May 2018 Light Tackle Fishing Report
The month of May quite possibly could be the most productive month of our entire year to fish the reef & wrecks here in Key West. This is a time of blistering fast action and quality, super aggressive fish for the light tackle reef & wreck angler! With May comes the spawn for many of our reef species. The waters on the reef verses further offshore remain quite comfortable most days. This continues to be a good time for the angler with concerns about rough sea conditions to head out to the nearer shore wreck sites as well. Our captains daily have several productive fishing grounds located between the Atlantic and the Gulf so keeping the angler comfortable is no problem. The reef & wrecks are always a better trip with a half day charter in mind based upon the much shorter and quicker travel times between marina and fishing grounds maximizing your actual "lines in the water" time verses heading well offshore.
The Grouper season opens for harvest May 1 and if you do not already have a reservation booked with us you are late to the party! Grouper season has been closed to harvest since January 1 so you can imagine the population of large Grouper looking for that next live bait fish! Mutton Snapper remain in high gear and are aggressive providing fast paced action and some quality table fare fish as we rapidly approach spawn time for these sought after large bottom dwellers as well. If you enjoy Mutton Snapper fishing inquiry about our 5 hr evening Mutton spawn trips...these trips can be spectacularly productive. Yellow Tail Snapper (a local favorite) daily continue to provide some non stop action with anglers easily taking their limit. Large Cobia continue to cruise in "wolf packs" of three to five fish on the reef and more isolated ship wreck sites feeding aggressively but will begin to slow later in May. We have taken several large Cobia of late. Amberjack remain red hot, going head to head with a large AJ is a memorable experience for any angler. AJ to 60 pounds plus have been boated lately. Our elusive Permit are on the reef and wrecks and ready to go to war! Always challenging, the Permit is a sought after sport fish and prized by anglers from around the planet. May-June and July is the very peak of activity for the angler providing a solid chance for success on the reef and wrecks when pursuing these elusive sport fish.
May continues in good shape for species such as Black Fin Tuna action when using live bait free lining nearer the reef. The ever present predators never take time off but the Barracuda bite will be strong and the shark fishing explodes. For the "adrenaline junkies" looking for huge sharks, now's the time. Bull Sharks and the occasional Hammerhead are on the prowl. These apex predators provide the ultimate battle for the angler looking for a challenge and the population of these appreciated sharks will continue to grow significantly as newly arriving sharks following the Tarpon migration settle into our local waters for the next few months!
Let's go Fishing! Call Key West Pro Guides today to book your charter 866 259 4205 daily 7 AM to 9 PM. We look forward to your call!
|
