August 5th 2024 – Key West fishing report and forecast for the first week in August. As the weather gets back to normal from Tropical Storm Debbie our coastal waters start to clear up and we will be seeing the benefits of a good storm in the middle of summer here in Key West.

Check Out Key West Fishing Seasons Calendar

Tomorrow is opening day of the regular lobster season trips here in the Florida Keys. I am thinking the water will get pretty clear pretty fast for the lobster folks with these big tides we have had off the new moon flushing the water. It will be hard to say if the storm had a positive or a negative effect for the lobster harvest until the numbers start to roll in on Tuesday. In my experience a good tropical system is always good for the lobster harvest.

Key West Fishing Report

There really is not much of a fishing report for the last few days due to Tropical stormDebby that blew through here over the weekend. We had some impressive winds up to 50 knots here in Key West with loads of rain just yesterday. Before the storm we had some really good mahi fishing offshore on board my boat the “InXS”. The dolphin were just past the reef with a consistent bite of 22- 28inch fish mixed in with loads of tiny (I do mean tiny) mahi in the 5-9 inch range. Our mahi came from just out in the blue. I wish I could share what the trick was birds, floaters or weed line but we saw none of that and still caught some nice fish.

Pro Tip: We were finding our best bites for mahi out in the blue on our down riggers. We submerge them about 15ft with a witch and a rigged ballyhoo (we call it Naked). We got picked off a lot by smaller fish but the larger ones hit too. We never left 300ft of water.

In the backcountry and on the flats things were pretty status quo before the storm. Our backcountry fishing charters had been producing some nice snapper catches and for those wanting to fish the flats we had shots at bonefish and barracuda’s for the sight fishing enthusiasts. We have not seen a ton of permit on the flats but they were around.

The reef has been loaded with yellowtail snapper with the last part of the mangrove snapper spawn. There are some really nice sized fish out there. The grouper fishing has not been bad but it’s a bit of work to get a legal red grouper.

Fishing Forecast

We just love a good storm here in Key West as I mentioned above. The storms really bring the mix and freshen things up for us on the reef, in the backcountry and offshore. As the high winds churn the deep waters surrounding the Key West area cool off the surface temps and churn up all kinds of nutrients to feed the fish, corals and grasses. Its a win win for everyone, especially in the summer time when it can be hot as hell.. So, look for all good stuff from the affects of the storm.

The winds are still pushing 20 knots this morning and I expect they will be laying down according to the forecast. As the winds come down I am looking at the current offshore and it seems to be out quite aways, last data I have shows the Gulf Stream more than 30 miles S of Key West. No different than before the storm so I expect the mahi dolphin deep sea fishing will remain good even in spite of the current being so far out. Forecast is for 3 ft seas and a Westerly wind flow, that wind direction might be a little weird for this time of the year. We will see when I put up my deep sea fishing report on Friday. I am deep sea fishing offshore tomorrow. The reef fishing will get very good after the seas lay down.

Pro Tip: I find that after a storm the fish on the reef and in the backcountry put on the feed bag. the fish are hungry and as the water clears they will be on the feed. This is an excellent opportunity for the reef fishermen as the fish get super competitive and can drop their guard.

On the inshore fishing we sent out our first backcountry fishing charters today. We also have a sandbar trip headed out on board our delux tri-toon boat “Toon Time”. A great way to get back on the waters here and have an awesome time. So things are getting back to normal. I always love getting on the waters out in the backcountry and go flats fishing when it clears up after a storm. The water temps are way down and the fish respond to this very well. As we move into August and the fall flats fishing will heat up with lots of opportunities for the Key West Grand slam of the flats consisting of the Tarpon, Permit and Bonefish.

Fishing Charters In August

August is a great time to visit Key West and go fishing. Be it inshore for our amazing flats fishing or offshore deep sea fishing for mahi. Key West is not crowded and room rates are the best they will be all year. There are many places offering specials on rooms and food. We are running fishing charters every day in August. Booking last minute is fine by us. Watch your weather and don’t be afraid to make last minute arrangements.

Pro Tip: When booking a fishing charter this time of the year.. MAKE SURE>. you get a confirmation and speak to the folks you are booking with.. Some boats do not offer refunds for storms should you miss your flights or your home gets affected.. Here at Dream Catcher Charters we work with our folks and understand the hardships storms can bring.
ALWAYS book with folks you can talk to on the phone!!

Call Us..
305-292-7212
Email Me steven@fishingkeywest.com
Text Us 786-847-3808