Yearly Archives: 2011

Key West Pro Guides geared up for Spectacular Fall Fishing!

As summer fades away our elite team of the islands best guides are readying for the tremendous fall season fishing heading our way. As the water temperatures cool and currents become favorable, many of the most prized pelagic species of the year have arrived in our offshore waters. Sport fish in abundance are returning to the shallows of our amazing backcountry and on to the flats where the action is exploding! This is a time of incomparable, light tackle angling in the preeminent sport-fishing destination on the planet, Key West.

October, November & December represent just 90 days on the calendar, but for the angler, provides unsurpassed action in the tropical waters off Key West. As this fleeting window opens, it’s time to head south and hook up with the islands finest, Key West Pro Guides! Awaiting the adventurous light tackle enthusiast…

Offshore:
The past few weeks have been improving dramatically in the blue water. We are seeing schools of Black Fin Tuna and increasing numbers of Sailfish and Mackerel with each week that goes by. With each approaching weather front, the population swells with the true speed merchants of the deep. Wahoo, Black Fin Tuna and the astonishing Kingfish join Sailfish on the reef edge in constant pursuit of the plentiful Ballyhoo we have in the fall. Using live baiting techniques like slow trolling live Speedos for the Wahoo, drifting and kite fishing Threadfin and Goggle eyes for the Sailfish, Kingfish and Black Fin Tuna are by far the most productive way to target these awesome fish. “Smoker Kings” will be aggressively hunting in wolf packs, ready to wage war. This is a “bucket list” species for every serious offshore angler.

Wrecks and Reefs:
In the Deep…. Amberjack, Almacos, Bonito, Kings, Muttons, Grouper and even a few Tuna continue to be a consistent catch on the deep wrecks. There are lots of HUGE lemon and bull sharks on these wrecks, not only making landing some of the bigger fish a fun challenge, but a great fight should you want to tangle with one of them. The currents have been light, making deep dropping for the Grouper and Mutton Snapper a great experience. The deeper wrecks and reefs will only get better with our annual influx of Cobia, both on the sharks and those that are searching for our warmer waters.

In the Shallows………. Both the Gulf and Atlantic wrecks are rapidly heating up. In the Gulf we have already been seeing large schools of Cobia, one hitting the dock at 42lbs. a few days ago. The resident Permit are still holding good numbers and are easily taken with live crabs. Capt. Ryon Logan recently landed one weighting in at 38lbs.! Our resident Jewfish population is just crazy. While fishing for Permit last week, Capt. John Jackson landed one the topped 300+lbs.! When setting up for the bottom bite, we have had Mangrove Snappers to 5 lbs. plenty of keeper Gag and Red Grouper as well as some decent Cero and King Mackerel. In the Atlantic, the patch reefs and shallow wrecks have been very strong. Lots of Ceros, Yellowtail, Mangroves, Red, Gag and Black Groupers. Live bait chumming with Pilchards have been very productive. The main reef has been great on the Yellowtail and Mutton bite. The current has been light, water color a little dirty, perfect for a nice steady bite. The tails have been a nice size, 1.5 to 3 lb. average.

With each passing weather front the action on the reefs & wrecks will accelerate without equal. It is happening right now, do not miss out on reef & wreck fishing at its finest in Key West with the most productive guides on the water, Key West Pro Guides.

Sharks:
Nothing in salt water can conjure up raw emotion like sharks. Terrifying to some, awe-inspiring to others, sharks bring light tackle angling to a different battleground in Key West. These past few weeks, our BackCountry guides have been going head to head with these behemoth sharks in shallow water! Capt. John Jackson ended a ˝ day trip with 11 to the boat, hooking up with more than 16 fish. This is high-energy adrenalin pumping action friends. The cooler water temperatures will continue to bring in colossal Black Tip, Spinner, Lemon and the awesome…Bull Shark into the crystal clear shallows where you square off with these magnificent fish. Armed with light gear, putting the angler to the ultimate test, these monsters striking right at the boat, will imprint indelible images you will remember for a lifetime. Most trips are met with more than 2 dozen of these thrilling fish around the boat at the same time. Are you man enough to go “full on” with the Emperor of the shallows?

Our Key West Pro Guides team reports for the Back Country:
The breath taking beauty of our distant back-country is surpassed in the fall only by the perfect weather and fantastic fishing. Red fish work the isolated mangrove island shorelines while abundant schools of larger Mangrove Snapper search for sanctuary on the shallow wrecks. We have been catching nice, slot size Red fish the past month with the cooler water temps. We have been seeing nice tight schools of Permit on the channel edges and shallow breaks. The brilliant flash of the Permit gives away their presence on the remote areas of structure. Smaller Tarpon to about 50lbs. Have been caught in the basins and a few on the harbor edges. The Barracuda are abundant over the darker grass flats and along any structure, Sharks are as good as it gets with more coming south with the cooler waters up north. In the grassy-bottomed bays and the basins, schooling Pompano and Sea trout are gathering for superb non-stop action. Fall is the time for “Gator” sized Trout and fish by the millions!

