Islamorada Fishing Report

The Islamorada Fishing Report

Being a fly fishing guide in Islamorada can be amazing, this week was awesome. The tarpon fishing in downtown Islamorada has been great. There have been steady schools of fish for the past few weeks. The permit have come back into town after their Spring spawn and are eating flies and live crabs.

Fly fishing for tarpon has been my main focus for the past few days and I was seeing good numbers of them until they all headed south. The next few days are going to be difficult with yet another front moving in right now and winds in the 20mph range for the next week. After the wind dies down we should start seeing northbound fish on the ocean side.

Jumping a giant Tarpon on the fly rod!

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Everglades and Backcountry

Fly fishing the Everglades and backcountry has been good when the tides have been right. I have been using both fly and live bait and getting great snook when we head to the back. Fishing larger baits has been getting giant snook, however if there are giant snook eating baits there are sharks around. Be careful not to let the sharks get the snook, its a pretty big bummer when you only land a snook head on what could have been a fish of a lifetime. Use heavy line, get em in quick, and open the bail if a shark gets on em.

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June has filled up, I still have some dates available at the end off the month. Tarpon, permit, bonefish, and snook will be fire this summer let me know if you want to fish! I’d love to get your picture up here on the fishing report!

Thanks for reading,

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

The Islamorada Fishing Report

The Tarpon are finally in town and the backcountry has been awesome!

The weather has still been a bit of a turn off but if you can cast a fly in the wind and hook a tarpon its just that much more rewarding! Ocean side tarpon fishing is in full swing, we’re seeing good numbers daily. Live bait at the bridges is working as well. I have been fishing from Key Largo to Lower Matecumbe and seeing fish all over. Light colored flies have been working best, though we have had some eats on darker flies in the am.

Trout Fishing, Everglades

The back country and Everglades has been awesome as well. The trout bite has been insane. Just look for muds and they’re all around. They have been eating pretty much whatever soft plastics you want to throw at em, white has been working best. Snook and Reds can be found tucked in on a lee edge where you can find some cleaner water. Sight fishing to them has been good, but remember, if you can see them they can see you!

Fly Casting in the wind has been difficult for some of my anglers. I have compiled a few videos to help my guests and other anglers to learn the double haul and the backhand cast. Check them out HERE

2021 Tarpon Season is in full swing and they are going to be around for a while. I have June dates available!

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

The past week has been pretty exciting!

Tarpon Fishing Florida Keys

I have been putting my guests on tarpon all week, which for this time of year is totally awesome. Warm weather has got the silver king happy and chowing. Water temps are in the high 70s and low 80s and that means happy fish! We have been hooking tarpon on flies and artificial lures everyday this week. Bycatch has been mega Jacks and they pull plenty hard. Hopefully this cold front that’s hitting the rest of the country stays north!

We have also been having shots at permit every time we go looking for them. They’re getting ready for their spawn offshore and are headed out of the backcountry and towards the islands. Bonefish have been around as well but this week we focused on the silver king.

Back country has been great as well, when I am able to find clean water fish have been biting. I’ve just been keeping it simple with plastics and flies.

I have some dates available for the end of this month and some spots in March. If you want to fish give me a call.

Capt. Josh