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 Islamorada Fly Fishing Report

Pulling on Giant Tarpon in Islamorada

Tarpon are eating good casts!

Fly Fishing for Tarpon in the Keys is in full swing! We have been seeing plenty of fish on the ocean side and have had shots for days! We have been feeding fishing and getting a few to the boat. The patient angler with a good cast has been getting paid!

There have been good numbers of fish from Key Largo south to Islamorada. The wind has been up but that has made for better eats. If you can see the fish they can see you! The wind gets that chop up and hides the boat and angler. Glassed out afternoons have been awesome but stretch out that cast because you can’t get close to em.

We have been feeding our fish on standard ocean patterns, small natural tans, brown, and chartreuse colors. Everyday has been different as far as fly selection goes, but the fish are here and should be until late June.

Grumpy Weather, Tarpon Fishing, Islamorada Florida

I have June dates available.

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

The water is starting to warm up and the tarpons are warming up too!

The past few weeks we have been dealing with very inconsistent weather. Tarpon are not a fan of cold water. The past cold front dropped the water temps into the 60s and they are slowly starting to work their way back up.

This week brought wind and chilly water temps, but we were still able to make it happen. We worked lee banks and found nice snook and a few baby tarpon on flies. Later in the week the water temps started to warm up and I changed my game to hunting for the bigger tarpon around Islamorada. Though there have not been great numbers of fish we were able to hook a few on the fly rod!

Fly Fishing For tarpon Islamorada

This weekend looks like it’s going to be windy and bring in some warmer temps. Next week is looking solid and we’re going to try and hammer down on some silver kings!

Fly Fishing for Snook

I checked my personal fishing reports from last season and the tarpon are definitely running behind schedule due to the colder water temps. The great news is that once the tarpon fishing gets into full swing we’ll have solid fishing through June, which is even better news if you’ve waited to book your trip! June is going to be an amazing month and I have availability!

Thanks for reading, and if you’d like to book a trip feel free to reach out,

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

Tarpon Fishing Florida Keys

Tarpon season is right around the corner! We have had a big push of large fish the past few days that were happy and eating! The small cold front this past weekend slowed the bite a little, however the snook and redfish game was strong.

The past week was exciting, filled with tarpon bites daily and snook in the back country. I think a few more weeks and we’ll start seeing the large groups of migratory fish swimming in ocean side. As long as the bay stays warm there will be plenty of tarpon moving in, as well as happy permit, snook, and redfish.

The backcountry has been producing awesome snook fishing on fly rod and spin rod. This week I stuck to fly for most of my trips and we were able to sight fish snook and pull em out of mangroves.

I still have some dates available for March, April, and May. The calendar is starting to fill up. shoot me an email or drop me a line, lets go catch some fish!

Capt Josh

Fly Fishing For Snook

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

Islamorada Fishing Report

Fly Fishing For Tarpon Islamorada

The weather warmed up and the Tarpon got happy! The past few days have been a ton of fun hooking tarpon on fly and spin gear. Black flies have been working best and soft plastics in white and black have been getting them too. This colder weather coming in might put them off for a few days, but the season is right around the corner and my guests and I are stoked!

The backcountry up the East Cape has been awesome this past week. We’ve been Catching Tarpon, Snook, Redfish and Black Drum. We’ve also been finding schools of nice trout that are game to eat pretty much anything. Fly fishing up against the banks has been epic, we’re seeing good numbers of redfish and snook.

Thanks for reading! I hope to see you on the water,

Contact me for availability, I still have some days open February and March

Cast Josh

Fly fishing for Redfish Everglades