Both these methods require special equipment and heavy tackle because the baits need to be moving fast. What was most impressive was that this was in early September. Yellowtail snapper, mutton snapper, grouper and more.4,6 and 8 hour trips are available daily.. Food. In Florida, wahoo are probably ranked just below marlin on anglers’ “what I would love to catch offshore” list. RT Trosset has a collection of chunk flies that he uses in Bermuda and he is itching to catch a wahoo on fly in Key West. Grab a drink with us on your way to the Sunset Celebration, and then stop in for dinner on your walk back to Duval! Flats Fishing Species. They are home to gamefish like the permit, bonefish, tarpon as well as many others like barracudas, sharks and jacks. Nothing like a 50-pound wahoo to brighten up your summer day. These are the best places for budget-friendly fishing charters & tours in Key West: Laid Back Key West; Fun In The Sun Key West; Cowboy Cowgirl Sportfishing Charters; Spear It Charters; Fishy Business Charters; See more budget-friendly fishing charters & tours in Key West on Tripadvisor Key West and the lower Keys are surrounded by some of the best flats in the world. From humble beginnings over 20 years ago, Seven Fish has earned its place as a Key West … Types of Key West Fishing No other location on the planet offers as many options for sport fishing. Mangrove Snapper Mangrove snappers (other names: gray snapper, mangos, grovers) are probably one of the most prevalent Key West fish species in the backcountry waters. Red Fish Blue Fish is a hidden gem tucked away next to Key West's famous Mallory Square. They do in fact live up in the mangroves, as well as grass ledges, channels, and around structure in the shallows. Key West’s flats and mangroves are full of fly fishing favorites like Bonefish, Tarpon, and Permit. Both had blackfin tuna in their stomachs. Read More, Our Key West light tackle fishing charter provides you unforgettable memories while fishing for the other species of sport fish and flats.... Read More. First of all, this is a prized catch and no one wants to keep it in the water while I snap some photos. Text 1-786-847-3808 Voice 1 … Several times the run only lasted seconds before we were cut off, but by the end of the day we had boated two nice wahoo in the 30-pound range. I seem to get these reports only at times when I’m stuck doing something and can’t get down there the next morning. Fishing Key West is your best most experienced resource for flats, deep sea, reef and backcountry fishing charters since 1994. State License Fla. Wahoo seem to appear in waves for several days, then disappear for a week or more. We had a few cut-offs, caught some barracuda, but eventually started catching a few blackfin tuna in the 5-pound range. Hello , my name is Steve. Most of the wahoo plugs are huge and are used with heavy tackle and braided wire leaders. They can be trolled at high speeds, dive to almost 40 feet and can catch most anything that swims. With all their thrashing around on the deck, they can inflict some serious wounds if those jaws ever hit flesh. A short section of wire is always a good plan, but it can’t be too light or too long… those plugs are expensive so using straight mono has its downside. Call us 305-292-7212. FS, Published Florida Sportsman Magazine December/January 2021, © 2020 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Winter brings an excellent run of wahoo to Florida’s southernmost fishing grounds. Summertime Backcountry Fishing. Robert “RT” Trosset standing far right. Wahoo are at the very top of everyone’s highlight list for fly fishing and there’s no reason that they can’t be caught in Key West on a fly. It’s rarely windy and seas are mostly calm, so it is easy to get out for some of the best fishing of the year as the Sailfish come in and action on the reef picks up with the bait … We’ve racked up the local knowledge to make this fishing experience one you can’t forget! Many Key West fishing charters go out to what’s called the “patch reefs” to catch an assortment of snappers, groupers, and porgies. Well, the southernmost tip of the US is overflowing with Tarpon, Permit, and Bonefish – the holy grail of Key West inshore fishing. All of these fish are available in the calm clear water that the flats have to offer. Local freedivers simply drift the edge of the reef, hoping to swim into a school. (Priced by the pound) Imagine Sailfish, Dolphin, Black fin Tuna, Wahoo, Kingfish, Grouper, Yellowtail & Mutton Snapper, Cobia, Amberjacks, Goliath Grouper and many more outstanding species waiting to battle with you! The great wahoo fishing is always hit or miss event, but targeting them in the winter is pretty reliable around either a full or new moon. Anglers can chose to fish the flats u to 2 persons on our flats fishing skiff or use a bay boat for up to 4 persons to challenge themselves in the shallows. Almaco