Today I fished with Captain Doug Kilpatrick for the 3 kg (6lb) tippet tarpon record, which at the moment stands at 82 pounds 4 ounces. The fishing was difficult and we had only around 6 or 8 shots in the course of the day, producing a total of 2 bites. The first fish ate the…

It’s officially great tarpon fishing in the lower Keys. There are many fish in the backcountry, and reports are beginning to materialize of fish swimming in schools on the ocean as well. For fishing in March, this is truly amazing! As for size, the fish in the back are on average smaller than typical, with…

So, without much of a report to give (other than the fact that the weather is warm and the fishing is phenomenal) I was looking for any piece of angling news on the web for inspiration to help with the task of my daily fishing report. As is usually the case, my unbridled inter-web surfing…

The warming trend continues, with temperatures today in the 80’s and no end in sight. The wind is light and variable, and there are plenty of tarpon, permit, and bonefish around. If you are a fisherman in the lower Keys, the conditions are amazing! Congratulations are in order to Dotty Ballantyne, who recently captured the…

There has been a recent influx of fish, and they are hungry! Last night Michael Driscoll caught his first fish of his trip, and you can see the photos of it here: Jumping: Tired, ready for release: Additionally, I would like to point out that the tarpon fshing is approaching incredible as the water warms…

Last night I finally broke through a dry spell; ever since I got blanked shark fishing on Tuesday, and had a rough morning fish yesterday, I needed to capture. The fishing last night never really went past perhaps 6/10, though I was able to hook a nice tarpon of about 30 lbs and bring it…

This morning I joined my good friend and accomplished angler Michael Driscoll for a half day on the flats, fishing with Captain Lenny Leonard. We had a good start looking for some tarpon in a basin, and saw more than a few rolling fish. However, we never seemed to get close enough to the fish…

Today I spent six hours on the water in search of sharks. I was prvided with a few frozen jack crevalle from Captain Robert Trosset and set out to capture. Unfortunately we didn’t find any sharks, despite our best efforts and at least an hour at three different locations. So be it–not every day can…

Last night I was invited to Captain Aaron Snell to have a blackfin tuna dinner with his family. Apparently, the day for his clients was quite awesome–a blackfin tuna, a few bonita (little tunny, false albacore, etc), a large jack crevalle, and a few nice kingfish. It’s always great to hear clients who are pushing…

The wind has been keeping the tarpon, permit, and bonefish at bay for the last few days. Tomoorrow, the temperature is supposed to drop below 80 f (today’s high), to a high of 77 f. This means that we may lose a few degrees of water temperature, though nothing major. I have heard a few…

The reports have been filtering through over the last few days for all things not permit: by far the most intriguing is the number of aggresive blacktip sharks–one of which we had the occasion to toss an ancillary jack to during the Merkin. These fish are so awesome it’s hard to believe. Barracuda, jacks, and…

Many congratulations to Captain Don Gable and angler Mike Dawes for taking the victory in the 2011 March Merkin. The Angling Company would like to extend our warmest comgratulations to both angler and guide for a job well done. Runner-up went to captain Doug Kilpatrick and angler John Ain. Nice work, boys! Below is a…

So tonight is the party, then the film(s), tomorrow is a pre-fish day followed by the captain’s meeting, then off to the races at 8:30 on Tuesday for day one of the March Merkin. A busy week, full of fishing. The Angling Company would like to wish great luck to all anglers and guides who…

Today is certainly warmer (74 (f) at the moment) than yesterday, which had temperatures in the high 60’s (f) for most of the day. Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer still, with Monday and Tuesday returning to our pre-front air and water temps. From what I hear from those on the water today the tarpon…

The high today was in the high 60’s (f), and with that the fish on the flats are taking a break. The good news is that the weather is forecasted to warm up over the weekend, with a return to our pre-front highs by Sunday. This is good news, and a cold front may even…

This image is from weatherunderground.com, showing the leading edge and body of the rain that’s falling as I write this: It doesn’t spell doom for the fishing, however, as we are not seeing the cool temperatures that sometimes characterize a line of precipitation such as this. The weather is slightly windy yet balmy, and Sunday…

No photos from Monday’s adventure yet, so an inshore reprot will have to suffice. The weather is beautiful, but the wind is keeping the fishing difficult. I have heard of a number of great captures; mostly tarpon on the flats as well as permit and bonefish. The fishing is great, and we are all looking…

We left the dock at 5:30 in the morning, rigged and ready, full of fuel. Our plan was to work our way west, stopping at the shrimp boats along the way to capture some blackfin, get some bycatch for bait, and then end somewhere in the vicinity of the Dry Tortugas. What actually happened was…

I never quite feel the same as when I’m rigging for a trip. There is a calming simplicity that accompanies the experience, saying always; “this is right, this knot will hold, this rod paired with this line will throw how I want and get the fly where I want it to be. This is my…

Today the wind has dropped and continues to do so; the forecast called for 16 MPH in the morning, dropping to around 12 by tonight. With a high of 81 degrees (f), this is great news; the fishing should get great! As far as a real-time report goes for what’s going on in the shallows,…