12/22/15 December Key Largo Fishing Report

Sorry haven’t been keeping up with the blogging much the last couple months.  Was out of town a good bit and fished a little here and there.  Though overall our off season was a little slower than the last couple years but still busy enough.  Anyways the last couple weeks things have picked up for me with business and of course with christmas right around the corner the week after that is always super busy.  So whats up with the fishing well we have had an extremely warm fall/winter so far.  Like much of the east coast.  It’s only dropped down to maybe the high 60s for a couple nights and the rest of the time it’s been warm, pretty windy, with a fair bit of rain mixed in.  The ‘el nino’ is to blame so they say.  Fishing luckily has been fairly good we did have a slower time in November though finally some of the normal winter time specimens have shown up.  Mackerel fishing the last couple weeks has gotten very good.  We also found some tripletail out there a few days as well when it was calmer – that was very fun fishing!  We’ve been getting a good mix of fish on the patch reefs including porgy, hogfish, snapper, grouper, and the occasional permit.  There have even been a few tarpon around in the backcountry still, they don’t always bite but we’ve gotten lucky a few days.  Snook are prevalent with a few redfish, drum, and sheepshead mixed in.  Though with the luck of cold weather the drum fishing hasn’t been red hot.  Bait has been up and down there has been times its good and consistent and other times it’s been tough to find.  We haven’t had the big schools of pilchards on the oceanside shorelines like normal this time of year.  But there has been enough to catch most of the time for a days fishing.  Anyways if you are looking to get out on the water in January let me know, that is usually a great month for doing the winter time stuff here in Key Largo fishing.

Capt. Rick Stanczyk