Key West Fishing Reports
By Capt. Steven Lamp.
Professional Veteran Fishing Guide of Key West Florida.
Key West Inshore Fishing Report for Oct - Nov 07
Capt. Steven Lamp
The calendar says October however the mercury is thinking it must be August. Here in the lower Florida Keys and Key West we are definitely still in our summer patterns. The inshore fishing has been everything that one would expect for the late summer and early fall with larger bonefish and permit lurking the flats with the extra bonus of a much later than usual tarpon season. As of writing this report we are still catching sizable tarpon in Key West daily.
Key West comes alive in the fall with the hard core visitors that truly love Key West for its culture. With room rates down (except during Fantasy Fest) and the weather traditionally starting to cool things off a bit, Key West as a destination is an awesome place to visit this time of year. Seems like every weekend there is some sort of party brewing making the night life fun and enjoyable. As locals we are all breathing another sigh of relief for our hurricane season being as uneventful as it has. To learn more about Key West and the events check out http://www.gotothekeys.com/ to see what is going on.
The fishing forecast at this point is anyone’s guess. Traditionally things start to cool off and that means lots of fishing action right through November.
The cooling scenario drops our water temps a bit and really changes things up. More species come to Key West looking to get their fill on baitfish and shrimp. The mullet muds inshore will start to increase as the temps get cooler and there you will find an ample supply of trout, reds, pompano, bluefish, spanish mackerel and of course the high flying lady fish. This does not mean the flats are void of our big three. The bonefish will seek a bit deeper water and come on the flats in the top of the warm days to feed on the higher tides. The permit generally will not be affected, in fact Late October and November permit fishing is really incredible. The tarpon will start a fluctuation of warm versus cold. After a good cold front in November don’t discount the nice South Easterly that follows a few days later for some hard core tarpon action as they come in out of the gulf to feed, some of these fish are huge.
Offshore things change as well. With increasing northerly winds our offshore captains can taste the sailfish. Here again don’t discount the South Easterly’s for some large dolphin and other migratory species lurking around under the birds. On the reef one can expect the black fin tunas to come on for the traditional Feed Fest over the deeper wrecks and humps along with an ample supply of our smaller kingfish population. On the bottom expect the grouper and snappers fishing to get better as the cooler waters come. The late fall can be windy but the fish get closer to shore making for shorter runs for the fun. That’s a good thing these days with the price of fuel.
Planning a trip to the Keys bringing a boat or not the fishing is incredible this time of the year. Hiring a guide is a great way to go as it certainly lowers the learning curve and in the long run saves you time and money on your well deserved fishing vacation. Feel free to contact us at Dream Catcher Charters, we will be delighted to offer you our professional fishing guide service or share some local knowledge to help you find your way here in Key West. Check us out on the web at http://www.chartersofkeywest.com/.
While your hear in the Florida Keys be sure to listen to AM WFFG 1300 for My fishing show called “Live the Dream” fishing in the Florida Keys every Wednesday at 5 pm and don’t forget to also check out Fish Monsters Radio with your host Capt. Scott Hopp and his cast of characters from 7am-10am on Saturday mornings for the weeks fishing wrap up and forecast.
The calendar says October however the mercury is thinking it must be August. Here in the lower Florida Keys and Key West we are definitely still in our summer patterns. The inshore fishing has been everything that one would expect for the late summer and early fall with larger bonefish and permit lurking the flats with the extra bonus of a much later than usual tarpon season. As of writing this report we are still catching sizable tarpon in Key West daily.
Key West comes alive in the fall with the hard core visitors that truly love Key West for its culture. With room rates down (except during Fantasy Fest) and the weather traditionally starting to cool things off a bit, Key West as a destination is an awesome place to visit this time of year. Seems like every weekend there is some sort of party brewing making the night life fun and enjoyable. As locals we are all breathing another sigh of relief for our hurricane season being as uneventful as it has. To learn more about Key West and the events check out http://www.gotothekeys.com/ to see what is going on.
The fishing forecast at this point is anyone’s guess. Traditionally things start to cool off and that means lots of fishing action right through November.
The cooling scenario drops our water temps a bit and really changes things up. More species come to Key West looking to get their fill on baitfish and shrimp. The mullet muds inshore will start to increase as the temps get cooler and there you will find an ample supply of trout, reds, pompano, bluefish, spanish mackerel and of course the high flying lady fish. This does not mean the flats are void of our big three. The bonefish will seek a bit deeper water and come on the flats in the top of the warm days to feed on the higher tides. The permit generally will not be affected, in fact Late October and November permit fishing is really incredible. The tarpon will start a fluctuation of warm versus cold. After a good cold front in November don’t discount the nice South Easterly that follows a few days later for some hard core tarpon action as they come in out of the gulf to feed, some of these fish are huge.
Offshore things change as well. With increasing northerly winds our offshore captains can taste the sailfish. Here again don’t discount the South Easterly’s for some large dolphin and other migratory species lurking around under the birds. On the reef one can expect the black fin tunas to come on for the traditional Feed Fest over the deeper wrecks and humps along with an ample supply of our smaller kingfish population. On the bottom expect the grouper and snappers fishing to get better as the cooler waters come. The late fall can be windy but the fish get closer to shore making for shorter runs for the fun. That’s a good thing these days with the price of fuel.
Planning a trip to the Keys bringing a boat or not the fishing is incredible this time of the year. Hiring a guide is a great way to go as it certainly lowers the learning curve and in the long run saves you time and money on your well deserved fishing vacation. Feel free to contact us at Dream Catcher Charters, we will be delighted to offer you our professional fishing guide service or share some local knowledge to help you find your way here in Key West. Check us out on the web at http://www.chartersofkeywest.com/.
While your hear in the Florida Keys be sure to listen to AM WFFG 1300 for My fishing show called “Live the Dream” fishing in the Florida Keys every Wednesday at 5 pm and don’t forget to also check out Fish Monsters Radio with your host Capt. Scott Hopp and his cast of characters from 7am-10am on Saturday mornings for the weeks fishing wrap up and forecast.
Sincerely,
Capt. Steven P. Lamp
Office 1-888-362-3474
Cellular 1-305-304-0497
President Dream Catcher Charters
Fishing Guide for Flats, Back Country, Wreck and Reef Fishing.
