Islamorada Fishing Reports by Captain Greg Eklund

Fishing offshore of Islamorada so far this month has been fantastic!  Daily encounters with Sailfish, Cobia, and King Mackeral have kept our guests busy to say the least.  As we enter the second half of January the moon phase and weather have brought us a huge supply of baitfish along the edge of the reef.  Sardines and cigar minnows, along with huge schools of Ballyhoo are stacked up right now and  are creating a huge attraction for the different species of migratory fish travelling through our area.  The gulf stream current is very close to the edge of the reef these days and has forced a collision of sorts between the concentrations of bait and fish.  This has created excellent fishing opportunities for our anglers lately.  I expect these conditions to hold for awhile as the weather patterns have had alot of continuity and rhythm.  This has also been encouraging the stocks of Sailfish, Cobia, Tunas, and Wahoo north of us to come south to our rich feeding grounds.

Along some of the deeper ledges of the reef the king mackerel and Wahoos have been steadily biting.  Live bait, high speed trolling, and jigging have all been successful for us lately.  These fish have healthy appetites and can reach speeds of sixty MPH as the make screaming runs on light tackle.  A few Mako sharks,  Amberjack, Grouper, and Mutton Snappers are also using  the deeper ledges  these days.  Further inshore along the top edge fo the reef anfd the patch areas snapper fishing for Hogfish, Yellowtail, and Mangrove snapper has been great.  These fish make for great dinner options during your visit and also provide a great source of steady, nonstop action.  We have enjoyed working with all levels of anglers lately and the light tackle we are currently fishing this time of year is great fun for both kids and adults.  If you would like to join us for some winter time fishing please contact Capt. Greg Eklund at (305)360-7476 or send him an email at info@islamoradafishingtrips.com.  See you on the CLOUD NINE!  Capt Greg.

Fishing Islamorada offshore this past week has been excellent.  On the CLOUD NINE we pride ourselves in catching our own fresh, live bait everyday.  This time of year that fresh live bait gives us an advantage that catches our visiting anglers alot more fish.  We help anglers of all abilities to use this bait to fish for a huge variety of  species that migrate through the waters offshore ofIslamorada.  Lately there has been alot of Dolphin or Mahi Mahi on the inshore current of the Gulfstream in less than 400 feet of water.  These fish are not normally so abundant this time of year in Islamorada.  Several boats have been catching limits of nice fish in the five to fifteen pound range.  This is a bonus for visiting anglers right now and how long it holds up is anybodies guess.  The latest arrival in town has been the Sailfish.  Inbetween fronts this past week several of these fish were working schools of bait along the edge of the reef.  The top boats are catching five to eight Sails a day right now.  This is great Sailfish bite is right on Schedule and I would predict that fishing for Sails is only going to get better over the next few weeks.  Along the edge fo the reef several spots are holding some nice bottom fish.  Mutton Snappers top the list but their has been Groupers, Yellowtail and Mangrove snappers too.  This si a great time of year to fish along the reef and inside edge of the Gulfstream off Islamorada.  Please email info@islamoradafishingtrips.com or call me at (305)360-7476 to arrange some time to get out on the CLOUD NINE with me.  Happy Thanksgiving!  Capt. Greg

December 2010 Islamorada Offshore fishing forecast by Capt. Greg Eklund

                The Holiday season is upon us and so are the Sailfish!  Islamorada is teaming with a huge supply of bait fish along the edge of the reef.  The Sailfish migration is in full swing right now and they are taking advantage of the huge food supply off Islamorada.  Ballyhoo, cigar minnows, and pilchards are all available to the Sails along the edge of the reef.  This has encouraged them to settle in at several locations out front between cold snaps. This is allowing our visiting anglers the opportunity to catch them using a variety of methods.  Sightfishing, Live bait flown under fishing kites, and slow trolling are all effective presentations this time of year.  If you love live bait fishing, then you need to get in on this big time action.  With the large amount of bait along the reef Sailfishing should continue to be excellent for the rest of this month. 

The King Mackerel bite has been improving at several spots along the reef.  The fish have averaged 10 pounds or so but there have been some nice fish to forty pounds too.  The Wahoo have been showing up with more frequency lately.  Several boats have reported that there are lots of Wahoos to the North and South of us right now so I look for the Wahoo fishing to be the next few weeks.  Further inshore the Grouper and Snapper fishing along the patch reef has been great.  Off color water and the latest series of fronts have got the fish moving around inshore of the reef edge.  This is creating a wide variety of fishing opportunities in these areas and providing some great tasting fish for dinner.  The Cobias are still a little thin on the Ocean side of Islamorada but they are stacked up in the Bay and to the north of us on the Ocean side so be on the lookout for these hard fighting fish on the docks in the afternoon.

