In a normal year I would be talking about the awesome Sailfishing we are having in Key West and how the World Sailfish Championship in the middle of the month may yet again set tournament records for numbers of sailfish caught and released. However this year is far from normal. Warm weather all over North America has really changed the fishing in Key West this year and will continue to affect the fishing here for the next few months. The warm near shore waters along the Keys has held bait close to shore and not pushed it out to warmer Gulfstream waters along the reef. The lack of snow pack in the north will affect the spring floods (or a lack thereof) along the Mississippi, that will in turn change the  currents and salinity  in the Gulf of Mexico and eventually our little piece of the Gulfstream here in the straits of Florida. Consequently the Sailfish bite has been spotty at best and Mackerel, which are normally everywhere and almost a nuisance when Sailfishing, are on the reef but not in teeming numbers.

This all sounds ominous except, the fish are still around, just the seasonal guidance is messed up.  For one Blue Marlin are being hooked up every day in the Key West charter fleet and sometimes two on the same boat. This has been a very exciting development and has added a new thrill for this time of year. Other fish that seem to have their timing off are Mahi-Mahi. Small Dolphin are showing up in good numbers on Southeast winds and weed lines. This probably explains the Marlin bite better than anything, put out food and they will come. Nice Wahoo catches are being reported daily.

So for an April forecast , I believe when the current gets up on the reef and stays there for a while and the wind blows from the East and Northeast, there has been no abnormal abatement of howling winds, the Sailfish will show up. The tailing down the reefs is migrational and my guess is they still need to migrate.  Dolphin fishing is coming on fast and we will probably have more of a May like pattern with the really big Mahis cruising West in the current and feeding on the numerous flying fish already here. I also think the Marlin bite will continue because the food is here. All in all the fishing is different but I have to say it might be better.


 

All the warm weather and the crazy mixed up season we are having in Key West has produced a very nice side effect: The Marlin Bite in Key West is Red Hot. Just within the twenty or so large charter boats in Key West there have been Hook ups and catches of Blue Marlin every day for the last month. This is the hottest Marlin fishing in Key West in the last twenty years. If you ever yearned to battle Big Blue, The Man in the Blue Suit , or the most ferocious fighter in the sea you should get to Key West and make your play RIGHT NOW!!!.

