Miami, Florida - Offshore

I dreamed all summer about days like this. A strong north wind about 18 to 25 knots, deep blue water roaring to the north at about two knots, flying fish heading for cover almost everywhere you look, Frigate birds swooping and diving after the flying fish......and we were the only boat there to enjoy all this chaos. This was classic winter time fishing! I told my charter that we would have fish on as soon as we got our kite baits out. The words had no sooner left my mouth when we were hooked up with a pair of 15 pound Dolphin. Under my breath I was cussing these two fish because I knew this was perfect Sailfish conditions and these two Dolphin were cutting into our Sailfish agenda. We boated the two fish and quickly placed two frisky Threadfin Herring back on the kite lines, and the terrible thought no sooner entered my mind....that Dolphin were going to be a pain in the butt today......when a Sailfish charged our short bait and we were hooked up with our first Sailfish for the day. We fought the fish for a minute before pulling the hook. It was only thirty minutes into the morning and we had our first Sail hook-up and two nice Dolphin, I thought to myself that if this keeps up I will be one tired Captain by the end of this fantastic day. Dolphin action continued, and made the day go by quickly. At about eleven o’clock we had our second Sailfish hooked-up and then released, and by twelve o’clock we released our second fish. Later in the afternoon the Kingfish started to bite and we caught a few 10 pound fish. We also lost a few bottom baits to the Grouper and Snapper, and at four O’clock I was right....I was tired, but happy and tired. For months I have been longing for the winter fishing to return and I can finally say that it has arrived. Once you have seen it and experienced it, you will never forget it, and always long for it. Get out and suck it up, because you only have about six months left before it’s all gone. We are now getting regular cold fronts heading south through Florida. Each wave of chilly air will bring winds out of the North, which in turn brings these great conditions off our coast. This action will have have highs and lows but still be unsurpassed by anywhere else in the the states for this time of the year. Suck it up! The Florida Sportsman 2001 Fishing Planner is now on the news stands. This guide features 12 months of tide predictions for the state of Florida. The Planner offers over 190 pages of month-to-month fishing action and predictions for all six Florida tide stations. You’ll also have at your disposal: sunrise and sunset times, moon phases, exclusive fishing Prime-timer, best water temperatures for catching popular gamefish and comprehensive tidal flows that’ll lead you to the best fishing throughout Florida. All this for only $8.95. planners are available at most tackle shops and bookstores or you can order copies online at www.floridasportsman.com. they make great stocking stuffers! 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