Blackfin Tuna and Wahoo In January

With amazingly placid weather this past Saturday, anglers in the Florida Keys enjoyed the best fishing all winter on both the south (Atlantic) side and the north (Gulf of Mexico) side of the island chain. With calm water and no wind on the south side, charters boasted tremendous success landing Blackfin on live Herring and Pilchers. Wahoo are especially active on placid days; they could not get enough of the live Speedos our captains were using as bait.

Saturday was also the ideal day for the King Mackerel tournament on the gulf side. Anglers have been successful catching 20 to 40 pound King Mackerel on live Blue Runners. The prize-winning catch weighed in at a whopping 56 pounds.

After a cold front blew through on Monday night, winds are now blowing from the north. For the next few days, Gulf side fishing will be difficult but Atlantic fishing remains steady, since those waters are protected on the leeward side of the Keys. Blackfin Tuna, Sailfish and Wahoo are biting well eight to fifteen miles out on various live bait-fish, including Blue Runners, Herring, and Pilchers. Capt. Tony Miller of the Coolwater reported Tuesday of catching a 60-lb Amberjack at a wreck at a depth of 220-feet. He's also seen success with using Blue Runners with a kite on Sailfish Tuesday afternoon.