Yearly Archives: 2006

Hello from Key West, This is captain Paul Tryon with Key West PRO Guides and TailChaser Charters, here with your October fishing report: Summer looks like it has finally released her grip. We have started to see a few cool fronts move our way, none to cold, but definitely a cooling down. Lately we have been dealing with quite a bit of wind, for about 5 days now a persistent high pressure system has given us a brisk 20kt east wind that has kept a few boats at the dock. The water temps are starting to cool down a little, great news for our winter fishing and even better news concerning hurricanes. We are still seeing temps around the mid to lower 80s on the reef and in the shallows, the gulf stream has averaged between 22 and 36 miles offshore from Key West, providing some great fishing excitement, heres how things are shaping up for this month.

Offshore:
The Gulf Stream has averaged between 22 and 36 miles to the south of Key West, we have had our color change pretty close, anywhere from just off of the reef in about 100feet to almost 280 feet of water. There have been a few Sailfish landed, but the bite is a bit slower than we would like. This should all improve tremendously when we get a few cold fronts our way to push these fish further south.

Deep off the Reef:
Deeper off of the reef, the wrecks have been producing plenty of Amberjacks, Muttons, a few Black fin Tuna, plenty, I mean plenty of Bonita and still some real nice Black Grouper. Our live bait situation is improving, we are seeing large schools of Spanish Sardines showing up and the Pilchards are getting bigger and showing up on our grass flats. When the currents are light and the wind is in the right direction, we have been anchoring up on the deeper wrecks and simply having our way with the fish! There are a few nice Black fin showing in the large schools of Bonita some of the Black groupers hitting the docks are in the 20-30lb range with a few more than 40lbs. Dropping whole ballyhoos to the bottom has produced nice Black and Gag Groupers along with my favorite the Mutton Snappers. Dropping a fresh live Ballyhoo to the bottom is sure to get nailed!

Gulf Wrecks:
The gulf wreck action should start heating up for the Cobia soon. The wrecks and reefs out in the gulf provide lots of great Cobia fishing in the fall and winter months. Now that the grey snapper spawn has been over for a few months, we have been seeing really nice schools on the shallow wrecks. The average size is around 3lbs, some topping 5 lbs. all real nice fish. On some of the target wrecks the schools of Barracuda are simply outstanding, we have had several trips with more than 50 fish landed, per day! We are still seeing nice schools of Permit, biggest one to the boat was around 20lbs.

Atlantic Wrecks and Reefs:
The yellowtails are here in great numbers and sizes; the average has been about 3 pounds and they are eager to feed. We have had a few top 5 lbs., Yellowtails these sizes are called Flags, they are a true beauty to catch and look at. (Not bad in the skillet either!) We usually fish the 60 to 110foot depths over the backside of the reef and set up a real good chum slick, where they stack up behind the boat turning the water yellow. Getting your limit this time of the year is pretty quick and easy if you know where to go. The Yellowjacks are taking over some of our better reef spots, these brutes are sometimes a bit tricky to get on the line, but great fighters and great eaters!

Flats/BackCountry:
We still have our resident schools of Tarpon around, they are quite large with most fish averaging between 40 and 60lbs. a pass through the channels on the gulf side will blow your mind at the sheer numbers of them just cruising by. We are consistently seeing these large schools and they are all eager to slam any top water plug tossed there way. We are still seeing lots and lots of monster Permit around on the edges of the flats; most schools have had more than a dozen fish in them. The Bonefish are also all over the flats, schools of 10 to 20 each and great conditions to stalk them. As always the Barracuda and Sharks are all over the flats; just about any bait thrown their direction is sure to get looked at. Basically any species that you target on the flats will be a good choice for a very productive trip in October.

www.keywestproguides.com or www.tailchasercharters.net

Tight lines,

Capt. Paul Tryon

Hello from Key West, This is captain Paul Tryon with Key West PRO Guides and TailChaser Charters, here with your September fishing report:

Summer is in full swing; we have had some absolutely gorgeous days out on the water, very light winds, calm seas and great fishing. Tropical Depression Ernesto produced absolutely no wind or rain as it passed between Marathon and Key Largo, keeping our waters calm and clear. The water temps are pretty stabile now, we are seeing temps around the mid 80s on the reef and in the shallows, the gulf stream has averaged between 12 and 17 miles offshore from Key West, providing some great fishing excitement, heres how things are shaping up for this month.

