Islamorada Fishing Report
Joshua Checkeroski
Islamorada Fishing Report
Islamorada Fishing Report
Islamorada Fishing Report
Joshua Checkeroski
A beginners Guide to fly fishing for Tarpon

A beginners guide to fly fishing for tarpon in the Florida Keys

A beginners Guide to fly fishing for Tarpon
Islamorada Fishing Report
Joshua Checkeroski
Islamorada Fishing Report
Islamorada Fishing Report
Islamorada Fishing Report
Joshua Checkeroski
Islamorada Fishing Report
Islamorada Fishing Report
Islamorada Fishing Report
Joshua Checkeroski
Islamorada Fishing Report
Islamorada Fishing Report

Islamorada Fishing Report

Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys and Everglades

2024 Season has Kicked Off!

Now that the holidays are over we at Moon Cast Anglers are getting back into the swing of things. We have two new boats that we added to the fleet! A Hell’s Bay Marquesa that has already proven to be a fishy rig, and a 15ft Gheenoe for ultra sneaky backcountry trips. At 18ft long the Marquesa is a super comfortable ride into that back country as well as being stable for anglers to fish. The 15ft Gheenoe is a great option for single anglers looking to explore the Everglades “No Motor Zones” in search of hungry baby tarpon, snook, and redfish.

Now lets get into the Islamorada Fishing Report!

Snook and Redfish are all over in the backcountry. We’re catching them on flies and live bait pretty regularly. The cold fronts that move in really push the fish into the deeper channels and can make for epic days tossing shrimp on jigs and picking up good fish along the bottom. If you want to sight cast there are good opportunities on these low winter tides, both on fly and spin.

With the Gheenoe added to our fleet, we are doing some really cool sneaky fishing in the No Motor Zones. These areas are packed with fish that get little to no pressure and are super willing to eat. These trips are a one angler program. Fly and artificial baits are best. Trips start from Islamorada on the 25 Contender as we load up the canoe and head into the backcountry. Once there we dock the big boat, lift out the canoe and set out on a Lewis and Clark type of adventure, catching fish and seeing some awesome wildlife!

If you’re looking for a trip closer to town in Islamorada we have plenty to offer here as well. Snapper fishing is on fire right now, so if you want a cooler full of fish, book the 25 Contender and get 3 fishing buddies and load up! We’ll do the cleaning you just have to put fish in the boat.

There have been some bonefish around the flats in town and for the angler looking to challenge themselves this is the fish. Sunny days and a little bit of wind allows us to see and sneak up on the ghost of the flats and a good cast can get you tight with one of the fastest fish in the ocean!

The big question that I get on every phone call is '“TARPON?!?!” Yes. They are around. Warm weather gets them crazy and they can be found this time of year. They can be tough and not everyday is fire. If you want to fish for tarpon, book a full day and let's go find them. This time of year they can be anywhere from downtown Islamorada, all the way into the gulf. Patience and hard work can pay off this time of year when looking for the silver king!

2024 season has started! Expect Tarpon, Bonefish, Permit, Snook, Redfish, and plenty of table fare on the reefs in town. Let us know if you want to book.

We still have availability for tarpon season on the flats boat, the bay boat is ready to fish and get booked! Let us know what experience you want and we will accommodate!

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Fly Fishing for jacks in islamorada Florida

Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys and Everglades

The Start of the 2023 Spring Season is Here

I am really excited to introduce and bring to the Moon Cast fleet the Contender 25 Bay! This boat can fish 4 anglers comfortably, with plenty of seating and room to cast. The new bay boat can fish everywhere in the Everglades backcountry and the reefs off of Islamorada and Key Largo. The new bay is ready to fish and we are now taking bookings for the 2023 season. Moon Cast Bay is located at Post Card Inn Marina in Islamorada just a few steps from my flats boat. Load up the entire family or group of friends and enjoy an amazing ride and the great fishing the Keys has to offer.

Now lets get into the Islamorada Fishing Report!

The backcountry has been hit and miss the past few weeks. The Everglades has either been fishing really well or it’s been tough. The flats out back have been producing snook and redfish. The channels and edges of the channels have been the most consistent. We have a new moon and low water with big tides right now. I have been focusing on the end of the outgoing and the start of the incoming and getting good results on both. There have been some tarpon in the Everglades with these very warm February temps we’ve had.

