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Mar 6How to Improve the Quality of Your Live Bait
Professional charter boats and tournament fishing teams place great emphasis on the quality of their bait fish. Success often depends on it. Fresh and lively bait can mean the difference between catching that “personal best” or going home empty handed. Here are a few ways that you can mirror the most successful boats, and some things to keep in mind when it comes to keeping your live bait as fresh and lively as possible. Bait Handling The way you handle your bait is essential to its longevity. To keep the freshest looking and liveliest live baits there are a few things you should consider when it comes to handling your bait. First, try to minimize touching your bait with your hands. Use a dehooking tool to remove your bait directly into a bucket of water or livewell. This helps to preserve the bait’s slime coat and scales. The bait’s slime acts a protective layer against pathogens, abrasions ...
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Jan 12January 2024 Fishing Report
Looking to get out on the water for a day of fishing in January? Here’s what you need to know.
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Oct 11Fall Fishing Forecast
Fall is a great time to catch sailfish, dolphin, kings, and more off Miami.
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Jul 10Mahi Mahi Fishing in Miami
Mahi mahi otherwise known as dolphin fish or dorado are a world class gamefish that frequent our waters off Miami.
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Jun 9Great Start to Summer
Summer is the best time of year to fish for dolphin with calm weather and great fishing.
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May 29May Grouper Fishing
May is here which means its grouper season! This can be some of the most unique fishing of the season!
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Mar 20Spring Kingfish and Sailfish
Sailfish have been hot this winter. We’ve been averaging a few sails per day with 15 on our best day so far this season. Recently the big kingfish have been around as well. During the last week we landed a 48 pound kingfish as well as 50 pound kingfish during the early morning kite bite on the local wrecks. The best thing about kite fishing is that you never know what your next bite will be. We have been taking advantage of calmer weather by deep dropping and wreck fishing when there isn’t enough wind for the kites. Wreck fishing is great this time of year with no shortage of amberjack, sharks, and the occasional big grouper. Unfortunately the grouper are still out of season and need to be released but they open back up on May 1st. Our bait situation has gotten better, the bait has been holding better in the pens and staying lively for our trips. Bait fishing has been hit or miss but it always helps to ...
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Feb 22February Fishing in Miami
Diving in The Sailfish After the fiery start to the sailfish season, the sails have started to heat up even more in South Florida off of Miami. This past weekend we have had 3+ sailfish on each trip with a 14 sailfish day 2 weeks ago. Besides the Sailfish on the kites, there has not been as many bites from other species such as Mahi or Blackfin Tuna, but it is possible we might see this start to shift as we approach March. While trolling in 180 feet, the King Fish have been biting well with a few landed on the last few weeks of trips, but kite fishing has been our main focus with the high winds making perfect conditions. Over the past few weeks, we have noticed that something has been different with our baits in the pen. They have been circling and acting strangely causing us to have to catch bait more frequently, but luckily the bait has been there making our bait stops short and still opening the door to ...
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Jan 2Kite Fishing With Double Threat Charters
One of the most common questions we get on and off charters is “what are we going to be fishing for?” or “what do we catch”. Here in Miami, winter brings fishing that everyone gets excited for. With the winter months comes kite fishing, and with that brings lots of sailfish. This time of year is sailfish season and that is typically our target species. We also do some Kingfish and Wahoo trolling early in the morning. How We Kite Fish When kite fishing, there might be a few questions that come with it, what do we look for? How do we set up? What kind of wind do we look for? When we set up to fly our kites we like to look for a few things. One being wind conditions, we like to fly our kites in anywhere of a range from 10 knots to 30 knot winds. We also search for structures along the bottom such as reefs or wrecks about 3-5 miles offshore of ...
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Nov 3Cool Season Fishing In Miami
It’s that time of the year! As the cooler months move in, the fishing is red hot out of Miami. These are the months that make the best times for a fantastic experience on the water. This is a perfect time to book your trip for the upcoming winter season! What does winter fishing in Miami offer? With the word winter, what do you typically think? Cold weather, the end of a fishing season, or even to sit back and enjoy the winter season, but here in Miami, It can have a whole different meaning. Miami is known for having a very strong fishery year round with the water temperatures holding above 70 degrees even on Miami’s most frigid days. Migration is one of fishing's most important attributes through changing seasons. As the cold fronts move in, so does the bait, and where there is bait, there will always be predators. Kingfish, sailfish, swordfish, wahoo, dolphin move through our waters during the fall which provides us ...
