Capt. Rick Stanczyk's Islamorada Tarpon Fishing

Well we got out today and had a lot of fun.  We had plenty of mullet from the previous day iced down nicely and a load of pilchards.  We had some good snook action in the morning on pilchards.  We then found lots of busting and free jumping tarpon offshore in the east cape sable area.  The end of the falling tide seemed to have them very active.  We set up and shortly after had about 3 fish in the air within an hour.  Unfortunately we did not get the hook set good enough in any of them, though we did land plenty of other fish including sharks, cobia, and grouper.  The fall mullet run is occurring so tarpon fishing can still be good, I am fishing all this week and then going out of town.

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
rick@islamoradatarpon.com

Well we are still in off season mode here so only getting out a handful of times a week.  To top things off the everglades national park is closed as of oct 1. due to the government shutdown.  We have been having to make the best of it fishing the local bays, bridges, and patch reefs.  It didn’t stop us from having a great half day today.  My angler wanted tarpon which is still possible in october.  There are plenty of nice pilchards around for live bait which we caught in the morning.  We fished for smaller stuff for a while then hit the bridges for tarpon.  We hooked one early that broke us off in the bridge down around channel 5.  Tried another spot but no luck, then fished near the bridges by bud n marys.  Caught some big jacks and eventually hooked this nice 45 lb tarpon on light 20 lb spin gear.  What a battle, almost an hour but we got him.  October florida keys fishing can be great, lots of bait around and once the park opens back up it should be game on!

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
305-747-6903
rick@islamoradatarpon.com

october islamorada tarpon

Have not been fishing a whole lot still as it is off season, but got out on a charter today.  Had some hard westerly winds yesterday and it swung around northwest today.  The mullet were everywhere.  This often can push many herds of mullet down the coast our way which we call the fall mullet run.  The first days of hard northerly winds in the fall.  This can go on several times before the water temperature really drops.  Today we had caught plenty of mullet with ease in the morning.  We saw free jumping tarpon off the shoreline of the mainland and set up.  I was fishing with another boat as well.  We jumped a tarpon soon after and caught a blacktip shark.  The other boat caught a tarpon.  We fished for snook, redfish, snappers, and some other stuff the next few hours with some luck.  In the afternoon we set up again for some bigger stuff and right away we hooked a tarpon in one of the channels near flamingo.  Not a big guy but a good 40 lber that gave a nice fight!  The fall mullet run can go off in october and if you are here at the right time, it is a sight to see!

Capt. Rick Stanczyk
305-747-6903
rick@islamoradatarpon.com

flamingo tarpon september