Greetings fish fans. Fishing in the Upper Keys has been very good lately. Running to Flamingo in Western Florida Bay can be easily accessed from Key Largo, Islamorada, or even Long Key. There are lots of places to NOT go in Florida Bay, so before you DO go, please go to www.ecomariner.org to learn about the ecosystem and to plot your course. It’s a very interesting site and very educational.
Now, about the fishing. There has been a great bite of sea trout, jacks, and ladyfish in the Flamingo area. All you need is to find one of the deeper channels where the current is moving, some live shrimp, and some Capt. Hank Brown’s Hook Up Lures. I prefer the ¼ oz chartreuse jig with a 1/o black nickel hook. If you are a purist at heart and prefer no live bait, Hook Up Lures makes some great bucktail jigs. The fishing will only continue to get better as the water warms. This past week we got a few “bonus” fish while trout fishing. A few bluefish, two permit, a wayward Spanish mackerel, and a couple of flounder. The redfish are showing up more and more on the flats. They enjoy the warm water and today I found temps in the upper 70s.
Tarpon are showing up on the oceanside flats. They should be around to entertain us through the beginning of July. April is also a great month to look for bonefish on the flats and permit on the edges. I prefer a low incoming tide. As the water rises, the fish will move up on the flats to feed. A silver dollar sized live crab is a pretty good meal ticket. All in all, April is a great month to be on the water. Until next time, good tides and keep the Sun to you back. >
Capt. Kerry Wingo
Tails Up Fishing Charters
www.tailsupfishing.com
305-394-1383
Key Largo Backcountry Report
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