December is a great month to fish the reef for Sailfish and a variety of other great light tackle prey here in Islamorada.  As we approach the Christmas holiday week here in Islamorada it is good to know that the fish are here and waiting for the arrival of all of the holiday anglers. Whether you live here or are just in town for a visit, a day exploring the rich fishing grounds off of our fishing village is really a lot of fun.  If I can help you with questions or setting up a day of fishing off Islamorada please give me a call.  For more information on Keys Fishing or how to arrange an Islamorada fishing charter please check out http://www.islamoradafishingtrips.com.  You can also reach Capt. Greg Eklund directly at (305) 360-7476.  Happy Holidays! Capt. Greg Eklund

 Fishing in Islamorada has been good for us lately aboard the CLOUD NINE.  Offshore around the area humps the Blackfin Tuna bite has been excellent.  We have had an abundance of live bait inside the edge of the reef for the last few weeks and our anglers have been taking advantage of the Tunas by chumming them with this bait into a feeding frenzy.  Some of the Tunas have been in the 15 to 20 pound range but there has also been lots of fish in the 5 to ten pound range as well…Further Offhsore along the wall in the Gulfstream current the Swordfishing has been consistent of late.  Swordies from 80 to 150 pounds have been taking baits fished near the bottom during the daytime.  These fish are the hardest fighting of the billfish species and make for some epic battles and memories for our visiting anglers.  Further inshore there have been a few Sailfish starting to prowl the reef line and deeper ledges out to 250 feet.  These fish are taking advantage of the huge amount of bait that is staged out front of Islamorada right now. While it is still a little early in the year  to focus a day’s effort soley on Sailfish, it is very encouraging to see a few around already.  As we move into October and start to see a few cold fronts in our area this fishery is set to explode.  There has been some great bottom fishing of late.  A variety of Snappers, Groupers, and Mackerel have been a daily part of our catches recently.  I expect this quality fishing to continue along the reef right into the fall season.  We still have some availabilty in the second half of September and throughout the month of October.  Please give me a call at (305) 360-7476 or email me at info@islamoradafishingtrips.com to discuss your options for putting together an Islamorada fishing trip that you have only dreamed about.  I look forward to fishing with you soon.  All the best…Capt. Greg Eklund

June 1st, 2010

Swordfishing is in full swing here in Islamorada right now.  Several fish to 250 lbs have been biting during the last ten days for the fleet.  Our swordfish fishery is unique in the fact that these highly prized billfish can be targeted and caught during the daytime off of Islamorada.  We have had great success catching these hard fighting fish with a variety of baits and techniques.  The most productive waters for us have been off the edge of the shelf in 1500 to 1850 feet of water.  If you have always wanted to tackle a huge billfish June, July, and August are the prime months of the year here to get the job done.    In addition to the great swordfish action we are catching big numbers of Blackfin Tuna and Dolphin too.  Live baiting the Tunas is the best way to guarantee yourself some quality action.  The Big Blackfins have been running 25 to 40 pounds and will continue to be available to our visiting anglers for the next two months.  Chumming over the area humps with live pilchards has been working best for us.  This method encourages the Tunas to the surface where the bust on the freeebie baits and eat our hook baits readily.  It is not uncommon for us to catch 6 to 10 of these great eating fish per day.  The dolphin fishing is in full swing right now.  This year has produced some great fish up to sixty five pounds for us so far and the season is really just beginning.  I expect the quality dolphin fishing to do nothing but better over the next 6o to 90 days.    There is also some great snapper and tarpon fishing available in the evenings right now.  As you can see this is the time of the year to fish the blue water off of Islamorada.  For more information on booking your fishing trip of a lifetime aboard the CLOUD NINE out of Islamorada in the Florida Keys please call (305) 360-7476 or email me at info@islamoradafishingtrips.com.  I look forward to providing you with some epic fishing!  Capt. Greg

Finally we have emerged from the grip of Old Man winter and the unusually long cold snap here in Islamorada.  All of the cold weather has created some unique fishing conditions around town.  First and foremost in the minds of all of us who fish offshore this time of year is the Sailfish bite.  Last week the Islamorada Invitational Sailfiy tournament experienced just how great the Sailfish bite can be off Islamorada.  Of the Twenty teams that pursued the Sailfish armed with only flies and fly rods thirteen teams caught at least one Sailfish on fly.  When the dust settled two local brothers, Tim and Robert Klein, came out on top with four releases to take the top honors aboard the Gotcha.  This was a record year for releases in the tournament and it was great to see so many teams have success.  Next over the weekend the Key Largo Sailfish tournament anglers enjoyed a continuation of great Sailfishing.  On Saturday Capt. Brian Cone and his crew aboard the Contagious released 17 Sailfish to take a commanding lead on their way to the win by the end of fishing on day two.  Congratulations to all of the winners during the past week on a job well done.  As we start to wax a new moon this week and the weather stabilizes we should continue to see this great Sailfishing offshore of Islamorada.