Closer to Islamorada there has been fantastic rod bending action. The Jack fishing has been fantastic. If you want to catch your first saltwater species on fly or if you want to hook lots of fish on live bait, Jack Crevalle are an awesome species to target. Jacks eat pretty much anything that get infant of them, They’re highly aggressive and put up and amazing fight. They can also be fed top water poppers and plugs if you like to watch epic blowups!

Around Islamorada we have been hooking tarpon, as they are starting to come in with the warm weather. I think this season might start a bit early with tarpon already cruising around in channels, bridges, and edges of flats. If you want a chance at the Silver King let us know and we’ll put you on em!

Permit and Bonefish have been around the flats too. We have been getting shots almost daily on flies and live bait. If you want a challenge and are quick with a cast we can go look for some flats ghosts and tailing permit.

With the new boat comes new fishing opportunities. We have been fishing the patch reefs and bridges and having a great time filling the cooler and pulling on some giant goliath grouper!

The 2023 Spring season is here! Expect Tarpon, Bonefish, Permit, Snook, Redfish, and plenty of table fare on the reefs in town. Let us know if you want to book. The Maverick Flats boat fishes 2 anglers and the Contender Bay will fish four. Let us show you an amazing experience in the Florida Keys

We still have availability for tarpon season on the flats boat, the bay boat is ready to fish and get booked! Let us know what experience you want and we will accommodate!

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

Islamorada, FL

Dropping the boat in the water, getting ready for the days guests.

Islamorada, Florida

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys and Everglades

Happy New Year! Welcome 2023 Season!

The past month has been an exciting time to fish in Islamorada.

Fishing has been great! We had a cold front blast through over Christmas but its warm and the fish are back to biting per usual. The back country has seen an influx of redfish both on the flats and in the deeper channels. Snook are chilling on the flats and in channels and against islands in their usual haunts.

Bait has been tough to come by, I have been using flies and shrimp and getting great results. In the next few days the bait should get cooking again and Ill be out tossing the cast net and loading up in Pilchards. Pilchards are great way to catch tarpon, snook, redfish, mega jacks, and tons of other species on spin tackle. they fish great year round!

We’re now in our full swing for the 2023 season. I am getting booked daily for tarpon season so if there are dates that you are looking at please don’t wait! There are tarpon around town now as well as plenty of permit, bones and jacks. 2023 is shaping up to be a great season.

The 2023 season is here! I am getting booked daily. If you want to book a trip this year make sure to jump on it. If you have questions feel free to reach out. The easiest way to get ahold of me is via text through my contacts page, calling after 5pm, and email is always easy.

I still have availability for Tarpon season, both fly and spin

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys and Everglades

2022 Fall Season is here!

Fall fishing season is in full swing here in the Islamorada and Key Largo! I’ve been guiding a lot! We’ve had awesome fishing on the fly rod and the spin rod. This time of year can be awesome in the back country catching snook, redfish, and baby tarpon on the fly, artificials, and live bait.

I have been getting a few call asking about what effect the hurricanes had on our fishery, well, if anything it brought fresh water down from the Everglades and cleaned out the bay making the fishing fantastic. We had a ton of rain and some wind, Florida bay and the Florida Keys are in great shape for fishing right now and we’re taking advantage of it.

November fishing had been a blast. The backcountry had been producing nice reds, snook, and every now and then a few tarpon. I have been switching back and forth from fly fishing and spin fishing. On the fly days we have had to work a little to find fish, but once we’re on em we have been getting great results. My best flies have been anything black with a sharp hook!

The bait game has been really good as well. This time of year I am throwing the cast net for pilchards and doing really well. Pilchards are a great way to fish Islamorada and the Everglades. Everything besides permit and bonefish eat pilchards. We have been getting great numbers on snook and tarpon bites in town on live bait. The Jacks love em as well. If you want to catch a fish that pulls harder than most in the backcountry lets catch some Jacks!

The 2022 season is almost over! I am getting booked daily. If you want to book a trip this year make sure to jump on it. If you have questions feel free to reach out. The easiest way to get ahold of me is via text through my contacts page, calling after 5pm, and email is always easy.

