Winds were howling today 15-20mph out of the east, a common occurrence in the spring time but not so much this time of year. Luckily in our more comfortable 20′ seacraft it was not an issue. We went shark fishing in islamorada on the edge of the gulf of mexico. These are known as the ‘spanish mackerel grounds’ and in the winter time the action is hot and heavy. It is also a great place to catch big blacktip a.k.a spinner sharks. These brutes are pound for pound some of the toughest sharks there are to battle, they also jump and spin like a torpedo adding some excitement to the encounter. Blacktip shark fishing is usually best on the falling tide out here, and as today when they are biting it usually doesn’t take very long to hook into one. What we usually do is fish for the spanish macks which are one of the best shark baits there is. We then just cut them in half and put them out on heavy wire with a big hook and heavier spin or conventional tackle. January shark fishing Islamorada is going to be most productive in this area if your looking to go in the backcountry, these sharks also don’t mind the cooler water temps quite as much as the lemons, bulls, and others in the ‘glades. The black tips can get up to 80 or so lbs, and often you must chase them down as they can nearly spool you if your note careful and anchored up! We ended up catching two today, one of 55 lbs and this one which was likely close to 70. We also broke a couple others off and caught two big nurse sharks. Good action for this islamorada shark fishing report.
Capt. Rick Stanczyk
305-747-6903
rick@islamoradasharkfishing.com
