Middle Keys Fishing Reports

[bigseank22]

Got there for 630 Sunday morining....pretty busy day. Lots and lots and lots of baitfish around. Only managed to sabiki about 500 leatherjacks, 1 threadfin, and a few pins and grunts. None of the live bait was touched, at all. The only live bait that was touched was the live thread that I floated out on a balloon and got cut off. About 20 puffers between 5 of us, a few small mangroves, micro yellow, few jack crevalle. My buddy hooked up to a big ray that spooled him, that was hilarious. It ran so much line off so fast. Anyway good day to be out with nice weather except the only thing I "kept" was a sunburn. 1 keeper mangrove between 5 of us.

[Miamipescador]

Got there for 630 Sunday morining....pretty busy day. Lots and lots and lots of baitfish around. Only managed to sabiki about 500 leatherjacks, 1 threadfin, and a few pins and grunts. None of the live bait was touched, at all. The only live bait that was touched was the live thread that I floated out on a balloon and got cut off. About 20 puffers between 5 of us, a few small mangroves, micro yellow, few jack crevalle. My buddy hooked up to a big ray that spooled him, that was hilarious. It ran so much line off so fast. Anyway good day to be out with nice weather except the only thing I "kept" was a sunburn. 1 keeper mangrove between 5 of us.

Ouch, better luck next time man.
What bridge were you fishing?

[cudaman]

We should have gone for the Permit, but I fell as sleep, deep sleep

Thanks for the report bigseank22, good thing I didn't make the drive. It was bad even on the boats.

[bigseank22]

Thanks for the report, Sean. Them Leatherjacks can be a pain at times when working for bait. Were the threadfins running back and forth on the shadow lines on the bridge? If so, they are the horse size one. You just need to cast out far away from them not to spook them and start jigging. They will hit them...

yeah they were on the shadow lines...we were jigging with the sabiki and had a chum bag out and they werent hitting anything lol....is gold hook rig better in that case?....my friends started throwing my bridge net at the school after an hour of frustration lol..googanish to me...but it was a last ditch effort...

we were at ch5 jorge

[migs24]

I was at ch 5 on Saturday. Fished from 5am to about 6pm or so until the wind picked up and the incoming started to bring in huge patches of weeds. Soaked 2 crabs the whole time(went through all 10 crabs thanks to the famous puffers and little nibbling parasites out there) had one good run and drop before I could get to it, soaked 4 live threadfins or live ballyhoo the entire time, yes ballyhoo were plentiful, I had another 2 rods with ballyhoo chunks the entire time, worked the pilings with live shrimp and free-lined a few and free-lined a couple live threadfins as well... Final tally: 3 bonnet heads and a hind. As soon as the weeds came in, I said screw it I'm tired. A whole lotta work for a whole lotta nothin.... Oh yeah, the weather was nice lol... I think I was on the wrong bridge. Anywho, there's a filthy amount of tarpon if anyone is in the mood to get worked. Or spooled..

[cudaman]

LOL on the Tarpon man, thanks for the report. better luck next time

[bigseank22]

yeah they were on the shadow lines...we were jigging with the sabiki and had a chum bag out and they werent hitting anything lol....
we were at ch5 jorge

At times what I will do is change the speed a little slower or faster till they hit. Since the seaweed was thick from what I am reading, I cast ahead and try to work it. Seaweed in front & sabiki in the right in back of seaweed. Look very close how crazy they feed when the weed comes through.

With the ballyhoo either cut a few hooks off the sabiki or make you own gold hook. Cause they will make a mess if you get a few of them jumbo sizes.

I only like threads to freelined for poons. Try to get there at night & drop the lanturn and bring up as much pilchards as you can. Put plenty in the cooler & 10-15 max live in the bucket. (Keep changing the water if it get nasty) At times when there are poons slamming all around at night, I will just leave the rod there and go do other things. Just keep an eye out and a lose drag ( just enough) you will see the rod double bend and bait is ready to come up

thx for the advice i will definately try that technique with the weeds next time....

I also forgot to mention on the shadow lines under the driving bridge at the beginning of outgoing tide, all the way down the bridge there were snook and tarpon around the pilings stalking baitfish...some monster tarps too

[Chevy Juan]

JUAN A.K.A CHEVY JUAN / JOHN A.K.A Green Tide REPORT "IN THE HOLE" FROM SUNDAY NIGHT TILL' MONDAY LATE AFTERNOON

PICTURES WILL BE UPLOADED LATER TONIGHT OR TOMORROW SINCE I'M TIRED

I told John to bring the candy because even though it aint halloween we were still going to trick or treat! He knew what was good and I knew what was going down, just because I know.