Jack. As the temperatures drop up north and the baitfish migrate south, the numbers of wahoo off southern Florida increase dramatically. test Key West Web Design | Things To Do In Key West | Things To Do In Key West But the best place in Florida to target numbers is most definitely Key West! Tucked away in Safe Harbor, Stock Island, the Hogfish Bar and Grill is a true “locals” spot that avoids the pretension and hype of more touristy areas.The freshest seafood straight from the boats to your plate... Panoranic waterfront views and outdoor dining, fresh local seafood. Come with me as I take you on some of my kayak fishing trips. It also helps if you have calm waters—a brisk wind seems to put them down. Captain Patrick Cline and his freediving buddies speared seven one day. He’s also found that heavy mono gets a lot more strikes than wire, but has to admit that he gets cut off a lot. The food truck is the kitchen and giant umbrellas keep … You expect action and we provide it for you! Hunter uses #6 and #8 planers and trolls a bonito strip behind a sea witch with 9/0 hooks. Wahoo tend to stay deep so getting down to their level is very important. Anglers troll with downriggers and planers, drift live baits, or chum with live pilchards or bonito chunks. RT usually checks with the commercial yellowtail fishermen to find the most active spots, but even that scheme isn’t foolproof. The plan is to anchor up at the end of the bar (an elongated, isolated section of the outer reef southwest of Key West) or on a wreck and live chum the pilchards for blackfin tuna and anything else that might swim by their floating buffet. Captain Chris Trosset caught six one day between 40 and 70 pounds. These are the sight fishing species we chase on the flats. RT prefers to use lighter tackle, so his favorites are the Mag Bay Desperado and the purple Rapala X-Rap Magnum 40. Some more options wahoo will find sufficient. Key West is home to the third largest barrier reef in the world and the largest in North America. The wahoo don’t seem to have a problem coming to the surface for a live speedo, but that might have a lot to do with the cooler water temps in the winter and the abundance of baitfish. If we’re moving from one spot to another, it never hurts to try to dredge up a wahoo. I’ll never forget it. ST39306. Simple. This lit up wahoo couldn’t resist a lipped-diver. Get the Top Stories from Florida Sportsman Delivered to Your Inbox Every Week. Located right between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean, you can head out of the dock in any direction and you’re sure to hook into massive big game fish—and lots of them. Book Your Trip Charter fishing the Key West and Florida Keys on half or full day charters; Shark Fishing; Bottom Fishing; Dry Tortugas; Night Fishing; Reef Fishing; Blue Water Fishing. I’d really never used planers before and learned a lot that day. All Rights Reserved, Entering your valid email address signifies you wish to receive our newsletter and have read the, Florida Sportsman Launches Action Spotter Podcast. It never hurts to try this technique. At Fish Key West, you can browse through an extensive collection of Key West Sport Fishing Information, learn about Key West waters and the legendary Key West fishing action, then conveniently book Key West charter fishing trips online. This trip is the true Key West experience. Captain RT Trosset’s favorite live bait for wahoo is a “speedo”—actually a red tailed scad—which he catches by chumming in open water. The bite’s best at night, but you can catch … We’ve seen kingfish, bonito, tuna, jacks, mahi, sailfish and even wahoo suddenly appear in the chum, so we always have a rod rigged with a wire leader and some chunks ready to go. Speeds of 8 to as much as 18 mph will do the trick, depending on the lure and the day. We will even cook your own fresh catch fish upon request! BLOG; RATES; VIDEO CLIPS; PHOTOS; GUESTBOOK; LINKS; FAQs; Custom Charters; Shark Fishing; Blue Water Fishing … I caught my first wahoo off Key West trolling for mahi in the summer of 1971, when I was a complete novice. Join us for our fresh, local seafood and friendly service in a relaxed island atmosphere. However, photographing wahoo is not all that simple. Light tackle spin fishing or fly fishing your choice. Bonito belly strip with skirt is a charterboat classic that catches a lot of wahoo. Fish Key West Florida utilizes a variety of different methods of fishing, depending on the time of year, the sea conditions, water and air temperature, currents and other factors. Remember to check out our Key West fishing Seasons guide to see what the fish are doing while you are here in Key West. Trolls at 8 mph and never stops the boat and gobble up after! Then disappear for a summer wahoo globally distributed species favoring deep, warm ocean waters, wahoo are probably just... 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