Contributing Writer
Capt. Mike Bartlett
Key West Fishing Charters
Autumn in the Florida Keys has arrived but it sure doesn’t feel like it!! As of this writing it’s still blazing hot and humid and my heat tolerance was reached several weeks ago. By this time of the year I’m so ready for some chilly weather but only for a few days. I just want to step outside and not instantly be wet.
Have I mentioned the Key West cold shower? This is the phenomenon of having only the cold water on and the water coming out of the shower head is like 85 degrees. Offers hardly any relief whatsoever and my bathroom still feels like a sauna when I’m done. To say I’m over the heat is an understatement!!!
I do have some exciting news, Colton Fly has come out with a new line of fly rods, Rapture series. The Rapture series is currently available in 8, 9, 10 and 11 weight rods designed for the demanding saltwater species we love to chase like tarpon, bonefish, permit, redfish, snook, etc. These rods are feather light, powerful and come with a limited lifetime warranty to the original owner against manufacturing defects.
I have the 9 and 10 weight rods as I use those the most for my charters and will get the 8 and 11 weight rods soon to have the full line up. I will write a review in my November article after I’ve had a chance to use the rods for a bit.
If you read this by October 3 and want to get your hands on the new Colton fly rod, I’ll be participating in the Beavertail Owners Tournament at Tarpon Lodge on Bokeelia, FL Saturday October 2 and 3. I’ll be fishing with my buddy Captain Gregg McKee October 2-3 and maybe the 4th if my schedule gets extended.
Check out the whole line of Colton Fly rods and reels at coltonfly.com
Now let’s talk about some fall flats fishing in the Keys. Historically speaking, fall has been a great time of the year to fish for bonefish down here. We would typically find the biggest bonefish now and during the autumn months the last few years I have been finding monsters.
I’m talking about bonefish in the 9 to 11 pound range, you read that right! Those first ones I see every year catch me off guard too. My brain doesn’t immediately register that what I am looking at is a bonefish, too big, but every time it’s a bonefish. I’m ready for them this year and have already started looking for them the days I’ve been out. Unfortunately, the water is still really hot so the window of opportunity has been pretty narrow. Just need the water to cool down a bit to make it worthwhile to travel and spend the whole day looking.
While I’m on the hunt for big bones, I’ll be looking for permit on those same flats. Permit fishing will be a bit more consistent now as they have finished all their spawning trips offshore and can get back to foraging for crabs on the grass flats.
Tarpon fishing on the other hand will be slowing down. I’m still looking for them in the backcountry and around any bait balls I can find but they start getting pretty scarce when cold fronts start making it all the way down through the Keys.
Autumn has arrived and I for one am looking forward to some cooler weather, longer days on the water and not dying from heat stroke every time I step outside. As long as we stay storm free fishing on the flats should remain really good and only get better as the water temperatures come down to reasonable level.
I’m looking forward to a few days of fishing for redfish and snook around Matlacha and Pine Island. It’s been a few years since my last visit and it will be nice to get off the rock for a few days.
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Capt. Mike Bartlett
