Last weekend we fished the 4th annual Fisher Island Sailfish Tournament. I have had the same group charter me for all 4 of the tournaments and we have done well. Last year we got 2nd place and the year before that we won it. This year was awesome as well and we ended up winning the tournament again. We caught 7 sailfish out of 11 hook ups and also won biggest dolphin. The weather was a bit on the rough side. The wind was out of the south at 20 25 knots which are not ideal winds for sailfishing, but my crew hung in there and we capitalized on our bites and won. I would like to thank my charter and mates for a great performance and would also like to thank all my sponsors as they have a lot to do with our good fortune. Without the right equipment and quality boats and motors, none of this would be possible THANKS.
The sailfish bite slowed down a bit in mid March, but it has definitely turned back on and is in full force again. Monday I fished with a good client and his dad and we went 13 for 20 on sailfish. Hooking 20 sails in one day is a lot of work, but is also a lot of fun. The conditions were ideal with lots of north current and blue water, coupled with N NE wind. The sailfish right now are coming through in big packs and it is not uncommon to hook double, triples and even quads. The sailfishing remained great all week and not only were we catching a lot of sailfish, but were we also seeing a lot of free jumpers (sailfish that jump out of the water for no apparent reason). We also saw quite a few boats also hooked up all week. All these things indicate that there are a lot of sailfish in Miami right now.
Besides sailfish, there have also been quite a few dolphin on the edge and we have been catching those in between our sailfish bites. Some of the dolphin have been decent in size and our largest has been about 30 pounds. Besides the dolphin, there are also some kingfish mixed in and I finally did hear of some more blackfin tunas caught.
The late afternoon/evening tarpon bite has also been phenomenal. I've only done a few tarpon trips but most have averaged 4 fish per trip including one night when we caught a huge tarpon estimated between 130 and 140 pounds.
As you can see, the bite in Miami has been great and I think it is actually going to get better this month and next as we start to see more blackfin tunas and bigger kingfish, as well as the sailfish and dolphin that are already here. I do have some openings in mid and late April as well as openings in May. Give me a call because now is the time to get out and fish!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Dean Panos
www.doubledcharters.com
(954)805-8231