Florida Keys Forecast
March 29, 2024
By Captains James Chappell, Jamie Connell and Juan Garcia
Key Largo to Key West Captains James Chappell, Jamie Connell and Juan Garcia tackle backcountry, inshore and offshore fishing from Key Largo to Key West, including Islamorada and Marathon.
Action Spotter Podcast
Upper Keys-Updated 3/29
Hello again, and back with a new report for this week from the Florida Keys! Some pretty good fishing all week with some windy conditions, but the Sailfish this week were pretty cooperative as we had another tailing condition develop between Marathon and Islamorada. A really nice edge out in 200-350 created a great condition and some anglers were able to get their chance at double-digit sailfish. A lot of mahi mixed in and even a few cobia and tunas, especially for the guys fishing the kites. A few boats in the 20s with several in the teens, it was a great couple days of fishing. The wreck fishing remains in good condition as we enter the weekend. The front that approached us on Thursday stalled a bit dragging more wind into Friday, but the weekend as of now is looking decent. The reef top has been marginal with the dirty water, but a few areas have been doable for the yellowtail snappers. African pompano have been increasing on the wrecks as well as the permit. Remember, Permit are in a closed season now as well in Monroe county. Bait has been decent all week, so that has been good, and here we go into the weekend! Have a great Easter weekend everyone, and we will see you next week!
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Capt. James Chappell catchalottafish.com
Lower Keys-Updated 3/28
Welcome back to the Lower Keys Fishing Forecast, we’ve had a super breezy week down here, but the weather for the weekend is looking pretty nice. It will still be windy, around 15-20 mph out of the East, but it should be warm and sunny. If you can get offshore, the blackfin tuna fishing has been great, especially later in the day and evening time. The sailfish bite has slowed down from a couple weeks ago, but there is still plenty of fish out there and this cold front can turn the bite on again.
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Fishing in the backcountry has still been good all around, it was tough conditions this week with the big wind, but the fish are still here. I would think this weekend should be great fishing with a more manageable wind and sunny skies. The fish should be eating well, too, because the temperature should be warming quickly coming off this minor cold front that hit today (Thursday). Bonefish are another great option right now on the flats and it's always the most fun when it’s sunny out. Although the wind can make casting with accuracy harder, it can be good for the fishing because it provides cover for the boat and the fish can be less aware of your presence.
Capt. Jamie Connell www.flyingfishkw.com
PREVIOUS REPORTS
Upper Keys-Updated 3/21
Hello everyone and welcome back to this week’s report! A fun week here in our little fishing village and some pretty nice weather so far this week. A little bit of everything around this week with some sails, lots of king mackerel, a few tunas and a really nice bite of mutton snapper. The rest of the supporting cast with the amberjacks, ceros, almaco jacks and sharks around to brighten up your day if things got slow. The permit are finally showing up making for the start of spring as they move out of the bay onto the offshore reefs and wrecks to start spawning. This is a really nice treat for our anglers as these guys are tough and will fight you down and dirty. We don’t keep any of them as they are catch and release, but they are a lot of fun to sight fish. The weekend weather is not looking so hot as of now. We have already cancelled Friday and Saturday and are expecting our Sunday charters to be better where the weather is concerned. Check back next week for a new report and see where we ended up! Be safe out there everyone, and see ya next week!
Capt. James Chappell catchalottafish.com
Lower Keys-Updated 3/21
Welcome back to the Lower Keys Fishing Forecast, the weather for the early part of the weekend is looking questionable at best. The weatherman is calling for a lot of wind and rain on Friday and Saturday, however, Sunday looks much more mild, with a light north wind and sunny skies. Recently, the offshore fishing has been great down here, the blackfins have been biting well. A lot of the offshore guides like running evening tuna trips this time of year because the tuna bite is best later on in the day. The sunset in Key West is known to the excellent, but it’s even better if your offshore catching tunas.
The backcountry fishing has been great as well. The tarpon have started to show up in some of the basins and channels out in the backcountry. As long as it hasn’t been too cold, the tarpon fishing has been consistent so far this month. The permit fishing has been decent, much better than last year. We’ve had some shots at them on the flats and we’ve seen them floating in a few channels and shallow rock piles as well. The bonefish are around too and that should only get better as we head further into spring.
