June 24th, 2010

Little has changed since my last report.  The yellowtail fishing has been the highlight of the last few weeks.  I got the pleasure of fishing with some great customers.  I've posted some pictures of some great catches.  Mark and Pat from Fort Wayne, Indiana blistered the big yellowtails!  Two terrific families from Tampa had a great day of yellowtail fishing and some fun light tackle action with some bonita and ceros.  I LOVE IT!  Its just as fun for me to watch a successful trip as it is to catch a few myself!  Check out all these great pictures in the photo gallery.

The dolphin fishing is still pretty slow, but the mang bite has begun strong and will get better everyday.

Let me know if you'd like to book a guided trip on your boat, or a full charter.  See you at JIGS

Captain James

June 10th, 2010

Hello all and welcome to summer!  We went from winter to summer in one week this year and I think the fish are as confused as we are. The weather is stabilizing but its already hot.

The best bite is yellowtail on the edge of the reef and has been since my last report.  If you hit the right spot you can limit quickly, but you may want to save a spot or two for a nice mutton as that is getting better every day up this way.  The muttons are out deeper in 120 and beyond.  The mangroves appear to be on top of the reef getting ready for the spawn but oddly, the night bite is by all reports not really started yet.  There are BIG sharks and a few mackerel too.

The offshore report is pretty lame.  Lots of very small dolphin.  I've seen a lot of sailfish but haven't heard of anyone doing particularly well with them.  There are a few wahoo and tuna but the heat seems to have really slowed the bite-hopefully short term.

The tarpon bite is still good at all the usual spots.  Come by the store and I can give you the nightly hot spots.  Flats fishing is spotty but there are a few bonefish and permit.

Check out the news section to see our new t shirts!

Captain James Millsaps

May 27th, 2010

NO OIL!  Despite the rumors and some fame seekers who reported tarballs in Key West,  our waters are as clear and beautiful as always and full of fish!

The tarpon bite is solid with both good numbers and large fish being caught and released all through the backcountry and around the bridges and as usual -Bahia Honda bridge.

The dolphin bite has been improving but is still pretty sporadic from day to day.  There have been some BIG fish-up to 60 pounds already coming in out in the deep blue but the decent size school fish have been harder to find.  There are a few Wahoo, Tuna, and Billfish mixed in.

The yellowtail bite has been good.  There are nice fish (12-18 inches) from Big Pine shoal to the west and some big (up to 23 inch) but fewer fish being reported in Hawk Channel.  Be prepared to move when the marauders come in to dine on your hooked fish.  This year there have been Bull sharks, Barracuda, and even Dolphin (the mammal) ready to devour every nice fish you hook!

Backwaters seemed to have improved over the last couple of weeks.  It was pretty slow back there for a little while but yesterday a customer and I managed to put together a pretty nice catch of Mangroves and Bar Jacks for dinner and released a few undersize Grouper including a just short Gag.  Lots of fun on light tackle!

We hope to see you at Jigs this summer.  Don't forget that we offer guided trips on your boat for "fishing the keys 101".  We want to make your Keys fishing dreams come true.

Also, check out our new exclusive Jigs Bait & Tackle/Guns & Ammo Big pine babe t shirts under the "News" portion of our website.  We can ship anywhere!

Captain James

April 29th, 2010

The warmer temps are finally starting to have an impact.  We have seen lots of tarpon in the channels and around the bridges.  Strangely, bahia honda bridge is still slow.  Spanish Harbor has produced lots of fish especially after dark.  Sam Malicote of Somerville, Ohio Leadered 7 fish up to 100 pounds in 70 minutes from his Kayak last night on hard baits.  New to Tarpon fishing, he said it was an incredible experience even compared to his hunting trips throughout Canada and Alaska.  The first fish left him soaked after hitting the Bomber bait right next to his Kayak.  Of course, we take all the credit after selling him the tackle..ha

The offshore fishing has been a bit hit and miss.  A few dolphin, more blackfin.  Weedlines are there but the fish are scattered. 

The reef and patch reef fishing has been fair with Mangroves, yellowtail, some Cobia, and mackerel.  The best yellowtail fishing has been further to the west of Looe Key.

There are LOTS of grouper and May should be stellar when the season reopens.  I think i've caught more keepers than ever before this year while the season was closed and been careful to mark my spots for Saturday for a grouper dinner.

backcountry has also finally improved with good bonefishing and permit on the flats and huge ceros gulfside.

Come on down and go fishing.

Captain James Millsaps
Jigs Bait and Tackle
Guns & Ammo

February 3rd, 2010

By now, everyone has heard about the record cold water temps from the previous weeks.  Yes, we did have a pretty bad fish kill but it didn't end the fishery in the Florida Keys.  During the last week as the water has heated up so has the bite.

