Flats and backcountry fishing reports for the lower Florida Keys and Key West inshore waters. Written by Capt. Luke Kelly, reports/articles focus on the current sport and gamefish activity surrounding the lower Key’s shallows.
Contact Capt. Luke Kelly for a topnotch charter fishing experience.
Phone 305-304-3152 Email keyflat@mac.com
July 22nd, 2010
This year’s fall-flats fishing season is right around the corner! September and October are two of the best months to catch large bonefish and permit together on the flats of the lower Keys. Both species of fish will be very comfortable in a depth of water less than four feet as the ocean temps slowly drop once approaching the cooler season. Expect this type of action to start as early as mid August, lasting through November. Get out on those crystal-clear shallow flats and stalk a gamefish that guarantees and fight and thrill like no other! These upcoming months do it well.
Below are a few accomplished anglers who brought em to the boat during these past few weeks. Big thanks to every angler who helped bring this past spring and summer season to a close, 2010’s fishing will not be soon forgotten, thanks for reading.
June 6th, 2010
What a season it has been, eventful might be a good word. The fishing has been good, certainly a year to remember. Those summer-time slick calm sunrises are back. Plenty of tarpon are still cruising the shallows during the early morning and dusk hours; just show em a fly or live crab, and they’ll eat it. Permit are returning to the flats from their spawn, while tailing bonefish can easily be spotted during our now prevailing calm weather.
No signs of oil are in sight. As of now, the Lower Keys backcountry and it’s weather are absolutely gorgeous. I’ll be sure to update this report should any signs of oil be found inshore of the Lower Florida Keys and Key West coastal waters.
Again, the flat’s sport fishing and weather conditions are great right now! Get down here and see it. Below are just a few of the fish that made it to the boat this season, more pics from the past few weeks on the way. Big thanks to all of the anglers who made it happen this year.
Currently offering Key Flat Charter’s summer split day excursions.
5 hour dawn-patrol/morning hours fishing, followed by 3-4 hour sunset/dusk-patrol fishing.
The absolute best way to beat the summer heat while catching the day’s best hours to fish!
Price $550. Departing from Sugarloaf Key Marina and Key West.
Also offering 4-5 hour tarpon night fishing trips.
Explosive fishing for the nocturnal silver king, guaranteed action. Fly and light-tackle trips.
Price $375. Departing from all points within the Lower Keys and Key West.
April 12th, 2010
The epic permit fishing continues, too many fish to count. With this year’s long lasting cool-water temps, (which have now warmed). It is as if we are a month behind with this year’s Keys flats fishing season. With that being said, the permit fishing should remain hot through the rest of April, and most likely into the first half of May as well. Pre-spawn permit flats fishing! Catch em’ on the flats before they head deep into the nearby Gulf and Atlantic waters to spawn.
Big thanks to Paul, Ted, Dan, John and the rest of the Chicago crew! These guys bagged several permit over a couple of days while fishing from the Sugarloaf Key Marina. Capt Tim Carlisle had to put up with these jokers too, but got them on the bonefish!
April 7th, 2010
Feeling like spring again! It sure took long enough this year, but the gamefish we love to see are too enjoying the now prevailing warm temperatures. Cool breezes have made for pleasant human conditions, while the warming sunshine has continued to better the shallow-water gamefish conditions. Solid numbers of Permit and Tarpon are now present any day without a nearing gale wind. While the upcoming warm humid nights will only continue to bring the now arriving Bonefish back up onto the flats. It's finally that time of year again!
Pictured are Mr. John Floyd and his good friend Henry of London with their Tarpon and Permit. Understandably, Henry's permit was his first saltwater fish ever caught; quite the beginners luck I would say. John took his tarpon on fly, good times. Both fish were of coarse released unharmed.
March 1st, 2010
"The winter that just won't quit!", a phrase that has been repeated throughout my February fishing log. With the opening weeks of March finally upon us; one can only hope that we start seeing more of the warmer temperatures we need for this upcoming time of year. During this past Jan and Feb, I did not record any solid water temperatures over 69 degrees in the surrounding nearshore waters of the lower Florida Keys, not once. They were for the most part much lower than that instead.
Cold water is the enemy when considering shallow water sight fishing in the Florida Keys. Sea-surface temperature is quick to take on air temperature. With continuous back to back cold fronts offering very little warmth in between, the shallow sea-surface flats have remained a cold water wasteland for the majority of this year's winter. Even the barracudas seemed to grow tired of it as we approached mid Feb. The large schools of winter-time crevalle jacks definitely lacked this year, while large grey snappers in the mangroves have been the best thing going for quite a spell now. Needless to say, my collection of snapper holes has grown considerably.
March has always marked great tarpon and permit fishing in the lower Keys and Key West. Please hear me when I say that these tarpon and permit are definitely here right now. They just need a bit more warmth in-order to get comfortable in their shallower domain. For the past few weeks, we have received brief periods of warmth and southern winds in between each cold-front. During all of these warm periods, I have been on the water and witnessed good numbers of permit and tarpon settle into their favorite areas right before being pushed out by the next oncoming cold front. This at-least tells me that things are ready to happen once we are handed warm water consistency, it will come.
Gulf Tarpon Arriving in Key West!
The morning of Feb 23rd produced some very inspiring scenes for a few lucky people fishing near Key West. Hundreds, if not a few thousand tarpon made their way into Key West waters during this warmer day. Although eventually engulfed by unexpected fog, these tarpon were very happy to be there and provided me with a glimmer of hope after a brutal year. Angler JP Ware of Maine managed a nice hook-up on fly that flat-calm morning.
We may just see one heck of a tarpon season after all. Judging by what I witnessed that morning, things are looking very good in way of Tarpon Season 2010. Bring the warm weather and exercise that casting arm, I'm still saying it's gonna be a good one this year!
