Miami, Florida - Offshore

World class Sailfishing was seen last week during the Coco Plum Sailfishing Tournament. 382 Sailfish were released from 48 boats during three days of fishing. Two weeks before, 404 Sailfish were released from 121 boats during the Yamaha Miami Billfish Tournament, and in February, 217 Sailfish were released from 62 boats fishing the Captain Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge. Miami’s Sailfishing now rivals the Florida Keys. Heavy baitfishing for Ballyho has decreased the bait supply so much that anglers believe the fish move to Miami in search of food. Local’s in Miami believe that possibly the extensive artificial reef system off Miami holds a tremendous supply of bait and is keeping the fish here. Many anglers are pointing to the catch and release efforts over the past ten years that have paid off. It’s no longer necessary to travel thousands of miles to distant places to experience great Sailfishing. Miami is the premier spot for catching Sailfish in the United States. In the past, anglers wanting to bring a fish home for mounting or eating were congratulated and proud to have his fish hung on a nail at the dock for a picture. Today, an angler has to bring the fish back secretly to avoid being chastised by other captains and fisherman. Rarely is a fish kept for mounting. All that is needed is an approximate size of the fish, and most taxidermists can duplicate your fish exactly how you remembered him before you released him. Many captains will oblige an angler by bringing a Sailfish aboard for a quick picture and then a release. If they are handled carefully, little or no damage will occur to the fish......if they are handled carefully little or no damage will occur to the mate or person grabbing the fish. Many of the fish caught during these past three tournaments were small. This would indicate to me that these are young fish and that the larger and mature fish are breeding and doing a good job of sustaining the fishery. However, other fisherman believe that the lack of larger fish being caught would indicate there may not be much breeding taking place and we may see a decrease in the fishery in the next couple of years. I’m sure we will see small increases and decreases over the next few years, but for the most part I see Sailfishing remaining strong for years to come.