Best bet

Captain Danny Lombardo from Reel Sharp Sportfishing Charters out of Islamorada reported the unusual late season migration of mahi mahi continues off of Islamorada with plenty of fish along the weedlines and current edges in 100 to 150 feet of water. The mahi mahi have been stealing many of the baits intended for sailfish that have been around in good numbers. Cooler water temperatures have a lot of nice-sized groupers, yellowtails, kingfish to 25 pounds and cero mackerel over reefs as shallow as 20 feet.

Miami Dade/Broward

Captain Wayne Conn of the party boat Reward One out of Bayside Marina reported that during recent specialized vertical jigging trips offshore of Miami Beach his clients are catching large gag groupers, almoco jacks, amberjacks, wahoo, warsaw grouper and blackfin tuna. Captain Quinton Dieterle from the charter boat Cutting Edge out of Crandon Park Marina reported having plenty of action from sailfish in the 25-pound range plus dolphins and large kingfish. Dieterle is catching the sails on live threadfin herring and pilchards suspended from a kite in depths from 100 to 160 feet of water offshore of Key Biscayne. Captain Gil Gutierrez of Lucky Fishing Charters out of TNT Marina in Keystone Point reported finding plenty of dolphins offshore of Miami along with a few large mutton snappers and sailfish.

Keys

Fishing two days with captain Chris Johnson of Sea Squared Charters out of Marathon the Hender family from New Jersey fished Florida Bay and on the first day released a bunch of short gag groupers, landed mangrove snappers to 16 inches and over a dozen fat Spanish mackerel. On the second day the family fished the Atlantic side and caught a load of hogfish, lane and yellowtail snappers. IslamoradaSportfishing.com reported loads of large Spanish mackerel are scattered throughout Florida Bay and the Gulf for anglers anchoring in 10 feet of water, chumming and fishing live shrimp on the surface and near the bottom.

Treasure Coast

Captain Charlie Conner of FishTales Charters out of Port St. Lucie reported with water temperatures in the river now in the mid-60s his clients are catching plenty of sea trout for catch and release, sheepshead, redfish, ladyfish and jacks over sand bars and flats. In the ocean inlets Spanish mackerel, bluefish and jacks are eating anything shiny. Along the bridges and docks sheepshead, black drum a few pompano and flounder are eating dead shrimp on the bottom.

Florida Bay

Gill and Mary Muratori from Miami fished with captain Matt Lofton of Flats Unlimited Charters in Flamingo and went through 15 dozen live shrimp feeding them to large black drum, redfish, sea trout, tripletail, jacks and ladyfish. Locals Norman Brooks and his son Stephen and grandson Eidan, age 6, fished in Flamingo with captain Alan Sherman of Get Em Sportfishing charters and released over 30 sea trout, redfish, ladyfish, snappers and jacks and photographed an estimated 14-foot crocodile. Captain Jim Hobales of Caught Lookin Charters reported finding plenty of sea trout, a few snook, lots of redfish and gag groupers to eight pounds in the backcountry of Whitewater and Oyster Bays.

Southwest Coast

Captain Pete Rapps of Captain Rapps Fishing Charters out of Chokoloskee reported with lots of pilchard’s schools in his area he is experiencing some of the best snook fishing since the freeze of 2010. Captain Bill Russell of Gulf Coast Limited Charter Company out of Matlacha reported sheepsheads are in good supply with the colder water temperatures concentrating them in the Pine Island Sound and Malatcha Pass areas. Redfish are smaller than a few months ago and can be caught next to the oyster bars and along the sandy shorelines that have mangroves.

Freshwater

Dr. Charles Rosen from Miami fished with captain Michael Shellen of Shellen Guide Service out of Buck Head Ridge on Lake Okeechobee and released over 30 bass to four pounds on live shiners plus three largemouth bass between seven and 10 pounds. Captain Alan Zaremba reported the local canal systems has slowed a bit but fishing alongside of angler Carl Hochrein of Pembroke Pines they released 34 largemouth bass, bluegills and gar while fishing the L-28 canal with Pop R’s and Stick O’s.

CAPTAIN ALAN SHERMAN

shermana@bellsouth.net