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Capt. John Bielat's Reelfishin™Charters
Florida
Keys: Islamorada, Key Largo, Plantation, Tavernier Florida Keys, Islamorada Fishing Report-Maine fishing Report
ReelFishin Charters is located at: Tavernier Creek
Marina, mm
90, Islamorada Florida Keys north of Key Largo
MY FAST BOATS GET YOU THERE AND HOME QUICKER WITH MORE TIME TO FISH. I could not help putting this picture from Denali Alaska as my backdrop with my son, daughter and brother in law. 3 Dave and his big sailfish 1 hour and fifteen minutes later on 20# tackle. All sails are released on my boat. June 10 People often ask me if I fish on my days off. Often I do not, especially when charters are close together. Taking people fishing is physically and mentally challenging, demanding a great deal of energy, time and thought. Success is never guaranteed and even with the best laid plans the fish always have the last say. Operating a fishing charter business can be exhausting. My recent trek to Maine was grueling as usual with 5 days on the road visiting relatives as I go. Eighteen hundred miles twice a year , packing my life in the Florida Keys and restarting in Maine is work. After arriving in Maine this season I had 1 day unpacking and the next day was spent fishing on Sebago lake with a friend Charlie. Salmon and lake trout were biting and I left the lake with 2, 5 pound salmon and a few lakers. This was not a charter but I could not help myself, I needed to be back on the water and fishing. One more day at the house working and 2 following consecutive days back on the water fishing with my family, for fun. Two days off and I was back on the water with my wife and caught more lake trout and salmon. Now I am planning my first cod fishing trip of the season for this week and looking forward to it. Nine days have gone by since my arrival in Maine and I have fished 4 of them. No charters. Yea, I fish on my days off. I have to because I like it........Capt. John
Sebago lake salmon
May 22 Offshore the dolphin fishing has been excellent with big fish in the 40's taken on a regular basis. The best fishing has been found between 300-600' and out to 1200' . I have spent time in the deeper water to 2500 ' and done well there also. Big blackfins are being taken on a regular basis on the local humps. Fish the early and late hours of the day for the best bite. Backcountry the snook and redfish are biting along with some big sea trout. A great time to be in Everglades park with fly rod or spinning gear. I will be starting to fish in Maine June 7. The fishing report from some good friends for southern Maine is good catches of nice Sebago salmon in the 3-6 pounds. The lake trout has been slow to this date but these fish are seeing little pressure from anglers due to better salmon fishing. Thompson lake has been taking some salmon with modest catches of lakers. Get ready, lake fishing will turn hot during June as the water warms and all fish find their hunger increases. Striped bass are moving early up the coast this year. A friend and client told me they were catching schoolies in Connecticut early May. We should see good numbers of school stripers by mid June in the Saco and Kennebec Rivers.. Go fish!
March 19 Loads of dolphin near shore is the biggest fish story. Late Feb dolphin were scarce but not the last 2 weeks. We have been taking loads of fish in the 300-400 ft. Most dolphin are school size but big fish are here. Some nice fish in the 40's. Sails have slowed from the winter run and require loads of time waiting for the bite. We are still picking at them early and late hours especially when there is a good blow. Blackfin are scattered everywhere including the local humps. Amberjacks are very good. Yellowtail and other snappers have been slow in the shallow water but some anglers are doing fine in the 120-150 depth range. Good mutton are being found in waters around 150'. February 30 The last few days have brought some great sailfishing near reefs edge. THe latest cold front has triggered a nice sail bite giving adventuresome anglers lots of first class action. Boats that ventured off in rough seas were making consistant catches of multiple sails. The blackfins have been excellent and now we are catching bigger fish on the humps. Dolphin are still hit and miss with most fish in the 400 foot line. South winds help this bite. Kingfish are very good and there are some wahoo taken near the reef an offshore on floating debris and weeds. Backcountry there is a god bite on Spanish Macks, decent snook and redfish. Lots of sharks both offshore and backcountry. January 11 Hot-Hot- Hot sailfishing yesterday here in the upper Keys. The warming waters have turned the sails our way and have made for fast aggressive feeding on reefs edge. What a difference a day makes. January 9 Recent very cold fronts have not produced good sailfishing, perhaps in the near future. There are sails being taken here in the Keys but with limited success due to small numbers of fish. I have had some nice catches of dolphin. Kingfish seem to be easy and are making for great action. The reef is very good this week with nice catches of yellowtail and grouper.
