Monthly Archives: September 2010

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

NO OIL! That’s the best news we could have ever imagined. Not one single drop of oil hit the Florida Keys, we are all very thankful for this and have a new appreciation for just how lucky we are to live here in the Florida Keys! So far so good, all of the Atlantic hurricanes have steered way offshore, far from us. The weather has been absolutely perfect, nice light winds out of the east, southeast. Temperatures have fallen slightly, making for a very comfortable end of summer. Over all the fishing has been very consistent, we are already seeing a few of our migratory friends showing up at our favorite spots, it’s going to be a great September!

Here’s how things are shaping up…..

Offshore:
The shoreward edge of the Gulf Stream sout of the reef. We have been doing pretty good on the Dolphin in about 500 to 600ft of water on the many weedlines. Most of them have been small, but a few nice 20lb. and 30lb. ones have been landed just about every day! we have been doing pretty well on the Black fin tuna, most in the 12-19lb. range. With the large schools of bait around, netting a well full and targeting them has been pretty consistent. There have been a few Sailfish on the outside of the reef. With the huge schools of Ballyhoo on the reef, targeting them has been rather easy, just look for the showers of bait! All in all, the offshore bite is good and will only continue to improve the next few months as the water temps start to drop and the Kingfish and Cobia, head our way.

Deep off the Reef:
The deeper wrecks off of the reef have been very good lately with nice catches of big Mutton snappers, big fat Amberjacks, Barracuda, lots and lots of Bonito and lots and lots and lots of Lemon and Bull sharks. The offshore current has been on the strong side, close to 2 knots in some places. While this is sometimes challenging, the guides who are experienced in fishing strong current have been doing great. Dropping whole ballyhoos, small runners and other small baits 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!

Wrecks and Reefs:
The Gulf wreck action has been awesome. The Cobias have been showing up lately in good numbers on the wrecks in federal waters and are very easy to hook up with. most of them are on the huge Bull sharks that call those wrecks home. Getting them to eat is the easy part, landing them while a 200-300lb. Bull shark has dinner on his mind is another. The schools are dozens thick and there is no better table fare. Remember we are some of the only guides in Key West with federal permits that allow you to fish wrecks with little of no pressure on them. Another great fish to target is the Mangrove ‘gray’ snapper. Most of the gray snappers being caught are close to 5lbs. Heading out to these wrecks with a live well loaded with Pilchards is a sure way to crush the fish!

Flats/BackCountry:
The flats and backcountry trips are heating up really good now. The waters are nice and clear and we are finding plenty of fish. The Permit are the big target species, most are on the edges of the flats and seem to be enjoying the cooler waters we are getting. The average size permit the past few weeks has been around 20- 25lbs. and very eager to feed. The Bonefish have been equally as good, most in the 7 to 11lb. range, most of the schools are 12-20fish thick. On our Monster Shark Challenge, the Sharks are absolutely on fire. We target them in the shallows, 3-4 feet deep where you see the shark take the bait and watch the whole fight right before your eyes! At times we are losing count with more 40 sharks around the boat at the same time. Most are Lemons and Bulls, all 5 to 7 feet in length. We use light spinning and conventional gear, making for nice long runs in the skinny water, an absolute blast.

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 1-877- 290-4413 or visit my website:

www.keywestproguides.com or www.tailchasercharters.net

Tight lines,

Capt. Paul Tryon