We left the dock around 6:30pm  just in time to see the sun dip below the horizon and headed out to the Vandenberg, a man made shipwreck in 200 feet of water. We left wreck after about an hour and hooking a couple of Barracudas to use as shark bait. We then headed to the reef to chum up some sharks. While chumming we created a nice Yellowtail and Mangrove Snapper bite as an added bonus and dinner for when we got back to the marina. Then it was time for the sharks, although we didn’t hook a monster, we did catch and release several nice reef sharks and amazingly caught a Huge Moray Eel that bit on our live bait bottom rig.  Another successful and fun Key West Sunset Shark & Tarpon Trip!

After working the wrecks we decided to head to the reef to catch some dinner. Following the same pattern we did on the wrecks, we anchored up and put out the live chum. It took all but fifteen minutes until a giant school of Yellowtail Snapper showed up behind the boat, and they were hungry! The bite was great and we ended up catching 30+ Large Yellowtail and a nice Black Grouper witch was not only one heck of a fight, but a delicious treat!

I was scheduled to do a ½ day Tarpon trip out front of Key West, but after telling my clients about the fishing action at the Gulf of Mexico Towers on the 25th they quickly changed there mind about Tarpon fishing and decided to book a full day at the towers. With the weather still great we headed out of Key West and got there in no time. Same situation as the day before we pulled up to the towers and saw fish all over. I knew right then and there we were in for another great day of fishing…. We anchored up put the chum bag out and before we knew it a river of Yellowtail Snapper behind the boat eating the chum, unlike the day before we had an added bonus, we could see giant Gray Snapper also known as Mangrove Snapper mixed in with the Yellowtail.

As were catching snapper non-stop the predators stared to show up. I set up my customer with a rod and some wire leader, rigged up live bait on he casted it out to see what would hit it… BOOM a 5ft Barracuda sky rocketed out of the water and slammed the bait. We also hooked up with some big Amber Jacks and a nice Kingfish. For the second day in a row we limited on Snapper, witch is not easy to do and wore out our arms and back on big predators.

All in all, my charter clients ate great for the next few nights and experienced Key West Fishing at its best!

After a great day of Key West Sailfishing on the 23rd and the weather cooperating once again, I knew we had the potential of another epic day. We set out from Key West at first light and went right to our key bait spots and filled the boat with Goggle Eyes… Any time we can get great weather and a boat full of Goggle Eyes its GAME ON!

After loading the boat with bait we headed out to my favorite fishing location in the world, the Dry Tortugas. On the way to the Dry Tortugas we stopped at one of our deep water Mutton Snapper spots that has been producing over the past few days to see if we could start to fill the box. The spot yielded some nice Scamp Grouper and Red Grouper and as we were finishing up reeling in these fish one of the camera guys yelled “Hey what’s that on the surface behind the boat?” I looked while I had a fish on the line “OH MY, BIG MAHI”!!!!

With the fish still on I put my rod in the rod holder, opened the live well and baited a rod, pitched the bait out front of the big Mahi and BANG! The fish slammed the bait went and jumped completly out of the water, FISH ON! At the same time I yelled to Jimmy Nelson With Extreme Fishing Adventures to pitch a bait in the same area and on que same result. Two huge Mahi’s on the line and the fights were on. Both fish put on great displays of athletisism and strength. We must of fought these fish close to 45 before my fish started coming to the boat into gaffing range I was able to gaff my giant as I was fighting it, but I was so tired I could barley lift it into the boat. The Mahi wouldn’t leave the boat, I turned around casted another bait and hooked another big Mahi put the pole in the rod holder then gaffed jimmy’s fish…. Wow that’s was awesome!!!!! Way to start off the fishing show!!! We hadn’t even arrived at the Dry Tortugas and we had a 50lb, (2) 30lb Mahi’s and some nice grouper already on ice!

Once we arrived at the Tortugas the fishing didn’t slow down at all. The Snapper bite was amazing, we were catching huge Yellowtail Snapper, Gag Grouper and Black Grouper. After a day of non stop catching fish I took the guys to Fort Jefferson at Dry Tortugas National Park to experience the history and beauty of the park.