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Jul 18August Fishing off Miami
To be honest, no, we don't spend all year looking forward to August fishing. We can't count on every day being epic but we NEVER KNOW what to expect on a given day. As slow as some days can be, the reality that the next bite could be a fish of a lifetime is what keeps us coming back for more. I don't have a crystal ball that can tell me what we'll be catching in the months ahead but we have been fishing in Miami for a long time and we can take a quick look back at the last few summers to give us an idea of what to expect. Summer Dolphin Fishing at Its Finest August is historically a great month for dolphin fishing with both quality and quantity to be expected. Some years are better than others but the last few summers have seen great fishing in August and even September rather than the usual June run. Dolphin are great eating, ...
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Jun 15Summer Dolphin Fishing off Miami
The summer doldrums are here bringing calmer wind and warmer weather. June-September is typically the calmest time of year off Miami with slicked-out days being the norm rather than the exception. We may sneak in a few days of kite fishing but they are pretty much stowed until the coming fall. Our best bet for most of the summer involves trolling/ sight fishing for dolphin and bottom fishing. Dolphin Fishing off Miami While targeting dolphin we usually venture 10-20 miles offshore while looking for birds, floating debris, seaweed, turtles, and more. The ocean is essentially a desert and any piece of structure drifting by is an oasis for baitfish and in turn, predators to congregate. While looking for fish, we usually troll 4-6 lines with a captain in the tower and a mate looking through binoculars. As you can see below, we have a very high vantage point from our tuna tower so not much is able to sneak past us. When we are able to spot a fish (...
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Apr 25Cobia, Blackfin Tuna, Amberjack, Sailfish & More
Spring is one of our favorite times of the year to fish off Miami. With a mixed bag of species moving through our area, the options are pretty endless with what we can target on a given day. Spring Fishing off Miami Kite fishing yields a decent sailfish bite that should last all the way through June. We typically look for north current and fish in the 100-200 foot depth with live goggle eye, herring, and sardines off the kite. When bait is tough we sometimes resort to cigar minnows, pilchards, and runners. In all honesty, we are probably more picky than the fish. The sailfish are very reliant on current so that is definitely the biggest factor. North wind is certainly a bonus and when we have the right wind and current, the sailfish can really chew this time of year. Blackfin Tuna Bite During Spring In addition to sails, blackfin tuna are a welcome catch during May and June. These tuna are exceptionally hard fighters and great eating. ...
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Feb 23Sailfishing is Heating Up
After a slower start to the season, the sails have finally started showing up with more consistency off South Florida. This past weekend we had 12 bites and caught 8 sails over a 3 day period. This isn't red hot fishing but it's part of an improving trend as we get closer to spring. The bycatch hasn't been red hot while kite fishing but we have been getting a few mani as well as sharks. The next few months will only get better with the sail fishing improving in consistency. We also hope the bigger kingfish will show up as well as the blacken during April. Bait has been a bit tough to come by but we've been catching some threadfin herring and cigar minnows which usually get the job done. We also have the option of buying goggle eye which is worth it on most days. The best bet has been kite fishing for the sails but we've also been catching a few off free jumpers. We've yet to see tailing ...
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Dec 30Nice Assortment of Winter Species
It's been a while since our last report but we have been running every day and catching a variety of species. We haven't been exclusively sailfishing like we normally are this time of year but we can't complain. There has been a really nice mixed bag of species in the area from the reef all the way to the sword grounds. Calm Weather & Lighter Current Days On calm or lighter current days we have spent more time working ballyhoo showers and trolling the reef. We have also been deep dropping for vermillion and yelloweye snapper. This has paid off with decent action on days that would otherwise be pretty tough. There have been a lot of ballyhoo on the reef getting chased sails, mutton snapper, bonito, mackerel, and more. This is usually a fall/winter event so it can definitely pay off to bump ballyhoo out of the outriggers in shallow. We also sight fish for sailfish when we see them balling bait. We ...
