Backcountry Fishing Reports

4/19/13 Tarpon, tarpon, and more tarpon.

The great islamorada april tarpon fishing continues. We caught 3 out of 4 big fish today all on fresh mullet in the backcountry. Last night we caught 1 big fish early near the bridges on live mullet, 1st cast WHAM he ate it and we chased him between pilings. Then last bait of the night out, dead mullet on the bottom, caught another 100 lber before heading in. That day we also landed 2 out of 4 tarpon, one each for my young UK anglers. Father John missed his shot as we jumped off the other 2 fish, though he got to play with some other big creatures including mud marlin and a 250 lb goliath grouper, and a big bull shark. They also caught plenty of trout and ladyfish. Let’s see now the day before that we caught 1 out of 2 tarpon plus a few sharks, we lost one tarpon due to an angler error of free-spooling the reel which caused a birds nest and broken line… oh well. That evening we caught 2 out of 4 tarpon fishing islamorada near by bud n marys marina. It’s a great time to come fishing here, I have a handful of evening fishing slots available though I may be tough to get ahold of so you can always try to book through Islamorada Fishing at Bud n Marys at 305-664-2461.

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
305-747-6903
rick@fishingislamorada.com

April 20, 2013 by Capt. Rick Stanczyk Backcountry Fishing Reports Fishing Reports

4/14/13 Epic Tarpon Fishing Continues

The tarpon bite continues to hold strong here fishing in april in islamorada. We fished the backcountry today and caught 6 out of 13 big tarpon. A variety of bait, mullet, ladyfish, and even one on a crab while we were drifting trying to catch ladyfish and trout. The forecast is the same the next several days so hopefully the fishing will stay strong. Last night tarpon fishing islamorada we caught 2 out of 8 fish, or you could say 3 if you count the one that jumped INTO the boat! Luckily he flopped right back out and broke off before he did any major damage. Tarpon fishing in Islamorada is about as good as it gets right now, I have some evenings available – lets go fishing!

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
305-747-6903
rick@fishingislamorada.com

tarpon jumping

April 14, 2013 by Capt. Rick Stanczyk Backcountry Fishing Reports Fishing Reports

4/12/13 Tarpon fishing stays hot!

Last night we went 2/6 on big tarpon in islamorada in the evening. Started at 4PM and the action was on pretty quick, we were at the dock by 7 since my angler had enough! Most fish were biting live mullets though a few bites on dead bait too. Yesterday during the day I did not fish but was told it was action all day long with multiple boats hooking up in the local channels and around the bridges. Today we ran into the islamorada backcountry tarpon fishing. Caught 1 out of 2 early on, though the bite stopped around 9 AM and we stayed till 10 but no more action. We caught plenty of ladyfish and some nice trout after that for a bit, and then ran off east cape sable. Caught 5 ‘mud marlin’ and 3 big sharks – a lemon, a blacktip, and a nurse. Not a bad day you could say we literally caught a ‘ton’ of fish! This week has been great tarpon action every day and on most trips multiple fish caught, now is the time to go tarpon fishing in islamorada!

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
305-747-6903
rick@fishingislamorada.com

: islamorada mud marlin

: april tarpon fishing islamorada

April 12, 2013 by Capt. Rick Stanczyk Backcountry Fishing Reports Fishing Reports

4/9/13 Tarpon fishing very good this morning!

Well the april islamorada tarpon fishing was much better today than yesterday, what a difference a day makes sometimes. We ran all over and fished about 8 different spots, and did an extended day, only to get 1 tarpon bite and 1 shark bite… Unfortunately both fish we lost. Today was a different story we landed 2 big tarpon right off the bat, jumped a couple others after, and also caught several sharks. Great news for the islamorada tarpon fishing report. Later today we caught some ladyfish and a handful of trout and mangrove snappers for dinner. Tried a few spots at the end of the day for redfish, but nobody was home. The tarpon today were all caught on dead mullet from the day before. Hopefully tomorrow will be similar, will have an hour more tide and a cooler full of good bait so will try it again! The islamorada night tarpon fishing will be getting better and better as more spawning migrators begin to arrive in our local basins and channels – look out!

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
305-747-6903

islamorada tarpon jumping

April 9, 2013 by Capt. Rick Stanczyk Backcountry Fishing Reports Fishing Reports

4/6/13 Islamorada hogfish fishing on the patch reefs!

Well today we had a breezy north 15 mph wind in Islamorada, Florida Keys. This seemed to have slowed the tarpon down for a day or so hopefully tomorrow it will pick back up. I had anglers from the other day that had already caught some big tarpon in islamorada so we decided to mix it up and do something different. We fished the patch reefs which are often good when it is cold and with northerly winds as it stays calmer out there. We hit some rocks fishing jigs and shrimp. The islamorada hogfish fishing was good we caught about half a dozen fish off one spot, with 5 of them being keepers! We also caught some porgies, yellowtails, mangrove snappers, and a couple small groupers. Though lots of fun on light tackle regardless with the groupers! One trick to the florida keys hogfish fishing is chumming with bits of shrimp, this really can get them going and to find you out there. Tomorrow it’s back to tarpon fishing in the morning, hopefully the warmer incoming tide early in the morning will have the fish happier – we shall see!

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
305-747-6903
rick@fishingislamorada.com