I still have availability for December

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys and Everglades

2022 Fall Season is here!

Well its been a while since I last posted a report. The summer season was great with good bone fishing, a permit here and there and baby tarpon. We managed to get a few nice tarpon on some long days in Everglades National Park. I just did an amazing hosted trip to King Salmon Alaska, which I will be doing a separate report on. I have also been doing some Florida white tail bowhunting as well. Theres a lot going at Moon Cast Anglers!

Now let’s get back to the fishing. As most of you know Hurricane Ian came through Florida last week. Ian wreaked havoc on South West Florida. We were lucky here in the Keys and avoided the hurricane. We just had strong winds and rain. Our fishing and water conditions are good and getting better everyday. Tons of rain and wind push things around in Florida Bay and give the bay a reset, cleaning things up. Thats a good thing. Fall fishing is going to be amazing here in the Keys. Since Ian the air and water temps have cooled down, which the fish love!

Before and after Ian I have been fishing everywhere. Here in Islamorada the bone fishing has been great on live bait and we’re getting multiple shots on the fly rod every day. Permit fishing around town has been amazing. We’re seen multiple fish a day and even getting some to bite! Permit fishing is hard where ever you fish, and the Keys are no exception. They require pinpoint accuracy and a lot of patience.

Fishing through October is going to be a blast. The backcountry has been producing good numbers of snook and reds. The water is a bit off-color from the storm, but coming into shape nicely. There are still plenty of fish to be caught since the storm. The off-color water offers the angler and guide a little cover when sneaking up on weary snook and reds on the flats. Yesterday we hammered on big snook on banks with the fly and spin rod.

The 2022 season is almost over! I am getting booked daily. If you want to book a trip this year make sure to jump on it. If you have questions feel free to reach out. The easiest way to get ahold of me is via text through my contacts page, calling after 5pm, and email is always easy.

I still have availability for Oct-December

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Tarpon Fly Fishing Florida Keys

Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys and Everglades

2022 Season has been BUSy

Well its been a while since I last posted a report. Things here in the Florida Keys have been poppin! Right now we’re in the tarpon season swing of things. Fishing around town and the ocean has been great. We are finally starting to see good numbers of fish cruising in and out of Florida Bay. There has been good baby tarpon fishing in the backs well. I have been targeting baby tarpon in the am and then heading to the ocean for the bigger fish later in the day once the sun gets up. This is an exciting time of year!

Bonefishing around town and in Everglades National Park has been stellar. I’ve had multiple bonefish days in the double digits these past few weeks, both on fly and live bait. I have been really surprised at the amount of bones this time of year. My guests have also been catching permit in town as well. Bridges and flats have been offering amazing opportunities at these spooky fish!

While the fishing in town is what I have been focusing on lately, I have been out to the Flamingo area after the wind has died down and the mud settles. Fishing out back has been good with baby tarpon, redfish, and snook. We have been spending full days back there targeting all three and getting a few backcountry slams on fly!

Fishing through October is going to be a blast. With the warm weather settling in the fish are getting really happy. As the weather settle expect to be looking for fish on the flats. Tarpon season is going to be jamming through Fall. Let me know if you want to book a trip and lets get tight on the fish of a lifetime!

The 2022 season is in full swing. I am getting booked daily. If you want to book a trip this year make sure to jump on it. If you have questions feel free to reach out. The easiest way to get ahold of me is via text through my contacts page, calling after 5pm, and email is always easy.

I still have some availability this May due to cancellations

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Tarpon Fishing Florida Keys

Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys and Everglades

2022 Season is Here!!!!

We kicked off the the 2022 season with the silver king this year! We had warm water temps early in the month and we were able to put a few tarpon in the air and even get a few to the boat for some sweet leader action. The warm temps also kept the bones up on the flats and gave my anglers a couple chances to get some shots and land a few of the ghosts before the first real cold front rolled through last week. Now that winter is officially here in the keys we are seeing cooler water temps, better backcountry fishing, and a solid bite in the gulf!

This time of year presents a lot of opportunities for fish due to the changing weather patterns. With the colder water I have been taking my guests to the gulf on nice days and fishing for mackerel on flies and light tackle. If you haven’t had a chance to hook one of these fish, they’re a blast! They’re super aggressive and they rip line off the reel. Pound for pound they can be some of the fastest fish we hook and once we get into them they usually stick around for a while, allowing the angler to hook multiple, sometimes 20 or 30 mackerel!

