Islamorada Fishing Report

The Islamorada Fishing Report

Fishing in the Florida Keys this past week was amazing. The wind finally settled down and there was plenty to do. I ran all over and it seemed the fish were everywhere. Downtown Islamorada was hot with tarpon, bonefish, and we even had some shots at permit. Bonefish were up on the flats and hungry during the incoming tide and fished best at the top of the incoming. Permit have been around bridges and their usual summer flats.

Tarpon are eating flies!

Tarpon have been pretty much everywhere. We have been getting eats on the ocean side, as well as great action in the back country. I have done some live baiting for them under the bridges but mainly fly fishing. Fly fishing for tarpon is the reason I moved here and though this season has been tough with cold weather conditions and wind most days, the season is here and tarpon are rolling!

Speaking of Tarpon, I just finished my article on “Choosing a Saltwater Fly Reel”

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Everglades and Backcountry

Fishing in the backcountry has been hot fire. We’ve been seeing great numbers of trout, redfish, and snook. The trout fishing has been spectacular with anglers catching 20-50 fish a day! Snook and redfish we have been working a bit harder for, but when we get on em its been great. The Flamingo side up the East Cape have been producing a lot of fish lately. Hopefully this wind comes down soon so we can get back out!

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What to Expect this Week

Weather this week has taken an unfortunate turn for the 30mph worse. Winds picked up yesterday and things are cooling off a bit. The weather looks like its going to be pretty nasty for the next few days until Sunday. Next week looks amazing with low winds and clear skies. Should be dream weather for anglers! So get that honey do list done this weekend so you can get out on the water next week!

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

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

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

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

Islamorada Fishing Report

Windy! It has been blowing like crazy here for the past few days. The water has been turned up in the backcountry and its looking like its going to stay that way for the next 2 days. Last weeks fishing however was great. Big snook on flies and a few nice tarpon were jumped! Nothing was landed, that’s how it goes with bigger fish, they beat the unseasoned angler, all the more reason to spend more time tarpon fishing!

This week the wind is looking to die down around Wednesday. Its gonna to be chilly so tarpon fishing is going to be tough. If the weather calms down enough there should be permit out and about on the edges of flats and bonefish to be found fishing live bait on the edges of flats. Snook and Reds will be in their usually winter holding waters.

Tarpon Season is right around the corner and with the amount of fish we’ve seen last week it should make for a great season. I still have dates available and would love to get you into the fish of a lifetime!

Capt. Josh

Islamorada and Florida Keys Backcountry Fishing Report

Backcountry Cobia

The weather has been awesome these past few days! The water has been glass for the past 3 days and we have had plenty of shots at permit and big tarpon. When the conditions line up it makes fly fishing the backcountry a dream. We can see tarpon roll a long way off and permit tailing in areas that are difficult to fish otherwise. We did manage to sight fish a few cobia this week and that was amazing, and delicious. Best table fare the keys have to offer in my opinion.

Early this week consisted of windy fly fishing conditions, though the wind was up we still managed to land a few nice snook on the fly and had multiple shots at redfish. Fly Fishing in the Keys can be amazing, however its only as amazing as your ability to cast. I highly recommend casting lessons and practice before your trip to the keys. Theres nothing worse than being just 10ft short of a tailing permit! As a rule of thumb I tell my guests to practice until they are able to cast 60ft comfortably, a double haul helps. I have links and resources that I send my guests to help practice. Let me know if you need a tune up before your visit, I am happy to help! Simply making a vid of yourself casting and sending it to me for review can help a lot!

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

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

We have definitely been having out ups and downs with weather this winter! Seems like one days its 75 and sunny and the next is 50 and blowing. That hasn’t been stopping me and my guests from getting on the water and making it happen! This past week was a lot of fun! A lot of firsts, I had some newlyweds that crushed the snooks and reds, and a veteran saltwater fly angler that had never caught a snook, we made it happen and his rod stayed bent for the rest of the day.

The inconsistencies in weather have the fish moving around a lot this time of year, which is fine once we’re able to find them. They seem to be hungry and willing to eat flies, artificial baits, and live bait. This time of year I’m doing long runs out to the park and spending most of my time fishing edges of different keys until we find on that’s hot. One thing I’ve noticed this week is the lack of gear that guests are bringing on board. Though I love a clean clutter less boat, it is important to remember to dress properly. You can bring whatever cold weather gear you want and we can always stash what you don’t use. I know it seems warm on the islands but when we get out on the water and are underway at 30pmh it gets chilly. Shorts and a T when its 60 out is gonna make for a chilly ride. Try to dress properly, and as always, call me if you have questions on what gear to bring!