The reef has been producing nice yellowtails for dinner.  Grouper have also been plentiful but you can't keep them.  There are LOTS of Kings on the drop and beyond. 

Deep dropping has been reported as excellent with snowys, tiles, silks,etc

The flats sadly took a real beating and haven't resumed action just yet. 

The Gulf bite has really gotten good though with BIG Mangroves and lots of mackerel.

Come see us soon!

James

November 18, 2009

Finally some good weather!  After two weeks of wind, the weather has settled down.  During all the wind, reports were scarce, but those who ventured out beyond the reef reported some Wahoo and Dolphin.  The backcountry was basically too windy to fish the flats, but the deeper fishable water held some nice mangroves.

As I mentioned in my last report, each cold front enhances the patch reef (inshore oceanside) fishing.  As the wind began to settle from the last front, the patch reefs became more active.  There is a mix of all kinds of nice fish along all the patch reefs from Sugarloaf to Marathon.  You can basically count on lots of nice Cero Mackerel right now, as well as plenty of nice size Grunts, lane snappers, and Porgys, with the occasional keeper Grouper ( I got a 26 incher on Sunday in 16 feet of water), Mutton snapper, and some decent yellowtail. 

Out on the reef, reports starting coming in this past weekend of a few Grouper, nice mangroves and keeper yellowtail, as well as some hogfish (mostly speared).  All in all, the bite was not red-hot but is improving after the wind.

The bridges are producing mangroves and plenty of grunts and there are still plenty of small to mid sized Tarpon around.

This weekend looks like it might be pretty nice so I should be able to report more next week.

Good Fishing to you all!
James


October 21, 2009

We just had our first cold front of the fall after record high temps.  Even with the hot weather the fishing was darn good--and it will only get better with the cooling water temps.

During the last few weeks the offshore bite consisted of pretty good tuna fishing, as well as some wahoo and dolphin.  At times the fish were pretty close in around 250 feet of water; however, it was somewhat inconsistent, and you guessed it--not many people were trying.

The reef was inundated with ceros.  Most were small but a lot of fun.  It was a blast trying everything in the tackle box, including topwater baits. Some people reported yellowtails, but once again, it was a matter of being in the right place at the right time.  These fish have finally begun to come back to the patch reefs in the last few days with the cooler temps.  I have reports of limits of yellowtail now in the shallower water in the last couple of days, as well as some keeper muttons.  This shows the transition of seasons soon to come.

Backcountry has been great! Flats have produced lots of bonefish, big permit, and some tarpon.  The cuts have been loaded with mangroves.  There have been reports of trout as well.  Jigs and artificials have been a fun alternative to live bait and highly productive as well in the deeper water.  My son and I had an awesome day drifting and jigging last week, catching mangroves up to 2 pounds, some really nice lane snappers, and a mix of other hard pulling creatures on light tackle. 

I also started getting some good reports from the bridges during the cold front with some nice snappers of all kinds.

Looking forward to seeing you here at Jigs!

James







September 23, 2008

Our quiet season is here but the fishing is still very good.  This is the time of year where I try to fish as much as possible.  I can personally report good tuna fishing in the last two weeks with some nice blackfins and skipjacks, as well as school dolphin on many days.  The fish have been up and down the Keys in as little as 300 feet to around 650 and beyond.

Also, the mangroves have moved back into the backcountry.  This action has been consistently good with some very nice 20 plus inch fish as part of a healthy limit. There are also some mixed catches reported of keeper red grouper and some muttons.

The bridges are producing some nice mangs...and some other nice bottomfish as well as a tarpon or two.  The bridges are super quiet--what a peaceful time to hang out and catch dinner.

Flats have been active with bonefish, some permit, and tarpon.  The tides have been pretty high, though, adding some challenge.

Reef action has been mixed. A few anglers have reported some nice yellowtails but many others have been frustrated; however, some nice Ceros and plenty of small Kingfish are already out there to keep you busy.  Several customers also reported keeper black grouper as well as some gags (one of which an angler estimated at over 60 pounds but lost at the boat when his leader was severed on a gill plate).  True story?  Guess we'll never know.

We look forward to seeing everyone back and fishing this year (and next) with more reports and stories! 

Come and see us and share your fish stories.  HAVE FUN!  GO FISHING IN THE FLORIDA KEYS!

James






August 1, 2009

Mini-lobster season has just ended.  Reports were pretty good, with lots of limits and some pretty nice crawfish to boot.  I think everybody has high hopes for a good regular season opening August 6th.  We have all the gear here at Jig's for lobstering.

Fishing for mangroves has remained consistently good since my last report.  The reef is loaded and the inshore bridges are still producing some nice fish around dark. 

The flats have plenty of bonefish and a good deal of permit. 

