Snapper Bite

The reef bite has been hot for big Yellowtail and Mangrove snapper this week. The Mangroves are on the move showing up in marinas and canals as they move to the reef for spawning. This time is usually hot for big Mangrove snapper especially at night. Most anglers get out there around 6PM and get a good chum slick going and then the bite get's right about dusk. Look for this to continue for a couple weeks. Yellowtail Snapper have been great for the past month off of Marathon and some very large specimens have been hitting the docks. Best areas have been the deep reef edge in about 60-90ft of water. Chumming and using cut bait have been excellent. Dolphin fishing continues to be good off of the middle Keys. Schoolie sized fish of up to 12 lb have been the most common. Larger fish have been hanging further offshore, and some anglers have been content to save the fuel lately and just load up on the smaller fish and leave the big ones out there to find next time out... Some big Blue Marlin and Swordfish have been caught however by anglers that are willing to spend the cash for fuel and venuture offshore to the "wall". A good bite on Blackfin Tuna has been going on at the Marathon west hump as well. That's all I have for the moment. Good luck in all your fishing adventures!