May 13, 2023 – Deep Sea Fishing For Mahi. We all wait till May to see what the Gulf Stream will bring us. Fishing for Mahi is now getting good off of Key West. We have the fish and the weather to get after them. Here is a quick deep sea fishing report.

Deep Sea Fishing For Mahi Is Good

Getting offshore this week and next will be a treat and most angler will be met with some nice table fare of Mahi Mahi (dolphin fish) for their efforts. After a good run of deep sea fishing charters here on board the “INXS” we took the weekend off to let it blow Friday, Saturday (today) and we always take Sundays off to reset. This weekend it will be a nice fresh oil change for the Kids (our MAN marine engines) and re-spool our rods with fresh lines after a fun week last week of ripping lips.

The mahi last week moved around allot. One day we were whacking em in 2100 ft and the next they would move in to 950 then to 500. On Thursday we found em at 750 on a blown up weed line where the the mahi were thick as flies. While we had that weed line to ourselves We worked a 500 yard section of it that was producing nice 22-25″ mahi and the occasional larger fish. We did stop to bail for a bit and managed some more that ate the jigs really well. My clients had a blast with that. All in all we caught over 35 fish and kept about 20 with not many throw backs but we did release a bunch after we hit 20. I would say the wait is over the mahi have shown up and we can call it dolphin season.

Most of our fish caught on the troll were hitting our down rigger baits. We had them running about 20ft down. We use the Cannon digital down riggers that make it super easy for Garrett (my mate) to bring the balls up and re-rig quickly and back down while the bite is hot. We like to run witches with ballyhoo or strip baits on these positions.

The weed lines were in our favor to start with on Thursday until a thoughtless boater / fisherman started driving over them breaking them up into pieces. Like I mentioned the weed line I was on was not very long but super productive. Driving over the big patches and scattering it is just dumb and really puts the fish down. After this guy rolled through I headed back toward the reef to fish for kingfish, bonito and blackfin tunas to wrap up our day. We wound up with a nice late season smoker king for the box.

Marlin In The Hood

Out there near Woods wall mid week last week I did see a free jumping marlin. Another boat I chatted with also saw a free jumper as well in around 850. I am sure that those fish was grazing heavily on the copious amounts of fresh mahi that were swimming around. A few of the fish we caught had some battle scars from past events indicating a run in with a bill fish. Truly amazing how fast mahi not only grow but also heal up. I am looking forward to this coming week where my anglers want to pull some big baits in hopes of tangling with the man in the blue suit (blue marlin). Super excited.

Deep Sea Fishing Forecast

Coming up this week is the new moon. Dark nights mean the mahi will be hungry first thing in the morning. While the winds were up over the weekend some nice mahi were caught shallow on a weed line in 250 or so. Blackfin tunas are around as well. I imagine they will be more active in the later part of the day.

While not the best moon phase for Marlin the new moon can be a peak and I will set my sights on that hoping to entice a shot. The INXS will be getting after it all week for the exception of Tuesday and Thursday where I will be captaining a tarpon fishing trip on board my 24 Yellowfin Bay boat. and a reef fishing trip on Tuesday on board my 36ft Yellowfin out toward the Dry Tortugas. The weather looks amazing as far as the 10 day forecast can see. 5-10 mph winds.

See My Tarpon Fishing Report

Deep Sea Fishing Charters

Good News… For visiting anglers to Key West that is.. Key West is experiencing a very slow tourist season this year. Room rates are at a CRAZY low from now through mid October. We have not seen room rates in the low 100.00s in years for some really nice places to stay.. In addition there is pretty good availability on some great deep sea fishing boats here in Key West – very unusual…. Once the hotel room rates get out.. Things will go back up. Book Now!

Call Island Genn To Find Out Availability For Deep Sea Fishing Charters
Her Direct Line is 1-305-292-7212
Text Her – Click Here – 1-786-847-3808

Island Genn has been working with the quality deep sea fishing charters in the Key West area for over 20 years. She knows their schedules and availability. She will go over all the details and amenities of each boat.. Call her and set up your deep sea fishing charter in person – direct – no BS at the same rates you can get walking the dock on WAY nicer boats. There are no service fees or extras. She is the best Key West concierge. Also ask her recommendations on restaurants and accommodations. www.thekeywester.com