July offshore report

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The offshore dolphin and tuna bite has been good this past week with lots of schoolies around.  There are some big schools of skipjack tunas offshore as well.  Our last trip we had a few dolphin and a bunch of tunas up to 20lbs.  The weather has been great for the long runs.  The reef has been good as well with yellowtail snapper, grouper and an occasional blackfin tuna in close. I haven't tarpon fished this week, but I've heard it's about the same.  Lots of fish with only a few bites.   If you'd like to schedule a day, I can be reached at 305-923-6977.  Thanks, Capt Taylor

May Fishing so far

We started out windy as usual this month, but the last few days have been nicer.  It has finally calmed down, and the fish are starting to respond.  Offshore there are more dolphin and tunas being caught, with an occasional sailfish or marlin mixed in.  Grouper season is now open, and the Tarpon are stacking up in the channels. With all of the wind the last few weeks,  I've done a lot of inshore trips  and had some luck with Tarpon, sharks, snappers, groupers and barracudas. The permit should start spawning on the reef soon, and the snapper bite has been good on the reef also.   Yesterday morning I took a group from Europe that wanted to do some deep jigging on the wrecks.  The current was very strong  and the few fish we did find wanted nothing to do with jigs or live bait so we switched it up and started trolling for tunas.  We caught 4 nice fish before the time was up and had enough tuna to feed a dozen people.   If you are looking to get out I can be reached at 305-923-6977. Thanks, Capt  Taylor

March trips and the beginning of April

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Springtime in Key West can be windy, and this year seems to be no exception.  Last month we had mostly windy and rough conditions offshore, and as of today the winds continue to blow.  There are a few sailfish, cobia, tunas and dolphin being caught offshore, but it has been rough.  Inshore fishing has been calmer, and the snapper bite continues to be good.  The tarpon are starting to show up inshore, but the bite has been either early morning or late  afternoon until sunset.  We had a nice fish in the 80lb range on Wednesday and saw a few other followers. Hopefully the tarpon bite will just get better as the weather gets better!   I have some openings in April and May. If you are looking to get out, give me a call at 305-923-6977.  Thanks, Capt. Taylor

Christmas and New Years

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It was a great end of the year with lots of familiar faces and good fishing, even when the weather didn't cooperate. Offshore fishing has been hit and miss, with more tunas than anything else lately. The reef has been good for yellowtail snappers if the offshore bite slows.  On the windier days, we've been doing more inshore channel fishing, which has been consistently good.  Lots of keeper sized muttons and yellowtail snappers, jewfish, sharks, jacks, and assorted other species.  I did 2 inshore trips with the Balsamo family this week, we stayed close on the first trip and caught a bunch of mutton snappers and a big blacktip shark. The second day we went for variety out at the marquesas and had tons of action with snappers, jacks, grouper, and some big sharks.  We had numerous nurse sharks and a big bull shark around 200lbs.  Charles Jr. fought the fish while I chased it around the lobster traps with the boat.  After about a 45 minute fight, we got the leader and let her go.  Big thanks to everyone that came down to fish with me this year!  Looking foreward to next year!  

Riding out with the Littens.

Tunas, dolphin and amberjack

Mutton snappers close to home

Steve fighting a big mutton

The Balsamo family with a mixed bag on their second day of fishing

A few tunas and nice yellowtails on the reef

Sometimes the sharks take their share

Susan with a nice mutton

Cathy with a nice yellowtail on a beautiful day 

Happy Thanksgiving!

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This week has been windy (again) but the fish didn't seem to mind.  I had some great trips with the Matts, and Burys. Offshore fishing has been slower, but the reef fishing has been good.  The yellowtail snappers seem to like the wind and waves, and the inshore fishing has also been decent. We had good action this morning on the reef with yellowtail and mangrove snapper, a 40 lb amberjack on 15lb test, and a big hammerhead.   If you're looking to get out, give me a call at 305-923-6977.  Happy Thanksgiving!   Capt. Taylor

Fall Bottom Fishing

As the weather cools off  in Key West, bottom fishing can really turn on.  I fished the reef yesterday morning and had good action with yellowtails with Brian Hormel and his group from Naples.  We came in for lunch and spent the afternoon in the back country  where the mutton snappers, sharks and groupers kept us busy.  The guys had a pile of fish to take home and loved catching the big snappers on light tackle.  All in all a great day!  If you're looking to get out I can be reached at 305-923-6977.  Thanks, Capt. Taylor

Fall Sailfish

Sea Change Sportfishing
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   Here's a nice sized fall sailfish caught  and released by Bill and Jackson Visciano Tuesday on board the Reef Runner.  I was running the boat for Capt. Anthony while he was up in Georgia hunting (LUCKY).  We had a nice half day with one out of two sailfish raised, a bunch of bonitas and a few cudas.  It was still rough offshore, but today seems to be better. Hopefully the trend will continue into the weekend.  The sails this time of year are generally smaller than the spring fish, but can come in bunches or wolfpacks as we call them.  They fight really well and always put on a show.

