12/10/14 Offshore Fishing report for Islamorada

It's definitely winter time here in Islamorada now! It's a chilly 57 degrees this morning, but the sun is out and the boats are too! Last Friday to Sunday was the 51st Islamorada Sailfish Tournament, which is a 3 day tournament and the first leg of the Florida Keys Gold Cup Sailfish Championship. It was an exciting event, but in the end Capt. Paul Ross on the Relentless led his teama to victory with 16 releases! They caught and released a quadruple header the final day to secure the top spot!

Capt. David Morris, who runs the "fishwife" at the marina, was running the Nancy Lee for the tournament and they finished with 15 releases, giving them 2nd place. We are always impressed with how well the Bud n' Mary's Team does in tournaments, so when you're ready to fish with some of the best in the business give the office a call at 800 742 7945 and we'll set you up to catch that fish of a lifetime! The sailfish bite has been steady the past week here. The boats that dedicated their entire day to sailfishing have had as many as 7 and 9 releases, with most the boats averaging 2 - 4 releases. I think the sailfish bite should remain steady for the upcoming weeks, so if a sailfish is on your bucket list, book a trip soon! Another exciting fish story was aboard the Buzz On. They started off on the reef catching snapper and a grouper, and then went out in the afternoon to try for a sailfish. They spotted a pair of wahoo swimming and managed to hook and land both of them, one being 50 lbs and the other being a monstrous 80 lbs! That's the biggest wahoo I can personally remember here!!! Congrats! You really never know what you'll catch on a fishing trip off Islamorada.

There wasn't many mahi or tuna reported lately, but the king mackerel have been starting to show up, and I think we'll start seeing a few more wahoo brought in too. The bottom fishing for snapper and grouper has been steady as well. Remember grouper season closes January 1st, so if you have a taste for grouper, better go catch them soon! Give us a call at 800 742 7945 and book your next fishing trip for this winter!

I was gone the past week so I missed out on the fun with the Islamorada Sailfish Tournament, but I did go to a really cool place near Golfito, Costa Rica. It's called the Zancudo Lodge, and I particated in the 4th annual Pelagic triple crown tournament. It was a 3 day tournament and our team won first place in the rooster fish division with 15 releases, 2nd place in the billfish division with 7 sailfish releases, and 2nd place overall in the tournament. The lodge is an incredible place, so if you ever find yourself going to Costa Rica, check them out! www.zancudolodge.com

Capt. Nick Stanczyk