June Fishing Report For Marathon

Fishing in Marathon and pretty much anywhere in South Florida during the month of June is all about Tarpon.  Whether it’s on fly or on light tackle spin Tarpon is where it’s at.  This month I spent fly fishing for them in the middle Florida Keys islands of Marathon with a few days mixed in of Islamorada and Big Pine.  All of my guys and gals I fished with were regular clients from previous years.  This is the month that I really enjoy catching up with them.  Our days pretty much all start out the same with late morning starts which allows the sun to get higher which in turn makes our efforts sight fishing on the ocean side flats more productive.  This is because the fish are traveling up and down the same exact “highways” and I try to position the boat over certain sand colored bottoms which really make the Tarpon stick out from a long ways away.

I can’t write this report without mentioning one of my regular guys from Utah Travis P.  He’s been fishing with me for a few years now and literally dreams of Tarpon fishing in the Florida Keys all year long.  This year we started based our efforts out of Marathon and had some great luck getting fish to follow and bite.  I’d say we doubled our bites from last year which was great.  A lot of this has to do with him becoming more comfortable with his casting and also knowing what to do and when to do it.  When it comes to Tarpon fishing just like anything else the more you practice the better you get.

Next up was my buddies from Louisianna which is still a blur to me even as I write this months later.  These guys are some hard core guys that are just absolutely Tarpon crazy during the day and great food, drinks, and company in the evenings.  Thank God for late morning starts with these guys.  We also fished out of Marathon and had some schooling to do the first day breaking old habits from being trout guides out west and even redfisherman from the Bayou.  After a few missed fish we managed to hoot and hollar more than a few times with fish in the air and just pure excitement to see schools of 30+ coming right towards the boat in daisy chains.

Well to sum the months fishing up for June I can say it’s always going to be about Tarpon.  Yes, we can always do Snook, Redfish, Bonefish, and Permit during June if you really want to but because it’s the last month of the Tarpon migration for the keys most of us choose to get it while its good.  The last thing I want to mention is don’t be afraid to try it.  A lot of guys are intimidated because they heard how hard the fishing can be on fly down here.  Yes, it’s hard but with a good guide any and I mean ANY of you guys can do it.  Most of my regular customers that I fish with every year all started out with me as rookies.  We have all made mistakes. Guides included but thats how we get better and become seasoned veterans.  So if you want to give it a try give me a call and I’ll get you out on the water either with me if I have time or with another reputable guide that has patience with beginners.