Key West Pro Guides - Back Country Report - May 2025
By: Capt. Paul Tryon
May is all about angling options and variety from Tarpon to Sailfish to Dolphin here in Key West. Here are some helpful insights to anglers interested in targeting these iconic sport fish.
Sailfish are spawning well offshore. These are elusive nomadic sport fish that remain in constant motion. Time is the number one tool for success for the angler and guide as they work in concert to pursue these “bucket list” impressive fish.
Tarpon are pursued in shallow waters primarily in our "Back Country". Night Tarpon charters can be awesome when the tides are favorable…the biggest Tarpon come shallow to feed at sunset. Tarpon feed nocturnally therefore early morning and sunset are the most productive time frames...Let's go fishing!
May arrives and our fishing continues to improve with outstanding action both shallow and offshore. Over the next few months some of the best fishing of the entire year comes to us and in every location from the fly fishers on the flats to the light tackle anglers in the back country, near shore, reef & wrecks and blue waters well offshore. The huge schools of migrating Tarpon have flooded into the shallows of the back country and their spawning rituals are well underway. Key West is now one of the most prolific Tarpon fisheries on the planet. May becomes the last month for “excellent” Sailfish action however most anglers favorite pelagic, the Dolphin, will dominate the blue water. The reef and wrecks are holding massive populations of true heavy weight gladiators ready to go head-to-head with Grouper season opening today, May 1, for harvest. Grouper is the first choice of bottom fishers and with a massive population untouched since January 1, the Grouper action becomes epic. It's a time of exceptional action when fishing in the waters of Key West! You may have the fishing rod knocked out of your hand over the next few months friends.
Near Shore:
Anglers take note: We have recently added a number of Hybrid Back Country boats to our fleet. Hybrids are the next generation of leading edge technology and design for the shallow water enthusiast. Hybrid boats retain the back country experience yet provide additional "creature features aboard such as an enclosed marine head (potty), T top for shade, some carry additional seating and a second elevated station for the captain so helpful when sight casting to elusive sport fish in the shallows. These larger vessels have the ability to comfortably fish our slightly deeper "patch reef areas" as well depending upon the conditions of the day. Rates are slightly higher for these larger vessels that can accommodate families from 4 up to 6 total. We do not fish 6 adults from these vessels.
“A new charter fishing option” which essentially combines “some” back country and “some” reef & wreck type action yet remains in calmer waters. We target “Patch Reefs”, natural formations away from the land mass about half way to the coral reef offshore. These patch reefs remain in more protected waters keeping everyone comfortable, and within sight of land (very important to many people). You are fishing deeper waters than in the back country pursuing a different variety of fish species than you would typically find in the bays and mangrove areas. The techniques remain very non-technical for the novice angler however we can easily take things up a notch to challenge more experienced anglers.
Back Country:
Always a fun and productive trip the back country this time of year remains an excellent choice for fast paced action while targeting a very wide variety of species. Anglers will appreciate our calm, crystal clear waters now filling with behemoth Tarpon. The overall population of Tarpon in the back country continues to grow throughout the month joining with several additional sport fish species, edible fish, and predators to target. Snook get busy in May and continue improving so better by mid to late May. The numerous schooling species will continue to provide non-stop action most days and the list is nearly endless again in May that keeps the younger anglers happy with the super fast bite of schooling fish. It remains a productive time to pursue larger Jacks. A perfect trip for the hard core light tackle angler to the novice angler or the family.
Tarpon spawning rituals are well underway so the action is exploding. Tarpon fishing in Key West by May is prolific. These behemoth sport fish should be on every saltwater angler's "bucket list" and rightfully so. Key West now offers the angler a high level of success to landing possibly the largest fish of a life time. We continue witnessing the sunset Tarpon feeding activity. Our Sunset Tarpon trips are spectacular when conditions (primarily the tides) are optimal. Tarpon “Split Day” charters are offered for the hard core Tarpon aficionados where we fish from 6 AM to 10 AM return to the dock and depart the same day at 5 PM returning at 9 PM on the same day fishing the absolute peak Tarpon feeding/activities windows. We do not recommend more than 3 anglers as a max on our Tarpon bay boats especially for night trips. If you have more than three anglers understand the time restraints in catching multiple Tarpon and the need for larger vessels to accommodate the chaos that comes with a 100 pound plus fish going berserk at boat side.
Tarpon are pursued in shallow waters primarily in our "Back Country" although the "Flats" angler can target them as well. Night Tarpon charters are underway. We do not recommend more than 3 anglers to a back country boat with Tarpon as a primary target. Tarpon feed nocturnally therefore early morning and sunset are the most productive time frames...Let's go fishing!
The 1/2 day to 3/4 day trips continue to produce well as the afternoon water temperatures are still far from high so the later part of the day with good tides can be awesome. Good Cobia fishing continues and can produce some quality fish and action in the back country. The Mangrove and Yellow Tail Snapper fishing continues to be very good in the back country in May. For serious "table fare" harvest we certainly recommend the reef & wreck trips now but to include a few "keeper" fish for lunch or dinner will not be a problem in our shallows. The predator fishing continues. Giant Barracuda and several species of Sharks in the shallows are on the hit list. Our Monster Shark charters are awesome and continually produce multiple larger sharks even on the 1/2 day trips. Remember where you find large Tarpon schools you find feeding sharks. May becomes peak predator time especially in the Marquesas so anglers can count on these aggressive species to be ready to go “head to head”. We "highly recommend" a back country charter this time of year and especially for those guests looking for a shorter than full day trip in calmer waters.
May is a spectacular time frame to make the 28-mile run to the west to fish the fabled Marquesas Atoll. The schools of Tarpon are being targeted by the apex predator sharks. Giant Barracuda can be counted on for memorable days in the atoll during May. You may refer to our very concise “Marquesas” page on www.keywestproguides.com web site for more information.
Notable:
This is a time of more stable water temperatures so fishing conditions in general have settled in and improved, friends. We still recommend fishing morning trips if going shallow as they remain the most productive over the later afternoon hours for the serious angler but again the afternoon trips are good. The PM half day trips have improved and can be quite enjoyable especially for those people just looking to stay in calm waters and enjoy a fun few hours catching fish. Reef trips in the afternoon fishing slightly deeper waters along with the patch reefs can be very good trips for later in the day departure times. Sharks are plentiful and active. Pursuing these heavy weight monsters on light tackle is challenging to say the least and talk about something you cannot do at home!
Let's go Fishing!
Call Key West Pro Guides today to book your charter 305-747-4650 daily 8 AM to 9 PM. May and June are the busiest months of our entire fishing calendar! Our legendary guide team is always in high demand. We look forward to your call!
www.keywestproguides.com
305-747-4650
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