Post 'yer Key's fishing advice, tips & tackle here

[Briguy]

I have limited experience trolling except for kings. What kind of setup would I use to target blackfins or Dolphin? I plan to fish the Islamorada hump and assume those gps #'s are redily available. Please be specific.

Please also help with suggestions for big snapper.

[Ryank]

Here is my 2Cents worth for what has worked for me over the years. I have had great success trolling for Dolphin, using both artificial and real / dead Ballyhoo with both blue and white feathers/ teasers, and pink/blue teasers on the snout. I run two to 3 lines out 2 on outriggers 1 or two flat behind the boat and try to keep it way back beyond the wake,( you can use birds if you do not have outriggers) Or just troll with 2 or 3 rods, Speeds between 3-7mph and troll around or beside weedlines or debris. I have as much success with hookups when coming to a stop as I have had trolling. One bit of advice is if you hook one fish, have pitch baits or a bally hoo rigged on a spinning rod and leave the hooked fish in the water at the boat, it will draw many other dolhpins to it as they try to join in the feeding frenzy.
For tuna you do not need to worry about debris or weedlines, you want either early morning or evening or overcast day with not much sun shining, tuna have very light sensitive eyes. I troll 3 to 4 rigs again and leave them much further behind the boat, almost out of sight, I have great luck on black and red feathers w/ no ballyhoo, We also use rattle trap lures, 2-3" long we replace the cheap hooks w / better trebles and troll these very slow, they resemble butterfish that tuna LOVE and the rattling noise brings them in. For these we use Fluro leader 20-25lbs and light drag, If you are trolling dead hoo, and you see real dolphins aka Flipper, leave the area if they are hitting your baits and stealing hoo. Or run different rigs. You cannot fight a Flipper they will wreck your tackle There are several "Humps" Out there be careful with the weather and keep an eye on the water, the updrafts or rising current from the humps can do interesting things out there and a small boat can find itself in 4-6ft very steep, very close together waves very quickly.
Heres some of the "Humps" #'s I have and these are common knowledge. 24. 48.175 x 80.26.674 Also one word of advice to anyone , if you see the big charter boats heading back in all at once, Do the same, I have learned the hard way they know long before we do if something very nasty is brewing. If you catch anything using this advice, I want a fillet. Big snapper , muttons, and YT's during the day is another subject entirely, and easier to show then explain, We fish near the reefs edge in one or two particualr spots with TONS of Chum, we go through 4-7 blocks of Chum a day and lots of baitballs of oats, mixed with Chum, with little hooks #2 or #3 in the middle rigged with a tiny piece of ballyhoo, on about 6ft of 10-15lb fluro and no sinker, it is an art form to be really good at it. I am sure everyone has their own style,. Thbe Chum slick brings them up ,and the reef fish pick away at the Oat/Chumball on its descent down, until hopefully a large Snapper grabs on.

[eggsuckindog]

Good advice above - I will just add a couple things - get a set of large snap swivels for each rod - makes switching baits much quicker as they are already rigged, just snap a new one on.
I have numbers for the humps - there is also the Key Largo Hump as well

Colors for Tuna are dark as mentioned but Dolphin I will always have yellow - yellow and green was always the most consistent producer. Everybody seems to like blue and white which I did as a fisherman but the fish didn't seem to agree and would go for the yellow and green
I will have a yellow skirt on one and a yellow and green trolling feather either with a hoo or strip.

As far a mutton snapper there are some threads on FS in the keys reports that are pretty good but do a search for one on SE it was really good on how too. I am going to try but never have caught any so not much real help.

I will show you how to rig a strip bait and rig hoo's if you want

[eggsuckindog]

Since I suck at snapper fishing I thought I learned some good stuff from here Brian - do you want the #'s to the humps early?

http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/thread?id=836685

[eggsuckindog]

Brian just ran across this site - these charts look like what you'd need, lists fishing spots as well, chart #38. They are at 3 places in KL so shouldn't be hard to find

http://www.homeportcharts.com/dealers.html#florida

[FELLOW-SHIP]

The home port charts are the best for fishing locations. I just bought another one #35 this week I had their older #35 map and decided to up grade to the newer one cost me $23.00. Has given me a few dozen new GPS # I haven’t fished yet. This map will give you at least 5 to 10 years worth of fishing experience finding locations overnight.



FellowShip

………………………

Just for the Grins

Official Antique Classic SeaCraft Owner

[Briguy]

I just opened an account with a lady who is a fishing nut and lives on Summerland Key. She was out yesterday with her fiance' and boated a 46lb Cobia. She is going to help me with advice when I speak with her next week.

I bought some new trolling rigs as West Marine some purple/black some green/yellow. I am going to net some mullet, silver mullet and pins and freeze them for strip bait or just dead bait.

Thanks for the links I checked them all out. Getting excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[zach]

Brian just ran across this site - these charts look like what you'd need, lists fishing spots as well, chart #38. They are at 3 places in KL so shouldn't be hard to find

http://www.homeportcharts.com/dealers.html#florida

How do you like these charts versus the "Top Spots"? I've used the Top Spots charts in the upper keys with varying degrees of success.