The fishing is the gulf has been red hot over the last few weeks, & anytime the wind is not blowing thats the direction I headed. We have had a great bite of Spanish Mackerel along with a few Kingfish, if your interested in getting in on this action get down the the local bait shop and but 10dozen live shrimp, a few boxes of chum, some light leader wire & I like a 2-3size circle hook. If you run out to the gulf about 5miles past springer bank you will stumble upon other boats doing the same so fish in that area, but please remember not to set your anchor down current in another boats chum slick! When I get to the area I want to fish i drag the chum bag for a few minutes to get the sent out then anchor up and add a second box of chum to keep it fresh, before long you should have bent rods and smiling faces if not you better move. While fishing for the Macks there are plenty of other species to keep the action going, we always catch our fair share of keeper mangrove snapper, plenty of jacks and blue runners along with bluefish and sharks. We have been having great luck with Cobia swimming up into our chum slick the last few trips so I always keep a medium size rod rigged with a circle hook and 50lb fluorocarbon ready with a pinfish, if you have a rod ready you can change over before that cobia swims off. Below are a few photos taken over the last few weeks, if you are looking to get on the water give me a call at 305-393-3327 or email me at gregpoland@icloud.com and lets go catch a few wish together. I leave out of the Lorelei in downtown Islamorada and fish out of a new 25 Contender bay boat with all the options. www.gregpoland.com will take you to my website. Tight Lines Capt Greg
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The winter season is upon us here in the keys & I try to send a text to some of my good friends who are shoveling show and remind them what winter looks like & how great the fishing is here in Islamorada this time of year. In the backcountry we have been finding a steady bite of Snook and Redfish over in the Flamingo. Heading out to the western side of the park there are plenty of Sea Trout and some nice sized Mangrove Snapper along with Triple Tail floating on the surface. The Gulf of Mexico is where I will be spending a lot of my time this winter, I love it out there and there are so many opportunities from the wrecks to the mackerel fleet. So far the Spanish Mackerel bite has been fantastic and they are a bit larger then last season, honestly this is a great time to be out on the water if you want to bend a rod. When I head out to fish the Macks I take 2 boxes of frozen chum and a well full of live bait, if you can find the pilchards load the well but if you don’t like to throw the net buy as many live shrimp as you can afford & let the games begin. I like to go a bit further then most guys and my 25Ft Contender will allow me to make the run out past most of the guys in the flats skiffs, from Islamorada take a path out past Sprigger Bank then keep running till you see a group of boats. When you see the fleet its best to go to the end of the line (nobody likes it when you anchor down current of their chum slick) set your anchor to be in the general group and start heavy chumming, I like to put a bag on both sides of the boat and start throwing pilchards or live shrimp. If you do this it will not take long for the fish to find you and if using a light spinning rod with a trace of wire and a jighead or circle hook you will have bent rods and smiling faces in no time. After you have caught a few try throwing a Hogy soft bait back through the chum line you will find the larger bait will get strikes from larger fish, we regularly catch Cobia to Kingfish on this rig so I always have one rigged in the rod holder ready to cast. I just got a new Contender 25 bay boat with all the options so if you are looking to get out on the water lets go catch a fish together. Capt. Greg
Things are cooling off and its a great time to start fishing the gulf side of the keys, if you have some secret numbers to spots in the gulf you always wanted to investigate this is the time to do it. If you don’t have a list of secret spots take a look at www.myfwc.com and you just might find a few, or talk to the guys at your local bait shop. I like to load the boat with lots of live baits and a few boxes of frozen chum for gulf trips, head out to your GPS coordinates and remember to approach the spot slowly incase anything is swimming on the surface. Lots of times there will be a cobra or a permit on the surface and its always fun to sight cast at them. I always pick my weather days because its usually a long run and if the weather is not cooperating then my backup plan is to change gears and fish for spanish mackerel. Not to take anything away from the Macks, they are absolutely one of my favorite fish and I wait all summer long for them to come back to the area. If you want action the Spanish Mackerel will give it to you weather fishing a light spinning outfit or a popper on a flyrod they are sure to bring a smile to your face. On my Contender bay boat I had the guys install a electric plug for kite fishing and when the mackerel bite is on and there is enough wind for the kite to go up I always put a blue runner back in the chum slick and have come up with some great catches over the years. Hope to see you out there and if you want to book a trip with me contact me at gregpoland@icloud.com www.gregpoland.com I would love to get you out on the water. Greg Its Lobster season so if you want to catch a fish in the morning and lobster in the afternoon we can get you out on the water to have a great time. Here are a few photos from Mini Season... Give me a call and lets book a trip, everything from family fun at the sandbar to fishing!
Its summertime in the Florida Keys so get out on the water early before it heats up or the afternoon thunderstorms chase you off the water. I have been leaving the dock just after 6am so we can get on that early bight out in the backcountry and its been worth getting up for. This time of year there are plenty of juvenile tarpon in the Everglades National Park try fishing on the shorelines, at the mouth of the creeks, or around the islands. If you cast a hogy worm or a live pilchard (if you can find them) you are sure to get a bite, I like a medium action rod with beaded line and a fluorocarbon leader. I always have two rods rigged and have my clients fishing both near the bottom with a jig head and just under the surface with the worm to find out where the fish are hiding out, then I re rig all rods to match after getting a feel for the spot. Below is a photo of what I have been using in the backcountry and will be for the rest of the summer, its easy and you don’t have to take the time looking for live bait in the morning. These same lures and worms will work well on trout, and the big schools of jack vravelles you will find while traveling in the backcountry. Here in the islamorada area I am still finding some smaller tarpon like the one these triplets caught (with a little help from their dad) but it seems like the big ones have left town till next year. I am sure the guys who fish the night shift are still catching a few around the bridges & if you put your time in you could come up with a few bites, but I rarely fish at night. It was a great tarpon season and I can’t wait for it to start up again. If you are in town with your family and want to get out for some fun fishing give me a call, its a great time of year to get out for a 1/2 day and bend the rod. Summertime in the Florida Keys, the weather is nice and the waves are calm enough to go anyplace from the backcountry to the ocean so the opportunities are endless, and there is plenty of action to keep the kids on fish. We can even stop for a swim to cool off at the sandbar so remember to pack your pink flamingo and lets get out on the water!. Go right to the tackle shot and buy a few Hogy Lures, I have been using them with great success & in some conditions they work better then live bait! I know thats hard to believe, but come out fishing with me & ill show you!
Tracy & Lisa had a great day on the water catching a few fish and shooting some photos for MoJo Clothing Co.
The Silver Kings are stacked up under the Islamorada Bridges and throughout the Florida Keys, if your traveling to the keys & have the Kids out of school on summer break give me a call and lets get them out for a fun day or 1/2 day on the water. Here is a shot of the long Key Bridge, & what is swimming around it. www.gregpoland.com Lets get you out on the water!!!
Snook Fishing is getting good in the backcountry. The water is calm and the kids are out of school, lets get you and the family out on the water!
It was a great Fathers Day for my clients, I had 3 generations on board and 2 out of the 3 caught & released a Tarpon. We had a few more jumping around and lots of laughs. If you would like to get out for some tarpon action contact me at gregpoland@icloud.com and we will set something up.
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CAPT GREG
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March 2023
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