Miami, Florida - Offshore

They’re comin’! Sailfish that is. A growing number of Sailfish are becoming evident off the Miami- Dade coast. Not a typical winter bite, but the first signs of sustained Sailfish action occurred off North Key Largo this weekend. The area off south Dade and North Key Largo typically will have the first good action for Sailfish in the Miami area. For some reason they like to congregate north of the whistle buoy which is off the Ocean Reef Yacht Club. This past week they were found in 300 feet of water which is a little deeper than normal for that area. None-the-less it was a “bite” and not a bad one at that. Anglers found dirty water in close along the reef with a roaring south current. These conditions are not the best for Sailfishing. By pushing offshore into deeper and cleaner water they were surprised to find the “beaks” biting. Also in the same area were Dolphin found under a scattered and messy weedline. If we can get the Gulf Stream to push in close and move the dirty water away from the area, I expect to see terrific action along the reef line. This will congregate the Sails, Dolphin, and Kings in one area, and instead of hunting north, south, east, and west for fish, it will only be a matter of finding them somewhere along the reefline. I have heard unconfirmed reports of a Wahoo bite between the Elbow Light and Molasses Light. That could be possible because this is the time of year when the Wahoo will start showing up in that area. They will also start showing up off Bimini, Bahamas which could be a worthwhile day run if the weather cooperates. The Wahoo that are found in Bimini this time of the year can be very large and it’s not unusual to catch a couple of fish a day in the fifty to sixty pound class. This is specialized high speed trolling with wire line, heavy weights, and high speed lures. Many anglers will be trolling as fast as twenty knots! Those same techniques will also work in the Keys. When fishing in the Keys don’t work too far offshore. The fish will typically be from 120 feet on out to 300 feet. Quite a few small Cobia have been showing up in our area. Most of the fish have been too small to keep. The size limit for Cobia is 33” measured to the fork of the tail, two fish per person per day, and they must be kept in a whole condition until brought to the dock. Anglers have been finding them while fishing the local wrecks and while trolling baits down deep. On Thursday nights, from 7pm to 8pm, at the Old Cutler Raw Bar, South Dixie Highway and SW 184 Street, come listen to “Fishing South Florida Style”. This is an hour long live radio show hosted by Mike Pace, Captain Rob Fordyce, Captain Marty Locke, and Captain Mark Houghtaling. Offshore and inshore fishing topics are covered during the live radio broadcast, and you can pick up a few tips from the radio hosts after the show. You can also catch the show on Thunder Country 100.3 FM. Captain Mark Houghtaling wants to hear from you. Send him your latest catches and pictures to15920 SW 85 Ave. Miami, Fla. 33157, or E-Mail him at [email protected]. Capt Mark also has a charter fishing service ,you can call him at 305-253-1151 or check out his web page at http://www.magicfin.com