The gulf has been slow by most reports.

The offshore report is a few dolphin and billfish.

I have also received reports of nice hogfish and groupe--both out front and in back. LOTS OF SHARKS!

Tight lines,

James

*****************************************************************

July 9 2009

Greetings, anglers!  Here is the rundown for the last couple of weeks....

The water temps are starting to rise into the low 90's.  This has slowed the dolphin activity considerably...and this just in: I got a call from the store while typing this report. A customer reported a very good dolphin bite yesterday (July 8) in around 500 feet with fish between 15 pounds and an alleged 40 pounder...

While people are still trying and getting an occasional peanut or decent dolphin they are going back to the old faithful standby of night fishing for mangroves.  That action has picked up considerably with nice limits being caught routinely after dark.  During the day there are some decent yellowtail at around 90 feet with the best catches being reported considerably west of Big Pine.  There are also some very nice muttons in 90 -120 feet all along the reef.

By the way, if the action is slow, with these nice sea conditions, don't forget to bring your floating targets and do a little target practice.  Remember, however, never to shoot until reaching federal waters and preferably being well offshore.  Bullets can skip considerable distances so make sure no other vessels are in sight.  While the selection has thinned I am still stocked with ammunition and some very nice hard to find firearms!

Inshore I can report personally getting a nice limit of snappers last night quickly with two fish over 3 pounds, so there are still some nice grovers near the bridges too.

Lenny Moffo and Jeff Belsik, two of our best flats guides report plenty of bonefish on the flats.  Jeff has gotten creative with his baits due to summer shrimps being here and practically invisible to the fish.  He is using a unique combination of artificials and it sounds like a blast.  He still has some trips open if anyone is interested so call the store if you'd like to book a great flats trip.

The deep gulf structure sounds pretty good too with big sharks, goliaths, permit, and a few cobia.

Don't worry about the heat.  Fishing is still great in the summer in the lower keys! Also--cold beer tastes even better with grilled fresh fish...

James Millsaps
Owner
Jigs Bait and Tackle/Guns and Ammo -- 305-872-1040



Tuesday, June 2

Lots of Dolphin in the last few days.  Some big fish up to 40 pounds and plenty of bailers.  Most reports have been in the 600 to 800 foot range although i've heard reports of some shallower bites. 

Flats bonefishing has been great for some.  Captain Jeff Belsik reported over 30 bonefish caught over a few days of fishing.  There are also some tarpon on fly.

The channel tarpon bite has remained strong for the last week with plenty of big fish caught.

The reef and deep drop reports have been scarce but a few mutton reports have indicated it might be good--if you can resist dolphin fishing when it is this good.

Summer's great in the lower keys! 

James





Tuesday, May 5 2009

A lot has changed since our last fishing report. The winds have begun to subside, and we are getting excellent reports of dolphin in the 300-600+ water depths.

One group reported several dolphin around 20 lbs. after only an hour of fishing!

The tarpon bite is in full swing at Bahia Honda Bridge, with plenty of hookups in the 100+ lb. category. Recently, the main bait has been live crabs, but shortages have caused anglers to try different methods--including pinfish, live mullet, and artificial baits (mainly in black)--with good success.

The yellowtail bite is still good, with fish in the two-pound category not being uncommon. Also, some nice mangrove snapper have been reported--up to five pounds--in nearshore holes and at the bridges in the evening and at night.

Come see us--the fishing is GOOD.

James

 

 

Saturday, April 25

Currently, it is very windy here in the Keys; HOWEVER, the big tarpon are here on the flats, in the channels, and near the bridges. Lots of sharks reported...make sure you bring your breakaway anchor!

Come on in and see us at Jig's.






Monday, April 13

The offshore report includes lots of sailfish from east of Looe Key to south of American Shoal, and some dolphin and wahoo.

For the inshore report, Captain Billy Rabito reported lots of cobia over the weekend. Captain Lenny Moffo reported a good tarpon bite, with his customers having a great time catching big fish on topwater mirrolures.

There are lots of trout, ladyfish, and some nice snappers in the grasses.

Overall the week of April 6-13 has been really good.

Hope to see you at Jig's soon! Come on in for the full scoop.




Tuesday, March 31 2009

There were reports of decent yellowtail yesterday (Monday) on the reef, but most keepers were around 14 inches.

There were scattered dolphin in the color change of 500 feet.

Captain Lenny Moffo reported good permit fishing in the backcountry; however, tarpon fishing is still slow.


Friday, March 27 2009


There is not much to report over the past few days due to windy conditions.

Today's report consists of several catches of nice yellowtails, one eleven pound mutton snapper near American Shoal, and some limits of mangrove snappers in the backcountry. Winds have kept most anglers at the dock.