Cold Morning leads to Hot Fishing!~
Broken back Needlefish Lures
Needlefish on left, Tube on Right
but both conquered the Cuda!
The back country of the Keys can be hot this time of year in cold Florida but heading out into the ocean, just after the sun breaks the horizon, to fish the offshore reefs is beautiful. Winter time in the Keys produces many a Speckled Trout, Redfish, Ladies to Jacks but running out to the reef-line was especially fun today, as we jumped a couple of Sailfish under kites as we skipped Menhaden and Google eyes out to them in some really spectacular dancing to jumping feats as the head-shook their baits with a frenetic attitude. Once the sun began to warm our faces, we could shed the winter attire and begun a slow troll along the outer cut of the offshore reef line. Using Ohero Rods and reels, we were battling Barracuda within minutes of the drop. The bait of choice was a Ohero Needle fish broken back lure. The fish were just tearing them up. We had started with Tube lures but the broken back Needlefish were smoking hot! What a rip and what a trip; sails up early and now fast action cuda on the line. Tiring of the troll and frugally thinking of gas, with prices as they are right now, we decided to re-rig with a trace or light wire in the single stainless steel leader type of 30 or 40 pound test to a standard jig-head, to which we jigged, just off the reef on a drift in hooking it up with Kingfish galore. Our whitehead jigs were tipped with shrimp and the Kings were suspended just at the drop off, around 70 feet down. We had a great day out on the water, in the warm Florida sun of a cold winter day in catching fish for all.