Fishing in town has been a blast. We were hooking good numbers of giant tarpon before the cold front and I expect that to continue when the water warms back up. We have also been getting some big Red grouper and BIG jacks around town as well. Those big jacks pull super hard and a 20lb jack can wear out even a seasoned angler. We have been catching them on artificial baits as well as flies on sinking lines.

The backcountry snook action has been technical. There are big snook to be found and sight casted to for the fly angler and spin fisherman. Patience is the key here. Poling banks and keeping an eye out for their black backs is the trick and with the colder water a slow retrieve is the move. These fish are holding really tight to the bank on windy days, and if you can stuff it you might get paid with a nice Goliath Grouper as well!

The 2022 season is in full swing. I am getting booked daily. If you want to book a trip this year make sure to jump on it. If you have questions feel free to reach out. The easiest way to get ahold of me is via text through my contacts page, calling after 5pm, and email is always easy.

I still have some availability end of January and throughout February and March

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Bonefishing Florida Keys

Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys and Everglades

Beautiful Weather for December!

Well we couldn’t be asking for better weather this time of year. Calm, warm, and sunny days in December? Sounds good to me. The fish haven’t been hating it either. We have had cooler mornings that are typical for this time of year but the days have been warming up into the upper 70s’ and 80’s keeping water temps up and keeping some fish like tarpon happy. The wind has been down so far too making sight fishing on the backcountry flats an absolute blast! Snook and Redfishing has been killer and it looks as though its going to stay that way for the next few weeks.

Fly Fishing in town we have had shots at bonefish, tarpon and weary permit. We have caught a few bones and hooked some tarpon! For this late in the season hooking a big silver king on fly is a real treat! The solid action has been in the Everglades. Snook and Reds are on the flats and banks and we have had an awesome time sneaking up and getting sight casting opportunities to these fish weekly. Being able to stalk and cast at fish on backcountry flats is a blast especially on a fly rod. When these fish are on flats they’re almost always eating, and watching them devour your fly is pretty intense!

Fishing light tackle for the past few weeks has been a blast as well. Bonefishing in town with live shrimp is always a blast, those fish can rip some line off a spin rod! A few tarpon have been hooked in some of the channels around town as well! I have also been taking my spin fisherman out back to fish for snook and reds and we’ve been crushing them on shrimp and artificial baits on flats, channels, and banks. Good fishing to be had by all in awesome conditions these past few weeks!

The Holidays are right around the corner and we are starting to get booked up! If you are looking to get dates for your holiday vacation make sure you check with us. Winter fishing is picking up as fish start to settle into their winter holding zones and its looking like its going to be another awesome winter season in the Florida Keys. If you’re looking to try and catch your first snook or bonefish on the fly give me a call and we’ll make it happen!

I still have some availability throughout December, though dates are getting booked daily.

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Snook Fishing Everglades and Islamorada

Islamorada Fishing Report

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys and Everglades

Cold fronts, wind, rain, and tight lines!

The weather has been throwing a lot at us! Winter is finally here and water temps have dropped. A big cold front blew in last week making for wet rides to the backcountry, but once we were there we were able to find fish eating shrimp and flies on banks and in channels. There were also fish on flats if we were able to find some clear water.

Fly fishing this time of year presents a lot of opportunities for snook and redfish. Fishing banks can be a lot of fun, especially if you come from a trout and river background. Fishing for snook on banks offers a target and structure to cast to as well as the chance to sight cast to laid up fish. Fishing the backcountry flats offers plenty of sight fishing for snook and reds this time of year and can be a blast for fly anglers, just bring a good pair of sunglasses and practice your casting! There are still some baby tarpon around eating flies and they seem to eat better on the warmer and calmer days, I love to target them early in the morning.

For the spin fisherman, channels, banks, flats, what more could you ask for?! This time of year can be epic for snook and reds in channels. With big tides these fish get stacked up in channels and chow on bait and makes for some awesome rod bending action on live bait. If you’re looking for a challenge, sight fishing for tailing reds on the flats is a blast too.

The Holidays are right around the corner and we are starting to get booked up! If you are looking to get dates for your holiday vacation make sure you check with us. Winter fishing is picking up as fish start to settle into their winter holding zones and its looking like its going to be another awesome winter season in the Florida Keys. If you’re looking to try and catch your first snook or bonefish on the fly give me a call and we’ll make it happen!

