Fall into Great Fishing

September sparks the beginning of Fall fishing.  For the Florida Keys this means high water on the flats, warm water and very aggressive fish!  This is one of my favorite times to fish.  Site fishing or blind casting artificial baits - such as weedless spoons, jerk baits, swim baits and top water plugs this time of year is SUPER productive - and very exciting.  There's nothing like watching a huge snook erupt on your lure in 2 feet of water - then scream out 20 yards of drag and jump.  Hang on - because the reds, big trout and baby tarpon are in the mix as well.  Many of my HOT SPOT locations can produce any of these three at any time. 

 

Yesterday I fished with a couple regulars - Roland and Mike.  Roland is from Germany and Mike lives here in the Keys.  Mike caught 2 backcountry slams (snook, redfish and tarpon), Roland caught one backcountry slam (trout, redfish, tarpon).  The bite was ON as we rolled our spoons and swim baits across the flats.....WHAM another nice snook.....POP it's a big trout....SLAM it's a drag screaming red.....SPLASH it's a baby tarpon!  We ended the trip with some live bait evening tarpon fishing around the bridges and landed 4 beautiful baby tarpon in about an hour.  HELLOOO is there any place on Earth with fishing like this???? 

 

The redfish bite has been great.  Good numbers of fish and most are in the "slot" (18"-27").  On the really good days we have been catching 30-40 reds.  

 

The trout continue to be abundant with average size fish (13"-19") with some gator size up to 24".  Most of the time we can produce over 80 fish on an average day.  

 

The snook are biting and the good days have produced 10-15 fish.  They are running anywhere from 22" up to 37" monsters.   

 

The baby tarpon are hit or miss during the day on the artificials - but evening fishing around the bridges is very productive.

 

The mangrove snapper are as abundant as ever.  You can catch as many as you want and catching a limit is usually a no-brainer.  My nickname for these fish is "bluegills on steroids".  They are very abundant, average size is 7"-14", they pull like they are 3 times their size and they are great tablefair. 

 

There are several other species - sharks, tripletail, jacks, ladyfish, grouper and a host of others that you can experience here in the beautiful Florida Keys.  So, stop watching all those awesome fishing shows on TV and experience it for yourself.  Fall into some great fishing this Fall in the Florida Keys.

 

Thanks,
Captain Steve Murray
Phone:  305 - 393 - 1641
Email:  stevemurray126@att.net
Website:  www.tarponheadquarters.com

Fishing - The Greatest Water Sport

Summertime is here and everyone enjoys their favorite watersport - fishing!  Fishing in the Keys has been fantastic.  After some very strange weather in our winter/spring seasons - summer seems to be on track with great fishing and normal summer weather.  It is actually cooler in the Keys then it is throughout a large portion of the United States.

 

The big migratory Silver King (tarpon) are still here and battling as strong as ever.  I've been out on two evening tarpon trips this week and both trips produced several monster 110 pound plus tarpon. We boated one for two on Friday and 2 out of 4 on Monday.  You're sure to get a workout from these aggressive - never say die - fighters.  Not a good idea for the faint of heart.  We are headed out again tonite to do battle with the Silver King.  I don't know how much longer these big migratory fish will be hanging around this season.  The majority of them are usually spreading out up the coasts by the third week in July.  This year was a slow start - so maybe they will be hanging out a little longer?

 

The redfish have been out on the flats in very good numbers and are easy to catch if you can work a spoon, swim bait or any shrimp imitation.  They are very aggressive this time of year with the warm high water.  A few days ago we boated over 25 nice reds in less than two hours working the flats with gold and silver spoons.  These fish are averaging 2-6 pounds.

 

The trout bite has also been as good as ever with many fish in the 17-21 inch range.  Artificials are all I use this time of year - the fish are very aggressive - great fun to catch and great tablefair.  Catching 50-80 sea trout are common on a 1/2 day trip.  If you want to introduce a youngster to fishing - sea trout is a great way to get them started.  Catching is always more enjoyable for the beginners.  They know they're "doing it right" when they bring a fish in to the boat!