Here’s how things are shaping up….

Offshore:
The Gulf Stream has averaged between 12 and 17 miles to the south of Key West, this has helped to give us a few different currents close to shore. We have had a decent color change in about 300 feet, there have been a few Sails around, but offshore as a whole has been quite slow. With the beautiful conditions offshore lately, we have been able to head pretty far out to fish for the Dolphin, the weed lines are decent and the schoolies eager to feed.

Deep off the Reef:
Deeper off of the reef, the wrecks have been producing plenty of Amberjacks, Muttons, and some nice Black Groupers. Last week we put three nice blacks in the boat weighing 22, 26 and 32lbs. all were taken using the lastest craze, the vertical jig. We have been working these jigs in about 180 to 240 feet of water, catching everything. The sharks have been pretty bad lately, but the hook ups have been outstanding. When the stream is very close the currents are a little strong and we need to use lots of weight, but on the days the stream is far out, you re in for a real treat. When the currents are light and the wind is in the right direction, we have been anchoring up on the deeper wrecks lately and simply having our way with the fish! Dropping whole ballyhoos to the bottom has produced nice Black and Gag Groupers along with my favorite the Mutton Snappers. Dropping a fresh live Ballyhoo to the bottom is sure to get nailed!

Gulf Wrecks:
The gulf wreck action has been pretty good for the Cobia and the Permit. The Cobias are averaging between 10 and 37lbs. and have been in decent schools behind the large Bull sharks that reside on the wrecks. The Cobias have also been showing up lately on the closer in wrecks and reefs and always like to hang on the channel markers, hoping we toss a bait there way. Now that the grey snapper spawn is over, they are making there way back to the shallower reefs and wrecks and have been lots of fun on the light tackle.

Atlantic Wrecks and Reefs:
The yellowtails are here in good numbers and sizes; the average has been about a pound and a half with some topping three pounds! Yellowtails these sizes are called Flags, they are a true beauty to catch and look at. (Not bad in the skillet either!) We usually fish the 80 to 120foot depths over the backside of the reef and set up a real good chum slick, where they stack up behind the boat turning the water yellow. Getting your limit this time of the year is pretty quick and easy if you know where to go.

Flats/BackCountry:
We still have our resident schools of Tarpon around, they are quite large with most fish averaging between 40 and 60lbs. The mullet are here by the acre, so getting the good live baits to fish with have not been a problem. We have also been seeing lots and lots of monster Permit around on the edges of the flats, most schools have had more than a dozen fish in them. The Bonefish are also all over the flats, schools of 20 to 30 each and great conditions to stalk them. As always the Barracuda and Sharks are all over the flats; just about any bait thrown their direction is sure to get looked at. Basically any species that you target on the flats will be a good choice for a very productive trip in September.

This is Captain Paul Tryon, Give me a call to book your day with some of Key West’s best guides here at Key West PRO Guides and have some fun fishing! Until next month, keep those reels screaming! For booking information with Key West PRO Guides or TailChaser Charters, you can call me at 305-296-6602 or visit my website:

www.keywestproguides.com or www.tailchasercharters.net

Tight lines,

Capt. Paul Tryon

Summer is in full swing; we have had some absolutely gorgeous days out on the water, very light winds, calm seas and great fishing. The water temps are pretty stable with temps still in the lower 80s on the reef and in the shallows, the gulf stream has averaged about 14 to 22 miles offshore from Key West, providing some great fishing excitement, heres how things are shaping up for this month.

