Islamorada Fishing Report

Islamorada Fishing Report

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys and Everglades

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys

Fishing near the Keys has been great when the weather has been cooperating. We have been seeing good numbers of bones, permit and smaller tarpon around. The bonefishing around town has been great on both incoming and out going tides and keep you eyes peeled for permit cruising the flats as well! Ocean side I have seen a few larger tarpon still lingering around with a few shots here and there on fly. All of our shots on permit have been on live crabs and they can be just as picky on live crabs!

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Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Everglades

Getting out back between the storms and rain can tough to manage, but if you can launch at Flamingo or keep a good eye on the radar coming from the Keys, the backcountry of the Everglades has been consistent when the wind has been down.

Snook fishing has been fire on deep edges with plenty of current just watch for sharks, and if you’re getting sharked up, either move up to heavy gear and get those fish in quick in fish or move on. With the current water conditions plaguing the Tampa area it would be nice to keep our fish alive. There are plenty of other spots to fish where you can crush on the snooks without getting sharked up. Check out flats for muds for reds and snooks! the edges have been great! I have been spending a lot of time fishing weedless rigs and soft plastics and doing very well on the drops!

On the glassed out days look for fins, there have been tarpon rolling early in the morning on the right tides!

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August and September are great months to fly fish and spin fish in the Florida Keys and Everglades. Typically a slower time of year as far as tourism goes, the water is warm and the fish are happy. Fishing for Bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook, and redfish can be some of the best of the year with little to no crowds. So if your trout fishing trip isn’t looking so good due to low water conditions it might be time to check out the Keys and Everglades!

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the “Book Your Trip” link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

The Islamorada Fishing Report

The Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys

Summer in the south Florida is here! I’m no weather man but I can tell you to expect rain and thunder storms daily. Between storms we have been seeing some great fishing.

Sight Fishing in town this past week has been difficult due to the clouds. However after the storms push through finding fins in glassed out conditions make it much easier and a lot of fun. Look for tarpon fins and you’ll get tight! Live baiting around channels and using plastics has been working well for me and my guests. We hooked a few nice tarpon this week and a few juveniles as well on fly. The small tarpon have been in nice groups and were usually able to get a few shots at em even after we hook em up.

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Everglades

What can I say about the Everglades? The glades have been amazing lately. Baby tarpon, big tarpon, snook, redfish. They’re all there, they’re all eating. You just gotta get out there and find em! If you don’t want to spend the time finding em, don’t worry, just call me I know where they are! The fishing has been great, the weather has not. The storms tend to build up around the mainland and I have been spending some time getting torn up by mosquitoes at Flamingo waiting out lightning a few times this past week. It has been worth it though! The fishing out there should stay great through the summer into fall.

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Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions comments or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the “Book Your Trip” link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

The Islamorada Fishing Report

Key Largo and Islamorada Fly and Inshore

Fly fishing in the Florida Keys has its ups and its downs, and weather certainly plays a large part. Though we did have some success early this week, fly fishing for tarpon was made difficult by high winds and waves. There have been some fish on the ocean but with steady wind around 20mph made for tough conditions. We still managed to catch a few nice fish this week though! The permit are hot off their spawning grounds and hungry and if you know where to look you’ll get tight! Finding leeward zones has been the ticket for fly anglers that don’t want to fight the wind. There have been some baby tarpon milling around the mangroves eating good casts and strip sets!

Fly Fishing for Tarpon in the Florida Keys

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Backcountry and Everglades

Fly fishing in the backcountry has been great if you can find clean water. The flats have been producing solid numbers or reds and snooks. Just looks for the muds! Fishing the mangrove banks with bait has been very productive in certain areas. Just be sure to find moving water and if you don’t get a bite in a few casts move on, especially with live bait. This weeks weather looks great, the horse flies will be out in full force without the wind! The sight fishing should be great! Keep and eye out for rolling tarpon.

Fishing for snook in the Everglades has been great the past few weeks!

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I still have dates available for the few 2 weeks of july. backcountry fly and spin fishing is great this time of year of year!

Thanks for reading

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

The water is a piping hot 80 degrees and the fish are getting happy! We just need this wind to come down a bit to really get this 2021 tarpon season going in full swing.

Backcountry fly fishing in the Everglades has been tough, with the wind seeming to come out of different directions everyday, the fish aren’t getting really comfortable anywhere. We have been finding some nice snook on flies and artificial baits this past week fishing banks and points with moving water.

