Things sure have changed from my last update!! Since the passing of the deranged Hurricane Matthew, we have experience a prolonged period of wind that has kept everybody mostly off of the water. We have had a few opportunities to sneak out, but the longer term forecast looks like we will be windy for the next week or two as consecutive cold fronts will be moving through our area. This has killed more trips than I care to think about, but this isn’t a bad thing considering the big picture. Coming off of another record setting hot year, I believe we have officially graduated into the hurricane “off season.” For the most part, our local waters have cooled into the upper 70’s very rapidly preventing us from the high hurricane risk that has been with us since June. Also, cooler waters welcome a host of new fish and opportunities into our area as each passing front has a new set of critters literally being blown down with the change of seasons. From what I have seen, the biggest change that has been consistent for the past 2 weeks is the moon jellyfish are temporarily gone and some blue water has replaced the dominant dirty hot green water we have been stuck with for the entire summer. Here is what this means and this is what I see…..
Fishing has changed from difficult to ok to good to great and getting better day by day. It is all still conditionally sensitive and very dependent on daily conditions, but my quick trips out I have fully exploited my target species when the conditions are in line. Here is what that means…If it is nice and the current is flowing and the water color is good, then I have a ton of options for several different fisheries. It flows, we roll through through a couple of different patterns and the box fills with fish. Add a little wind, add more conditionally sensitive ANGLERS and the recipe changes. The less the conditions align, the less options there are, but there is always, well almost always, options for each trip.

In the water activities have been pretty good too. Obviously, I want the best conditions for each trip. When the wind is blowing, that’s where critical decisions are made for the abilities of each group. With elevated seas and reduced visibility, conditions may be right for some and unrealistic for others. Remember, I am in the fun business and the success of my business comes from my ability to match groups to each activity. Sometimes you have to be open minded and when you book a spearfishing trip, we may have to turn it into a rod and reel fishing trip per conditions. So, snorkeling has been pretty good. The moon jellyfish have really been limited, which is uncommon for this time of year. Now that our water temperature is below 80, we are in wet suit territory, which also reduces the affects of any jellyfish encounter. Spearfishing is getting much better as the targeted fish are returning to the shallows. I’ve seen some huge mangrove snapper, cero mackerel and we should be seeing hogfish and grouper numbers improving. Lobstering…who knows. The weather has keep most everybody out of the water, so there are no reports for the past several weeks. Traditionally, this is the time of year I stop operating these trips. It is kind of a gamble, but the rapid cooling of our waters should push the remaining lobster out of our area, which means they are moving. If they are not already gone, they should be be found along the traditional migration areas, so it is up to you to find out. Please call me to discuss any proposed lobster trip to see if we have a chance of the conditions in our favor.
Please understand that with every trip, there are many factors that go into a successful trip. I know what you want to do, what we have planned to do and what we can do. Usually 3 different things when the wind is blowing! We are coming into our windy season and compromises will become more common to get trips off of the dock. Good customer communication, good customer preparation and a good attitude will always result in a good trip. I am so lucky to live in a beautiful place full of options. As a visitor, you only have so much time here, so let’s make a good game plan for your trip, make a reasonable back up plan and see what we have to work with when the time comes. When booking your trip on my reservations page, please fill out the “notes” section so I have a redundant text copy of what you want to do, how many are in your group and what you need from me. It helps me make decisions for your trip as I watch the weather well ahead of your trip.
As always, thanks for choosing me! I’m looking forward to the return of our seasonal visitors and making some “reel adventures!”

Comments are closed.