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March, April, May, June
In March the waters of South Florida start warming up, this really turns the fishing on for the premier species. Permit, bonefish, and tarpon fishing takes off as soon as the water temp rises above 75 degrees. March and April will bring the largest bonefish of the year up to the flats to feed. They are some of the wariest fish in the world. Bonefish at this time of year can reach the 15 pound range. It is almost common to catch a fish in the 10 to 12 pound range. World class bonefishing! Although the monster bonefish are less common, the bonefishing continues to be good through October.
Our Captain is responsible for two of the largest bonefish ever caught in the world. A 15 lb 11oz bonefish was caught by an angler while Capt. Paul guided him to a victory and a big payoff in the Islamorada Fishing Club $25,000. Bonefish Tournament. Less than a year later the same angler captures a 15 lb 8 oz bonefish while he and Capt. Paul were scouting for the Spring All-Tackle Tournament.
The permit fishing starts heating up in Key West and Biscayne Bay in March. These fish will go from 10 to 35 pounds, with some uncommon giants of over 40 pounds. They are fairly easy to fool with a live crab and a spinning rod. Fly casters will find this to be their ultimate opponent. The permit will eat the crab fly only when he is good and ready. I hope you are there when he is ready! The Permit will stay on the flats from March through October.
Tarpon start making their move into the Keys backcountry in March and are in full swing by mid April. These silver monsters of the shallows run from 40 to 150 pounds. Tarpon readily eat flies and stay in the area until early July. Whether you are throwing flies or casting a spinning rod, sight fishing for tarpon is the ultimate shallow water experience.
By July the larger tarpon start fading. The migratory fish are moving on and except for laid up fish in Florida Bay; most of the reliable sight fishing for big tarpon is dwindling. The focus shifts towards smaller tarpon, bonefish, and permit in the lower Keys. The areas around Big Pine Key, Sugarloaf Key, the Content Keys, Key West and the Marquesas Islands are targeted for Grand Slams every day. This area will remain good straight through October. Capt. Paul will take you into the lower Keys backcountry in between tournaments. The Little Palm Island Slam and the Redbone S.L.A.M. out of Key West take place during this period. Fish with Paul on either spin or fly and attempt your own grand slam.
August, September, October
In Everglades National Park the fishing for laid-up tarpon continues as long as the wind stays calm. Sight fishing for snook and redfish can be spectacular at this time. Tailing redfish and laid-up snook in the shallows near Flamingo can set up some excellent opportunities for the novice fly fisherman as well as the spin fisherman wanting to throw artificials. The bonefish are usually around in large numbers early and late in the day.
The cooling water of October brings the large Bonefish back to the Islamorada flats. It is well known that some of the largest bonefish of the year will be caught this month. The 5-day Islamorada All-Tackle Bonefish Tournament and the Bay Bone Celebrity Tournament are both held this month, so get your bookings in early!
November, December, January, February
November marks the beginning of "cold front season". Most of the fishing in the winter is determined by the passing of the cold fronts. During warm spells the fishing for bonefish and permit can be good. High Northeast winds and cooler water temperatures can chase these fish off the flats quickly. At this time of year the concentration is on the Gulf species found in Everglades National Park. Redfish, snook, seatrout, spanish mackeral and black drum can all be found daily in the park waters. The winds can be frustrating to the fly guys, but it is a great time to break out the spinning rod and cast some BackBone jigs! Spanish mackerel fishing can be a blast for the beginning fly caster. The action is fast and furious as you chum these mackerel to the back of the boat. These fish bite flies great and zip off some pretty fast runs.
Shark fishing on the flats can be one of the most exciting ways to spend your day on the water. Blacktips, lemons, hammerheads, tigers and even bull sharks can be pursued all year in the Florida Keys backcountry. Whether you toss the fly or turn your kids on to sight fishing for these monsters of the flats, it will be an exciting way to spend a winter day on the flats
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