Several other species have been chewing the paint off the boats offshore this past week in addition to the Sailfish.  Not wanting to be left out the Cobia continued to be cooperate for many of the local boats.  Some nice Cobias in the fifty pound range showed up on the docks almost everyday last week.  This is due in part to the cold weather we have experienced the first half of January and the large drop in water temperatures on the Gulf side of the Keys.  The Cobias migrated in mass to the ocean side of the Keys in search of food and warmer water temperatures.  Look for this great opportunity to continue this week as there are still good numbers of these fish around right now.  The King Mackerel bite has been off the chain.  While these fish are not exceptionally large right now they are huge in number and the action has been full tilt everyday now for a week.  The Mutton Snapper and Yellowtail bite has been excellent along the patch reefs areas and edge of the reef.  The cold water temperatures inshore have helped to aggregate these fish and they are really biting well.  Include some great cero mackerel action and the arrival of several  catch and release groupers and you have an offshore fishing menu that is impossible to resist.  If I can help you put together a trip to get out on the water and into the idle of all of this great fishing action please give me a call at (305) 360-7476 or email at info@islamoradafishingtrips.com.  Have a great week and get out and fish during your visit to the fabulous Florida Keys.  Capt. Greg

December 23rd, 2009

Merry Christmas from Islamorada in the Florida Keys!  The Sailfish bite this week has been excellent.  We released 4 out of 5 we hooked on Monday and we have released multiple Sails on all of our trips during the past five days.  This is great news for all of the anglers that are due to visit next week after Christmas.  We have had the bulk of our bites using fishing kites to present baits such as Sardines, Cigar minnows, and goggle eyes.  We have also caught a few fish on Ballyhoo as they have spent some of their time prowling the shallows and showering the large schools of ballyhoo along the edge of the reef.  This is prime season around here for the Sailfish and I expect all of this great billfish action to continue for the next month or so. In addition to the Sails there has also been lots of Blackfin Tuna and King Mackerel.  The big reason for the diversity in our fishery right now is the amazing amount of baitfish that have settled into the edge of the reef line off ISlamorada.  This is getting and keeping the attention of the migratory fish as the pass by our fishing village and providing them with a perfect, easy food source.  There has also been a few Wahoos, some Cobias, and even some Mahi Mahi on mixed into our recent catches. 

Further inshore the Snapper and Grouper fishing has been good.  Many spots along the top edge of the reef are hlding good winter time schools of Yellowtail Snapper and a few Black Groupers.  The patch reef areas inside the edge of the reef have also been producing some more of these great eating fish.  Whether you are here in search of the great Sailfish bite, looking to enjoy a great day on the water with you family, or just a die hard fisherman looking for a holiday treat, a day aboard the Cloud Nine on the waters off of Islamorada is exactly want you need.  I would love to help you make arrangements to get out on the water during you visit or answer any questions you might have about fishing here in the Florida Keys.  Please feel free to contact me by email at info@islamoradafishingtrips.com, or by phone at (305) 360-7476.  There is also alot more information about fishing with us in our website www.islamoradafishingtrips.com.   I hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a great start to the New Year.  Great fishing!! Capt. Greg Eklund

November 29th, 2009

Finally it’s the first week of December and the official start to the 2009-2010 Islamorada Sailfish Tournament season.    This year’s opening event is the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament which kicks off at Whale Harbor on Thursday night at 6:00.  The event should draw more than thirty teams for the three day, all release, Sailfish tournament.  This event also begins the Sailfish Gold Cup series which includes the Cheeca Lodge and Islamorada Fishing Club Tourneys in January.   This year’s Sailfish season is off to a great start along the edge of the reef.  The cold fronts have been slowing progressing the migration of Ballyhoo baitfish from the backcountry and Gulf of Mexico to the Oceanside of the Keys.  These Ballyhoo are a big part of the Sailfish fishery here in the Keys and they are in place and accumulating along the reef from North Key Largo southward toward Islamorada.  The migrating Sailfish have been using this as their primary source of food lately.  This has created some great sight fishing opportunities as they chase these baits around between 25 and 100 feet of water.  The cold fronts have also been cycling new packs of Sailfish into our area to replace the stocks that we have been chasing around for the last few weeks.  A few boats have posted ten fish days in the last few weeks but the top crews have been catching three to six fish a day.  With our next major front due in here on Thursday a resetting of the game board is in order for the beginning of fishing on Friday.  I am excited about this year’s Sailfish season based on what I’ve seen the past few weeks on the water and this weekend should be a great event for all!

