“Key West Winter” is here, and everything is falling into place. The shallow flats and backcountry around Key West are filling in with our cold-water species like jacks, barracuda, snapper, sharks, and many more. Winter season is hands down the best time of year to come out and get the drag screaming while catching a wide variety of species.
Due to the late and warm beginning of winter, our flats fishing for permit and bonefish has still been very consistent, given a bit of sunshine and clear water. We have been catching tarpon on live bait, but the cooler weather hasn’t made it easy to throw flies at them.
As far asfly fishing goes, we have been having a lot of fun throwing at all types of species; up on the flats and in deeper water, and depending on the weather conditions. The wintertime is famous for being the best time of year to target large barracudas in the shallows. They are a lot more challenging to trick than you would think. Jacks are also in town and an absolute blast to fight on a fly rod.
On warm days the shallows have been full of bonefish, permit, and tarpon, both big and small. For a more in-depth look, check out our complete
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Winter Fishing Report.”