Offshore:
The Gulf Stream has averaged between 14 and 22 miles to the south of Key West. This has given us some nice back eddies to fish for the Dolphin and the Sails. We have seen a bit of weed scattered here and there and lots of floating debris to keep the schoolies around. The Offshore has been hit and miss, I know a lot of boats that have ran 10-15 miles past the wall looking for the right weed line and saw nothing and on the way back in see birds and nice patches only 10 miles from shore. The nice thing about offshore is that it is always moving, whether it’s the main stream to the east or one of the many back currents, it’s usually always moving. You just have to get out there and see what she brings your way! There have been a color change in around 300feet lately, there have been a few sails caught there, but for the most part it has been a little slow. Off to the better news!

Deep off the Reef:
Deeper off of the reef, the wrecks have still been producing plenty of Amberjacks, Muttons, and some nice Black and Gag Groupers. The wrecks that I am referring to are in waters from 180 to 245 feet deep. These wrecks always produce nice quality fish and there are lots of them to choose from. When the stream is very close the currents are a little strong and we need to use lots of weight, but on the days the stream is far out, you re in for a real treat. When the currents are light and the wind is in the right direction, we have been anchoring up on the deeper wrecks lately and simply having our way with the fish! Dropping whole ballyhoos to the bottom has produced nice Black and Gag Groupers along with my favorite the Mutton Snappers. Dropping a fresh live Ballyhoo to the bottom is sure to get nailed!

Gulf Wrecks:
The Gulf wrecks and reefs are doing quite well on the Cobias, Sharks, Snappers, Gags and Permit. We have been running out to the further wrecks and towers to sight cast to the Cobias with great success. The conditions have been great for this style of fishing, clear water and calm seas. The Permit have been hanging on the bogger wrecks and have been taking crabs without hesitation. Most of the Cobias have been in the upper teens for weight and are all quite hungry. The Gag groupers are hitting anything dropped there way with a vengeance. We have been using these new Tormenter Jigs, the Ballyhoo series, with outstanding results. We have been even catching nice Yellowtail snappers on these jigs along with very nice sized Grey snappers.

Atlantic Wrecks and Reefs:
We are in the middle of a very good Grey snapper spawn this month. The grays head out to the deep reefs around the full moon of August and spawn, creating a very rewarding experience. The average Grey has been over 4 lbs. with some topping 8lbs. They drop there guard a little during the spawn and make it just a little easier to fool them, what a great fight. We have also been doing well on the Yellowtail snappers. They are a little deeper than the grays this time of the year and are here in good numbers and sizes.

Flats/BackCountry:
The Tarpon are still around in pretty large numbers in and around the harbor and in the backcountry channels. The schools are quite large, most of them in the 45 to 90lbs classes. The largest landed this past week by Capt. Johnny Irwin was more than 80lbs.. The Permit have been showing on the edges of the flats in real good numbers, most fish are in the 15 to 25lb. range. We have had large schools of Bonefish taking advantage of the great conditions flooding the flats in good numbers; the biggest one landed so far at 9lbs. aboard the SeaBreeze with Capt. Johnny Irwin. Again, basically any species that you target on the flats will be a good choice for a very productive trip in June.

This is Captain Paul Tryon, Give me a call to book your day with some of Key West’s best guides here at Key West PRO Guides and have some fun fishing! Until next month, keep those reels screaming! For booking information with Key West PRO Guides or TailChaser Charters, you can call me at 305-296-6602 or visit my website:

www.keywestproguides.com or www.tailchasercharters.net

Tight lines,

Capt. Paul Tryon

Hello from Key West, This is captain Paul Tryon with Key West PRO Guides and Tailchaser Charters, here with your June fishing report:

Summer has finally arrived; we have had some absolutely gorgeous days out on the water, very light winds, calm seas and great fishing. The water temps are rising pretty fast now, we are seeing temps around the mid 80.s on the reef and in the shallows, the gulf stream has averaged about 17 to 32 miles offshore from Key West, providing some great fishing excitement, here.s how things are shaping up for this month.