Fantasy Fest and the rest of October

Fantasy Fest came and went but the winds are sticking around. We still have 15-25 knot winds out of the Northeast making it pretty rough around Key West.  It seems the clouds have  finally cleared out, and the sun is shining for the first time in 4 or 5 days.  It was a gloomy, windy week for Halloween, but we made the best of it.  I took the Overmans out for a 3/4 and had a lot of action on the reef with snappers, mackerels, yellow jacks, bonitos, and other assorted reef dwellers.  We did a few loops offshore in the rougher water and picked up a couple of decent sized blackfin tunas.  After that we came back and anchored up on the reef, caught some live ballyhoo and had more reef action on the live baits.  Last week I also took out the Debow family for a 3/4 day.  It was really cranking, and hawk channel was 4-5 ft.  We anchored well inside the reef line and had good action with groupers,snappers, sharks and porgies. We came back in to drop off a young one that wasn't feeling well and headed back out.  We hit 3 more spots, and caught a few more fish before calling it a day.  Offshore there are still a few sailfish around as I write this, and hopefully the winds will start to settle down soon.  If you are looking to book a trip for this fall or early next year, I can be reached at 305-923-6977.  This time of year fills up fast, especially around Christmas and the new year so try to book early.  Thanks, Capt. Taylor

August/September fishing

Bahama star was released!

     Its been a while since my last report, so this should  be a long one.  The end of the summer is fast approaching.  Tropical storm hermine brushed by us last week and left a lot of stirred up water around key west. The last few months have been very busy with charters, lobster season opening, and everything that comes with having a soon to be 1 year old girl.  I want to say thanks to everyone who fished and came diving with me this summer.  Now that kids are back in school, it should slow down in Key West  for the next 6 weeks or so.  This time of year most charter boats do any big projects that need to get done.  Having already tackled two of these this year (all electronics and a completely new steering system) I'll be good with a bottom job and some new vinyl on my bolsters.  Also most of my tackle was upgraded this year, and the new reels are fantastic!  As for the fishing.....

We had an excellent mangrove snapper bite this summer on the reef.  Some days we got our limit in under 30 minutes with fish up to 6lbs.  Some days were a struggle with sharks and cudas, but we seemed to have more easy days then tough ones.  Offshore fishing was slow. No other way to put it. We didn't see many dolphin, and the tunas were hit and miss.  There have been occasional wahoos and sails around, but scattered and inconsistent.  The wreck fishing continues to be good. and with all the wind from the storms the past few weeks, the channels and backcountry fishing have been a life saver. I fished in the channels the last two days with the high south winds.  We had some nice snappers for dinner, mostly muttons and yellowtails, and some big sharks.  We caught a 9ft. Tiger shark yesterday, which is always pretty cool to see.  The lemon sharks are still biting pretty well in the lakes and basins, and the nice thing about those trips is the calm water.  When it's blowing 15-30 knots its nice to be able to go hide and still manage to catch big fish and dinner.  If you're looking to get out I can be reached at 305-923-6977. Thanks, Capt Taylor.

June 7

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    Tropical storm Colin swept by us yesterday bringing some rain and gusty wind.  I think we fared better than most of florida.  We still have  some wind out of the southwest, but not as bad as predicted.  I think only one boat went out offshore yesterday morning before the squall came through.  They caught a blackfn tuna and some bonitos before coming home.  

