Flags across the islands and the reef
While we celebrate our independence from our cousins across the pond with cookouts and beach parties, hot dogs and burgers, we will fly our nation’s flag – Old Glory – proudly overhead.
There is another party taking place on our local reefs, and it involves a flag, too – several, in fact!
The yellowtail snapper fishing on our local reefs is outstanding right now. Trips have been yielding lots of quality fish in the 16 to 20-inch inch range with a few larger fish or what we call flag yellowtail thrown in the mix to make things interesting. Flag yellowtails are those that exceed 6 lbs. on the scales and measure more than 30 inches long. They are surprisingly strong for their size and offer a great fight on light tackle for every angling skill level. They also taste great when prepared by your favorite local restaurant. The yellowtail action on the reef has been the best in the early morning hours or late afternoon and into the early evening.
The offshore fishing for dolphin and black fin tuna remains an action packed venue for those willing to take the boat ride. We’ve seen great catches of big schoolie and gaffer dolphin caught 12 to 25 miles offshore that have been coming across our dock all week. Work the birds and the weed lines for best results. The tuna bite on the humps has also been outstanding with some tuna topping the 20-pound mark. We like to mix it up a bit on our offshore days by dolphin fishing our way to the humps then catching half dozen tuna or so and then heading back to dolphin fishing.
The tarpon fishing remains decent; though the bulk of the migration has moved on, there are still plenty of resident fish to be hooked that are exceeding the 100-pound mark. Your Best Bet for the season’s end of tarpon fishing is early evening.
Best Bet for the Week Ahead: Go snag some snapper on the reef or head offshore where the dolphin and tuna bites have been outstanding!