Lets Talk About Hawk Channel

[Echo]

Bob, I was going to bmail, but figured exposing this in a forum might help others.

Downloaded MapSource Map on Laptop and have been studying Hawk Channel. I see it runs from Miami to KW. Looks about 8 miles South of 7 Mile Bridge. Has alot of Protected Areas in it, wondering why.

Also wondering about fishing in and around. Looks like a nice drop off. Any reccomendations ?

[Water_boy]

Echo,
Hawks channel is the channel that runs along the oceanside of the keys, it starts about 1 mile off the beach and ends at the beginning of the outer reef which is about 5 to 7 miles off. The protected areas are the nicer parts of the reef they are trying to protect, and preserve for divers.
There's not much of a dropoff on the edged of Hawks channel, nothing like the dropoff along the outer edge of the main reef. The patch reefs within Hawks channel are good fishing for snapper and grouper, sometimes spanish macs, especially when it's too rough to get out to the main reef and offshore. A good way to scout the area is to troll the same stuff you'd troll for stripers, manns stretch, weighted mojo's, etc, might get a grouper, if so mark the spot to explore further.

[Echo]

Water Boy thanks. I need a definition of Patch Reef, please

[Capt Bob]

a patch reef is a clump or bump of corral, rock etc surrounded by cleaner bottom...lots of fish gather on these depending on size and bait availability in the area...one can be empty of fish and another 50 ft away could be loaded up...but thats fishing...there are also plenty of cuts etc. that run off the channel that hold Tarpon and Snook and other species

just watch your bottom machine...I've watched people run past thousands of fish to get to a place someone "told" them they should fish

[Echo]

Bob that makes sense, just wanted to be sure. I think I'm good to go if I can only get my hand held ready. Sooo technical.. Have map on Laptop can't get over to hand held. Sooo frustrating.

Any word on Yellow tail bite ?

[less stress]

we are inmarathon and have caught some yellowtail just south of 48 about 2 miles in 35 ft of water--limits of small 13-14in fish and a lot of throwbacks--larger come later and behind the smaller. one day we caught some amberjack--have seen nurse sharks on live bait,what i think was a bonnethead shark, barracudas, cero mackeral and other different reef fish. You never know what you will see--maybe some new pointers would be nice on how to catch different species tks capt glenn Less Stress charters ches bay

[Capt Bob]

Where are you in MArathon ??

Go see Dave Navarro at The World Class Angler...he has Seminars every Thurs Eve and charters he will help a lot with the info...

If you are on a canal, you should be able to get Tarpon and good size Mangrove (grey) Snapper just before sunset...Time out....Pet Clark's on PBS... ...OK I'm back, darn she's still good lookin'

try around the pilings of the 7 mile bridge near the channel, big ...there are big ... make that BIG sharks and possible Goliath Grouper...live line some pinfish under a float and on the bottom for Tarpon as well, check out this site as well for some info www.boatlessfisherman.com find the Monroe county forum, the two bridges they fish most often are just up the road

Dave will tell you if you are ina school of small Yellowtail...try another spot closeby, there are bigger fish around, what are you chumming with??

also use a bigger piece of bait to discourage the smaller ones, a good size Yellowtail has no problem with a good size bait

[Capt Bob]

looking for another report

[Echo]

Bob whats your deifinition of a " Good size Yellowtail "? I have number two hooks I plain on flatlining back 20 feet, witha piece of cut Hoo, and a chum slick. I also bought 40lbs of rice, ( didn't think I'd ever in my life buy 40lbs of rice) and two gallons of mendhadden oil. I'll make a special batchof Blakesdad rice and oil.. You still throwing balls of wet sand in the water ?

[Echo]

Also whats that pesky fish that swims with YT and bites your line off ?