The back-country is the perfect venue for the seasoned pro to family-fun outings. Always calm, protected, mirror like waters ensure a most comfortable time for all. Non-technical by nature the sole of back-country fishing is about fast paced and steady action all day. Even the most novice angler will experience complete success catching fish after fish on light tackle. The bountiful marine life, sea birds, flora and fauna alone makes this memorable experience to be shared. Explore this mystical place with your friends at Key West Pro Guides in the fall…the experience is beyond compare.

So friends, this is the time to book your trip of a lifetime. Some of the very best action of the year awaits you over the next few weeks and months here in Key West. Come fish with the largest and best-equipped charter operation ever on the island. Your satisfaction is always our number 1 goal.

For additional information or to reserve your trip with Key West Pro Guides contact us today at 1-(877) 290-4413 or (305) 509-4140 cellular/anytime or by visiting www.keywestproguides.com

We look forward to your call or contact soon so we may fish the incredible fall time frame together here on our little island home…”Key West in the fall… the weathers perfect, the natives are friendly and the fishing is excellent!”

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,

Captain Paul [email protected]
Captain Roc [email protected]

The weathers perfect, the natives are friendly and the fishing is excellent…welcome to Key West.

Things are settling into our predictable summer fishing patterns of late. This is a time of light winds, blue bird skies, calm seas and banner days with several species both inshore and offshore. Fishing has been consistent and the action fast paced and steady most days recently. As the water temperatures continue to rise early take off’s and the morning bite dominates in the shallows. As for offshore, fish are moving steadily deeper looking for the cooler temperatures and higher oxygen levels. Here’s what the Key West Pro Guides team report….

Offshore:
The Dolphin schoolies are plentiful but scattered of late in the 200 to 300 ft range. The larger Bull & Cow Dolphins to 35 pounds however, are much deeper some reported as far offshore as 2000′. Sailfishing has been good with the best bite near the reef’s deeper edges. Marlin action is on the rise…Blue’s are showing up and a number of White’s have been seen and hooked up in the shallower depths traveling with schools of Bonitos. July typically brings good Wahoo action with the Black Fin Tuna bite waning now. Giant Barracudas have been very plentiful as always and willing to battle.

Wrecks and Reefs:
The deeper reef locations are producing exceptional Mutton Snapper and Grouper action. Shallower reef and wreck sites have been fishing a bit slower due to a lack of current last week but are improving over the past few days. The Kingfish and Bonita catch has been the exception on the shallower fishing grounds. Yellowtail Snapper continue to fill the fish boxes and dinner plates with some of the Flags hitting 5 to 6 pounds! The Mangrove snapper spawn is gearing up. Any of the shallow reefs and wrecks provide consistent action on these great eating fish. Averaging close to 6 lbs. they readily eat and small live bait dropped their way.

Key West Harbor Tarpon:
The action has been awesome! The best bite has been on the incoming tide when the Tarpon school up on the edges of the main ship channel. Any live bait tossed their way is getting quickly devoured! Our average fish has been 50-140lbs. Most of us are averaging 3-4 out of 5-7 to the boat each trip! These fish are hungry and easily blow up on any bait thrown their way, live or artificial.

Our Key West Pro Guides team reports for the Back Country:
Tarpon! Tarpon! Tarpon! Key West remains the very best place on the planet to pursue Tarpon in the shallow, protected waters of our back country. With the water temperatures rising in the shallows the first light and early bite is the most productive. As the sun gets higher the Tarpon action will slack off. So, plan to target the Silver Kings first then move onto the several other quality species of the back country. Key West Pro Guide Captain Jackson reports boating several nice Tarpon this week up to 140 pounds with a behemoth estimated at 180 pounds plus! Live baiting for these brutes has been deadly. Live Pinfish, Crabs and Threadfin are all Tarpon candy! The Permit are coming back in from their annual spawn and are hungry. Lots of the shallow wrecks and reefs are holding decent sized schools, many to 25lbs. The Mangrove snapper bite along the mangroves has been very good. Many average in the 2-3lb. range, they are getting ready for their annual spawn and easily take any small live bait or plug. All in all, the back country is in great shape providing some fantastic days of fast paced action. Fly fishers are enjoy great conditions and lots of action as well.

Shark:
Fishing remains as good as it gets! Not for the faint of heart…Captain Chuck reports Bulls, Lemons and Black Tips from 75 pounds to 300 pounds plus, are ready to go head to head with the light tackle angler in the shallows. Capt. Paul lost count with more than 22 Lemons, Black tips and a nice bull shark around his boat on Tuesday!! The three hour excursion yielded 17 sharks to the both with a father and son team pouring it on them. This is truly awesome action not to be missed…

Flats:
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.

So, now’s the time to book your trip for some of the years best action over the next few weeks and months here in Key West. with the island’s top pro’s…Key West Pro Guides.

This is Captain Paul Tryon, Come experience what World Class light tackle angling is all about. 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