So John beat me out to the bridge Sunday evening arriving just after sundown, I arrived around 9PM.

So I get there and set up and about twenty minutes earlier John slayed some Grovers that were hitting hard, wished I woulda been in the action. The 3 Grovers he pulled up were 14", 16", and a hard 19" MOFO, great work man. After setting up wind, water, temp was perfect.

Here is where Johns rod goes screaming and we got us a Poon taking him for a ride, must have jumped about 8 times, SOLID hook set. John worked him then time for the net and as we shine the light and get a good look, he was pushing about 80-90lbs then he came off right next to the net so that worked out great! Then shortly after the wind picked up big time making conditions pretty rough which didn't make us happy at all but what can ya do? I know! I started up the Burner and through some Italian Sausages on the skillet, had some Seafood Spread as appetizers, drinks, then we decided to knock out and get some shut eye.

Morning arrives, we get up, and in go the Crabs. Soaked for about 2 Hours till John got the only hit and land of the Day. He ran through the pilings and back out he came, John had a good angle on him, then had him dead center and he beat him. I dropped the net and bagged the Permit with some ripping current which ended up getting the net stuck on a barnacle with the Permit inside!! It was under control and I manuvered the net around while John pulled to the side as well unhooking it and bringing that bad boy up, congrats big guy I told you!

Later on into the day John and I were taking turns fighting with we thought was a diesel Jewfish that kept running to his whole or straight popping us off when he'd hit. We were throwing live Grunts and as soon as it hit the water he got slurped up. After rigging back up a third time I told John I was just going to set up on the fish with the rod in my hand. Dropped the bait, came tight, hard pull and straight cut off, we were done with that haha!

Rest of the day was slow, not many bites mid day and late afternoon. Bait was around just had to work for it, I was racking up on candy sized grunts no problem, Horse Sized pilchards were present along with Thredfins, just had to work for them. 4:30 We packed up and headed home, till' next time fellas!

[Green Tide]

Ron the fm was trying to handle that octopus. It was very
Big but trying to get him out of that little bait bucket was
About impossible so I left him alone and he crawled out and was now stuck to the platform and was getting more sticky as he dried out.
I ended up flipping the larger snapper for some reason so I'm glad he didn't fall off
The permit was on the t90/-4/0 rig but I broke that thing in along time ago. He wasn't a whole lot of trouble.
It was great to have a good night of fishing. Monday the cudas came in thick and shut down the bite for the most part it seemed
The shrimpers were there and weren't killing but had some really nice jumbos. I should have traded for some snapper- maybe next time

[cudaman]

Nice report guys good job

[Green Tide]

I can't post pics frm my phone to BF and my comp has a bad virus can only stay running in safe mode
I'll take more tonight before they hit the cleaning table.

[Chevy Juan]

Yea Ricky John killed it this trip man, as far as the permit go, we both had two rods out each so one of us was going to get hit and it was him I rather it be one of us than none.

Get the pics up before you go out to clean them if you can John, if not its all good ima post the ones I have up in a bit.

[Chevy Juan]

HERe are the Pictures fellas, enjoy, and till' next time.

[cudaman]

perfect eating size, thanks for sharing the pics

[migs24]

Very nice permit John congrats! Those are some nice grovers too. I like how all the good reports come when theres a break in the weather. The forum comes alive lol

[Chevy Juan]

We got there right before the temp started dropping. At night around 10pm it was fine, shorts and shirt style, then an hour or so later it started dropping big time so we had to suit up.

[Green Tide]

Thanks ,'it'll be your turn next time migs. You
Were in a good spot. Fresh Grover for dinner tonight.

[migs24]

I was watching them gracefully swim by and... Well doing their thing, you know... They just refused to eat lol

[gruntking]

nice grover's john those are actualy worth it

[Miamipescador]

We got there right before the temp started dropping. At night around 10pm it was fine, shorts and shirt style, then an hour or so later it started dropping big time so we had to suit up.

Shorts, shirts, sandlas and black socks LOL

Good job down there guys, and thanks for the report.

[Chevy Juan]

Yea Ron that was right before it came down real tight with that Goliath man, I had the drag cranked down and I pulled up hard and that rod was ROCK SOLID MAN....GET ON THAT RIGHT THERE!

[PhishingPhanatic]

Nice fish John

You should have butterflied that permit and dropped him down to catch that Jewfish

[Boca Jetty Rat]

Nice permit!!

[snapperfanatic18]

nice palometa and grovers...