Here’s how things are shaping up….

Offshore:
The Gulf Stream has averaged between 17 and 32 miles to the south of Key West, this has helped to give us a few different currents close to shore. In about 180 to 220 feet of water there has been a great color change that has produced some good Sail fishing and a few nice dolphin in the 20 to 30lb. range. Setting up for a troll or drift along this color change can make for some great action. With the beautiful conditions offshore lately, we have been able to head offshore to fish for the Dolphin, the weed lines are nice and large and the schoolies eager to feed. We have been doing very good on the Wahoo, there have been lots of areas with large pallets, sheets of wood and debris floating providing great fishing.

Deep off the Reef:
Deeper off of the reef, the wrecks have been producing plenty of Amberjacks, Muttons, and some nice Black Groupers. These wrecks are in about 220 to 240 feet of water. When the stream is very close the currents are a little strong and we need to use lots of weight, but on the days the stream is far out, you re in for a real treat. When the currents are light and the wind is in the right direction, we have been anchoring up on the deeper wrecks lately and simply having our way with the fish! Dropping whole ballyhoos to the bottom has produced nice Black and Gag Groupers along with my favorite the Mutton Snappers. Dropping a fresh live Ballyhoo to the bottom is sure to get nailed!

Gulf Wrecks:
The gulf wreck action has been very hot on the Cobias and the Permit. The Cobias are averaging between 12 and 40lbs., some even topping 62!, and have been in really large schools. The Cobias have been showing up lately on the closer in wrecks and reefs and always like to hang on the channel markers, hoping we toss a bait there way. The snapper and grouper bite has been good with gray snappers being caught up to about 5 lbs. We are at the tail end of the Permit spawn and the Permit have been studs! The average fish landed has been in the high twenties to mid thirties! The fish are very hungry and have been eating crabs like they are snickers bars! The sharks are very active; most of them are Bulls, Black tips and Lemon sharks. As soon as you get a good chum slick started they are as far back in it as you can see. These powerhouse fish are very strong fighters and a challenge on light tackle. The average sizes to the sharks is between 250 to 400lbs. The Bull sharks are the most abundant and they are very aggressive and will hit just about anything that lands in front of them. We are still getting into nice size schools of Bonita at some of the other farther out gulf wrecks and by tying off to any of the dozens of shrimp boats anchored in the gulf. Shrimp boat fishing is some of the best action trips you could possibly go on.

Atlantic Wrecks and Reefs:
Now that we are on our third Mutton Spawn, this has turned out to be one of the best years in a long time. The average fish has been in the upper teens to mid twenties. These guys are very hard fighters, providing exciting runs to the bottom, screaming drag the whole way. The yellowtails are here in good numbers and sizes; the average has been about a pound and a half with some topping three pounds! Yellowtails these sizes are called Flags, they are a true beauty to catch and look at. (Not bad in the skillet either!)

Flats/BackCountry:
The Tarpon are still here in great numbers in and around the Harbor and in the channels. The schools are quite large, most of them in the 70 to 120lbs classes. The largest landed lately topped the scales at over 162lbs. The Permit have been showing on the edges of the flats in pretty good numbers, most schools are between 4 and about 10 each. These guys are returning from their annual spawn offshore and are looking to feed. The Barracuda and Sharks are all over the flats; just about any bait thrown their direction is sure to get looked at. Basically any species that you target on the flats will be a good choice for a very productive trip in June.

This is Captain Paul Tryon, Give me a call to book your day with some of Key West’s best guides here at Key West PRO Guides and have some fun fishing! Until next month, keep those reels screaming! For booking information with Key West PRO Guides or TailChaser Charters, you can call me at 305-296-6602 or visit my website:

www.keywestproguides.com or www.tailchasercharters.net

Tight lines,

Capt. Paul Tryon

Hello from Key West, This is captain Paul Tryon with Key West PRO Guides and Tailchaser Charters, here with your March fishing report:

Seems and feels like spring will not last to long and summer might be just around the corner. We have had very mild temps lately, some days even a bit on the warm side. The water temps have been fluctuating between the high 60’s to the mid 70’s, perfect for so many different species. There have had a few cold fronts move through, none to strong, so the weather has stayed warm and sunny. The past few weeks have been very productive on the wrecks and reefs and we are seeing the backcountry and flats fishing starting to heat up too. Get ready for some great spring action!

