4/4/19 April Florida Keys Tarpon Fishing Report

Tougher fishing today winds cranked 20 to 25 mph, though was forecast to be 10 to 15 mph. I had Joe who fished with me back in February and his dad Joe. We were after a tarpon for Joe Sr. Ran out back and tried a few areas where they had been. But very muddy though we did see a handful of fish. First stop no bites however, after an hour or so we hooked a big blacktip. After that we moved on and tried elsewhere. Didn’t see much not the big packs of fish that were around a few days ago when it was nice. We did see a handful though and moved around, gave it a hard effort but alas no cooperation. Did catch a couple more sharks and them the tide quit. We gave it a bit longer and then decided to bail and try other things. That’s what I love about the backcountry there are often other good options nearby. We had some shrimp and a few bigger live baits left over from the last few days. Worked a few areas and ended up catching 5 very nice snook in the 6 to 9 lb range and lost one other monster. After that we tried my redfish hole as the tide was getting right. First cast another very nice snook! Then we waited it out and gave it a little extra time as we had left early in the AM. But ended up catching a dozen or so redfish and a few other odds and ends. Not bad for tough conditions and having to go to plan B half way through the day. Tomorrow the wind forecast is roughly the same but anyone’s guess how accurate that will be.  Just decided to cancel our trip for tomorrow so I’ll be taking my dad instead fun fishing, not sure what we’ll get in to!  0 for 0

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
Instagram: @richardstanczyk
Facebook: Islamorada Tarpon Fishing

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