 

The snook have been good lately as well.  They can be hit or miss - but the days we've been into them - they are really nice size (5-14 pounds average) and if you put your time in - your chances of hooking into a beautiful linesider are very good.  One problem with catching snook this time of year - is the sharks.  There are BIG sharks hanging around in many of my snook spots and once you hook or catch a few snook - the sharks start to "key in" on them.  If you've seen the U-Tube video on my homepage www.tarponheadquarters.com you know what I mean.  Once the sharks move in - we will either move to another spot for snook - or put out a shark rod. 

 

The sharks are very abundant and if you want to do battle with Jaws - I have the equipment and the spots to produce several of these toothy critters.  Most of them are lemons, bulls and blacktips.  They average 60-200 pounds this time of year.

 

We also catch several other species in the mix - triple tail, jacks, pompano, snapper, lady fish, grouper, barracuda and many more.  The greatest thing about fishing in the Keys is - There is always Something biting.  Even on a bad day here in the Keys - the fishing is usually better then a good day in most other places.

 

So, bring yourself or a friend or the family to the Keys and give me a call. Then you too can Enjoy Everyone's Favorite Watersport - FISHING!!

 

   

Thanks,
Captain Steve Murray
Phone:  305 - 393 - 1641
Email:  stevemurray126@att.net
Website:  www.tarponheadquarters.com

Fishing Report

I've had a few people asking for a fishing report.  I've been fishing almost every day and haven't had time to put together a quality report.  So, I'm going to send out a quickie.

 

Tarpon are the big story this time of year .  Tarpon season got off to a very slow start this year.  April, May and June normally produce good numbers of the big migratory fish - especially in the evening.  This year, the fish showed up late.  The weather was extremely cool, windy and stormy through April.  This kept our migratory fish from entering their normal haunts around the Florida Keys.  We still caught some good fish - but the bite was not "up to par" for a normal April and early May.  The good news is - they are here now!  We are catching good numbers of the big (100-150 pound) migratory fish.  The evening trips are producing.  This last week we've been averaging 5-6 hook-ups and catching at least one or two monster "Silver Kings" every evening trip.  I expect the tarpon fishing to be excellent all the way through June.  More than likely - it will be great into mid July.  I've caught huge tarpon up to 220 pounds and they will average 100-150 pounds this time of year.  So, if you are after a trophy "fish of a lifetime" now is the time.

 

The trout bite continues to be excellent with average catches of 50-80 fish per trip and lots of really nice size speckled sea trout up to 25 inchers.  For great non-stop action the trout and snapper are the way to go.

 

The redfish and snook have been good.  Definitely more reds then snook - but we have caught some really nice snook up to 14 pounds.  The reds are averaging 2-6 pounds.  We have been catching 10-15 redfish on a good day lately.

 

The shark bite has been really good.  We have gotten into some nice blaktips up to 80 pounds,  big lemons up to 200 pounds and a few bulls up to 200 pounds.  A few weeks ago we boated a 100 pound hammerhead and two sawfish that were 15-16 footers!

 

I have many trips booked through late June.  This time of year usually is booked far in advance.  So, if your thinking about booking - give me a call as soon as you can - to reserve some of the best fishing in the world -  right here in the beautiful Florida Keys.   

 

 

Thanks,
Captain Steve Murray
Phone:  305 - 393 - 1641
Email:  stevemurray126@att.net
Website:  www.tarponheadquarters.com

How's the Fishin?

How's the Fishing?  I get asked this question quite regularly.  How's the fishing going to be today?  To this I respond - ask me tomorrow or get in the boat and we will see.  I can tell you how it's been - but no-one can predict how it will be today.  That's why we call it fishing - not catching.  In general the fishing here is always good.  It's always good for something.  We have such a diverse fishery - there's always something biting.  Even on a slow day of fishing here in the Keys - it's still better than a good day in most other places throughout the world. 

 

That being said - lets talk about how the fishing has been.  The trout bite is really awesome right now.  The sea trout are moving into their spring patterns and we are catching big numbers in the deep water grass.  We have been catching limits of very nice size fish up to 21 inches every day for the last couple weeks.  Great action for anyone who enjoys catching a lot of fish.  It's not uncommon to catch 80-100 on a good day.  We also catch jacks, ladyfish and the occasional pompano while targeting these feisty, tasty speckled sea trout.  Most of the restaurants in town will cook your catch and a few trout will feed two hungry anglers.  There is nothing better at the end of the day - than relaxing in a nice restaurant with a few drinks and enjoying the fish you caught that day.  They don't get any fresher than that.  The mangrove snapper are great eating as well and are always available to target.  I call them - bluegills on steroids because they are usually schooled up in big numbers, easy to catch, they taste great, they fight like they're 3 times their size and the average size is from about 7 to 14 inches.  A big one can be over 20 inches - but those are rare.  Great table fare and lots of action.

