Boatless Fishing Forum, Reports, Info

Put your Fishing Reports here

Gotcha wrote:Delete these non report post please.

Why don't you come up with something to post with a pic instead of worrying about BS.

OK, here is the first report from the lower keys. I guess?

Since channel 2, was packed and it seemed that Long Key was on the same route because of the 4 day weekend (many had MK day off). I decided it would be best to go bridge hopping down South. I tried several small bridges until I finally found one with bait so I set up camp and tried. Most bridges had currents that were ripping some had very slow currents. Water was milky at first and then it was a little clear.

My luck was bad I lost three freight trains cutting off 50lbs line with a 6/0 circle hook, switched to wire and got no hits. Switched back to 50lbs but used long shank hooks, then got one more cut off.

Me =
1 tiny barjack------large bucktail sabikis
2 tiny jacks--------crappie jigs
2 small cero macks--------crappie jigs
5 undersized blacks------Hoo plugs, googs, sardines, and shrimp, one on a crappie jig
1 undersized Gag------Hoo plugs, googs, sardines, and shrimp
lots of undersized mangos------Hoo plugs, googs, sardines, and shrimp

My wife was just catching bait but having lots of fun doing it. All on large bucktail sabikis
Over 10 barjacks up to 12 inches<---wish they hit my sabiki instead
1 blue runner
Over 10 skipjacks
2 greenies

Here are some picks:

My small Barjack


The small macks used to live line no takers



The small jack, awesome colors perfect size bait. Notice the tooth marks looks like 2 macks or the same one came back for it and attacked it.



This is my wife runner


Until next time

NO pilchards gogs greenies I always get them there.

TAILTEASIN wrote:NO pilchards gogs greenies I always get them there.

shhhhhhhhh dont tell nobody

TAILTEASIN wrote:NO pilchards gogs greenies I always get them there.

The only bait there is what we caught. Fishing was bad down there. I looked for bait all over. Right now, all fish have been coming out of Long Key.

Well I went back down to the lower bridges, unfortunately there were no 8 inch juvenile barjacks this time. But the grouper bite was ok with lots of small ones again a a keeper in between. The same was going for the mangrove snappers.

There was no shrimp at Dons and no shrimp at Jacks, yesterday the bait was all at the 7 mile bridge Southern bridge and at the Missouri-Ohio bridge. The water was very clear everywhere, the bite was only good at night and very quite in the morning.

Here are some pics of the outing:

Crabman with a small tarpon safely released back in the water with the net. Time out of the water only to take hook off, pic, and back in the net for the release

The release:

An ok mangrove

A small Goliath also safely released with the net

A small red Grouper

And a kepper Red Grouper, but released


Until next time.

Way to go Herbert and crabman ,nice fish great catches!

Nice fish guys!!

Nice job guys, you got more willpower then me to throw back a keeper grouper.

nice fish

Thanks guys.

PhishingPhanatic, it hurt me afterwards. I simply forgot it only needed to be 20" to keep it, so go out there and catch it.

Don't like to pass grouper fingers...

left my house around 1030 last night felt pretty ancy you kind of itching to get out an wet a line so i decided to head down to the keys arived at the bridge around 1
started jigging pilchards

the bridge was pretty quiet the bite was slow caught one undersize mutton an one keeper at 18 inches befor i knew it was 6 an time for me to head home you know half to get to work

Fished Saturday afternoon - Sunday morning with Rob (Whodey.) Unfortunately no shopping cart was available, so I rigged my ghetto fabulous bridge cart:



We made the arduous trek out to the fishing grounds, it was freaking hot and we went through most of a gallon jug of water and a few bud lights like they were water before we even unpacked the rods. Got setup, day fishing was pretty slow, but after dark the bite was pretty hot. Got a couple nice grovers, including this 19 incher



and tons of run offs, we probably had a fish of some sort on every 10 or 15 minutes for most of the night. Most were sharks, Rob got a bunch of blacktips, I got a ~5 ft lemon, and we had countless bonnetheads, with a slow pick of mangroves mixed in. The nice thing was there were virtually no junk fish like grunts picking the baits apart.

Morning came and we dropped the last chum bag, within minutes it was SWARMED by grovers, yellowtails and tropicals, the problem was most of the snapper were 12" or smaller. Fished a couple hours and took off around 9:30 to beat the heat.

Dude that's a swarm of mangroves you got around that piling,,,,it's a sign summer is almost here.Nice report as always Rory.

nice grovers rory

Nice report. Looks like you guys had a blast.

Thanks for the nice report Rory....Nice grovers...

Went down south yesterday for the first time in a few years. Found tons of sardines at Channel 2 and was on my down. Hit up some of the bridges way south with little to no luck. Fished the incoming with few hits and a couple short groupers. Decided to move to another spot where we got a few more hits, but nothing big. Came home empty handed but had a lot of fun. Saw a nice 6 point Keys buck on the road. I wish, numerous does that seem to not care much for humans. If only the Cypress deer were like this!

Sorry to hear that it was slow down there but better than work.

Most definately better than work.

on 9/19 and 9/20 went to ch.2 and key west pier or boardwalk w.e you like to call it. fished at night 9pm-3am and was just having fun. i used my bait rod which is small (4 1/2ft) and flimsy. i caught around twenty mangoes around 8-16 inches and over 20 small grunts (channel 2 was loaded with grunts). ch.2 was really windy/rainning and ripping currents on 9/19 that night. key west pier had poons in the shallows, mangoes and grunts right under the pier. i fished with live shrimp and squid and only kept one mango the 16 incher(wasnt planning on it but got tempted ). the rest of the days i went snorkeling,sight seeing, jetskiing,and relaxing with my chick. saw a couple of guys spearing/lobstering on shore where i was swimming but they left soon after.i saw a couple of spinnies between the rocks when i went snorkeling. channel 2 had alot of people shark fishing using big bonitas and glow sticks but didnt see them catch anything. overall it was a good couple of days.

There were a bunch of us fishing next to the guys shark fishing with glowsticks at Ch 2. Glad you had a good time in Key West.

Hit the lower keys with Rory, We both limited with nice grovers within an hour of setting up (everything below 14" went back in). Got a 25-30 pound Tarpon hitting live shrimp on the surface while I was trying to get down for a grover, that was a nice fight, he ended up cutting the leader after I had him straight up and down, gave it one more burst and the light gear just couldn't hold him. I rounded out the snapper with a decent cero and a 5 or so pound yellowjack that I lost on the flip. Rory ended up getting A Nurse shark triple play (better you than me!), along with a very lost bluefish and a Goliath grouper, and we both got about 1000 assorted undersized tails, puffers, morays and other junk fish. We froze half to death and did more hiding from the wind than fishing, but the bite was on for most of the night. Called it quits when the pins and grunts started hitting everything put down.

Yep, it was a good trip, got some good eats for the next couple days and had fun messing with the resident Jewfish and other guys. Oh, and I found out that nurse sharks are evolving, now they will eat a pinfish on a trolly rig