This has been a very busy summer and I have been a bit lazy with my postings. Let me catch you up a bit here. The weather in Key West has been very dry, no trips were lost to weather all summer! The fishing in the backcountry falls off as the water heats up, but we have been catching fish all the way into the start of September. Some of our best action catches this summer included two 4’ Tarpon and a 26’ Mutton snapper all caught by novice anglers on 10’ test! The photos are on Easy Days Charters Face book page.

This photo is of a young girl exploring a deserted beach after a family fun fishing trip.

The weather and the fishing has just been great the past couple of weeks – even had the US senator from the state of Missouri, Claire McCaskill out for an afternoon! Everyone enjoys fishing in Key West,the warmest spot in the US this time of year!

While we usually associate Mutton Snapper with the summer spawn, Muttons can be caught year round off of Key West. Fishing the shallow patch reefs South of key West has produced the usual Yellow tail, Gray Snapper, Grouper and nice Cero Mackerel that you would expect this time of year – the surprise is the number of nice Muttons that we have landed  in the in the last couple of trips. The Muttons are taking the surface baits in shallow water that we would normally expect the larger Cero Mackerel and Kingfish to pick up. As the water temps continue to drop the fishing is better by the day and we are already picking up Cobia and King fish on the shipwrecks. The winter months bring the cooler temps and often times the brisk North winds in advance of the cold fronts. In moderate winds we fish on the South side of Key West and in the stiffer winds we move into the Back Country to find to calmer waters. There is always some protected waters to tuck up into and still enjoy the fishing, even on windy days. Hoping that you can make it down this season and enjoy the fishing that the cooler months bring!

The cooler air and water temps have really helped to pick up the bite both on the shallow reefs and on the shipwrecks. On the shipwrecks North of Key West we are seeing lots of Mackerel, Kingfish and Cobia.                                                               

 The shallow reefs just South of Key West are producing big Cero Mackerel, Grouper and nice size Mutton Snapper. The magic bait this time of year is live ballyhoo cast into the chum line, hooked through the back on a short piece of wire.        

The cooler months produce the best action of the year and can also bring on very windy conditions. When the wind gets above 15 knots we fish the backcountry. The fishing is still great and the shallow water and mangrove forest keep the water nice and calm.

Recently took Dale Sanders ( photo journalist on assignment for Florida Sportsman magazine) out to get material for an article on snorkeling for lobster in Key West. The article should be out in the July issue of Florida Sportsman. This picture should remind you of some great times we have had lobstering in Key West, if you haven’t been lobstering yet give me a call at 305 294-3095 for more info!

The fishing is picking up off of Key West as the water temperatures drop to around 76°. This week we fished with Don Cooper (Chicago White Sox World Series pitcher) and his family – Ruby, Kate and Luke. We choose the backcountry for the calm water and for lots of action for the kids, ages 9 and 13. The creeks provided non stop action of Grey Snapper and Yellowtail Snapper on light tackle. After a couple hours of fishing we toured the deserted beaches of Boca Grande, an island 12 miles West of Key West. The cooler water temperatures will pick up the fishing action all around including the patch reefs and the shipwrecks to the North and South of Key West. We are also looking forward to the cooler air temperatures and Fantasy Fest is right around the corner! Hope to see you down here soon!

We have taken our annual fall vacation in the Pacific Northwest and I am revitalized and ready to get back on our Key West waters. The water on the reef is still warm enough to snorkel comfortably yet has cooled off enough so that the fishing on the reefs & back country has picked up.

These are the days we look forward to after a long hot summer – the fishing will get better on the reefs south of Key West and the water will remain warm enough for snorkeling the reef without a wet suit jacket until the beginning of December.

The continued good weather in Key West has produced some great fishing this week, both in Key West harbor and in the back country. The King family, visiting Key West on board the cruise ship “Splendor of the Seas” hooked up Gray Snapper, Yellowtail Snapper, Cero Mackerel, and one 4’ barracuda – all on light tackle – 10 lb to 12 lb test line. The Combes family fished the reef and a shipwreck for a dinner of nice Yellowtail Snapper. Not bad fishing for the traditionally slow month of September!

September is traditionally the slowest month of the year. The evening showers and light winds have cooled the water temps down just a little and we have had some great family fun light tackle fishing trips this past week. Frequent Key West visitors Steve and Caroline Vincent, with their six year old twins were out with me Monday. I also had Mario and his wife of 50 yrs, Margarita. Mario is 76 years old and had never been fishing. He caught his first fish, a nice gray snapper, as well as some Cero Mackerel, yellowtail snapper and blue runners. The calm water has also allowed us to run several fishing trips out to various shipwrecks, providing plenty of action for the novice and for those with more experience.

We are going into September and the water temps on the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico are in the high 80’s. The fishing on the Gulf wrecks and even in some of the deeper creeks in the backcountry has been surprisingly good. We had a great half day of fishing with a father and son team (both new anglers) on the deep half of the shipwreck “Alexanders”. We were pretty much catching a fish with every cast and each ballyhoo we put behind the boat landed a 24” or larger Cero Mackerel. I also had the request for some back country fishing. The deeper creeks produced nice size Gray Snapper and 3 Goliath Grouper. The backcountry we fish in is also a wildlife refuge and besides the fishing offers sand bars to cool off on, and also opportunities for birding and eco-tours. I am posting a picture of the backcountry to give you an idea of how beautiful it is. For snorkeling and lobstering the water has been very clear and the jelly fish that usually arrive in September are not here yet