Surface water temperatures in the ocean have been between 88 - 91 degrees. In Biscayne Bay it's been even higher. With the temperatures this high, it calls for a change in technique to have a reasonable chance at a successful trip. In the ocean, fishing your baits deeper will improve your chances. In the Bay, fishing early and at night will help combat the high temperatures.
Dolphin fishing has improve slightly. By this I mean that you will have to search long and hard to catch between 5 to 8 fish on a 3/4 to full day of fishing. The best bet for good steady action still remains fishing the reef for kingfish, bonito, barracuda, amberjack, and small sharks. When there is current, anchoring on wrecks will also get you your fair shots at mutton snapper. For those who find the heat of the day unbearable, then fishing after dark should be your choice. Anchoring up on the second or third reef will give you a shot at yellowtail snapper, mangrove snapper, mutton snapper, and a host of other bottom fish.
Inshore, tarpon will be readily active after dark on a falling tide. For those who like to tangle will these silver beauties, it means that you'll have to adjust your fishing hours according to the tides. On most nights, losing a bit of sleep will be well worth it.
Jay & Dana Perez, Steve Stock, and Greg Jacoski beat the heat and saw action with tarpon both along the beach at Government Cut and in the Bay (falling tide) during an evening tarpon trip. The Silver King in both locations ate live crabs and put on a great show for the anglers before they were released.
The next morning, Frank, Sam, and Ashley Wallberg along with Joe Acquaviva got into lots of kingfish and bonito action during their 3/4 day trip. The action took place off the Twin Towers area in 130 - 180 feet. Live herring by far produced the most strikes with action coming on flatlines, mid-depth baits, and the bottom rod. By the end of the trip we had 5 kingfish and 3 bonito in the fish box and missed the hook up on several other fish.
Alex Aru and three other friends did a late afternoon/evening trip. We fished off of the 87th Street area making four drifts before heading to Government Cut to tarpon fish. We had north current, blue water, and loads of grass to the point of being a nuisance. On two of the drifts as soon as we got to 190 feet, the bottom rod produced kingfish. At Government, we made one drift for tarpon before the group decided they wanted to call it an evening and take a tour up the east side of the Bay.
Sue Cocking and Steve Waters fished a 3/4 day trip. We started by buying some pilchards and then catching herring along the beach south of Haulover Inlet. The herring were playing very hard to get and it took a while to catch about 18 baits. We put our first baits out in 198 feet just north of the Twin Towers. It took less than 5 minutes for the bottom rod to hook up and Sue caught a very nice 30# amberjack. Then the break away lead rod saw action with a bonito followed by a kingfish. Each drift produced action mainly on the bottom and break away lead outfit (70' down). We worked the same area and every time we got inside of 190 feet, we saw action on in to 150 feet. Final count was a 30# AJ, 3 kingfish in the 12 - 14 pound range, and 4 bonito, along with numerous chopped baits, pulled hooks, and cut offs.
Mauricio Ruiz, Caroline Almoracid, Mark Perez, and Andre Ocampo fished a half day with plenty of action on a variety of fish. We worked the area between the Twin Towers and the Cuban Hole and saw all the action in the 130 - 180 foot range. Once again, the vast majority of the action came on the bottom rod and break away lead outfit. The variety of fish included kingfish, bonito, barracuda, amberjack, and shark. All the fish ate live herring that were caught at the crooked range marker outside of Government Cut.
As you can see, the place for action and plenty of it is in the 130 - 190 foot range. The rest is up to you. Simply give me a call 305 965-9454 or email me nkostyo@bellsouth.net to set up your trip.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters, Inc.
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net