December 29 With the recent flat and calm water sailfishing has slowed a bit. We are now having a cold front move in the area and I expect to see improved conditions for sails. Dolphin is slow now with fewer fish being taken nad will improve when the windas turn from the south. Tuna was good until the flat water which sent the fish further offshore. Better tuna fishing will most likely resume this week with more current on the local humps. Kings are very good at reefs edge with some big smokers kings coming to my boat. Yellowtail and grouper has been very good for my anglers along with some nice catches of muttons in the 7 pound range. . December 14 This week the fishing has been great!. Excellent sailfishing with 3 or 4 shots at sail fish on each outing. The recent cold front and strong easterly winds has made all the difference in sparking action near reefs edge. Not for the faint of heart but definitely worth the rock and roll ride. There has been some big sails caught recently with some fish pushing towards the 100 pounds mark. See Dave's picture next to this article. We do not bring many sails into the boat any more but Dave big sail was worthy of a picture and the fish was returned unharmed to the sea. Blackfin Tuna are red hot and dolphin are showing in good numbers. Kingfish are also excellent. On the reef we have been doing very well on yellowtail, mutton snppper and grouper. These fish are being taken in relatively shallow water so you do not need to go far . Look for patch reefs and anchor up current in the sand. Chum and use shrimp and ballyhoo plugs. Get out there and fish . This is one of the most productive times of year here in the Florida Keys and the waters are quiet with few anglers hitting the fishing grounds. Call me if you need a charter. Catchemup, Capt. John December 5 WE have been very well on tuna and kingfish. There has been a good bite on sails when the temps cool down and winds increase during morning and evening hours. Live, small ballyhoo are best here. There are some nice snappers being taken on reefs edge with god size muttons in 150 feet. Expect the sail bite to improve dramatically during December with cooling temps. November 20 Fishing has been very good here in the Keys and I expect the fishing to only improve because of normal winter weather patterns. Big blackfins, sailfish and dolphin are slamming live trolled ballyhoo near the reefs edge. Kingfish are here in good fishable numbers. Backcountry has been good when the winds let off. There is plenty of action for snook, reds, snappers. Florida Keys Fishing November Winter fishing in the keys is really turning on. We are having a great yellowtail bite on the reef. Tuna are hungry on the humps with big numbers being racked up. Sailfishing is turning on very nicely with 2 +sails per outing. It appears as this will be a great year for sailfish in the Keys with cooling waters north of us sails will be on the move south right past our doors. Some dolphin are also being caught on many outings. Kingfish and cero macks are here in good numbers. When the winds are in your favor expect good things to happen here in the Florida Keys. Backcountry we are catching snook, redfish, snappers, trout, sharks. The early winter backcountry bite is on. Tarpon are being caught when warmer weather prevails and flats water is warm. Right now the tarpon are staked up in the deep canals because of a north blow we are having. Kenai Arriving on the Kenai Peninsula after a week hiking and sightseeing in Denali National Park we drove our bulk motor home towards Homer. The Kenai Peninsula is a beautiful place and the road down it's shores are well established and sparsely developed. All along the the highway there are different streams to fish and for many miles we drove along the mighty Kenai river. There were fair numbers of anglers working these waters from both land and two ended river boats. It is clear this river is well known and a favorite for many for many years. The fishing for silvers salmon was in the last part of the run and catching was consequently slow. We drove until we arrived at the Anchor river and found the silver salmon have moved up river a week earlier. There was however fairly intense pressure for steelheads which have come to eat the eggs of the salmon entering the river before them. My son Sean and I fly fished for the next 2 days for steelhead at the anchor and had a great time catching and releasing some beauiful fish. Many of theses steelies were in the 12 pound range with some fish in the upper teens. They were Great sport! We also managed a few dolly varden in the process. ALASKA September 2007 The first time I fished Alaska it was this mourning in Valdez. The incoming tide brought some nice silver salmon to hook for my wife Beth and I. It was truly amazing to see the amount of fish in this area with towering mountains as a backdrop. We will staying here for 1 more day. The scenery is breathtaking and I will be sad to leave this place, but we have other great destinations in Alaska and I will fish another day. Alaska is absolutely big and absolutely beautiful!
Fresh salmon is the best and we cooked a fillet fro breakfast.
