Key Largo in May?

[guanacay]

I've never fished the Keys north of Marathon. What does Florida Bay have to offer in May? Are trout, reds, snook, Spanish and cobia still around. I know in Marathon and south, these fish are usually gone by April. Are they around all year around Largo? Thanks.

[Water_boy]

What size boat will you have? May is a great time to be in the keys, good weather, not too hot yet and there's plenty of fish. Most of the Cobia and Spanish will have moved out of the bay to deeper water and parts north but there's lot's of other stuff to do. If you can get shallow May's a good month for Bones and Permit on the oceanside flats. If you can get out deep April/May are probably the best months for Dolphin in the Keys. Early May is probably the peak of the large Tarpon migration. I usually wait to see what the weather will look like and make a plan from there.

[guanacay]

Thanks. I'm leaving the boat home this year and renting a 20' center console. I've been fishing the Keys every year for the last 8-10 years. Always Marahon or south, though, so my Gulf fishing has been mostly for mangrove snappers. I'll be doing some reef fishing and definitely trolling for dolphin while I'm down. I was just wondering if there was a decent trout/red/snook fishery up Key Largo way in the back. On a windy day, it would be a fun way to get some dinner.

I don't do too much tarpon or permit fishing. I've fished for permit a couple of times on deep wrecks and done a little bridge fishing for tarpon. We'll have the whole family down, including young kids, so we'll be looking at some cooler-filling trips. I plan on getting my 5 year old on a nice reef bit and I want to get him his first mahi.

We'll be on the Gulf side, far from either cut-through, so we might fish the Gulf a bit more than usual. Up until now, that's meant chumming a ledge or hole for mangos. When we've stayed up around Ft Myers, we always fished for trout and reds in Gasparilla Sound or Lemon Bay and the kids liked that.

[Stimmy]

I spent a lot of time in May last year fishing out of Key Largo and had limited success trolling. I fished inside the reef, outside the reef, out to the stream, in the stream, past the stream, and along weed lines, catching only a few mahi and cudas. I tried every kind of bait and lure imaginable: Ballyhoos with and without skirts, green machines, cedar plugs, birds, jet heads, spreader bars, daisy chains, and more.
I used to fish off Montauk NY with great success with everything I tried in Key Largo, but it sure didn't work in the keys. I then tried drifting live baits under weedlines with no hits. I got pretty disgusted after trolling over 200 miles with 4 mahi caught, so I switched to bottom fishing on the reefs with good success.
Anyone know how I can improve my catch this year? :helpsmilie:I love mahi and never waste any. Cudas are very tasty, but you can't eat them in the keys.

[guanacay]

I always had success with the mahi in the Keys. I usually just troll two naked ballyhoo and do alright. Some days are slow and sometimes the fish aren't where you are but they are out there somewhere. Were you looking for frigate birds? I'll get about 2 miles past the reef and put my lines out. I'll blind troll until I see birds. Than I'll head over to that area. If I find weeds or flotsam, I'll always give it a shot.

[Water_boy]

I'm sure one of the resident experts will chime in but if you don't have one already you should buy one of the "Top Spots fishing charts" before your trip to do some planning. I couldn't find one for sale on line so I called one of the local tackle shops (Yellow Bait" on Key Largo?) and they mailed it to me. The chart highlights the inshore and offshore fishing areas, some with GPS numbers and it tells you what species are available and where they are during the various seasons. Well worth the $20 or so dollars you'll spend.

I don't have one of the charts handy but as I recall there a few bays and grass flats up there gulf side that hold trout but I never fished for them up there. I know some snook, snapper, bonefish, baby tarpon spots but it'll be tough to get to them with a 20' boat, maybe a bay boat. Florida Bay outfitters rents Canoes for about $50 per day which is perfect for that kind of stuff and in the mangrove creeks it could be blowing gale and you could still fish. Mahi should be in thick by then but later in may it gets invaded by a lot of chicken size ones, early in the month is better for the larger Mahi than later in the month.

[guanacay]

Thanks. I have charts of the upper and lower Keys. Been going for years. Just never fished north of Vaca Cut before. I was wondering if the trout and reds are seaonal, like in Marathon, or if they stay through May like Charlotte Harbor.

Our house is on Buttonwood Sound (Sunset Cove). There are a lot of areas that look promising straight out from the dock. Since it will be a hike to Adams Cut or Tavernier Creek, I'll probably not be fishing out front every day. Trout and reds will give me a shot at dinner even if I can't get to the reef or the blue for mahi.

I believe snook closes May 1st, right?

[Water_boy]

Yes, I believe Snook closes May 1st in Monroe County for the rest of the summer.

I just looked at the topspot chart, it doesn't mention anything happening in Buttonwood sound but it says there's good trout fishing in Little Buttonwood, Tarpon Basin, and Blackwater sound, all just a little east of where you're staying, peak months are Oct - May but they're there all summer. In your your area it also shows redfish on the south side of Porjoe Key, a little more of a run to the north it says there are Snapper and Snook in the creeks of the "Boggies" @ 25 10.54N / 80 27.29W (hh.ddd format I believe)

From there Tavenier creek is probably the quickest run to the ocean. I've fished in Tavenier creek a few times but there's lot's of boat traffic during the day so night is better. Watch for Pilchards under Pelicans on the oceanside flats, pinfish bayside near the markers. I've also netted baby pilchards in a place called the cowpens which is bayside and a mile west of Tavenier creek, also some decent sight fishing for small snappers in there, I've seen snook in there too but never caught one in there.

Good luck.

[guanacay]

Thanks. I'll be trying to get out to the reef or the blue water as much as I can but, when you're on the water, you always need a plan B. It seems like I'll have a shot at trout and reds in the back there. This would keep my 5 year old busy as well. Jacks and ladyfish would be a nice treat for him as well.

[rbr]

May is prime time for tarpon especially around the full moon. The big ones move in and out of the creeks from the flats on both the inside and the ocean side. Live mullet is the best bait most of the time. You will see boats anchored on the channel edges channels leading into the creeks and cuts.

Bert