Happy Mothers Day! Tarpon fishing has been great in the backcountry as well as around the ocean side flats and bridges. Live mullet have been the most successful bait of choice for tarpon right now. You can also catch a variety of fish such as grouper, sharks and snapper by having a bottom rig set up with a chunk of dead mullet/bait. The migratory tarpon are 75 to 100+ lbs. Permit are stacked up on the rock piles and wrecks ocean side, they put on an excellent fight for my clients once hooked up. Tripletail are still around until the middle of the month. The mangrove snapper and seatrout are biting great. Along the mangrove edges in Everglades National Park we are catching some decent sized snook as well using live bait and softplastic jerk baits.

Captain Ron Howell
Robbie's Marina
www.captronhowellfishing.com

Snook season is now open on and we have been catching plenty in the past 2 weeks. The areas we have been getting hooked up are Sabal Creek and out front of Flamingo - both part of Everglades National Park. Mangrove snapper have been filling up the coolers, we're using live shrimp and the tripletail also started to show back up under the crab buoys. Tripletail will hit live shrimp, artificials and fly too. Tarpon are in the creeks and eating on a falling tide - we released a 40 lb tarpon last Friday using a live pilchard. Over the weekend we caught a few spinner sharks which always make for an action packed fight!

The weather has been beautiful. There are places to hide from the wind and still easily catch fish.

Spring Break is coming up for the kids - give Captain Ron a call and get the family out on the water!

305-896-1507

We are still continuing to catch plenty of big Spanish mackerel in the Gulf along with a ton of mangrove snapper, jacks and grouper! The grouper are not in season but make a great fight! In Cape Sabal, located in Everglades National Park we are catching black drum, trout and snook. We caught a really nice snook in East Cape, also in the park using live pilchards and pinfish. In Flamingo, we caught a nice snook too.

There have been large schools of sheepshead in the flats along with tailing redfish. For the sheepshead we are using a live shrimp, they usually will not eat a soft plastic jerk bait. A lot of sharks around, make for a fun fight with clients.

It's still early for tarpon season but that doesn't mean they aren't around - we can find them at a falling tide in the channels with live mullet or by resting a dead ladyfish at the bottom.

Book a trip by calling: 305-896-1507.

Captain Ron Howell

Here in Islamorada we are catching large Spanish mackerel and mangrove snapper! They are chewing out the bottom of the boat. Spinner sharks are also feeding aggressively, they are great fighters jumping and spinning clear out of the water followed by long fast runs. The smaller ones under 25lbs make excellent table fare. Large sheepshead are also showing up. They have a soft bite and a hard fight; great to eat as well.

The calendar is filling up, the weather is beautiful! Book your next adventure today!

Captain Ron Howell
305-896-1507

Last week Fred & Jane from London joined me for a day of fishing. They caught snook, redfish, snapper, trout and mackerel. Their targeted species was shark. Here in Islamorada the most common sharks we find blacktips and spinners. They are very aggressive and a true gamefish! When they strike at the bait is explosive usually sending them high in the air. The strike is followed by long fast runs and punctuated by spinning leaps that rival any tarpon or billfish. One day we fought 9 in a row before we could land one. The bonus with gamsters is they are great to eat. We also caught a couple lemon sharks. Fred and Jane were a lot of fun to have on the boat and I look forward to seeing them next year.

I also fished Paul & Dave - we caught trout, snook, black drum and snapper. We scouted out for tripletail - found 2 and were able to get 1 to the boat. They are fun to sight fish, provide an excellent fight and even jump! One of my favorite fish to eat as well.

Towards the end of the week, Tom and his son Brett fished with me. Brett caught a beautiful pompano and his dad caught his first snook measuring in at 33 inches. We have a new week ahead so please check back for the latest fishing reports in Islamorada!

The mullet run is in full swing here in the Keys. There is a lot of action on the water. This week so far we have caught large Spanish mackerel, redfish, tarpon, snook and a 200lb bull shark!

Ready to go fishing? www.captronhowellfishing.com

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