Here’s how things are shaping up….

Offshore:
The Gulf Stream has averaged between 6 and 44 miles to the south of Key West, this has helped to give us a few different currents close to shore. In about 180 to 220 feet of water there has been a great color change that has produced some good Sail fishing. Setting up for a troll or drift along this color change can make for great Sailfish and Wahoo action. The Black fin Tuna have finally started to show up, many in the high teens to lower twenties, all great fighting and eating. When the conditions are right, we have been able to head offshore to fish for the Dolphin, the weed lines are nice and large and the schoolies eager to feed. Next month should prove to be outstanding with the calmer conditions out there. Our live bait situation is pretty good, we have been able to consistently catch more than enough and anyone who knows their fishing knows you need the livies.

Deep off the Reef:
Deeper off of the reef, the wrecks have been producing plenty of Amberjacks, Muttons, nice Black Groupers and a real treat, Red Snappers! These wrecks are in about 220 to 240 feet of water. When the stream is very close the currents are a little strong and we need to use lots of weight, but on the days the stream is far out, you’re in for a real treat. When the currents are light and the wind is in the right direction, we have been anchoring up on the deeper wrecks lately and simply having our way with the fish! Dropping whole ballyhoos to the bottom has produced nice Black and Gag Groupers along with my favorite the Mutton Snappers. Dropping a fresh live Ballyhoo to the bottom is sure to get nailed! Now that we have the water temperatures starting to stabilize, the Black fin tuna have been showing up in real good numbers and are starting to spread out over more of the deeper wrecks. The last few deep water wreck trips have each found a few hungry black fins and what a blast they are on the light tackle.

Reef/Wrecks:
The King fishing has been red hot. The schools are very large and the sizes of the Kings have been anywhere from 12 to more than 30lbs. These awesome fighters will hit any live bait thrown their way and will steady slam the jigs. It gets no easier than King fishing a large school when they are balled up like this. We have been catching our limit in less than an hour each trip! The gulf wreck action has been very hot on the Cobias. These brutes are averaging between 20 and 40lbs., some even topping 62!, and have been in really large schools. The Cobias have been showing up lately on the closer in wrecks and reefs and always like to hang on the channel markers, hoping we toss a bait there way. The snapper and grouper bite has been good with gray snappers being caught up to about 5 lbs. The sharks are very active; most of them are Bulls, Black tips and Lemon sharks. As soon as you get a good chum slick started they are as far back in it as you can see. These powerhouse fish are very strong fighters and a challenge on light tackle. We are still getting into nice size schools of Bonita at some of the other farther out gulf wrecks and by tying off to any of the dozens of shrimp boats anchored in the gulf. Shrimp boat fishing is some of the best action trips you could possibly go on.

Flats/BackCountry:
We have had the luxury of a warm winter that has kick started our flats and backcountry fishery. We are already getting schools of Tarpon around the Harbor and in the channels. The schools are quite large, most of them in the 70 to 120lbs classes. The Permit have been showing on the edges of the flats in pretty good numbers, most schools are between 4 and about 10 each. The waters are clearing since the storm and we are finding plenty of new channels, thanks to Wilma, to fish! The Barracuda and Sharks are all over the flats; just about any bait thrown their direction is sure to get looked at. Basically any species that you target on the flats will be a good choice for a very productive trip in March.

