The Florida Keys officially reopened to public visitors on June 1, 2020. As the charters began to trickle in, we were thrilled to have some type of normalcy back in our lives. We were also fortunate enough to have our loyal clients who had trips booked during the pandemic, reschedule instead of cancel to help support our business during such a difficult time. We are happy to report we are back in action, fishing, and working hard!

Dave Villiger and his son recently traveled from Atlanta, Georgia, to fish with Captain Steve and first mate Alex for a full day offshore trip, and they crushed the Mahi! Dave and son also booked two inshore trips, landing large Tarpon each night. Thanks to Dave for rebooking his trips!

We also fished several returning clients that week. Captain Aaron and Steve fished with Richard Vandyke and his family for a full day offshore on Main Attraction II and brought back schoolie Mahi and a large Snowy Grouper. They went home with plenty of delicious filets for many fish fries! Snowy Grouper is a tasty deep water fish that is typically caught using an electric reel. They have a mild taste with a firm flaky white meat.

Our buddy Brice Brown originally had a boy’s weekend planned during the shutdown, thankfully he returned when the Keys reopened. He fished two days with Captain Marty and Digger aboard Main Attraction. The first trip was focused on going offshore where they caught Mahi and as a bonus a nice Mutton Snapper. For the second trip they wanted to experience something different, so they tried kite fishing and caught several large Blackfin Tuna.

If you want to head offshore for Mahi or Tuna, we highly recommend booking a ¾ or full day in the summertime. Tuna are commonly caught on the Marathon Hump, which is an underwater mountain located 27+ miles offshore. While it takes time to run 27 miles offshore, there is lots of water to cover, looking for Mahi along the way.

When it comes to Mahi fishing, every day is different. Some days they can be caught 8-10 miles offshore, where others take the 30+ mile run to find them. Birds on the water, sargassum weed lines, and floating objects are common things to look for while Mahi fishing. The weather conditions, current, water temperature, clarity, seas, etc. all play a factor in catching. While Mahi are known for being plentiful and having a voracious appetite, they don’t magically jump in the boat. Some days they can be tough to find, or you may find them, but school after school just happens to be very picky eaters that day.
Fortunately for us, since the June 1st opening, the fishing has been consistently good. We did have one slow day offshore, but 24 hours later the fishing was red hot again! For the Offshore report, we’ve been catching Mahi, Blackfin tuna, Wahoo, Tilefish, Snowy Grouper, and Swordfish.

Also, inshore, the tarpon bite has been amazing. We have been consistently landing large Tarpon each trip and getting plenty of bites. Mutton Snapper have been hungry on the wrecks, but you have to wind fast because the sharks have also been hungry! Reef fishing has been a little slow, but the waters have been very clear and calm, which allows the reef fish to see the fishing line and spook easier. All in all, it’s been a great start to Summer for the Florida Keys reopening and we are happy to be doing what we love again.

If you are planning a vacation to the Florida Keys this summer, be sure to call us at 305-289-0071 or visit our contact page to book your next Florida Keys Fishing adventure with the Main Attraction team.