I fished a half day afternoon trip today out of the Ocean Reef Club. I had the pleasure of fishing with two first time lady anglers Judy and Kathy. We hooked and fought five bonefish and lost five bonefish.  This happens from time to time and the bonefish got the upper hand this time around. The good news is that the bonefish are actively feeding and doing fine.

I’ll be back out in Biscayne Bay tomorrow looking for the almighty bonefish once again.

Capt. Raul Montoro

www.biscaynebayfishing.com

January 2010 has been a hard month too fish. We had blistering cold temperatures for the first two weeks and as many of you may have heard there were plenty of fish that didn’t make it. There has also been plenty of talk about fish closures around the whole state of Florida. The main species are Snook, Tarpon, and Bonefish.

 There was an article in the Miami Herald on January 16, 2010 talking about the Fish closures and that catch and release was prohibited. When I read this I couldn’t believe what I was reading. They were talking about closing tarpon and bonefish until after April and Snook through September. If this was the case I should just sell my skiff and find a new profession. Bonefishing and tarpon fishing is how I make a living, and if they would close this fishery I would be in big trouble as well as most of the guides in South Florida.  I have also had several customers email and call me asking of this was true, and if this was the case that they were considering canceling their trips in the spring.

 I’m here to say this is not true. According to FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission) the fishery is still open to catch and release. This means that we can still go out and target bonefish, tarpon, and snook. The only thing you can’t do is harvest them.

I wanted to let everyone know what was going on with the fishery, and if you were hesitant to come down and book a trip, you have nothing to worry about.

 The weather has finally warmed up and the bonefishing in Biscayne Bay is getting back to normal. I will be out this afternoon on a half day trip targeting bonefish, and I’m excited to see that fisherman are still wanting to come down and fish the beautiful waters that Biscayne Bay has too offer.

 The weather is great and now is a great time to come out and fish. Give me a call and chase down some giant Biscayne Bay Bonefish.

 -Capt. Raul Montoro

786-390-9069

What can I say 2009 treated us with plenty of bonefish and permit from my home waters in Biscayne Bay through the upper keys. Tarpon season was one of the best I have seen in a couple of years and the snook and redfishing was epic all summer long in Flamingo (Everglades National Park). I’m expecting an even better year now for 2010 and I hope the fish gods treat us with plenty of rod bending action all season long.

The past several weeks I’ve been mainly fishing in flamingo and the winter time patterns are in full swing. There have been plenty of redfish, black drum, and sheep head in the deeper channels and creeks in Florida Bay, and it is not uncommon to catch forty to fifty fish in a day. There have been day’s where it’s been red hot and other not so good, but for the most part it’s been pretty consistent. 

The cold fronts started to move through already, but the days before and after the fronts the fishing has been phenomenal.

I haven’t been bonefishing as much as I like to doe to the dramatic change in water temperature, but I do have a couple of trips this week and I’m expecting a really good bonefish bite on the ocean side flats in deeper water. I will keep you guys posted.

If you are thinking of booking a trip now is a great time to come down and get a couple of days in. Things are starting to pick up and it’s a good rule of thumb to call ahead of time to book your days.

Capt. Raul Montoro

www.biscaynebayfishing.com