Groupers are out because the harvest is closed, but there are so many species that are in season. Over the last few weeks we have experienced moderate weather with many overcast days and light winds. The spearfishing and diving have been great and the water has been so clear, I’ve been daydreaming about spearfishing while on my chartered fishing trips.
On the reef we’ve been seeing some very nice hogfish along with some mutton snapper up to 10 or 12 pounds. And of course there’s tons of grouper staring up at the divers because they know they can’t be taken! The good visibility means some fish are a little more wary, keeping their distance.
One species that always intrigues me is the kingfish. Sometimes when I’m out messing around on my days off, I’ll fish a reef spot and if the sharks aren’t bad before we leave I’ll get in the water to see if there are any kingfish present. Last week that worked out well for me and I got a 20 pounder.
Venturing off the reef and into the bluewater is most definitely my favorite way to spearfish. It does take patience, however, as the bluewater species are more spread out and take more time to find. Look for the floating debris that attracts schools of wahoo, dolphin, tuna with flashers and chum.
Marathon’s “young guns” found a tree offshore of Marathon recently, teeming with shootable fish. Clay Daniels shot his first wahoo — a nice one that tipped the scales at more than 30 pounds. His buddies will tell you Clay has a knack for being in the right place at the right time. The previous week he landed a kingfish. Clay recently took a freediving class and said that he can’t wait to use the techniques to dive deeper to bigger fish, all the while doing it safer.