I still have some availability for the last two weeks of November and throughout December, though dates are getting booked daily.

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Islamorada Fishing Report

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

A hunting report as it relates to fishing

Being a fly fishing guide in the Florida Keys has its benefits, the biggest one is meeting all the awesome people that make my job fun. I was lucky enough to spend a week in Utah hunting Elk with fellow guide and Gold Cup Champion Captain Jeremy Fisher. Jeremy guides in Islamorada out of Postcard Inn January thru July and Spends the rest of the year chasing trophy Elk, Mule deer, and Whitetail in Utah and the Midwest. When he invited me to Utah I jumped at the opportunity, got an elk tag and hopped on a plane.

Jeremy and I spent six days chasing elk in the Unitas and Wasatch ranges and we got close to elk a few times. I put several miles on my boots, and I’m sure my blisters will stick around for a while to prove it. On the last day we stalked a nice 6x6 elk for a few hours and just as we were getting close he decided to get up and get walk over a ridge to private property, so it goes. The prey can’t win every time. So I come back to the Keys without an Elk, but with a better appreciation for an animal that I have spent a few years hunting.

Every year I go elk hunting, be it in Idaho or Utah, I learn something new, I get a little bit closer to sealing the deal. I spend a lot of time reading, doing research on my unit and area, conditioning physically, anything I can do to to advance my game from one year to the next. I look at where I succeeded and where I failed and fix what I can control. The same attitude can be had in fishing for big game saltwater species. There are some awesome pieces of literature that a beginner and advanced angler can dig into, “A Passion For Tarpon” and Bonefishing!” to name a few. These books teach basic techniques and understanding of the environment and give the angler better idea of what to expect. If you are having trouble with your double haul last season work on it at home, dial it in. If you need to get casting lessons, do it. You’ll be one step closer to making that shot count when that fish of a lifetime comes swimming through that rolling wave or that tail pops out of that slicked out flat.

the fly fishing and light tackle report

I’ll keep the report short and sweet this week. I am finally sitting on my patio peaking through the houses seeing a calm ocean after a week of windy conditions making for tough fishing on the fly. We were fished mostly artificials and shrimp and were able to catch good numbers of decent snook and a red here and there. Finding calm clean water was the ticket. Sight fishing was tough but not impossible.

Prior to the front tarpon fishing was fire and the flats were producing epic snook fishing if you were patient and knew where to look. Next week looks nice and calm and the water should clear up getting the fish back up on the flats and out of their winter holding zones. The wind pushed a lot of water off the flats leaving them bone dry, hopefully with the next moon phase we’ll be able to spend some more time on the flats.

As long as the water temps don’t drop too much the tarpon fishing in the Flamingo area should stay consistent for the next few weeks. I have been getting my clients shots at them, we just need some calm mornings to see them rolling, and they seem to be biting really well!

October is almost over, the weather is starting to cool down. It won’t be long now until we are in full swing of epic snook, redfish, baby tarpon, and lights out Everglades backcountry action. Fall and winter is an awesome time of year in the backcountry. It is the reason that I chose to call Islamorada my home. This area is so diverse and offers so many different fishing opportunities, from bone fishing in town to chasing redfish in the backcountry, this is going to be and awesome fall.

I have available dates in November and December. Holiday dates fill up quickly. Let me know

Tarpon Season is also filling up quickly if you want dates, please reach out as soon as you can. March through June is best.

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

Islamorada Fishing Report

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys

Full moons and glassed out conditions for the past two weeks have made for some difficult bone fishing on the fly. We have had some shots here and there but who cares when the back country has been so good? More on that in a few. The flats in and around town have had a good amount of fish on them but due to the full moon they tend to munch at night making day time fishing a bit of a challenge. With the new moon right around the corner things should start to pick up in the anglers favor. We have been gettin bones on live bait, but the sight fishing action requires patience and accurate casting. There have been tarpon in town that are willing to eat and I have been focusing my time and energy on the Silver King!

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Everglades

I feel like every time I write a report, at least for the past few weeks on the Everglades and Backcountry, it’s the same old story, great fishing all the time. Well its not going to be much different this time around either, with the exception of a few giant tarpon mixed in!

