Miami, Florida - Offshore

Recent attention has been brought to the hot fishing around the “patch” reefs. Anglers as well as divers have been seeing a large amount of bigger Mutton snapper showing up on the reefs. This is a common occurrence this time of the year, and if you ever wanted to tangle with a big Mutton, the patch reefs would be your best bet right now. Many anglers call them “green backs”, describing the dark green color of their backs which turns this color when they move up into the shallower water. Many of the patches will hold up to two or three large Muttons on one reef. And if you find one reef holding an unusually large amount of Muttons, there is a good bet you will be able to come back to that reef again and again during the winter months and get the same results each time you fish it. However, many reefs will be good one year and then bad the next. It’s not hard to fish for Muttons on the patch reefs. I would have to say that the better reefs are the one’s that are holding a good supply of Ballyho. Muttons love Ballyho, which could be why they are found in such good numbers this time of the year on the patches. Anglers usually anchor ahead of the patch and chum with a block of frozen chum. In time, a school of Ballyho should show up in your chum line. The easiest way to catch live Ballyho is use a light rod and reel filled with eight pound test line. Use a very small hair hook and attach a bobber approximately twelve inches above the hook. This not only keeps your bait up high near the surface of the water where the Ballyho are, but it also helps to cast your bait to the waiting Ballyho. The best bait for catching Ballyho is fresh diced live shrimp. Cast your bait to the Ballyho as they get nearer your boat. You will see your bobber dive beneath the water indicating a hoop-up. Quickly reel the Ballyho to the boat and place him in your live well or impale him on a waiting hook. I use a Daiwa 50HD conventional reel loaded with thirty pound test line. Use enough weight to get the Ballyho on the bottom. Four ounces usually works. Allow the sinker to slide on the thirty pound test line and then tie on a swivel. Attached to the other end of the swivel, tie six feet of fifty pound test leader material and then a hook. I prefer an Eagle Claw 6/0 L194 with a Lazer Point. Hook the Ballyho from the bottom up through the beak of the Ballyho which is located on the lower jaw. The hook must penetrate the hard part of the beak close to the mouth. If you just place the hook through the mouth the hook may fall out. Cast the Ballyho behind the boat in the chum line and leave the reel in free spool with the clicker on. When the Mutton hits he will usually run off a bit of line, sounding the clicker. Engage the reel and hit him firmly. He will run towards the reef so your going to have to put some muscle into the rod to keep him out of the reef. They fight exceptionally hard in the shallower water. If one reef doesn’t work relocate and try again. Catching two or three big Muttons during a single days trip will surely turn some heads when you get back to the dock. One look a those “greenbacks” and I’ll know exactly where you caught them.