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Marathon's West Hump
By Capt. Andy WIng
Marathon's West Hump lies just
over 20 miles...depending on which marina you're from...south east of the
middle Keys and is one of the favorite fishing spots for charter boats and
private boats alike. It is an underwater sea mount the comes up to within
480 feet from the surface and is located in waters that are at least twice
that deep. The constant easterly flow of the Gulfstream against this
"hump" creates a noticeable upwelling that draws baitfish...which draws
larger fish...which draws huge fish and so on. The feeding activity in
turn attracts large numbers of sea birds and is a sure fire way to find
the hungry fish once you arrive. Everything from Mako sharks to Blackfin Tuna to Amberjacks can be
caught on the Hump and it is not too difficult to spend an entire day in
that relatively small but productive area. Most fisherman fishing the Hump
are trolling small feathers or ballyhoo ( fished at least 50 yards behind
the boat if not much more) for Blackfin Tuna. These hard fighters are the
main target out there and the real jumbos are caught not by trolling but
by using live bait such as pilchards and drifting across the crown, or
top, of the Hump while chumming with these sometimes hard to get
baitfish.Drifting
across the Hump while deep dropping whole grunts or other live baits is a
great way to tie into some of the hardest fighting fish in the ocean...the
Amberjack. Commercial interests have severely depleted what used to be a
constant, predictable fishing trip but there are plenty of big bruisers
still out there and if you are lucky you might hook up with a Mako shark
while bottom fishing for AJs.
This captain has caught Blue Marlin,
White Marlin, Sailfish, Dolphin, Black and Yellowfin Tuna at Marathon's
West Hump. You just never know what you might hook out there but can
always sure that the Tuna and Bonita will always give you plenty of great
light tackle action and everything else will just be icing on the
cake.
Capt. Andy Wing |