On the way to Valdez. Hiking in Denali National Park was awsome but there are no fish here
ALASKA! I am winding down the fishing here in Maine for the 07 season. Overall it has been a good one with great catches on most my charters. The lake fishing on Sebago and Thompson lakes has been very good with consistent catches of lake trout, bass and salmon. I have been doing very well on the bluefish with some big choppers on most al trips. Great striped bass fishing has been here for the Maine angler. My charters have been taking some nice bass in the 3 foot range with a lot of smaller fish in the mix. Bluefish are here and assault the coast while we are striper fishing. Sometimes they are welcome but my hardened striped bass anglers prefer not to see them as they chase away the mackerel which attract stripers. I have been taking mackerel for strper baits with regularity and have not had to change to other lesser baits at this time. On Sebago we have been doing excellent with the lake trout with fish ranging from 4 to 12 pounds. Salmon are smaller now and require a dedicated angler to fish the early hours of the dawn. Brook trout have been slow this year with streams low from a lack of spring rains. I am still picking up some nice brookies with extra work in deeper pools formed by beaver and in the cold springs of the mountain lakes. Bugs are not too bad up-country which is a blessing in itself. Catchemup! With the passing of the recent full moon we are seeing a great striped bass bite along the Maine coast. My recent charters have produced some nice bass and good numbers of fish. The afternoon bite has been best with the incoming tides. I am catching mackerel with a little time and the use of chum. Stripers find these baits irresistible and will readily take a livy when other baits will not produce a second look. Get out there now and do not wait for the next full moon when we are sure to see a lull in the action. Sebago has been producing lots of lake trout in 60-90 feet. My lake charters have been very consistent with about 2 fish per hour of trolling. I use 3 downriggers and will also work baits in 60 feet for the salmon. Sebago salmon has improved this year but I do no believe the lake is out of the woods yet and will continue to have problems maintaining a good salmon fishery. For one thing there has been nothing done to protect spawning salmon in the crooked river and ATVs continue to run over gravel bars up and down the river destroying spawning salmon beds. A shame landowners will not stop the crossing of the river to prevent this habitat and nesting destruction nor does biologists for the state recognize the problem and seek prevention. Small mouth and large moth bass have moved to deeper water on the lakes. We are taking them in 20 feet on rock piles during the day. Fish deep and slow. Up country brook trout had a rough start with little water but fish can be found in what water there is. Beaver ponds and deep pools are holding fish. Insects seem to be down this year which is a pleasant relief from the norm from the wading angler. I love brooky fishing! 
It has been some time since my last fishing report. Too busy fishing and traveling. Our recent trip to Bimini proved to a great time with friends. Fishing was ok as we were too late for the wahoo bite. The people of the Bimini island were very accommodating and a pleasure to be around. Bimini Sands did a wonderful job providing us with excellent service and clean well managed accommodations. . I am now fishing Maine once again and how good it is. It is always a pleasure to be back north in the cool crisp air and beautiful scenery. Sebago lake has been excellent for salmon this year with landlocks reaching 8 pounds. The lake trout fishing in Sebago is unbelievable with big numbers and big fish consistently being taken. Thompson Lake has been good for both salmon and lakers. I have been doing more smallmouth bass fishing on Thompson this year with great success. The brook trout are in full swing up-country in beaver ponds and small mountain streams. This last week we had relatively slow dolphin fishing but my anglers did connect on some nice fish. Working areas where we rarely would see another boat the dolphin we hooked up some nice mahi over 30 pounds. With a change of wind direction to the south we will see improved dolphin fishing in the near future. We had great bite on blackfin tuna this past week however and caught as many as we wanted tiring anglers from the steady bite.. Tarpon are here now in great numbers and can be found backcountry on the flats as well as on the coastal islands and bridges. Loads of sea trout, snappers, good snook and redfish are being caught in Florida Bay. May is my personal favorite time of year in the Keys for great fishing. The dolphin and tuna fishing has been improving each
week with better catches. We are seeing bigger dolphin than last year with
more fish over 50 pounds. A recent trip produced some nice skipjack tuna,
wahoo and a few big dolphin over 25 pounds. Yellowtails have also
been very good lately with some nice tails over 5 pounds. Tarpon time is
now and getting better every day. This Saturday I flew over the Keys in a
helicopter viewing the flats from Ocean Reef to Marathon. I
felt like a frigid bird and appreciate there superior elevated
position to find fish. The view from the air is incredible and we
spotted schools of tarpon ranging from a few fish to well over 50 in a
single school. There were a lot of big tarpon cruising the flats at midday
right in the skinny. Lots of sharks up on the flats wit a good number
cruising a short distance from the bathers on the sandbar in Islamorada. I
wonder how many people knew they were surrounded.
The sand bar where people like to hang out. Sharks like to hang out there too and there were many just outside the crowd.
