Deep Sea Fishing Seems To Be Headed In The Right Direction
Deep Sea Fishing Report
April 2nd 2023 – Its been tough out there these last few weeks deep sea fishing off of Key West. Weeds – not enough weeds, current – no current. The ups and downs of fishing have certainly been a big part of March deep sea fishing. Last week started off with a good mahi bite as the Gulf Stream was in super close tot he reef with a screaming East bound current. There were loads of frigates and some well formed weed lines. Many of the deep sea fishing charter out of Key West were able to put together some decent boxes of Mahi Mahi. However… as the current left, so did the mahi. Also see the Sargassum weed report later in this post.
Conditions seem to be heading in the right direction now. We are seeing more and more “March – April Like” conditions with good sharp color changes and consistency in the winds and weather as the Easterlies take over our forecasts. Catches of sailfish and tunas have been in the fishing reports. With the stronger Easterly winds coming up this coming week it looks like we may start seeing some sailfish tailing conditions.
Deep Sea Fishing On The InXS
Thursday was a good day on board the InXS. Light winds from the ENE and a nice coolness in the air. The morning started off pretty slow with a no hitter all the way into 11 am as we were trolling for palegics. Full day with a family of a Dad and two teenage sons that were in it to win it. Having had good luck the trip before on the weed lines out past 400 ft with Mahi (see above image) we stayed pretty deep out to about 550 where things were just not paying out. Weed scattered everywhere and not forming up at all, not a bird in sight and the few floaters we saw were void of life for the exception of an almaco jack. So… Back toward the reef to change tactics. We were hoping for a formed up color change with a little less weed or some kind of uniformity that we could pull a bait in. Chatter on the radio was grim but we had to keep trying. Our guests really wanted a sailfish.
Color Changes Can Be A Godsend
As we steamed back toward the reef line the color change was on the horizon and pretty sharp. The winds had come up a bit so the grass was still everywhere. Chunkies and little pieces just enough to annoy Garrette as he was shagging it the best he could off our baits. As we approached the color change we switched up our baits and started to head West. Laying just outside the change and trying to keep out of the grass we got slammed. Sailfish hit our long rigger bait and put on a fantastic show for the guests. A short fight but a sailfish on none the less as the fish managed to spit the hook after a very aerobatic display complete with head rattles and spins. Accompanied with a dropped rod tip and freedom was his. – Bummer
Sailfish and Blackfin Tunas
After all the excitement we continued down wind waiting for our next shot. The water quality was very good on the clean side of the color change, just grassy but I was seeing a good amount of little flying fish (flyers) popping up randomly. That was a good sign. Was not long till we get smashed by a tuna. After a very good fight we had a blackfin in the box. Feeling better about the day and thanking God for the color change the grass started getting better and we kept riding the “change” like a pony. We managed 4 more blackfin tunas and a skip jack tuna for the dinner box.
As the day was wrapping up I was headed a little further down the reef than where I had been working the color change. Then the magic happened one last time putting a very nice sailfish in the air and on the hook. He ate an Iland Mistress blue and yellow rigged with a ballyhoo on the short. We got the best part of that sailfish with the jumps and hard fight as he finally launched and spit the hook to earn his freedom. A long distance release and a great feeling for the ride back to the dock.
Some Of The Lures We Use On The Regular
Fishing Forecast
Looking forward in the forecast here on April 2nd and we see that the winds will be a bit stronger from the East after Tuesday. Sailfish tailing conditions? Could be but it will be nautical with 4 to maybe 6 ft seas. Full moon is coming up on Thursday.. This can mean a good wahoo bite and possible shot at a marlin in the blue waters. Mahi bite might, if there is one might be a little slow in the morning.
Sargassum Weed Report
The news has everyone concerned about the sargassum weed that is considered to be a “super bloom” and (according to the news) will cover the oceans in a oxygen stealing sun shade that will kill everything and not let us breath if we are near the Gulf or Atlantic Coast. So, I will be including what we are seeing out there in my reports here for the deep sea fishing on the INXS and the Key West fishing report.
Yes we have had some trouble with a little bit of weed out there but nothing out of the normal. We complain when it is not lined up perfectly especially when we are trolling. So far we have not seen this “larger than the US” mass of weed that the news is talking about. In fact, the weed we have seen last week brought us some great mahi fishing. I will call it a normal weed event so far.
Sargassum weed is a natural event that is cyclical in its blooms. The weed is critical to many organisms that thrive in it and this includes all of our targeted Palegic species. Sargassum is also critical in helping to establish beach heads and prevent erosion in the long term to help our beaches in huge weather events such as hurricanes. Its normal, it soaks up carbon dioxide just like any good plant. If you have any questions about the weed you hear about on the news.. Call a captain in the area you would like to fish.. We will tell you all you need to know..
Fishing Charters
April, May and June are without a doubt the busiest times for a deep sea fishing boat. This year things are a little slower than usual so some of the boats still have openings for the anglers who like to watch the weather. Call Island Genn to see about availability of the INXS or our colleagues.. Or you can CLICK HERE and see our available dates.
Island Genn Direct 305-292-7212
Text Us – Click Here –
Email Us charterinfo@inxsfishing.com
Have a Great week everybody… See you out there.