I have had mostly fly anglers for the past few weeks in the backcountry which has put me up on flats. The fishing in the shallows has been gone from great to ok, with fish being able to chow at night with the full moon . There have been tarpon rolling around in the Everglades making for fun afternoons if the wind stays down. The water out back has been clean and casting to rolling fishing is a sight for sore eyes after casting to weary fish on flats. The tarpon are willing to eat and have been in the fun size 20-60lb range. Perfect on a fly rod.

If you’re looking for a quiet time of year to come enjoy the Florida Keys and Everglades and hook up with some of the amazing species we have to offer down here October is a great month to fish. Typically this is the last month before the first cold front comes in making water temps drop and pushing fish into their winter holding zones, tarpon head way up into the the Everglades and offshore, not to ben seen in great numbers until the spring.

I still have some availability for the last two weeks of October, and weather permitting there should be tarpon around through the first few weeks of November. There are always snook and redfish around too!

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

tarpon release islamorada 2.jpg

Islamorada Fishing Report

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys

Fly fishing and light tackle close to the Keys has been a lot fun for the past few weeks. There has been little to no wind and it has been HOT! Looking for tailing bones and permit has been the jam. A live well with some shrimp and a few crabs has been working best. Early mornings and evening has also been the move. High sun gets the fish weary, if you can see them they can usually see you! We have been lucky enough to get a few shots at em with the fly rod and the dreaded “trout set” got us a few times! remember to keep that rod tip down folks and strip! Its a real heartbreaker when we work so hard to get to a fish, the fish eats, and the trout set ruins what could have been!

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Everglades

Fishing in the Everglades and backcountry has been a ton of fun these past few weeks. There have been some great zones with baby tarpon rolling and they have been eager to eat. I have been taking my guests out early first thing to get a few tarpon, then heading to flats looking for redfish and snook to sight cast to.

We have had good days pounding banks for tarpon, but with the lack of wind the bugs can get bad, so after getting a few poon I have been heading to flats poling around for snook and have had great days doing so. They have been eating flies and good casts really well. Soft plastics have been working great too. Being patient is key and we usually find a group of laid up snook that are happy and willing to eat.

With Labor Day out of the way Islamorada has quieted down. There is less traffic in town and even less traffic on the water, which means less pressure on the fish! It will stay mellow down here until the Holidays so if you’re looking for a quiet time to sneak down to the keys to get tight on Tarpon, Snook, Redfish, Bonefish, and Permit, this is it!

September and October are great months to fly fish and spin fish in the Florida Keys and Everglades. Typically a slower time of year as far as tourism goes, the water is warm and the fish are happy. Fishing for Bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook, and redfish can be some of the best of the year with little to no crowds.

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

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Islamorada Fishing Report

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Florida Keys and Everglades

Florida Keys and Everglades Weather

Fly fishing and light tackle in the Florida Keys and Everglades has been not happening the past few days due to wind and storms. The remnants of tropical storm Fred passed through yesterday morning and things finally started to calm down this morning.

The good news, the fishing was great before the storm and the rain should have dumped more freshwater into the Everglades system. In other good news, It looks like Tropical Storm Grace is going to avoid hitting the keys leaving us along this time around so we can get right back to fishing!

Everglades

Fishing in the Everglades and backcountry was great before the storms came through and should pick back up in the next few days as the water clears up. Redfish on flats, snook in the mangroves, and trout in the basins. We have been getting shots at baby tarpon as well. Good numbers of redfish are a sight for sore eyes and its great to see them this time of year. The past few months we have had to work pretty hard for em now they seem to be back in town and eager to eat!

My buddy Capt. Charlie Tindall of Stay Fly Inshore Fishing put the hurt on em the other day. Charlie is a second generation fly fishing guide in Islamorada and joins me on group trips. Gimme a shout if you want to do a group trip!

September and October are great months to fly fish and spin fish in the Florida Keys and Everglades. Typically a slower time of year as far as tourism goes, the water is warm and the fish are happy. Fishing for Bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook, and redfish can be some of the best of the year with little to no crowds. So if your trout fishing trip isn’t looking so good due to low water conditions it might be time to check out the Keys and Everglades!