In addition to the Sailfish we have been catching a variety of other fish along the edge of the reef.  The King Mackerel fishing has been on when we have had current along the edge of the reef out to 200 feet.  A few nice Wahoos have also been mixed in with these Kings on the deeper ledges.  With the full Moon coming up soon we should see an influx in the number of Wahoo around.  Historically the deeper ledges off of Molasses and Conch are better this time of year and can produce fish over 50 pounds on occasion.  The Yellowtail and Mutton Snapper fishing has been great when the wind clocks around.  The patches have been holding a variety of grouper species and some late moving schools of Mangrove Snapper.  The good news for you Cobia fans out there it that our good friend Bo has arrived in Town to fish the winter season.  Historically he arrives this time of year and works the winter season offshore aboard the KALEX.  As if he is the gate keeper it never fails that the Cobia show up like clockwork the week after he gets here.  So welcome back Bo and be on the lookout for these great fighting fish in the shallows during the next few weeks.  This is a great time of year to fish Offshore here in Islamorada and those of us who Charter fish here in Islamorada look forward to showing you an enjoyable time fishing offshore during your visit.  Please give me a call at (305)360-7476 or send an email to info@islamoradafishingtrips.com if I can help you make fishing arrangements during your stay here in the Sport Fishing Capitol of the World.  Have a great week!  Capt. Greg Eklund For more info visit www.islamoradafishingtrips.com.

November 22nd, 2009

Sailfishing off of Islamoraad has been excellent for us lately.  We have been seeing 10 to 30 fish a day and catching our fair share.  They have been feeding heavily on live ballyhoo along the edge of the reef.  This makes for some exciting fishing as the Sailfish “shower” or chase hundreds of Ballyhoo at a time and give you an opportunity to get them a bait of your own.  We have also been using the kites to present baits to traveling pods of fish during the last week.  This can be a very effective way of fishing live bait for the Sails and creates some great in your face bites.  In addition to the Sailfish we have been catching some monster Yeloowtail Snappers on live bait as well as a few MAngrove and Mutton Snappers.  There has been some decent King Mackerel action but the Cero mackerel action has been even better,  I still have a few opening for the Thanksgiving holiday week and the fisrt couple weeks of December.  You can CLick here to make a reserveration or call me at (305) 360-7476 to schedule some fishing time with us aboard the CLoud Nine.  I look forward to getting you and your group out on the water.  Happy Thanksgiving, Capt. Greg For more info visit www.islamoradafishingtrips.com

October 19th, 2009
September has come and gone.  We spent the month catching Swordfish, Tuna , and Dolphin and then hauled the Cloud Nine out of the water for some annual maintance and a new paint job!!!  October has brought with it the start to our fishing season here in Islamorada and some great Fall weather.  We experienced our first strong cold front last weekend and the Sailfish responded with a flurry of action.  We are fishing along the edge of the reef right now and the conditions couldn’t be better.  In addition to the Sailfish we are targeting Wahoo, King Mackerel, Grouper, Snapper and even a few Cobias this time of year. The patch reef and shallow reef line are holding great quantities of Ballyhoo, Cigar Minnows, and Pilchards. These baitfish are the nucleus of our fishing here in Islamorada this time of year. Every game fish we chase along the edge of the reef is using these baits as their primary food source. Because of the prolific amount of bait that is holding along the reef line right now we are currently stopping and supporting a large biomass of migrating fish here in Islamorada. The Sailfish are a primary target for us this time of year as they pillage the bait schools like a greyhound bus crowd attacks a McDonalds. We employ several methods to catch the Sailfish such as Kite fishing several flavors of live baits to casting baits at the Sails as the shower schools of Ballyhoo. The Sailfish migration here in the Keys is truly one of the best experiences fisherperson can experience as an angler. Now is the time of year to get in on some of this prime Sailfish action aboard the Cloud Nine off of Islamorada.
I mentioned above Wahoos and King Mackerel this month here in Islamorada. These fish tend to hold on the deeper ledges of the reef between 135 and 180 feet of water. Large live baits such as Speedos, Tinker Mackerel, Goggle Eyes, and Blue Runners are key to catching these speedy, sharp tooth predators. The Kings and Wahoos can reach more than 50 pounds and put up a great fight on light tackle. Along the bottom on these same ledges we are catching Mutton Snappers and Groupers. Pinfish and Cigar minnows are a favorite bait of mine for these prized bottom fish. Along the top edge of the reef the Yellowtail and Mangrove snappers are still biting. They have redistributed from their large summer spawning schools to a more highly distributed area between 35 and 80 feet. The Snappers are one of the most abundant and best eating fish we have here in the Keys. They provide some great action and are a common source of dinner for a lot of our guest anglers. Add to all of the above some early Cobias action and you have a fishery that is ripe for some great fishing. November and early December is a great time of year to be here in the Keys fishing with live bait along the reef line. If I can help you plan a day’s charter, answer your questions, or help you put together a visit to Islamorada please feel free to get in touch with me or Click Here to inquire about making a reservation to fish with us! OR For more info visit www.islamoradafishingtrips.com