    The last few weeks have been pretty good on the Sea Change.  We've had some dolphin, tuna, and plenty of bonitas offshore.  Most of the dolphin have been small, but there are some bigger fish mixed in.  The blackfin tunas are averaging anywhere from 5-15 lbs. The reef has been spotty with snappers and groupers. There wasn't much current to the west before this storm came through but i'm sure that will change. Fishing the patch reefs and channels has been good for grouper and snapper.  Tarpon fishing has been decent, with lots of fish on the gulf and atlantic sides of the island.  The sharks are mixed in with them and we've caught a few  bull and lemon sharks while tarpon fishing.  All in all a pretty good month!  Once the remnants of Colin clear out, I think June will be a great month.  If you are coming down and want to get out on the water, I can be reached at 305-923-6977.  Thanks, Capt. Taylor

May Fishing Report

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  This month we have seen some nice fish offshore, on the reef, and in the harbor.  The tarpon season continues to be good with a large number of fish  around. The morning outgoing tide this week has been tougher, but the fish are still eating.  Offshore has been hit and miss,  lots of dolphin at the beginning of the month and now a lull.  There are still a few sails around. The wave of fish that came through in the beginning of the month was pretty nice with some 40lb plus fish mixed in.  It's just a matter of time until the next wave swims through.  The reef and wreck fishing has been great.  Every wreck I've been to lately has a big school of  amberjacks  on it.  The yellowtail and mangrove bite has been good with an occasional mutton and grouper mixed in.  We are coming up to the mutton spawn, so the numbers should increase steadily.  A lot of boats have been shark fishing lately also with the tough conditions offshore.  I have a split charter available for this saturday, the 21st. The cost is $400 for up to 2 people.   If you would like to schedule a split or private trip, I can be reached at 305-923-6977 or Tay87@aol.com.   Thanks, Capt. Taylor

April 30

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     Fishing has been good the last week of April with the Tarpon bite kicking into high gear yesterday.  The mass of fish in the harbor finally decided to start eating. It has been difficult to get bites the last few weeks as the school was settling in, but they are finally ready to feed. Offshore fishing has been pretty steady with dolphin, with the majority of the fish being caught a good distance from home.  The gulf stream has been 18-20 miles offshore, and the fish are a little further that that. There have been some sails and tunas mixed in also. The reef has been great with lots of nice yellowtail and mangrove snappers, and the occasional mutton;    There is good current and dirty water which makes bottom fishing productive. The permit spawn is happening now. This is a great time to catch one if you never have.   Also the South Atlantic Grouper season starts tomorrow.  It really is the best time of year for fishing right now with so much going on. The weather has been good with some wind to keep the temperatures down.  The forecast is steady at 10-20 from the southeast for the next few days with little chance of rain.   If you would like to get out fishing, give me a call at 305-923-6977.  I had a group cancel this week due to family illness, so I have openings.  Thanks, Capt. Taylor

April 10

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The weather this past week started out windy. I had a few trips with the Connelly and Walker families that produced some nice snappers, amberjacks, and assorted bottom fish. On Friday the winds dropped and I took Dan Whitney and his wife out for a 6 hour trip.  It was a flat calm beautiful day and we managed to put some nice fish in the boat.  We caught an amberjack, big barracuda, a nice mutton, and assorted mackerels and kings drifting live baits and anchored in the deeper water.  Offshore fishing has slowed down with the blue water pushed offshore.  Many of the boats out looking for dolphin and sails were heading back to the reef to get a bite.  I only heard of  a few boats out of the  fleet that caught fish offshore. Hopefully this wind shift will bring in a new batch of pelagic fish.  It's blowing pretty strong right now with winds out of the ENE at 15-20 kts. Not as bad as the 20-30 predicted a few days ago, but a little bouncy out there.  It looks like the winds should die off on Tuesday.  The tarpon bite is getting better with the warmer weather also.  It seems the last few  fronts haven't changed the water or air  temps significantly, and the tarpon like warm sunny days.  I'm currently getting my electronics updated on the boat, which has been keeping me busy with wiring diagrams, nema connections and adapter cables. It's hair pulling fun, but needed to get done.  I probably removed 40lbs of weight between the old depth sounder and gps units, wires, and antennas.Im currently using my  trusty standard horizon gps, until the new garmin  arrives tomorrow!  SeaChange will be ready to roll!  If you would like to reserve a trip I can be reached at 305-923-6977.  Thanks, Capt. Taylor

April 2

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I had a lot of great trips the last week of March.  Offshore the tunas, sailfish and a few dolphin have been increasing in numbers. The reef and patch reefs have been great with snappers, groupers, big kingfish, amberjacks, cobia, and assorted other species.  It's almost grouper season as May first is just around the corner.  If you would like to schedule a trip, call me at 305-923-6977. Thanks, Capt. Taylor.