DUCK KEY
Capt. Tom at HAWKS CAY RESORT & MARINA reports the waters are a perfect, 81 degrees, with winds from 5 to 10 mph. one day and 20 to 30 mph., the next. The 2009 World Sailfish Championship, started this week in Key West Florida, and on the very first day of the tournament 225 Sailfish were caught and released. As you may have guessed sailfishing is at it,s peak.

Catches of 15 to 20 Sails a day are not uncommon. Captains from all over the Keys are scoring big catches giving their clients the thrill of a lifetime. The Blackfin Tuna are bending rods on the Marathon hump, taking live (pilchards) to 30 lbs. There are lots of large schools of Dolphin ( mahi mahi ) with fish to 15lbs. But some monster; mahi mahi are being taken by fishing under swimming sea turtles to 40lbs. Capt. Scott Meyer from the TV’s Saltwater Experience crew reported the bone fish hunting is still doing well; there are pods of bones all over the flats. When the wind lay down, there were some excellent days with catches of up to 13 fish a day to 10 lbs. Also on the flats and backcountry schools of 15 to 40 lb. juvenile Tarpon are supplying great action taking shrimp, crabs, and pilchards, but D.O.A C.A.L shad and jerk baits are accounting for most of the damage.

Big Tarpon are hot and hungry taking mullet, Storm wildeye jigs and big shad plugs under the bridges to 150 lbs. Cobia made a decent showing with fish to 50 lbs. The reef is holding its own with good numbers of yellowtail snappers 2 to 4 lbs. mutton snapper to 14lbs. the occasional keeper Grouper. There are plenty of grunts, porgies, lane and mangrove snappers to keep everyone happy. For Florida Keys fishing updates, e-mail Capt. Tom at
hawkscayfishing@aol.com. For charter info, call Hawks Cay Marina at 1 305 743 9000

We look forward to hosting our second annual Hawks Cay Sunrise / Sunset Tarpon Tourny April 24 - 26, 2009. The Tournament is part of the Redbone @ Large Celebrity Tournament Series. Redbone founder Gary Ellis nd his wife, Susan, have supported the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation for two decades, not only because of its innovative and effective research efforts, but also for a very personal reason: their daughter, Nicole, was diagnosed with CF as an infant in the mid-1980s. Nicole is now thriving in the corporate world of international marketing, and she has witnessed - first hand - the advances made in the treatment of the disease. Financial support from the Redbone events has allowed tournaments such as the Hawks Cay Sunrise/Sunset Tarpon Tournament to help CFF make tremendous progress in the field of cystic fibrosis research and care. The
median age of survival for a person with CF has improved from early childhood in the 1950s to 36.8 years today.

I thought I would share Beverly's Fishing Update:

We are approaching some of the most popular fishing options of the year. Tarpon are showing up in the backcountry waters, and Mahi-Mahi will soon be our main offshore catch.

The most likely way for most anglers to catch a Tarpon is on a Live-Bait Tarpon charter, and our most popular time for this charter is late afternoon/early evening. We start booking these charters by the beginning of April. An evening Tarpon charter provides a beautiful sunset- on- the- water experience highlighted by hooking into the Silver King! Tarpon are released in the water alongside the boats to ensure the survival of this popular and important fishery. Tarpon migrating through the Keys in the spring average around 70 pounds, and our guides will release fish that are well over a 100 pounds. Please encourage guests to book their Tarpon trips early! To accommodate flats and backcountry anglers as well as those looking to specialize in Tarpon fishing, we alter the guides schedules in April and May. Mornings are from 7:30-11:30, afternoons are from 12:00-4:00 and most of our evening trips are from 4:30-8:30. Live bait Tarpon Trips cost $50.00 more than flats/backcountry trips because of special baits that are used.

Our offshore boats will begin targeting Mahi-Mahi (or Dolphin as most anglers still refer to this fish-not the dolphin mammal!) in April. These very athletic and delicious fish run farther offshore than our winter species, so you will notice that the Mahi-Mahi rates are a bit higher to account for the added fuel consumption. By May we will encourage full days for Mahi fishing as the fish continue to move farther offshore. Full days in the Spring and Summer also get offshore anglers out to the humps where delicious Blackfin Tuna hang out.

Don't forget to make hook and cook Dinner reservations when you book charters because there’s nothing better than eating the fish you caught yourself!

Contact Beverly:

Beverly Seiling
Marina Reservations Supervisor
61 Hawks Cay Blvd
Duck Key, FL 33050

P: 305.743.9000● F: 305.743.3198
Beverly.Seiling@hawkscay.com
www.hawkscay.com