. Best way to get into the hot bite in the bay is to head north of Bullard bank about 3-4 miles and anchor up. Get a good chum slick going and hang on for some fantastic action. Shrimp tipped jigs work great as do flat lining a whole shrimp with light wire leader to keep the razor sharp teeth from biting though your leader. Small live baits such as pilchards work fantastic as do several hardware baits such as spoons and plugs that imitate a shrimp or small silver baitfish.
The cool weather lately is probably the main reason the Mackerel bite has heated up on the ocean side of Marathon. Last week we were catching some nice King Mackerel up to 30lbs in Hawk channel and all the Cero Mackerel you want on the patch reefs and deep reef out to 70ft of water. Lots of school sized Kings have been around ocean side wrecks as well. Trying to get a live bait to the bottom to catch snapper or grouper has been tough as the big Mack attack is in full gear and baits are getting munched on the way to the bottom. You might try the old trick of a dead ballyhoo on the bottom to get the snapper to bite as the Mackerel may lay off this bait if you are using live baits on the surface.
Sailfish Surface
The Sailfishing has been good off the middle Keys lately but certain spots have been excellent. One boat reported 20 sailfish releases the other day off of American shoal and some good catches have been reported off of Marathon and Tennessee Light. The NE winds and current running to the NE has been tough on breezy days to stand up in the boat but it brings the Sails to the surface where they like to ride the waves and look for food. The next warming trend and east wind after two cool fronts is setting the stage for a great week of Sailfishing though the New Year's weekend. Live Ballyhoo, Pilchards, Blue Runners, Cigar Minnows and Sardines have been the best baits for Sails lately. Dead Ballyhoo trolled slowly have also been producing some Sailfish hookups. Look for the Sailfish action to be along the deep edge of the reef from 70ft of water out to about 200ft. If you'd like more info on fishing in the Keys and the Marathon area, check out our web site. Good luck in all your fishing adventures!
Capt. Bob Brown, Jr.
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