Up north in Maine my friends tell me the salmon bite has not really kicked in due to cold water from a late spring. There have been some big salmon caught though on Sebago lake by some of the long time local anglers. This will change soon from the warming water the salmon fishing will improve. Lake trout is good with most fish in 40-75 feet of water. Sewed smelts are best but artificial look likes works well too. Tight Lines. Is Friday the 13th bad luck? On a half day afternoon trip this Friday the 13th we boated 3 big dolphin 1 @ 22 ponds , 1 @ 32pounds and a real monster @ a whopping 60 pounds. All 3 fish were tough and mean giving great jumping and burning runs. The big bull was a real mean spirited fish with great jumps and blistering runs on 30# gear, The consecutive high jumps are unusual for a dolphin of his weight. One and one half hours were spent battling these fish and the anglers had enough catching. We went back to the dock all smiles, sore backs and great fillets. Bad luck on the 13th? Maybe next year. April 7 The early big early season dolphin are here. Big fish are taken now with some exceeding 50 pounds. Not the large numbers of fish associated with June but great quality. The new regulation that has a 20" min on dolphin may be paying off. as we are seeing bigger fish. A few yellowfin tuna around 60 pounds have recently been caught in the deeper waters offshore. Wahoo have improved. Big blackfin tuna are here in excellent numbers. Tarpon have recently been increasing in numbers and it promises to be a great spring run of fish. There has been an excellent run of bonefish on the ocean flats with some longtime guides stating the best they have ever seen. Backcountry snook and redfish have dramatically improved and worth the time. Excellent catches of cobia on the Gulf waters. Offshore the dolphin/ tuna fishing are improving each day. The wind is backing off this week from the relentless east blow we have had for 3 weeks. We will see improved access to offshore waters long deserved. Wahoo are coming in good numbers. I have added a Hewes 18' Redfisher to my lineup of boats for charter. This flats fishing rig is considered the best overall flats boat ever built. I am excited to soon offer flats and backcountry fishing to clients as they have requested for many years. After a day in the backcountry I was cleaning fish when a very large tarpon showed up. I tied on a #10 circle hook on 30# pound spinning outfit and baited with a fish carcass minus the filets. It was not long when my wife hooked up a big tarpon about150 pounds. We put her in a kayak and watched her as she was literally swiftly towed away, the big tarpon jumping in the lead. Very Exciting! We followed in the flats boat. After a 10 minute battle the fish wrapped on some coral and broke off. She was never the less very excited, tired and ready to try again. Although I am not fishing Maine a this time it is the beginning
of the open water fishing season. I will be starting charters there June
15. If you are fishing the cold lakes early be prepared and remember
that you only have seconds to live if you fall into the icy waters. Stay
safe and take all precautions and know your limits. Safety is always the
first order of business.
We have lost a great deal of fishing time recently with a steady blow from the NE at 15-35 mph. The few brave anglers that have been out are doing well on blackfin tuna and a few sails. There are whale sharks in the area and some nice cobia and tuna have been taken from them. I expect the dolphin fishing to pick up with a change in wind direction from the south. These southerly blows bring in the warm water, weeds and debris. Big dolphin follow along with wahoo and continued blackfin. . The slow sailfishing continues here in the Florida keys. Kingfish have been good with most fish on the small side. Grouper have slowed and yellowtail is good when the current is running. Tuna is getting better as it normally does this time of year. Some gaffer dolphin are being taken but the dolphin fishing is far from the spring run of fish so be patient. South winds will eventually change this story hopefully to same hot spring dolphin fishing as we had last year. Catchemup. Improving winds have been allowing fishing further from shore. The tuna bite picked up recently with some real nice fish. 30 pounders are more regular now making for some hard hitting action. Bring them in fast at the local humps or risk loosing your catch to many sharks prowling the area. The yellowtail fishing has had some banner days with big flags and good numbers. Kings have been good in the am, sails have been slow, but I have reason to believe we will see a good push of sails through the keys in 10 days or so. Dolphin fishing is good then not so. This fishing will become more consistent in a month bringing the keys the constant flow of gaffers we enjoy each spring. February 17 On a recent trip you could do no wrong with tuna and some nice gaffer dolphin. Then a few days later the tuna were gone and the dolphin were only peanuts. Times like this are a reminder of just how big the ocean is. Both days we covered a lot of water, about 40 miles to find fish and we working in the same areas. But on the second trip there was no current ,a key ingredient to hold fish. Weeds and structure are great but I will take current over the former and if I get them together, wow great fishing. Keep n mind when you are fishing for pelagic fish, that they will go where the eating is easiest and that will be where the current brings the choice food to them. Think ambush. Big predators know how to work the water currents to their advantage, and so should you. So the next time you are heading offshore and you see an edge that offers a ripping current, fish it. You will be glad you did and will never drive over one again. The fishing here in the keys has been great this year for yellowtail and grouper. This may be the best year in many for grouper. We have been taking lots of grouper and some nice ones at that. In the mix are the goliath or jewfish that made a comeback. You will need at least your 50's and don't hesitate to go bigger as these fish will top 100 pounds and much more. The jewfish are catch and release at this time. Sails have been Ok but we have seen better years overall. Kings are easy and there are many many ceros on the reef. Remember safety first in all your outings and make time for the kids when you fish. It is way better for them than a tv set. February 5 Sailfishing has improved this week with the latest cold fronts. Still it is not the best we have seen in recent years. I have been taking some nice blackfins on recent trips near the reefs edge. These bigger tunas are in a hit a run mode. So be looking for birds. The frigates will be on them when they arrive. Use thd smallest ballyhoo you have and hold on. The reef fishing was great last week with some nice grouper, yellowtail snapper, red snapper, cero mackerel. This is a great time for families as the fishing is good and you are on the rrf in calmer waters. Kingfish are hot but mostly of the kings are on the small side under 20 pounds. Cooler water htis month should bring the best fishing for kings of the season . Today it is blowing 35 mph and I am stuck on land.
