Fishing In Key West After Elsa
July 11 2021 – Hurricane Elsa has come and gone. By Wednesday the winds had subsided back down to a 10-15 leaving Key West in a bit of a turquoise stirred up water and non the worse for wear. We certainly needed the rain and rinse. Here is how things turned out for the week after the storm.
Table Of Contents
Fishing Report
Deep Sea Fishing
The deep sea fishing fleet of Key West went right back at it with a good current found just off the reef and lots of dolphin present with some other species. On Thursday on board the In XS We crushed the mahi mahi at about 650 ft of water just 7 miles off the reef line on our morning trip 6 hour. In the afternoon we Followed that up with a stellar half 4 hour day catching more mahi just past the reef and amazing looking color change on that same trip we also managed some nice blackfin tunas mixed with HUGE bonito. The weed lines were super scattered with the remaining South Easterly wind but the seas were down and fish were chewing. As the week waned on the bite diminished as the Gulf stream moved on out to deeper waters. Yesterday afternoons trip on board the INXS we were able to manage 5 keeper dolphin to match with what the rest of the fleet was doing.
Deep Sea Fishing Pro Tip
The real rock star was our Ilander Out rider, tracker and Sea Star trolling lures that were able to stay somewhat weedless through the salad. We really like the pink and white as well as the blue with yellow tips. Rigged on 100lb AFTCO Saiko Fluorocarbon line these baits really hold up well and when your in the schoolies to gaffers they do work!..
These are Great Bright Daytime Dolphin Colors That really work well for us on board the Charter Boat INXS out of Key West.
Flats and Backcountry Fishing Report
Inshore fishing did ok from the effects of Tropical storm Elsa with high winds and lots of rain the result is always stirred up waters and the backcountry flats can take the brunt of it.. but not this time. The backcountry bounced back pretty quick with pockets of clean water holding good sport fish as seen in the header of this report with Capt. Tommy z. putting his folks on that huge permit as well as the bonefish shown here. Since the storm the team here at Dream Catcher Charters in Key West has been hard at it putting folks on tarpon fishing, permit and bonefish with a nice side bar of barracudas and yellow jacks on the flats for some drag burning fun. Our shark fishing was also very good this week with Capt Paulette putting her folks on a hammer head shark. The flats and backcountry has been truly amazing since Elsa.
Our schedule for up coming flats and back country fishing is limited.. Call soon if you want to get in on the action. Island Genn is always around the phone and ready to take a call for anyone looking for fishing charters in Key West. 1-305-292-7212
Backcountry Fishing Pro Tip
Perfect little bonefish crab.. Works well….
The reef fishing was tough this week with the stirred up water out to about 100ft so we don’t have much to report there. However the 3 day red snapper season kicked off this weekend and has been a good success for many that have gone. Mostly because there is no shortage of red snapper here in the Atlantic. Most of these fish are caught in the deeper reefs from 160 – 220 in the clearer waters.
Key West Fishing Forecast
This week coming up will be a bit windy here in Key West with rains starting today through Thursday. 15- 20 knot winds out of the East will make the deep sea fishing pretty tough for the less hearty soles. Backcountry fishing should stay very consistent with the flats clearing up. The reef bite will come back to being on fire with many of the snappers still spawning, especially the mangrove snappers this time of the year.
Fishing Charter Booking In Advance
It is getting more and more important to book your fishing charters in advance to avoid scraping the bucket when you get here. Talk to the fishing charter service to see about cancellation policies due to weather so you feel comfortable booking in advance. Get it in writing. Here at Dream Catcher Charters we have a 7 day cancellation policy that comes with a bad weather 50/50. The easiest going cancellation policies available in Key West. We have learned from being in business since 1994 that People have more fun fishing when they WANT to be there.
Call us to inquire about fishing charters from the flats, backcountry to reef and deep sea fishing. We cover it all. If we are unable to get you in our schedule we have many colleagues that we work with to get you out there..
Call Us 1-305-292-7212
Text Us 1-786-847-3808