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Aug 2Swordfishing is Heating Up
Fall is my favorite time of year to swordfish but it already seems like the fishing is heating up. We managed to land a 200lber yesterday and got one other bite on a beautiful day. The swordfishing should only improve in the months to come but I wouldn't hesitate to book now and take advantage of the awesome weather this time of year. Swordfish are definitely a bucket list fish that involve a very unique technique for them to be targeted during the day. We use electric reels to target swordfish but we don't really believe this makes it any less sporty. The need for electric reels was driven out of necessity, not laziness. Swordfish are deep during the day, usually near the bottom in 1200-2000 feet. To get a bait down in the strike zone with 2-3 knots of current requires 8-12 pounds of lead. There is just no way you can fish this area efficiently without an electric reel hybrid at a minimum. Swordfishing ...
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Jun 16Summertime Dolphin are Here!
Summertime dolphin fishing is beginning to ramp up and should continue through September. This time of year there is a dramatic shift as we transition from kite fishing for sails, kings, and tuna to sight fishing and trolling for dolphin. Early Season Dolphin Fishing June is a great time for early season kite fishing. On calm days this time of year, we spend a lot of our time looking for rips, weed lines, and other floating structure. This can be exciting fishing because when we do find the fish, its usually larger schools of dolphin where double, triple, and quadruple hookups are common. We typically shift from trolling to live baiting when we find a school. Late Season Kite Fishing Just because the dolphin are showing up doesn't mean we have abandoned the edge entirely. When the current pushes onto the reef and the wind picks up, we are always ready and willing to kite fish even during summer. We don't typically expect the same type of action ...
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Mar 12Tuna, Kings, Mahi, Sails, and More- Spring Fishing Miami
Spring is without a doubt my favorite time of year. The quality, quantity, and diversity of gamefish in our waters from March-June is difficult to beat. This is a stellar time of year that is usually met with mild weather, good current, and great fishing. Blackfin Tuna Fishing During April and May Blackfin tuna aren't as big as some of their relatives but they are brutal fighters, especially on light tackle. Our springtime run of blackfin tuna peaks during May but can be excellent from April-June. These butterballs average 15-25 lbs but we frequently catch them in excess of 30 lbs this time of year. Bigger blackfin tuna are best targeted while kite fishing because the baits have a stealthy presentation. Larger tuna have a difficult time passing up a frisky live bait on the surface. Blackfin tuna have sushi grade meat and we're more than happy to clean them up after the trip. Although exceptionally rare, we also have our best shot at yellowfin and bluefin ...
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Jan 13Wintertime Fishing for Billfish
Winter is an awesome time of year to knock a billfish off your bucket list. With each front that moves through, bait and predators are pushed to the south along our coast. With the Gulf Stream only a few miles offshore, the water temperatures remain in the 70s with even the coldest fronts that move through. The abundance of wrecks, reefs, and the mixing of waters between Biscayne Bay and the edge of the Gulf Stream makes Miami a prime habitat for a variety of baitfish including ballyhoo, threadfin herring, sardines, pilcjards, cigar minnows, goggle eye, and more. Our sprawling bait fishery fuels the kite fishing industry off South Florida and keeps predators in the area well fed. Convenient Fishing for Sails and More Most of our fishing during winter takes place about 3-5 miles offshore which makes Miami a great spot to quickly venture out for a half or 3/4 day trip. These trips can be quite successful, especially for sails from now through May. In addition to sailfish, ...
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Oct 23Deep Sea Fishing during Winter
Winter is right around the corner! Fortunately, as the weather cools off, the fishing heats up off Miami. Right now is a great time to book your trip for December or January. Does Miami Have Good Fishing During Winter? Winter means different things in different places. Throughout most of the United States, winter can bring an end to their sport-fishing seasons as cooler weather shuts down most of the fishing. Luckily, Miami is a resilient fishery with plenty of options year round. The Gulf Stream is our best friend during winter because water temperatures stay in the 70s or above even on the coldest days. Most of the larger pelagic species that are caught in the northern Gulf of Mexico or along the Eastern Seaboard actually migrate our way as things cool off. These fronts push down bait and predators with South Florida being prime real estate during the colder months. Sailfish, kingfish, wahoo, swordfish, tuna, and more welcome visitors during the colder months. We are already ...
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