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the Book Your Trip link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

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Islamorada Fishing Report

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys and Everglades

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys

Fishing near the Keys has been great when the weather has been cooperating. We have been seeing good numbers of bones, permit and smaller tarpon around. The bonefishing around town has been great on both incoming and out going tides and keep you eyes peeled for permit cruising the flats as well! Ocean side I have seen a few larger tarpon still lingering around with a few shots here and there on fly. All of our shots on permit have been on live crabs and they can be just as picky on live crabs!

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Everglades

Getting out back between the storms and rain can tough to manage, but if you can launch at Flamingo or keep a good eye on the radar coming from the Keys, the backcountry of the Everglades has been consistent when the wind has been down.

Snook fishing has been fire on deep edges with plenty of current just watch for sharks, and if you’re getting sharked up, either move up to heavy gear and get those fish in quick in fish or move on. With the current water conditions plaguing the Tampa area it would be nice to keep our fish alive. There are plenty of other spots to fish where you can crush on the snooks without getting sharked up. Check out flats for muds for reds and snooks! the edges have been great! I have been spending a lot of time fishing weedless rigs and soft plastics and doing very well on the drops!

On the glassed out days look for fins, there have been tarpon rolling early in the morning on the right tides!

August and September are great months to fly fish and spin fish in the Florida Keys and Everglades. Typically a slower time of year as far as tourism goes, the water is warm and the fish are happy. Fishing for Bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook, and redfish can be some of the best of the year with little to no crowds. So if your trout fishing trip isn’t looking so good due to low water conditions it might be time to check out the Keys and Everglades!

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions, comments, or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com

I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the “Book Your Trip” link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

The Islamorada Fishing Report

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The Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys

Summer in the south Florida is here! I’m no weather man but I can tell you to expect rain and thunder storms daily. Between storms we have been seeing some great fishing.

Sight Fishing in town this past week has been difficult due to the clouds. However after the storms push through finding fins in glassed out conditions make it much easier and a lot of fun. Look for tarpon fins and you’ll get tight! Live baiting around channels and using plastics has been working well for me and my guests. We hooked a few nice tarpon this week and a few juveniles as well on fly. The small tarpon have been in nice groups and were usually able to get a few shots at em even after we hook em up.

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Everglades

What can I say about the Everglades? The glades have been amazing lately. Baby tarpon, big tarpon, snook, redfish. They’re all there, they’re all eating. You just gotta get out there and find em! If you don’t want to spend the time finding em, don’t worry, just call me I know where they are! The fishing has been great, the weather has not. The storms tend to build up around the mainland and I have been spending some time getting torn up by mosquitoes at Flamingo waiting out lightning a few times this past week. It has been worth it though! The fishing out there should stay great through the summer into fall.

Thanks for reading the report, if you have questions comments or just want to gimme a shoutout, check me out on Instagram, @mooncastanglers or shoot me an email josh@mooncastanglers.com I love hearing from you guys!

As always check the calendar on the “Book Your Trip” link for my Availability!

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

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The Islamorada Fishing Report

Guided Fly Fishing and Light Tackle

Fly Fishing and Light Tackle Florida Keys

Fly fishing and light tackle in and around the Florida Keys this past week was interesting. There were storms, wind, permit, and tarpon. Conditions this 2021 season have not made things easy and this week was no different. Seems when the wind isn’t blowing the clouds are rolling in making sight fishing difficult. We were able to bend rods and put some nice fish in the boat and put some tarpon in the air!

We have been catching fish on crabs, mullet, soft plastics and outgoing tides. Early bird gets the tarpon bite! Permit have been chowing crabs around structure, just be sure to get em out of there if you do hook one, they tend to know how to pop that hook off.

Tarpon Fishing in Islamorada, Florida Keys

Tarpon Fishing in Islamorada, Florida Keys

Fly Fishing and light tackle Everglades

The snook fishing in the Everglades has been awesome these past few weeks. If you can find a bank or shoreline where there is one or two fish, keep poking around, there could be a big school just lurking. I have been putting my guys on big numbers of snook daily on out going tides and were having a ton of fun out there. Baitfish have been working best, however they have been eating darker flies as well. There are a few tarpon to be found out there too if you look for them. Redfish have been cruising the flats eating gulp shrimps, look for muds!

I have AVAILABILITY the first two weeks of july if you want to come down and get tight on snook, tarpon, permit, bonefish, or redfish! lets get your picture up here on the fishing report!

