Anyone planning a Florida Keys offshore run this weekend has been warned. In his May 22 video update on the Florida Sport Fishing TV channel, Captain Mike — who runs out of the Middle Keys aboard a quad-powered 41-foot Sea Hunter — laid out a picture of strong bites on quality fish wrapped around a stretch of nasty weather and historically heavy sargassum.
The weather window through Memorial Day weekend is the first reality check. "It's nasty outside. It's pouring out right now here in the Middle Florida Keys," Captain Mike said. "It's blowing a solid 15 from the east. It's going to increase to 15 to 20 tonight. Diminish a little bit over the weekend. Probably stay at 15, but by Sunday night, we're right back up there to 15 to 20." The forecast is fishable, he notes, but it is not going to be a glass-out.
Beyond the breeze, the biggest practical problem is grass. The captain has been running well offshore in recent weeks and describes sargassum mats unlike anything he can remember.
"There has just been so much sargassum, certainly more than every other season. So the stuff that you're seeing online, social media, the news, it's true. They're not kidding. There's a lot of grass offshore. Sometimes it's impossible to even go through some of these lines," he said, urging anglers to watch outboard intakes and pivot tactics. "Now isn't the time to go out and troll with a spread of six or eight lines. You're going to be clearing grass all day long. I promise you that. So, lighten that load. You know, maybe put two baits back there, two weedless value… try and get a live well full of live bait. That's going to make a big difference this time of the year in finding fish and keeping them around the boat."
For the boats willing to keep moving and read the structure, the dolphin are out there. Reef fishing closer to home has been generous too — yellowtails are showing in numbers and the black grouper bite continues to surprise. "It's not unusual for, you know, charter boats are coming back with, you know, their limit. Two black groupers, bunch of yellow tails. Who knows, maybe a mutton or two in the mix," Captain Mike said.
He is clear, though, about where the standout bite is right now: in the deep.
"The deep drop bite has been excellent," he said. "It started, the season started slow for us. It was a little bit of a challenge that opening weekend, but then kind of found our rhythm, figured out where these fish are holding, you know, and really just kind of modified our approach just a little bit and really able to capitalize on some quality fish ranging from beautiful queen snapper all the way on up to nearly 20 pounds. Some of the biggest gray tilefish that we've seen yet. Certainly double digit fish. Snowy groupers mixed in."
The sweet spot, he said, is around 700 feet — and the work is more about reading the bottom than punching coordinates. "I'm finding fish and hearing from a lot of other guys that are deep dropping that the sweet spot is around 700 feet," he said. "That's what I love about deep dropping is so much opportunity… on every trip, I make it a point to fish new spots. Also, how else are you going to find new spots if you don't put in the time?"
The mutton snapper run is also dialled in, but Captain Mike was emphatic that trophy mutton fishing is a local knowledge game. His prescription is a long 50-foot leader of 60-pound fluorocarbon, an eight-foot conventional rod paired with a two-speed Okuma Alihost 12, and very fresh bait.
"Sometimes a dead bait will outfish a live bait for a mutton snapper any day of the week," he said. "Especially if you have a lot of current… don't be putting on a frozen, you know, ballyhoo from Publix or whatever. Come on, guys. Step it up. It's a mutton snapper. It's a trophy fish." Half a goggle-eye, speedo, fresh bonita or fresh kingfish steak — anything with scent, fished on an 8/0 circle, was his short list. "It's not about X marks the spot. It's about tactics and techniques and putting in the time, patience, and persistence, and paying attention to the details."
For anglers willing to grind through the weather window, the daytime swordfish bite, the deep drops at 700 feet and the trophy mutton chase are all on the menu — provided the sargassum and the easterly wind are factored in before the boat leaves the dock.