About Fishing the Dry Tortugas

The first European to discover the islands was Spanish explorer Ponce de León. He gave them the name on his first visit in 1513. The name is the second oldest surviving European place-name in the U.S. They were given the name Las Tortugas (The Turtles) due to 170 sea turtles taken on the islands and shoals by de León’s men. Soon afterward, the word “Dry” was added to the name, to indicate to mariners the islands’ lack of fresh water.
In 1742 HMS Tyger wrecked in the Dry Tortugas. The stranded crew lived on Garden Key for 56 days, and fought a battle with a Spanish sloop, before sailing to Jamaica in several boats.

The United States government never completed Fort Jefferson after 30 years on Garden Key, and this bastion remained in Union hands throughout the Civil War. It later was used as a prison until abandoned in 1874. During the 1880s, the Navy established a base at Tortuga; and it subsequently set up a coaling (refueling) and a wireless (radio) station there as well. During World War I, a seaplane base was established on the islet, but it was abandoned soon thereafter.

Because it is located 70 miles (110 km) west of Key West, the Dry Tortugas Park is one of the least accessible National Parks in the U.S. and one of the greatest fishing destinations in the world.

Oh ya, to top it off we had the most amazing sunset on the way back. 5 Star Fishing Trip

Our trip was scheduled for Thursday March 24^th but the guys got in town a day early so we decided to make it a 2-day Key West fishing trip.

Our first day ended up being 3/23 and the weather was perfect. We had a nice east wind around 10-15 mph and a great current working, ideal for Key West sailfish!

We spent most of our morning catching live bait, then headed offshore to see what we could find. We got to the edge of the reef right in front of Key West and found a perfect color change straight down the reef line. I jumped up to the tower and slowly motored down the edge of the color change looking for bait showers or tailing sailfish and within a matter of minutes we spotted our first sailfish of the day. I yelled down to the guys to get a live bait ready to throw and followed the fish carefully without spooking him until we had our bait ready. We only had one shot at this guy, so I positioned us for one good cast… Once that Live Bait hit the water the sailfish lit up like crazy and inhaled the bait… FISH ON!!!

Once the Sailfish took the bait he was off to the races, jumping and tail-walking several times. After a great 30 minute fight, we landed it next to the boat de hooked him took some quick pictures then released him safely for another angling adventure.

The rest of the day was more of the same we landed and released 2 more great Sailfish, several small Mahi’s, 2 Amberjacks and a few nice Tuna.

All in All another great day of Key West Fishing!

Light tackle is the generally accepted means of catching yellowtail snapper. Typically, the fish are relatively wary of higher-test or thicker line, and larger hooks. Most fish caught by anglers range from eight inches to thirteen or fourteen inches, although catches to sixteen inches are not uncommon. Catches larger than seventeen inches are uncommon, and catches over twenty inches are generally considered rare. Yellowtail snapper can be caught on a variety of bait, including both live and frozen shrimp, squid, and a variety of live and frozen minnows or smaller baitfish. Yellowtail snapper can be caught on artificial baits and lures, but live or frozen bait is generally preferred. Yellowtail tend to be wary fish, and the appearance of larger fish, such as dolphins or sharks can scare off schools of yellowtail snapper until the offender leaves the area.

Most anglers pursue yellowtail snapper during the warmer months, but they can be caught throughout the year. Yellowtail must be 12″ in overall length to be harvested in most areas, and bag limits apply in most regions. Yellowtail snapper is highly prized for its light, flaky meat and is considered by some to be one of, if not the best of the snapper family.

WAHOO DESCRIPTION: Long, slender body marked with zebra-like stripes of white and deep blue or black. Mouth is elongated and narrow, and equipped with razor-sharp teeth – careful!

WAHOO SIZE: Common at 10-50 pounds; often grows to 80 or 90 pounds; maximum potential about 150 pounds. World record 158 pounds, 8 ounces; Florida record 139 pounds.

These tuna do not consume as much fish in their diet as other tunas, shrimp, and crabs, as well as small fish. They do, of course, also eat juvenile and adult fish and squid. Blackfin tuna are a warmer-water fish, preferring water temperatures over 68°F thus the reason why they are so prevalent throughout the keys. What they lack in size, they make up for in numbers and a willingness to bite and fight.