KEY WEST FISHING REPORT - March 10th 2010

On the Coolcast, I logged two successful fishing expeditions on Tuesday. On the morning trip, we first fished along the reef, where each client bagged their limit of Yellowtails. The recent warming trend in the Keys has also brought up the water temps, resulting in more active game-fish. At one point, an aggressive mass of Amberjacks swarmed the reef, hunting for the Snappers. Our anglers snagged three large Amberjacks, including a fifty-two-pound monster that was mounted as a trophy. We then ventured out to a depth of one hundred and sixty feet, where the Gulf Stream flows and causes a color change in the water. Fishing along this border, we hooked some Bonita as well as some smaller Dorado.

In the afternoon, we headed out on a 2nd charter to the south of the Keys. After picking up some Threadfin Herring for bait near the marker, I set up the kite with live Blue Runners. It was not long before a three-hundred and fifty pound Hammerhead. Later, the party had hooked two Sailfish simultaneously on the flat-lines with the live Threadfins. The larger of the two Sailfish measured seven feet long.

Since the winds will be blowing out of the southeast on Thursday, we will be heading into the Gulf of Mexico to fish for Blackfin Tuna behind a shrimper. The Blackfins typically follow the shrimp boats from evening until the morning, waiting for the boat to dump its bycatch. We'll be there to cast for these Tuna with light tackle.

Tight lines and trophy trips,

Captain Damon Santelli