April Brings Bountiful Tarpon Fishing In Key West

On the Coolwater, we stayed in the Key West Harbor to fish for Tarpon in the deeper channels. As seen on this bountiful excursion, the Tarpon is really active this time of year. Our party reeled in fourteen of these battling sport-fish on a full-day charter; the biggest fish weighed more than 130 pounds. Cut bait works very well when fishing for Tarpon; we used shrimp boat trash on this trip.

On our charter vessel, the Outcast, Capt. Bill guided a group into Key West's saltwater flats to try some shark angling. On this successful trip, his clients pulled in Bull Sharks, Lemon Sharks, and Blacktip Reef Sharks using pieces of Barracuda as bait. The trophy prize on this charter was a 250-lb. Bull. The sharks were attracted to the boat by using chum.

Capt. Damon piloted our boat, the Coolcast, south of Key West to the color change where the Gulf Stream runs past the chain of the Florida Keys. Using Threadfin Herring bait, his charter scored quite a haul, including a bunch of Bonito and smaller Dorado (also known as Dolphin Fish). The anglers also went four for seven on Sailfish, which is still running well. The Dorado is just starting to migrate past the Keys.

Tight lines and trophy trips,

Capt. Chris Garcia