By: Capt. Bruce Andersen
When it comes down to it, anytime is really a great time to take the family out fishing in the Florida Keys, but the winter time has got to be one of the best. We’ve got such a wide variety of different types of fishing this time of year and several of them are especially good for kids and beginners.
When the winds are light and the seas are calm the sky’s the limit and all of our reef and offshore options are great for the whole family. There are plenty of options for fishing with the family here, but two of my favorite types of fishing for families are patch reef fishing for various snapper and reef fish and the fishing back in the gulf for Spanish mackerel, snapper, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Both are excellent this time of year and both offer fast action and take place in semi sheltered areas with relatively calm seas.
On the patch reefs you can expect fast action to keep the kids busy with yellowtail and mangrove snapper while waiting for a chance at a larger mutton snapper or grouper as well as cero mackerel, barracuda and a whole mix of other stuff. The winter time cold fronts usually spark up the action on the patches and in the upper keys the seas on the patch reefs will usually be calm especially on a northwest or north wind. The same cold fronts that stir the water up and spark up the fishing will usually bring winds from this general direction and make a perfect combination for fishing the patches.
Back in the gulf the action can be extremely fast paced with a combination of spanish mackerel, Mangrove snapper, lane snapper, and a whole bunch of fun catch and release options like sharks and jack crevalle. There’s even a chance of cobia back there as an added bonus. Like the patch reefs the areas close to Sprigger bank in the gulf are semi sheltered on certain winds and will be relatively calm, especially on an east wind.
Both of these options offer plenty of action to keep the kids busy and they’re both calmer seas options to not beat the family up on a windier day. If you would like to take the family out for a fun filled trip in the keys give me a call and I’ll show you what it’s all about!
— www.captaineasycharters.com
You can reach Captain Bruce Andersen at Capt. Easy Charters,
MM 85, call 305.360.2120 or email at: captbrucekey@comcast.net