January 15 We have been working hard to catch a sail or 2 lately. The unseasonable warm air is keeping sailfish north. Hopefully we will see an improvement as the north winds pick up with colder temps to the north of us. Dolphin keep showing up taking sailbaits. One recent trip did produce a nice dolphin at 41 pounds caught in 30' of water, wow that was fun!. The tuna have been on the small side but there are lots of them. Kingfish have been easy with good numbers in the area. There is a great bite of cero macks on the reef. Wahoo are starting to show with a few fish being taken . Yellowtail and grouper are good on the reefs edge. December 23 We have had a lot of wind and rain recently. We have also had some great fishing just off the reef. Sailfish are beginning to migrate south again from the recent cold fronts. Kingfish are here in very good numbers. Dolphin are hitting reefs edge on any given day. Blackfin tuna are crashing baits early and late right on reefs edge. There are a lot of cero macks. Yellowtail has seen some really hot bites recently with lots of good size fish. Expect the fishing to stay good for all theses species for some time ahead. Merry Christmas December 6 Sailfishing is really heating up. We had a great day Monday with some exciting hookups, 1 quadruple , 1 triple, 4 singles along with some kings and grouper. The sailfish quad were hooked up late so we fought the fish into the dark. All were between 60-75 pounds and made for an excellent angling challenge. Fishing has been best early and late in the day because of the moon phase. Gaffer dolphin tuna have been decent this week also. Yeah! November 23 Happy Thanksgiving to all. Yesterday proved to be a blast on the water. An evening charter produced some blackfins, kingfish and a great grouper bite. Grouper are here in good numbers now and the fast bite with some nice keeper fish proved that. Sailfish were having a case of lockjaw but we were glad to put grouper and tuna fillets on the table. Old Harbor Outfitters is a sponsor of mine and supply anglers with top quality products. This new company will be open to the public very soon. I will keep you posted. Catchemup. Capt. John November 18 With the cold fronts we are now experiencing the sailfish bite is heating up fast. Do not forget that all tournaments here in the keys and most of Florida are using circle hooks for sailfish. I am now using only circle hooks all the time for sailfish and find them to be better than the standard j.hook in many instances for various reasons. Saving the fish is most important but also solid hookups and simpler hooking skills by the angler. In fact no skill is needed for hooking fish on circle hooks except for patience and knowledge of how the hook works, the fish will hook itself. Remember circle hooks were designed to hook fish for commercial fishing when no angler is present. North and north west wind makes for a great day on the water here in the Florida keys. Still mild temps by northern standards, daytime temps here are in the low to mid 80's. Great catches of blackfin tuna are happening on the Islamorada hump along with some nice gaffer dolphin taken anywhere including reefs edge. Wahoo are also being taken on occasion along and some nice king mackerel. November 14 Sailfish have been picking up nicely with a good bite
starting 2 weeks ago. Looks to be hot this season. Big dolphin in the 20
pound range and wahoo are being taken near shore at reefs
edge. Big tuna are on the offshore grounds with 20 pounders coming to gaff. Reef fishing is very good with big flag yellowtail and some nice grouper
on the drop off in 120 feet. Bait is plentiful with large schools of ballyhoo and pilchards.
This season is heating up fast. Book your trip as early as possible to avoid difficulty
in finding places to stay and a good charter boat. Hotels on the cheap may be
difficult this year so get your reservations in early.
Call or e-mail with any questions Contact by E-mail Captain John Bielat Florida keys fishing report, Islamorada fishing report, Maine fishing report
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