Tarpon Fishing has been ok. The season hasn’t really had the chance to get into full swing. There have been fish around but lack of sunlight and windy conditions makes getting a fly to them a bit difficult. After this weekend however the wind and weather looks like its going to stabilize and fishing will get good!

Speaking of fishing in windy conditions, I have created a new page on this site to help my guests and other anglers to get their fly casting techniques up to par for the wind and sub prime conditions.

Check it out here - Casting Techniques

These videos I posted are the same ones that I send to my guests when they want to improve their casting for their trip of a lifetime. I tell my guests all the time, my guys that practice before they come down always catch more fish and have better shots. Fly Fishing in the Keys can be very difficult, use extra time you have to practice! So when I call a tarpon shot “40 feet 2 O’clock!!” you can get that fly in their face and get tight!

Thanks for reading

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Fly Fishing For Tarpon Islamorada

Well the weather locally has been a rollercoaster ride for the past few weeks. Typical March. When the water is warm the Tarpon have been eating, but these small windy cold-fronts that keep coming in are putting them off. No matter, we’re still making due!

The Tarpon bite for the past week was slow, though we still managed to hook a few on fly and artificials. In Islamorada, fly fishing for tarpon has been tough, but that is hopefully about to change. We have been seeing large groups of fish around bridges and the gulf. They’re still a little shy to bite, but hey that’s tarpon fishing! When this water temp gets stable the fish will resume their happy habits and the 2021 tarpon season will be in full swing.

The windy days have also caused some issues in the back country. The Flamingo area has been blown out with muddy conditions for the past few months, and every time it seems to start to clear up the wind just turns it back up. There are absolutely fish to be found, but its been best to look for clean water, and cast into mangroves.

In town the bone fishing has been great when the wind is down. The wind situation has been sounding like a broken record for the past few weeks, everyday it seems to be blowing 15mph. Hopefully we’re getting our spring wind out of the way and the rest of the season we’ll have calm days!

I still have a few dates available for April and May!

-Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Tarpon Fishing Everglades

It seemed just yesterday the wind was blowing 30mph and there was nowhere for a small flats boats to fish. Well after having a few willing guests we were able to punch the Maverick through the wind and waves and head out to the back country a few days ago and we got paid! The Snook and Redfish bite has been tough the past few days, however we just jumped from spot to spot working water quickly and moving on. This has been working best for me in the Glades. There are absolutely some awesome fish to be caught right now in the Spring windstorms.

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Snook Fishing Everglades

We have also been finding a few big tarpon around. My guests have been hooking them in town and out in the Glades. It is still just a touch early for tarpon but looking around and being patient is the key. This time of year looking for the silver king can be difficult, but my guests that are willing to put in the work have been hooking fish daily.

Redfish Everglades

I have been using flies, some soft plastics and shrimp to get my guests on fish, so if you want to come down and challenge yourself on the fly rodding for tarpon or just want to pitch plastics into the mangroves let me know! I have some availably next month!

Thanks for reading,

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Redfish in the Everglades

Well we had a warm snap this week with very little wind! I’ve been heading out to Everglades Park all week and it has disappointed me yet. The shrimp bite is on fire out back! I’ve been posting up on outgoing tides, fishing jig heads, and the snook, redfish, black drum, and trout have been chowing. The bait fishing has been great in the Flamingo area and it look to stay that way for the next few weeks.

The fly fishing in the Everglades has been great too. I’ve been poling long flats and getting several shots at nice tailing redfish and some snook too. Snook on the Fly has been great, getting the fly tight to banks is a must. If you’re a novice or intermediate fly angler give me a call, lets get you to the next level in your game and get some saltwater species on the board!

A quick Covid update. I have had a few guests call me asking about the current situation on Covid here in the Florida Keys. There has been some misinformation floating around and I just want to clear some things up. There is a mask order in place, you must wear a mask indoors in public places. The hotels are not as busy as normal, there isn’t that many people down here. In the boat I have a max of 2 anglers and myself, its not cramped and we’re outside not breathing each others air! If you’re tired of being stuck in your house come down to the Keys and enjoy some sunshine and and tight lines!

I’m looking forward to the next week of fishing, and I’m looking forward to fishing with you soon!

Capt. Josh