Offshore

A private captain running out of Bud ‘n Mary’s Marina in Islamorada called in with the first blue report of the season. The fish was caught about 2 miles offshore of the Islamorada Hump. It was estimated at 250 pounds and ate a live bonito slow trolled behind the boat.

Reef

The sailfish catches seem to wax and wane with the weather, with a few good days and a few slow days this past week. There will still be good sailfish activity for probably a month until captains turn their glare toward the dolphin.The king mackerel action is good, according to Capt. Paul Johnson on the Reef Runner out of Whale Harbor Marina. He’s been getting his limit of kings on live ballyhoo trolled deep in the 130- to 160-foot depths. Hitting the bottom with the lead and winding up about five or six turns is the standard method for the kingfish.

Gulf, bay

Look for tripletail on the crab buoys on your way to the mackerel grounds. The tripletail (one of the tastiest fish going) are close to the surface just down tide of the Styrofoam buoys.Slow down and toss a live shrimp close to the fish and see him roll out and eat the bait. When hooked, the tripletail will jump like skipping a rock. Just keep him away from the trap line and make sure they are over 15 inches at two per person per outing.

Flats, backcountry

Close to home, Capt. Dave Atkinson on his skiff out of Whale Harbor tells of a half-day trip where his clientele released four bonefish. His secret: Put the boat in an ambush area and cast four shrimp-baited hooks out around the boat.- Brad Harding

Source: www.IslamoradaSportFishing.com