Key West Fishing 04-27-16

On Tuesday, I headed out to the Gulf Stream to take a charter out for some deep sea fishing. We arrived at the color change in approximately one hundred and twenty feet of water. Using live bait (Cigar Minnows and Threadfin Herring), my clients nabbed a nice selection of different species. In addition to nabbing a Bonito, a Sailfish and a Blackfin Tuna, my anglers caught two nice Mahi Mahi (also called Dolphin or Dorado); the Mahi Mahi catch is a sign that the season for these great-tasting fish has finally arrived in the Keys. They managed to hook both a male and a female by casting light tackle set-ups; the bull weighed 32 lbs. while the cow weighed 20 lbs.

Today was my first trip to Permit Reef, a modest conglomeration of rocks piled in about 52 feet of water. This reef draws a mass of Permit, a feisty silver-sided fish, who spawn at this site every spring. My group simply cast into the wriggling mass of Permit using live green peelers on spinning rods and pulled seven Permit off the reef.

I'm guiding another shrimp boat charter in the Gulf on Wednesday. We're going to cast for the Blackfin Tuna that trail these trawlers looking for bycatch.

We look forward to seeing you in Key West,

Captain Damon Santelli