Miami, Florida - Offshore

A nice mixed bag of fish is occurring offshore right now! Fishing has been easy, just pick your target and go fishing. Dolphin are showing up each week in ever increasing numbers. You can find them along the edge of the Gulf Stream, or you can venture offshore and find them as far out as twenty miles. Keep an eye on soaring Frigate Birds. They will be a sure sign of possibly bigger Dolphin. When the winds have been out of the easterly quadrants, the fish have been easier to find on patches of weed that have been building offshore. However, this time of year we may encounter days of westerly winds which will break up the weeds and subsequently spread the Dolphin thin. Kingfishing has been good to excellent. To the north off Haulover, the Kingfishing has been excellent. That’s not to say the Kingfishing is not good everywhere else. Just about anywhere along the reef you can encounter 15 to 20 pound Kings, especially in the morning. Live bait has been producing the most hits. Sailfish are still plentiful, with many captains observing Sailfish free-jumping along the edge. This may be something they are during during mating , which many people feel they are doing this time of year. If you do encounter a free-jumping Sailfish, they will take a live bait cast in front of them. It is not true that a free-jumping Sailfish will not take a bait. They readily take live-baits, if the are not spooked while doing so. Many captains observed “pods” of Sailfish rising up under baits flown form the kites this past weekend. We are nearing the end of our Sailfish season, so take advantage of this great fishing we have available to us now. It’s not going to last much longer. Mutton Snapper action has been heating up off Key Largo. From Pacfic Reef to Molasses Reef, anglers fishing their “secret spots” have been loading up on Muttons. Most have been using live bait, but a jig and Ballyho is an excellent rig. I would target depths from 100 to 240 feet of water. Remember the legal size limit for a Mutton Snapper is 16 inches. April 30th is the date for this years, David and Mary Alper Grand Dolphin Fishing Tournament. There will be $5500 in prize money. $ 300.00 entry fee per boat. Weigh-in will be at the Jewish Community Center on 11155 SW 112 Ave in south Dade. For more information call 305-271-9000 ext 241. Professional captains are welcome 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.