Capt. Jamie Connell
www.flyingfishkw.com
Upper Keys-Updated 3/8
Hello everyone and welcome back to this week’s report from the Upper Florida Keys! Consistent fishing this week and fairly consistent weather for this time of year. Fishing continues to hold on with a nice bite of Kings, a few sailfish and a few blackfin tunas. Throw in plenty of groupers that are closed for the season, a couple mutton snappers and an african pompano here and there and that is what is going on.
I suppose a bite from the yellowtails when the current is moving as well. Nothing crazy to write home about, but the good news is that the water is warming and things are slowly coming back to life. It is really feeling like once we get through this new moon we will be back on track. Need the water to warm up just a little and I think all will be good and just right for the spring fishing to take off. Bait is still pretty tough, but we have been getting what we need. At least enough to make the day and not spend a crazy amount of time each morning catching it, so we will take it. Looking forward to some nice weather for the weekend, and hoping the rain stays away. Check back next week for a new report and what has been happening in the Upper Florida Keys! Thanks for reading, and be safe out there.
Tight Lines
Capt. James Chappell catchalottafish.com
Lower Keys-Updated 3/8
Welcome back to the Lower Keys Fishing Forecast, it looks like we have a decent weather weekend ahead with the weatherman calling for sunshine and a nice breeze out of the south. This time of year, if you can get offshore, I would focus around the color change when you get offshore and that is where the gulf stream water runs into the inshore water. There can be a lot of species to target, like sailfish, kingfish, wahoo, blackfin tunas and other stuff. Depending on weather, bait and what you want to target, you can drift with the baits, slow troll, kite fish, etc. All these baits work well on the bottom too, so it’s a good idea to keep something on the bottom or midway down the water column if conditions allow.
The fishing in the backcountry has been pretty good this week with the warmer weather. We’ve had some clouds and that has made spotting the fish difficult, but there are plenty of bonefish on the flats and some tarpon showing up in the channels and basins. There has also been a lot of big barracudas on the flats and it’s the most that have consistently been around this winter. I like throwing a variety of artificial lures at the barracudas, but whatever I’m throwing, I do not run multiple treble hooks. It’s a lot safer when you’re handling them and its easier on the fish.
Capt. Jamie Connell
www.flyingfishkw.com
Backcountry-Updated 1/26
Hello everyone! The weather hasn't been perfect lately but that's typical for this time of the year. Anglers who fished throughout last week were rewarded with great all-around catches. Captain Lain Goodwin reported a spotty bite in Key Largo with snook, redfish, trout, sheepshead and pompano. Fish the Snake Bight Channel in Flamingo and adjacent deeper moats and runoff for a mixed bag of redfish, snook, sheepshead, trout and black drum. A shrimp and 1/4 oz chartreuse jig head crawled slowly on the deeper edge of the bank and runoffs will get the action. Fish the deeper channels and runoffs in the morning with the falling tide and work the shallow flats with the rising tide in the afternoon. Farther west towards the East Cape Canal and Lake Ingram area fish the mainland shorelines, channels and creek mouths for snook, redfish, sheepshead and black drum. The water levels have been really low so be careful not to get stuck.
The strong winds have kept us out of Gulf waters but when it's not blowing there's some great fishing to have. The cobia have been showing up well on all the farther deeper wrecks. Bring plenty of chum, shrimp and pinfish and you will be all set for some fun fishing. Tripletail are becoming more abundant so keep your eyes on the trap buoys for some good-eating fish. The areas from Sandy towards Sprigger Bank have been best on the warmer days. We had been staying close to park boundaries catching some trout, snappers, mackerel and sharks. Anchor up and deploy your chum bag, rig some 1/2 oz white, chartreuse or yellow pompano jigs with a couple of inches of light wire. Tip your jigs with shrimp and cast towards the chum slick for non-stop action. Always good to have the shark rod out since you never know what can show up. It's a great fishery for any type of angler.
The bonefishing has been spotty with the strong winds and cloudy conditions. Fish the oceanside and bayside flats with an incoming tide, look for pushing fish on the lowest tide and mudding fish as the water rises. The weather conditions have made it tough for sight fishing but most of the anglers that put their time and effort on it got rewarded. Captain Andy Putetti has been on top of the bonefish in Islamorada putting his anglers into some big schools of fish. Couple of permit have been seen cruising the deeper edges of flats and banks both oceanside and bayside. Lots of patience and dedication have provided anglers with some great shots and catches. Don't miss out on the great fishing going on right now in the Florida Keys backcountry!
Capt. Juan Garcia www.fishingcharterinislamorada.com