This is Captain Paul Tryon, Give me a call to book your day with some of Key West’s best guides here at Key West PRO Guides and have some fun fishing! Until next month, keep those reels screaming! For booking information with Key West PRO Guides or TailChaser Charters, you can call me at 305-296-6602 or visit my website:

www.keywestproguides.com or www.tailchasercharters.net

Tight lines,

Capt. Paul Tryon

Hello from Key West, This is captain Paul Tryon with Key West PRO Guides and Tailchaser Charters, here with your January fishing report:

Winter is here!! Well so the calendar says, what a warm winter we have had. There have had a few cold fronts move through, none to strong, so the weather has stayed warm and sunny. The water temps have cooled a bit and the fishing is getting really hot. The past few weeks have been very productive on the wrecks and reefs and we are seeing the backcountry and flats fishing starting to heat up too. Get ready for some great fall action!

Here’s how things are shaping up….

Offshore:
The offshore fishing has been getting better since the storm with quite a few boats reporting large dolphin up to 30 lbs. on some of the floating debris. The Gulf stream has been very close to Key West these past few days, averaging anywhere from 10 to 20 miles south. This helps to form the color change, the boundary water between the Gulf stream current and the near shore waters. Setting up for a troll or drift along this color change can make for great sailfish and wahoo action. As the water temps continue to drop with the approaching cold fronts, the Sailfish and Wahoo action should increase with great results. On the reef we are starting to see some nice Black fin tuna showing up, Most of them are from the upper teens to close to 30lbs. and are very aggressive feeders when live baiting with the live Pilchards. Our live bait situation is pretty good, we have been able to consistently catch more than enough and anyone who knows their fishing, knows you need the livies.

Deep off the Reef:
Deeper off of the reef, the wrecks have been producing plenty of Amberjacks, Muttons, nice Black Groupers and a real treat, Red Snappers! These wrecks are in about 220 to 240 feet of water and lately the currents have been light and perfect for the deep dropping. With the currents being light and the wind in the right direction, we have been anchoring up on the deeper wrecks lately and simply having our way with the fish! Dropping whole ballyhoos to the bottom has produced nice Black and Gag Groupers along with my favorite the Mutton Snappers. Dropping a fresh live Ballyhoo to the bottom is sure to get nailed! Now that we have the water temperatures starting to cool off, the Black fin tuna have been showing up in real good numbers and are starting to spread out over more of the deeper wrecks. The last few deep water wreck trips have each found a few hungry black fins and what a blast they are on the light tackle.

Reef/Wrecks:
The gulf wreck action has been very hot on the Cobias. These brutes are averaging between 20 and 40lbs. and have been in really large schools. The Cobias have been showing up lately on the closer in wrecks and reefs and always like to hang on the channel markers, hoping we toss a bait there way. The snapper and grouper bite has been good with gray snappers being caught up to about 5 lbs. The sharks are very active; most of them are Bulls, Black tips and Lemon sharks. As soon as you get a good chum slick started they are as far back in it as you can see. These powerhouse fish are very strong fighters and a challenge on light tackle. We are still getting into nice size schools of Bonita at some of the other farther out gulf wrecks and by tying off to any of the dozens of shrimp boats anchored in the gulf. Shrimp boat fishing is some of the best action trips you could possibly go on.

Flats/BackCountry:
We have had the luxury of a warm winter that has kick started our flats and backcountry fishery. We are already getting schools of Tarpon around the Harbor and in the channels. The Permit have been showing on the edges of the flats in pretty good numbers, most schools are between 4 and about 10 each. The waters are clearing since the storm and we are finding plenty of new channels, thanks to Wilma, to fish! The Barracuda and Sharks are all over the flats; just about any bait thrown their direction is sure to get looked at. Basically any species that you target on the flats will be a good choice for a very productive trip in December.

This is Captain Paul Tryon, Give me a call to book your day with some of Key West’s best guides here at Key West PRO Guides and have some fun fishing! Until next month, keep those reels screaming! For booking information with Key West PRO Guides or TailChaser Charters, you can call me at 305-296-6602 or visit my website:

www.keywestproguides.com or www.tailchasercharters.net

Tight lines,

Capt. Paul Tryon