Types of fish that may be caught in the Key West Florida area.

Types of Fish that may be caught off Key West

Key West has a large variety of fish & fishing areas. Some type of fish are always biting! Generally there is somewhere to fish in most any weather. Because of the geography, Key West has almost weatherproof fishing.
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OFFSHORE AND IN THE GULF STREAM
(Good All Year )

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL 7' Susie Hassinger & Steve Coons--released 3 sailfish and caught a 30 lb. wahoo

SAILFISH
Caught all year, best months are late October, November, & early December, late April & May. Summer Sailfish are found scattered all over the blue water from 100' out to 2,000'+ depending on availability of bait fish to forage on. Average length 6 to 7 ft.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL 7' Sailfish release, David Jenkins, Paulie Jenkins, Donnie McEnery

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL 25lb Blackfin Tuna, Dean & Richard Beeson

BLACKFIN TUNA
Best in the fall, winter, & early spring. Average weight 16 - 25 lbs. Largest up to 42 lbs.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL 24.5 lb. & 22.5 lb. Blackfin Tunas, 14 lb. Cobia, released 12 Little Tunnys and 3 Sharks, Kathy and Danny Lewis

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Capt. Dave Lewis hefts a 35 lb. Dolphin or Mahi-Mahi

DOLPHIN (the fish, not the mammal, also called MAHI MAHI or DORADO)
Average 5-15 lbs. 20+lbs. large. Largest up to 87 lbs. Best in spring & summer but caught all year.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL 54 lb.Dolphin or Mahi-Mahi

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL 30 lb Wahoo, Susie Hassinger & Steve Coons--also released 3 sailfish that day.

WAHOO
Best fall, winter & spring but caught all year. Average 15-35 lbs. 45+ lbs. Large, Largest up to 155+ lbs..

Louise Rozario with large Wahoo, one of four caught that day.

BLUE MARLIN
Common at 200 lbs. Largest 5-600+ lbs. Best months are October & November and again in May & June, but caught all year.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Estimated 300 lb. Blue Marlin makes one of many jumps and breaks the leader. Chip Faust of Baton Rouge fought the marlin for about 20 minutes in about 2000 ft. of water out past the continental shelf drop off.

Nice Yellowfin Tuna caught by Capt. Dave Lewis

YELLOWFIN TUNA
Largest up to 388+ lbs. Best months are September, October, November, December, and again in February and March.

CORAL REEFS &WRECK FISHING
(Good All Year)

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL 2 each 12 lb Mutton Snapper, 25 lb Blackfin Tuna, small Kingfish, Tom & Evelyn Bolan

MUTTON SNAPPER
Average 5-15 lbs. Largest 28+ lbs. Best in winter & spring.

MANGROVE OR GRAY SNAPPER
Average 1-3 lbs. Large 8+ lbs. Largest up to 17 lbs. Caught all year.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL, 6 lb Mangrove or Gray Snapper

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Capt. Dave Lewis with a couple of nice Yellowtail Snapper

YELLOWTAIL SNAPPER
Average 1-2 lbs. Largest 8+ lbs. Best in winter & spring.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL, Capt. Dave Lewis with a nice Snowy Grouper

SNOWY GROUPER
Average 5-10 lbs. Large 30+ lbs. Largest 50+ lbs. Caught all year.

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Coral Reefer - Key West, FL, Snowy Grouper caught in 210' of water, Gertie and Tom Eriksson

Key West, FL Vaughan Spencer with Snowy grouper of 30 lbs and 16 lbs, plus tile fish and rose fish

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL 24 lb African Pompano, Tom Archer, Jacqueline Archer, David Jenkins

AFRICAN POMPANO
Average 15-20 lbs. Largest 50+ lbs. Catch a few all year.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Barracuda release

BARRACUDA
Caught all year, Barracuda Average 5-15 lbs. Largest up to 85 lbs. They make a great mount for the wall.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Sometimes the predator becomes the prey. A large shark cut this barracuda off behind the head. Just the head weighed about 15 lbs.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Donnie McEnery & Nathan Osborne with a 20 lb. cobia

COBIA
Cobia Average 10-30 lbs. Large 50-60 lbs. Largest up to 135 lbs. Best in winter, but caught most of the year.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL A nice cobia for this group of guys

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Jeff Juden and Elaine Burns with a catch of Amberjack, Blackfin Tuna, & Little Tunny

AMBERJACK
Amberjack Common at 20-30 lbs. Largest 155+ lbs. Best in spring but caught all year.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Silas, Joe, Nathan, and Lisa DeRoma with 14 lb. Kingfish

KING MACKEREL OR KINGFISH
King Mackerel Common10-20 lbs. Largest up to 90 lbs. Best in fall, winter & early spring.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Edwardo Gongora, Josefina Reif, & Fred Freese with a 30 lb. Kingfish

CERO MACKEREL
Cero Mackerel Average 2-5 lbs. Largest 17+ lbs. Best in fall & winter.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Capt. Dave Lewis and Ed Mensh with a pair of Cero Mackerels. Photo by Admiral Busby.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Rene Cruz with a Red Grouper and a Hogfish

RED GROUPER
Red Grouper Average 3-5 lbs. Largest 35+ lbs. Best in winter & spring.

BLACK GROUPER
Black Grouper Average 5-20 lbs. Largest 110+ lbs. Best in winter & spring.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Capt. Dave Lewis holds a 25 lb. Black Grouper that bit a live ballyhoo on a gulf shipwreck. Photo by Admiral Busby.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL 14 lb. Gag Grouper, Joe Dubisky

GAG GROUPER
Gag Grouper Average 5-20 lbs. Largest 80+ lbs. Best in winter & spring

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Red Grouper and Gag Grouper

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Robert Reinert of Bethesda, MD released this estimated 100 lb. Goliath Grouper in Key West Harbor

GOLIATH GROUPER, FORMERLY JEWFISH
Goliath Grouper Average 75-150 lbs. Largest 680+ lbs. Caught all year, mostly on wrecks. Protected species, must be released.

SPECIALTY FISHING IN PROTECTED AREAS
(Good All Year)

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Capt. Dave Lewis releases a 100+ lb. Tarpon, photo by Bart Arntz

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Capt. Dave Lewis holds Rich Newman's approx.50 lb.Tarpon before release. Photo by George Pfeifer

TARPON
Average 20-75 lbs. Large 100-150 lbs. Largest 283+ lbs. Best from Late February to September but can be caught all year.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Capt. Dave Lewis releases a 100+ lb. Tarpon for 16 year old Colin Walker. Photo by Colin's dad, Eben T. Walker

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Walter Duke approx. 50 lb. Tarpon Release. Photo by Capt. Dave Lewis

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL, Bonnethead Shark ready for release by Terry

SHARK, many different kinds
Small ones 5-10 lbs. Common up to 100-200+ lbs. Large up to 500+ lbs. Best in winter & Spring. Good all year.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL, Blacktip Shark 100+ lbs. ready for release for Greg Brackenridge from Zimbabwe, Africa

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL Release of a 35 lb. Permit

PERMIT
Permit Average 10-30 lbs. Large 40 lbs. Largest 53+ lbs. Best spring & summer, but can be caught all year.

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL, Louise Rozario with an 8 lb. Hogfish or Hog Snapper, although it is not really in the true snapper family but in the wrasse family. The other one is a 2 lb. Schoolmaster Snapper.

HOGFISH and LOBSTER
Spearfishing for Hogfish and catching Lobsters with a net and tickle stick from August 6 thru March 31

Coral Reefer - Key West, FL, Capt. Dave Lewis with a 12 lb. Hogfish and a 12 lb. Spiny Lobster

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