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

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 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 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

Suzuki 90 from Outboard Specialties

Well folks a lot has happened in the past two weeks since my last report. Tarpon fishing was getting off to nice start when all of the sudden my Yamaha 90 decided to give up the ghost on a guide trip. Lucky for us she died only about a half mile from the marina and we were able to limp her in. After cancelling a few trips and making some phone calls to find a new motor, Outboard Specialties in Pompano Beach was able to find me a new Suzuki 90, and they got her mounted in just a few days. The people at the Outboard Specialties were amazing to work with, and i’m super stoked on my new 90! I’m back on the water so lets talk about that!

Bonefishing in Islamorada

Last week before this wind picked up and cooled everything off we were seeing good numbers of tarpon and getting awesome shots everyday on both fly and spin gear. We hooked a few up but we got beat, sometimes the king wins! The bone fishing has picked up and has been a really nice way to get out of the wind and get some solid action. Snook fishing and backcountry in general was great but this front that is rolling through out of the NE has pushed a lot of the water out of the already shallow bays in the backcountry so fishing channels is best until the wind lets up.

Tarpon season is right around the corner and I still have dates available for end of April, May and June.

See ya on the water,

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