For better details click here! MARCH 12 – 14, 2010 Registration, Friday, March 12th, 6 to 8 pm At the DoubleTree Grand Key Resort 3990 S. Roosevelt Blvd., Key West, FL BOAT ENTRY FEE OF $200.00 Fishing, Saturday & Sunday, March 13 & 14 Lines In at 8:30 am & Out at 3 pm each day Awards Dinner on Sunday, March 14th, 7 pm At the DoubleTree Grand Key Resort Awards Dinner, $25.00 per person WIN $5,000.00 in Cash Prizes For 15 Different Species Win $500.00 cash for: Heaviest Dolphin, Most Releases of: Marlin, Sailfi sh & Tarpon Win $300.00 cash for: Heaviest Kingfi sh, Cobia Blackfi n Tuna, Mackerel, Mutton Snapper, Wahoo Most Releases of: Permit, Bonefi sh & Barracuda Win $150.00 cash for: Heaviest Mangrove Snapper & Grunt Junior Division Heaviest Catch (Anglers under 15 yrs. old) KEY WEST FISHING TOURNAMENT KICKOFF 2010 with CONCHY JOE’S MARINE & TACKLE 1. I.G.F.A. rules and Key West Fishing Tournament rules will apply. Rod and reel only. 2. All Marlin or Sailfi sh releases must deploy non-offset circle hooks when using natural baits or a natural bait artifi cial/lure combination. 3. All catches must be unassisted. Professional captains and/or mates are ineligible as anglers. 4. NEW~‘Most Releases’ will be scored by registered boat. 5. Entries will only be accepted from anglers fi shing on a boat that is registered in the KICKOFF. 6. A maximum of 6 anglers may fi sh from a registered boat on each day. This rule does not apply to registered party boats. 7. Anglers wishing to compete for marlin or sailfi sh releases must purchase a camera at registration to photo the release. Cost is $5.00. Anglers do not have to call in releases to the committee boat. 8. Fishing begins with lines in at 8:30 am each day and will conclude at lines out at 3:00 pm each day. Lines in and out will be called by the committee boat over VHF 78. 9. All fi sh must be weighed in at one of the following offi cial K.W.F.T. weighstations: King’s Pointe Marina, Sunset Marina, Murray Marine, Sugarloaf Marina, Cudjoe Gardens Marina and Dolphin Marina. 10. Anglers MUST complete an offi cial K.W.F.T. entry form for weighed and released catches and deliver the entry to a tournament offi cial at King’s Pointe Marina, or fax entry to 305-292-4995. Entries MUST be received by an offi cial no later than 5:30 pm each day. Weighed catches can be transported by vehicle to a weighstation for entry. KICKOFF TOURNAMENT GENERAL RULES FINAL RULES WILL BE DISTRIBUTED AT REGISTRATION ON MARCH 12, 2010 AT DOUBLETREE GRAND KEY RESORT KEY WEST FISHING TOURNAMENT KICKOFF 2010 ENTRY ANGLER’S FIRST & LAST NAME, ADDRESS, CITY, STATE AND ZIP CODE Boat Name: ______________________________ Captain: ________________________________ Address: ________________________________ City, ST, Zip: _____________________________ Home Phone: ___________________________ Cell Phone: _____________________________ PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY To pre-register, complete entry form and mail to the K. W. F. T., P. O. Box 2154, Key West, FL 33045. Include registration fee of $200.00 payable to the Key West Fishing Tournament. PICK UP THE FINAL TOURNAMENT RULES AND CAMERA FOR SAILFISH & MARLIN RELEASES AT THE REGISTRATION, FRIDAY, MARCH 12th AT THE DOUBLETREE GRAND RESORT 1. _______________________________________ ___________________________________________ 2. _______________________________________ ___________________________________________ 3. _______________________________________ ___________________________________________ 4. _______________________________________ ___________________________________________ 5. _______________________________________ ___________________________________________ 6. _______________________________________ ___________________________________________

Although the Key West Marlin Tournament was in July it has taken me this long to boil down my thoughts. I was included in a great team of seasoned anglers and crew on the REEL FAST . This boat takes it’s name seriously and I truly enjoyed being able to change fishing locations at 30+ knots.

The first day we caught a nice Dolphin that put some points on the board against one Marlin caught. The second day we changed locations and landed in the sweet spot.

In the first four minutes Scott Meister caught and brought to the boat a Sailfish , the 80# gear was kinda overkill .

Five minutes later we hooked the ONE we wanted . The Marlin had other ideas and took off and with about four minutes of line clearing , spending the winnings and general mayhem the fish straightened the hook.

What can I say the mood kinda sank , except we had another sailfish bite about ten minutes later , then nothing for the next seven hours. Marlin Fishing !

The third day we went back to our sweeet spot , however the fish did not get the memo and were somewhere else. this became obvious and the boat got to show her speed and we moved South to a secret pair of sea mounts . Quickly we were engaged with THE FISH, it jumped , looked right and was dutifully called in . It was still THE FISH right up to the moment Greg Sage wired the fish and it rolled on its side and transspieced on us into a BLUE SAILFISH.

And so ended our fishing in The Key West Marlin Tournament. It was a let down to not get the fish we wanted , however being in contention to the last minute and actually having the chance to win, plus a good payout in the calcuttas made for a a lot of good discussions over the next few days.

Summer may not be official but the temperature and the fishing sure feel like summer. The water temperature inside the reef is over 90 degrees and in the Gulfstream it is about 86. The fishing around Key West has been a lot less big Dolphin and a whole lot of schooling Dolphin in the just legal range. The really calm summer weather lets you see all the free jumping billfish and there are a lot. We have not caught any this week but other charter boats have. Swordfish are being caught at sundown and this makes for a nice trip that beats the midday heat . Leaving late in the afternoon and returning long before last call on Duval.