Fishing Islamorada

[joe28540]

I am heading down to Islamorada August 8-15. This is my first trip to this part of the Keys. We are taking the boat with us and looking forward to a week of fishing. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[finatic]

Lots of sunscreen. And, You'll not be able to wipe off the GRIN !! You're going to have a ball! Enjoy.

[sc_offroad]

I'm heading down on the 4th and we're taking our boat, too. Staying south of Islamorada a few miles. We're going for lobster season which starts the 6th. This is our 7th year in a row going to the Keys, but first with the boat.What are you fishing for? I see a few people fishing around the mangroves for snapper, but on a good day you should be able to do anything.

[joe28540]

I have a few things that I want to try on the trip. We are going to do a little bit of bottom fishing. But I am looking forward to some light tackle action. And my wife has already put her foot down about the lobster.

I have been reading a little about "bully netting".
Have you ever tryed this?

[sc_offroad]

I've never tried bully netting, this is the first time we will have our own vessel. So, we will be trying different things. Just stay in shallow water so you can reach them and make sure to throw the ones back with the red roe on their bellies. They are the females. You'll need a gauge, too. Florida DNR is worse on short lobster than SC DNR is on short redfish. Tuna fishing should be good, andf the dolphin fishing is great, too. There is always a grass line and plenty of debris in it. Keep in touch, I'd like to know what you catch and I got a few restaurants to hit while you're down there if you want the names.

[skifflady]

If you are in Islamorada you should check out Capt. Joe Fox's pink Cadillac limo made onto a "Carolina Skiff"! Its name is NautiLimo and here is his website: http://www.nautilimo.com/. Capt. Fox is in the process of building (almost complete) a pirate ship on a CS 2790 that the kids would love also!

[capt bruce]

man your gonna have a blast, if you like fishing bring some chum blocks with ya and a light to hang over the side, find a bridge to anchor up by at night, throw over a chum bag and the light, and hope to god you brought a sharp knife and a lot of coolers cause the snapper will eat you out of house and home, also a great night snapper and grouper fishing spot is the first reef on the atlantic side it will be about 2 to 3 miles off shore, but the night fishing out there is wild, it will go from about 50ft to 125 thats were you want to fish, when you head out at night for the first reef you will see many boats anchored up on it, so just pick a spot and drop a line, ive been diving the keys for over 35yrs, we go every year but we go down to bahia honda state park right next to big pine key, ive never tryed the bully net fishing, but I cant dive this yr, I got in a car wreck a few months back and have to have my knee and shoulder operated on 2 days after i get back from the keys, so I will be trying the bully netting, I bought 2 brinkman q-beam starfire11 lights, they are underwater lights that are 250,000 candle each, you can get them off of amazon for 19.00 you can duck tape them to the bottom of your hull or do like me and make some pvc holders for them that hang off of your rod holders into the water, and the bully nets you can buy at the kmart in marathon key for 16.99, ive watched the guys do it and they usually limit out in about 2hrs and the worst thing they have to put up with is a moon beam tan, you will need to find some 3 to 5 ft flats and drift or trolling motor over them and scoop them bugs up while there out taking a walk, ill be going down from the 15 to the 20, good luck, O and make sure you have a bimm top or you will die the first day

[crrazychicken]

I just got back from a week down around Key West and have been for many years.

Down there we do the outer edge of the reef for yellowtail and the inner patch reefs for mangrove snapper (these are best at night) always have a couple bottom lines dropped. For both put a frozen chum block out and drift back a small chunk of herring/squid/sardine (I prefer sardine) with no weight for yellowtail and a 1/2oz knocker rig for mangrove, I use spinning tackle with 15# powerpro for those.

Drop down a whole sardine too and if you can get a good live bait put it down too, something always comes around to swallow it up. weather or not you can get it up is the question.

The toothy critters are alwyas fun and you end up with a couple yellowtail heads missing the back half of their body.

One thing I discovered down there this time was the Cero mackeral. I ussually avoid spanish mackeral entirely and only occasionally make fish spread out of king mackeral but my uncle wanted it so we bleed it in the baitwell. When cooked it was worlds different than spanish or king mackeral and I will be keepign those from now on. Any fast moving 3" toppish water plug around the reefs will get their interest.