Another thing I have noticed are guests forgetting or not bringing on the boat is a pair of polarized sunglasses. The $20 polarized glasses at the local sporting goods store will get it done in a pinch, but a nice pair of Costa Del Mars, or Smiths, are even better. It can make or break your day if you can see subtle changes underneath the water surface, and you can see fishies!

Thanks for reading and hope to see you on the water soon!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Nicole with her first Everglades Flats Redfish

Its a chilly one here in Islamorada today. I stepped outside with a hot cup of coffee to let the dog out and was greeted with a cool blast of winter air. I thought I left the cold behind in Idaho! No matter, the warmer temps start blowing in this afternoon and this week looks like it going to be great.

Pre cold front the fishing was steady. I was finding redfish, snook, and black drum in their usual haunts. Deep holes with lots of current. I have been catching redfish up on the flats around Flamingo, and if you’re willing to take some chances and pole some flats with these super low tides the action has been good. Just have a way out, or bring a book and an extra sandwich if you get high and dry!

With these coldfronts coming and going the fish have been pretty dialed in on shrimp, gulps, and flies. When we can get out of the wind the fly has been working well tight against the bank. We’ve been seeing snook, tarpon, and reds on fly.

Weather this week looks great and its back on the water for me tomorrow! Hopefully this weather warms up and some bigger tarpon get moving around. I look forward to taking you fishing!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

2021 Happy New year! Hope you’ve all had an awesome holiday!

Wind has been the word for the past week. A front came in on Tuesday and it has been blowing ever since. According to the weather man its supposed to slow down later today and next week looks great. The wind makes fly fishing very difficult. Though we had one good day on fly, most days we left the long rods at the dock this week and focused on spin gear and live bait.

This week we spent in the back country of the Everglades fishing mangroves and deep channels. If the wind didn’t make it difficult enough, the ultra low tides definitely did. This moon phase we lost a lot of water making it difficult to get to certain areas, some spots were simply off limits. The plus side is if you can find deep water and a bit of current you can usually make something happen. We were able to get into a few more monster black drum, snook, reds, and even some triple tail.

This week looks good with wind coming down and the low tides starting to come back to normal. I have availability this month so feel free to give me a call and we’ll get on the water.

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Winter Everglades and Keys fishing is in full swing and it has been amazing this past week! The gulf fishing has been producing our larger fish and the change in tide in town has been getting some larger bonefish up on the flats. My clients have been catching a ton of different species this past week, grouper, black drum, barracuda, redfish, snook, trout, tarpon, cobia, and of course bonefish! The cold weather and the ultra low tides have fishing holding in deeper holes and close to the mangroves and we have been capitalizing.

If you want to come out and try for snook, redfish, black drum, permit and bonefish give me a call! I have dates available in January. Dress warm! 60 degrees doesn’t feel too bad when you’re standing on the dock, but when we’re jamming at 30mph for 45min to the Everglades it can get chilly!

Hope you and your families had a great holiday and I know I’m not the only person looking forward to 2021!

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

Sight Fishing for Snook

This week has been a bit crazy, windy and cold. I’ve been dressing like i’m headed out on a ski trip in the mornings, but no matter, the fishing has been epic. Winds from the North bring in cooler temps and moves fish around to their winter holding locations. The north wind has also been pushing fish up on flats close to banks. There we have been able to sight cast to large groups of snook. I’ve been using anything white and they seem to be loving it! The past few days we have been seeing awesome numbers of snook, catching 30-40 in a single spot, and getting a 30+ every now and again on fly and light tackle. This trend should continue through the winter months with redfish and trout filling in the gaps between snook spots.

Cast Josh

Islamorada, Florida Fishing Report

The Holidays are here and the fish are have been gifting tight lines on both fly rod and light tackle!

We had a bit of a weather change these past few days with cold fronts coming in. Everything has started to settle in nicely with the fish getting used to the cooler water temps and heading into their winter holding zones. This creates awesome opportunities to fish the flats in the Everglades and in Islamorada.

Snook have been holding on banks and in channels, and they’re hungry! They’ve been eating almost everything we’ve been throwing at them. Redfish have been the same, however we’re finding large schools on flats and sight casting to them has been a lot of fun and should stay good until April. Fly fishing for bones has been good on calm days when the wind isn’t beating up the angler and we’re able to see. We have been getting bones in the AM on live shrimps in town. There have been some tarpon still cruising around but I have not spent a lot of time targeting them due to the other species fishing so well right now.

Hope to fish with you soon,

Capt Josh

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