Offshore/Reefs/Wrecks: November is the most awaited month for many fishermen in the Florida Keys and the Sailfish is the reason why. While trolling for kingfish off the edge of the reef in 100 to 200 feet of water, you may come across blackfin tuna or wahoo. On the wrecks in the same depths, there are good numbers of mutton snapper, amberjack and jack crevalle. We will be keeping jigs and live bait to sight fish the traveling cobia. On the reef, the yellowtail snapper bite will be HOT along with a respectable grouper bite on the bottom.

Inshore/Nearshore: This is the best time of year to fish the flats. The summer waters are starting to cool with the approach of fall, and these fish really respond by coming up on the flats and feeding all day long. The big spawner tarpon have moved on, but the juveniles stay to grow and we can still catch them in the 10-30lb range. There is excellent fishing for permit into November. We can find them right on the edges of the flats in schools.This will be continue to be a great month to target tailing/feeding redfish, work a jerkbait for monster trout and also catch sharks, barracuda, snapper and snook tucked up under the mangroves in Everglades National Park.

Book your charter with Captain Ron Howell: 305-896-1507

Weekend report: Spent some time in Everglades National Park this weekend. Today while there the snook bite was awesome with a well placed bait under the mangroves. Live bait and soft plastics will work. There was plenty of small bait schools moving with the tide change. You can hear a popping sound under the mangrove ledges, this is the sound of snook feeding on those schools passing by. Individual redfish were found traveling along the outer edges of the shoreline and laid up in the grass beds. If you can spot them before they see you, cast your bait beyond them and work it right in front of them. You have to get the bait right at their nose. Some decent sized trout, 24+ inches were caught working a jig head with a soft plastic bait along the bottom. Tons of small bonnet head sharks were seen along with snapper, barracuda and schools of jack.

While Everglades National Park has remained closed, we are still catching plenty of fish here in Islamorada, FL. We anticipate the park re-opening by this Friday. This week on one trip we easily caught over 100 fish just outside of the park boundaries in the Gulf. Species included huge Spanish mackerel, mangrove snapper, cobia, tripletail, jack crevalle, and blue runners. We also caught several sharks in the 10 to 25 lb range. There have been big schools of mullet traveling down this way during the fall mullet run. Morning, depending on the tide will be the best time to target tarpon.

Some of the best fishing to be had in the Florida Keys no matter what season we are in lies within swimming distance of the shore, it's what we call Patch Reef fishing. In minutes you'll be on top of mutton snapper, yellowtail, grouper, mackerel and other fun fighting, good tasting fish.

Once the park opens back up, I am looking forward to getting clients hooked up to the redfish, snook and trout action in the backcountry.

Give me a call to book your next fishing trip!

Captain Ron Howell
305-896-1507