Summer Siesta, Fall Fiesta

WEEKEND FISHING 4 CAST Log on to www.floridasportsman.com
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SPORTSMAN’S REGIONAL E XPERTS ON THE SCENE GUIDE YOU TO THE HOTSPOTS IN THIS E XCLUSIVE REPORT
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Gunner Guthrie,
mate aboard the
Kalex out of Bud N
Mary’s in Islamorada, holds the line
on a frisky sailfish
before release.
Sue Sweetman from Fort Lauderdale visited Islamorada with her
twin sister for some fun red grouper
fishing. Caught on chunk ballyhoo
in 80 feet of water.
KEYS
By Al Herum
Summer
Siesta,
Fall Fiesta
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Billy Permenter in PutImages must not have
nam County with the
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44 FLORIDA
FLORIDA SPORTSMAN
SPORTSMAN SEPTEMBER
SEPTEMBER 2011
2011
F
ind the sardines this month and you
will find fish. The sardine run should
peak near mid-month.
Sardine schools will be prevalent along
the reefline as sailfish, kingfish, tuna and
other predators push the schools to ball up
for safety. An early morning departure from
about anywhere along the island chain
and a few minutes’ ride will put you in sight
of bait schools dimpling the surface. Cast
sabiki rods into the schools from a distance
to avoid putting them down with the boat.
A couple aggressive anglers should be able
to fill a livewell in short order. Use a dehooker and drop the sardines right into the
bait tank water to limit handling.
Blackfin tuna are one offshore species that certainly love beating up sardine
schools wherever they are found, including
the shallow water just off the main reefline
all the way out to their usual hangouts like
the Islamorada Hump, West Hump or Sub
Wreck off Key West.
In the shallow water beside and even
inside the main reef you will very likely
find pods of sailfish, mackerel and bonito
pounding the sardine schools hard. Sailfish
will often work together to ball up a school
of sardines and then charge in individually
to take a swat at a few. This all takes place
in water as shallow as 30 feet. Sight casting
a live bait into the melee will get an instant
reaction.
Backcountry anglers find that seasonal
flooding of certain Upper Keys flats presents prime poling and sight fishing opportunities this month. Flats around the
Crocodile Dragover and west to around
Buoy Key are good places to start a search
for fishy waters. Every self respecting redfish, trout, snook, jack and shark will be on
the prowl for food here. Sight fishing becomes the sport of choice in these areas
whenever possible.
Sight fishers using spinning gear should
rig up with a rod spooled with at least 250
yards of 10-pound monofilament. Finish
the rigging by doubling the main line and
adding a few feet of 30-pound fluorocarbon leader. Tie on a ¼-ounce jig to aid in
casting and tip the jig with shrimp or crab
to add some smell.
Backcountry fly anglers should rig up
with a versatile rod, reel and leader combination since you just never know what
fish is going to present itself as you pole a
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