Thanks for reading

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

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The Islamorada Fishing Report

Key Largo and Islamorada Fly and Inshore

Fly fishing in the Florida Keys has its ups and its downs, and weather certainly plays a large part. Though we did have some success early this week, fly fishing for tarpon was made difficult by high winds and waves. There have been some fish on the ocean but with steady wind around 20mph made for tough conditions. We still managed to catch a few nice fish this week though! The permit are hot off their spawning grounds and hungry and if you know where to look you’ll get tight! Finding leeward zones has been the ticket for fly anglers that don’t want to fight the wind. There have been some baby tarpon milling around the mangroves eating good casts and strip sets!

Fly Fishing for Tarpon in the Florida Keys

Fly Fishing for Tarpon in the Florida Keys

Backcountry and Everglades

Fly fishing in the backcountry has been great if you can find clean water. The flats have been producing solid numbers or reds and snooks. Just looks for the muds! Fishing the mangrove banks with bait has been very productive in certain areas. Just be sure to find moving water and if you don’t get a bite in a few casts move on, especially with live bait. This weeks weather looks great, the horse flies will be out in full force without the wind! The sight fishing should be great! Keep and eye out for rolling tarpon.

Fishing for snook in the Everglades has been great the past few weeks!

Fishing for snook in the Everglades has been great the past few weeks!

I still have dates available for the few 2 weeks of july. backcountry fly and spin fishing is great this time of year of year!

Thanks for reading

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

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The Islamorada Fishing Report

Being a fly fishing guide in Islamorada can be amazing, this week was awesome. The tarpon fishing in downtown Islamorada has been great. There have been steady schools of fish for the past few weeks. The permit have come back into town after their Spring spawn and are eating flies and live crabs.

Fly fishing for tarpon has been my main focus for the past few days and I was seeing good numbers of them until they all headed south. The next few days are going to be difficult with yet another front moving in right now and winds in the 20mph range for the next week. After the wind dies down we should start seeing northbound fish on the ocean side.

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Jumping a giant Tarpon on the fly rod!

Everglades and Backcountry

Fly fishing the Everglades and backcountry has been good when the tides have been right. I have been using both fly and live bait and getting great snook when we head to the back. Fishing larger baits has been getting giant snook, however if there are giant snook eating baits there are sharks around. Be careful not to let the sharks get the snook, its a pretty big bummer when you only land a snook head on what could have been a fish of a lifetime. Use heavy line, get em in quick, and open the bail if a shark gets on em.

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June has filled up, I still have some dates available at the end off the month. Tarpon, permit, bonefish, and snook will be fire this summer let me know if you want to fish! I’d love to get your picture up here on the fishing report!

Thanks for reading,

Capt Josh

Islamorada Fishing Report

The Islamorada Fishing Report

Fishing in the Florida Keys this past week was amazing. The wind finally settled down and there was plenty to do. I ran all over and it seemed the fish were everywhere. Downtown Islamorada was hot with tarpon, bonefish, and we even had some shots at permit. Bonefish were up on the flats and hungry during the incoming tide and fished best at the top of the incoming. Permit have been around bridges and their usual summer flats.

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Tarpon are eating flies!

Tarpon have been pretty much everywhere. We have been getting eats on the ocean side, as well as great action in the back country. I have done some live baiting for them under the bridges but mainly fly fishing. Fly fishing for tarpon is the reason I moved here and though this season has been tough with cold weather conditions and wind most days, the season is here and tarpon are rolling!

Speaking of Tarpon, I just finished my article on “Choosing a Saltwater Fly Reel”

Everglades and Backcountry

Fishing in the backcountry has been hot fire. We’ve been seeing great numbers of trout, redfish, and snook. The trout fishing has been spectacular with anglers catching 20-50 fish a day! Snook and redfish we have been working a bit harder for, but when we get on em its been great. The Flamingo side up the East Cape have been producing a lot of fish lately. Hopefully this wind comes down soon so we can get back out!

What to Expect this Week

Weather this week has taken an unfortunate turn for the 30mph worse. Winds picked up yesterday and things are cooling off a bit. The weather looks like its going to be pretty nasty for the next few days until Sunday. Next week looks amazing with low winds and clear skies. Should be dream weather for anglers! So get that honey do list done this weekend so you can get out on the water next week!

Thanks for reading,

Capt. Josh

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