Fishing has not been easy of late. We’ve had a warm winter resulting in very few Sailfish and Blackfin Tuna. Additionally, live bait has been very scarce. Inspite of these difficulties we are still catching plenty of fish. Here are just a few of our catches from the last 10 days.
200 pound Bull Shark
If you weren’t out fishing with us during the last week, here is a look at what you missed.
King Mackerel, Little Tunny, Mutton Snapper, Yellowtail Snapper, Blackfin Tuna, Black Grouper
and a variety of Shark species
We have been experiencing excellent King fish action over the last 10 days or so. The arrival of the Kings always seems to coincide with Christmas. Large numbers of Kings should remain in our area on through the winter with a peak in February. Pictured is Coach Mike Clark and members of the Merry Mount College swim team with the results of 
a morning half day trip. The largest “smoker King” weighed 36 lbs and was caught on 15 pound spinning tackle.
We have had enough cold fronts and wind from the N.E. to really spark up the fishing 
action. The Sailfishing is getting very consistent- we’ve been catching them virtually 
every day. Blackfin Tuna are also showing up in pretty good numbers. There was a Wahoo bite on the full moon; quality fish in the 40-60 pound range. Also more and more larger King Mackerel. Mix in Mutton Snapper, Black Grouper, Amberjacks and lingering Dolphin for tremendous variety.
Over the last several weeks a succession of cold fronts has brought lots of blustery 
weather to the Key West area. Inspite of windy conditions the reef fishing has been very productive. Black Grouper, Yellowtail & Mutton Snapper along with Cero, Tunny and King Mackerel are all being caught with regularity. Many of our clients have been skeptical at the beginning of the day about sea conditions only to find that not only does the SOUTHPAW offers a stable fishing platform, but that the reef is alive with fishing 
action. Les Gregg, his wife Beverly and son Brian display a mixed bag of Dolphin, Black Grouper and Snapper, While Gracie Wilkinson who was celebrating her 16th birthday shows off a Tunny and a good eating Yellowtail.
First time client John Wilber along with his son and friends had a great day on Friday October 28th. The day began with plenty of action from late season Dolphin along a weedline and color change in 250′ of water. Most of the fish were in the 10 to 12 pound range. In the afternoon we worked a strong color change right in front of Sand Key Light in depths from 170′ to 190′ and caught 5 Sailfish including a triple header. We saw a total of 9 Sails in two hours and had bites from 7. These Sails are the typical small fall fish we see every year, average weight about 20 pounds. What they lack in size they more than 
makeup for in aggression- often attacking the baits in groups of 3 or more.
The SOUTHPAW is back in the water after getting refurbished in the boat yard. Projects 
included fresh bottom paint and zincs, new cushions where needed, new paint below decks, 
fresh wax on the hull, and the installation of a new Simrad chart/depth machine. All in all the boat is looking better than ever. We continue to be Key West’s best Charter Boat! On the fishing front, late season Dolphin and early season Sailfish are here. For those with a taste for Snapper, the Yellowtail are also biting well. The included pictures are from a recent Tuna trip to Nova Scotia- 34 giant Bluefins caught in 10 days of fishing.
For those who regularly read my fishing reports, you might recall that back in May I complained that Dolphin fishing had not lived up to expectations during what is usually 
peak season. With the benefit of hindsight I can now say that the season was simply later than usual this year. We have enjoyed outstanding Dolphin fishing throughout July and it continues into August. We have also caught another Blue Marlin of approximately 250 
pounds.
Steady fishing, with a combination of Dolphin, Bottom fish and an occasional Billfish have 
kept our anglers satisfied over the last month. Pictured are some recent catches including 
Sailfish, a Blue Marlin, various species of bottom fish and the ever present Dolphin