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Our Key West Fishing is Fantastic in June!
Deep Sea/Offshore:
Our offshore fishing has exploded since the recent unseasonably windy conditions have passed. The winds of May behind us, with more typical June weather days the offshore bite can be spectacular. The iconic Sailfish bite continues but is waning for later June! Mahi action swings into high gear during June & July and is now the angler’s bread & butter species. Mahi (Dolphin fish-Dorado) are plentiful, schooling fish that provide excellent action at a blistering pace. High leapers when hooked up, beautiful colored fish that also are a favorite for many on the dinner plate. When the Mahi are biting as they are in June, our offshore waters get busy. Wahoo arrive and the serious anglers are on the water everyday pursuing this renowned sport fish. Known for vicious strikes slamming baits, Wahoo are super-fast swimmers that make long runs providing exciting battles few species can equal. Black Fin Tuna continue to be on a tear but will be slowing as we get well into June. There are few species of pelagic fish capable of the total chaos when a school of big Black Fin or Mahi show up.
The predators remain aggressive with June being an awesome month for large Barracuda. We have moved into an exciting period for offshore angling however, we always believe a 1/2 day charter still has some challenges with ever changing travel times between marina and fishing grounds. Best bet book at least the 3/4 day (six hour trip) especially if you are a party of three or four or more.
Light Tackle/Reef & Wreck:
Our gentle June winds are typically light and refreshing, very welcome after the stiff breezes of May. Gone are the gusty days of April and May with them the rougher sea conditions. This is a much calmer time for the angler with concerns about rough sea conditions to head out to the nearer shore wreck sites as well. Grouper season is open to harvest so time to enjoy one of the best table fare species in salt water. The Snapper family continues to produce. The larger Mutton Snapper will continue to provide some exceptional days on the reef as they play out their spawning rituals now. Mutton spawn on or near the full moon (check out our Specialty Mutton Spawn Charters). Yellow Tails Snapper and cousin the Mangrove Snapper are plentiful and tasty nowadays and become the stars joining the Mutton and Grouper on the reef for table fare species to target! Our elusive Permit is always challenging but June & July is a peak action time for these prized sport fish. Cobia remain in numbers and provide action but are now out of the “excellent” range let’s say more the “good range”. Spanish and Cero Mackerel remain in the “good” range and can be counted on for fun with lighter tackle. The predator action with Barracuda and Sharks continues to be crazy good.
No more than 4 passengers recommended for the ultimate fishing experience-maximum 6 passengers per vessel. 6 passenger vessels are limited availability, and it is understood when larger groups are aboard it may affect the experience. Remember light tackle boats operate without a deck-mate. Regardless of experience, talent or effort, one pair of hands may assist only so many anglers in a timely manner. We do have six passenger licensed vessels in our fleet with guides willing to accommodate these larger parties. Rarely do conditions allow for more than four anglers to be fishing simultaneously.
Back Country:
Always a fun and productive trip, the Back Country this time of year remains an excellent time for fast paced action while targeting a very wide variety of species. Anglers will appreciate our calm, crystal clear waters now filled with behemoth Tarpon. The overall population of Tarpon in the back country has reached epic proportions. Plus, several additional sport fish species, edible fish, and predators are in the near shore shallows now to target. The numerous schooling species will continue to provide non-stop action most days. Just a few of the schooling species remaining in our bays now are the ever-present brutish Jack Crevalle’s, Yellow Jacks, Lady Fish, Blue Runners, Grunts, Porgies…the list is nearly endless again in June that keeps the younger anglers happy with the super-fast bite of schooling fish. A perfect trip for the hard-core light tackle angler to the novice angler or the family.
Tarpon action is epic. The population of Tarpon in Key West is prolific. These behemoth sport fish are on every saltwater angler’s “bucket list” and rightfully so. Key West now offers the angler a high level of success to landing possibly the largest fish of a lifetime. The sunset Tarpon feeding activity is stellar therefore so are our Sunset Tarpon trips. These trips are spectacular when conditions (primarily the tides) are optimal.
The 4-, 5-, or 6-hour trips continue to produce well as the afternoon water temperatures are still far from high so the later part of the day with good tides can be awesome. Good Cobia fishing continues and can produce some quality fish and action in the back country. Mangrove and Yellow Tail Snapper fishing continues to be very good in the back country in June. For serious “table fare” harvest we certainly recommend the reef & wreck trips now but to include a few “keeper” fish for lunch or dinner will not be a problem in our shallows. The predator fishing continues. Giant Barracuda and several species of Sharks in the shallows are on the hit list. Our Monster Shark charters are awesome and continually produce multiple larger sharks even on the 4 or 5 hour trips. Remember where you find large Tarpon schools you find feeding sharks. June is peak predator time especially in the Marquesas so anglers can count on these aggressive species to be ready to go “head-to-head”. We “highly recommend” a back country charter this time of year and especially for those guests looking for a shorter than full day trip in calmer waters.
June is a spectacular time frame to make the 28-mile run to the west to fish the fabled Marquesas Atoll. The schools of Tarpon are being targeted by the apex predator sharks. Giant Barracuda can be counted on for memorable days in the atoll during June. You may refer to our very concise “Marquesas” page on www.keywestproguides.com web site for more information.
Notable:
This is a time of stable water temperatures and low winds so fishing conditions in general have settled. We still recommend fishing morning trips if going shallow as they remain the most productive over the later afternoon hours for the serious angler but again the afternoon trips are good. The PM half day trips have improved and can be quite enjoyable especially for those people just looking to stay in calm waters and enjoy a fun few hours catching fish but we do recommend the back country for the afternoon verses the flats. Reef trips in the afternoon fishing slightly deeper waters along with the patch reefs can be very good trips for later in the day departure times. Offshore anglers can fish full day trips comfortably now taking advantage of our well established weed lines. Sharks are plentiful and active. Pursuing these heavy weight monsters on light tackle is challenging to say the least and talk about something you cannot do at home!
Let’s go Fishing!
Call Key West Pro Guides today to book your charter 866 259 4205 daily 8 AM to 9 PM. Remember 2-4 weeks in advance is recommended for peak fishing season dates December through June. June is a busy month on our fishing calendar! Our legendary guide team is always in high demand. We look forward to your call!