 

The redfish were biting well all winter.  We were catching 15-25 a day on the good days.  During the last couple weeks the reds have turned off.  Not so many fish caught - but to me this only means it's going to get better soon.  The good news is the snook bite turned on.  The snook are found in the same places we catch redfish - so, like I was saying earlier, our fishery is so diverse - there's always something biting.  Although the reds have been hard to catch the snook have turned on and some really nice size fish have showed up.   They have been averaging 5 to 9 pounds - and those are some drag screaming bruisers. 

 

Tarpon - oh yea Tarpon.  It's almost prime time for tarpon.  The migratory fish are making their arrival.  There are some fish here now and I expect the large numbers to start showing up soon with the warm weather we've had.  I have a few evening tarpon trips coming up in the next week and I expect to produce some good size fish.  This time of year most of the early arrivals are in the 50-80 pound range - but by mid April the big monsters (100-200 pounders) will be here.  If your into the muscle burn of battling these 100 pound plus monsters - book your trip now for spring and early summer tarpon action.

 

There are many other species we are catching - shark, spanish mackerel, black drum, sheepshead, tripletail and barracuda to name a few.  I love fishing - as much as anyone and we have a very diverse fishery to choose from.  If you want to know how the fishing's been - you can call and ask me.  If you want to know how the fishing is going to be - book a trip and we will find out together.

 

Thanks,
Captain Steve Murray
Phone:  305 - 393 - 1641
Email:  stevemurray126@att.net
Website:  www.tarponheadquarters.com

Sunny Warm Weather Fishing

It's January and the weather is in the 70's, it's sunny almost every day and the fish are biting.  There aren't too many places in the United States, or most of the world for that matter, where you can make a true statement like that. 

 

The redfish are schooled up big-time right now.  Low tide situations are producing large numbers of fish in the channels, run-offs and the deeper cuts along the mangroves.  On the really high tides they are schooled up on the flats as well.  Mike and Fran Chapin were in from the Chicago area for there annual winter fishing trip.  They experienced some intense non-stop action of the powerful, schooled up feeding redfish.  We boated more than 50 reds in the 2-6 pound range and some bully black drum up to 7 pounds.  The action was fast and furious.  Sore arms and smiling faces at days end.  There's been a few snook in the mix as well and some real bruisers up to 14 pounds.  Very nice to see our snook population coming back from the cold snap we had a few years ago. 

 

The trout bite remains as good as ever.  We've been getting some nice fat fish up to 22 inches.  These beautiful speckled sea trout are great fun for the whole family.  It's not uncommon to catch 80-100 in a 1/2 day trip.  The action is fast.  Doubles and triple hook-ups when the bite is on.  For consistent action it's hard to beat the trout, snapper and spanish mackerel bite this time of year.  If you're someone who enjoys bending the rod - fish after fish - these are the species to target.  This is a great way to get a kid hooked on fishing.

 

The shark fishing can be good this time of year - although I do prefer the warmer months for more consistent action.  George Luburich is a regular and he's the kind of guy who wants something large on the end of his line.  We landed a nice 6 pound snook, several jacks and ladyfish and then it was time to go after Jaws!  We cut up the jacks and ladyfish for bait.  Baited up the shark rod and let the big man hang on and wait.  George boated a big stingray and his brother-in -law landed one of the biggest sharks I've seen in the backcountry - weighing in at a whopping 350 pounds.  Happy guys heading back home to the north.  George will be back again in the spring for his annual tarpon trip.  The big 100-200 pound tarpon will start showing up in March and the peak time will be mid April through June. 

 

If the cold weather is getting you down - pick up the phone, book a trip to the beautiful, warm, sunny Florida Keys and "Lets Go Fishin"! 

 

 

 

Thanks,
Captain Steve Murray
Phone:  305 - 393 - 1641
Email:  stevemurray126@att.net
Website:  www.tarponheadquarters.com