Monthly Archives: September 2006

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