On my last report I mentioned that our fishing season was here and underway. Well if my last few trips are any indication we are headed for another great winter. The great thing about fishing right now is that you can target the offshore species as well as some popular inshore species. Offshore the emphasis has been on sailfish, mahi, wahoo, mutton snapper, and some smaller blackfin tuna. Closer to shore we have caught our fair share of cero and Spanish mackerel with plenty of jack crevalles and mangrove snapper too.
Last week I had several different trips all targeting different species. The first trip was a kids inshore trip were the goal was to keep the rods bent and it was a huge success. On this day the mackerel were a little bit weary and after only catching a couple at the first stop we had to another nearby hot spot. We spent the next few hours catching jacks, mangroves, and barracudas. The hardest part of this trip was telling the kids it was time to head back.
The next trip took place on Thanksgiving Day with Jose and his friend J.R. The duo from Ecuador wanted to target sailfish and try their hand at live bait kite fishing. Our trip started like most rounding up enough quality bait to stack the odds in our favor. On our very first drift we had a nice bull dolphin eat one of the herring dangling from the kite. After landing that dolphin we followed with a nice blackfin and then we had a slowdown in the action. About an hour went by without any action and then things turned around. First we landed a bonito and then we had a double hook up. The double hook up was made up a one fish that busted off at the boat within a few feet of the leader (it looked a lot like a nice wahoo). The second fish was a really nice bull dolphin in the 25# range. After a couple of pictures and high fives the lines went out again for a final shot at the sailfish. A few minutes later we had a sail chasing down one of our short baits. The fish was hooked and landed about ten minutes later. Finally, we had a second sailfish come into our spread as I was preparing for the ride back to the marina. Unfortunately this fish wasn't as well behaved as the first. He took off jumping before the circle hook found its mark and managed to shake it loose. Now, Jose can't wait until his next trip next month with his wife and kids.
On Saturday I fished with regulars James and his buddies from Ft. Lauderdale. These guys always seem to get lucky when we fish. On the way out of the marina they told me that they wanted to target mackerel. The action started right away as they started catching macks while I netted our bait. I told the guys we could go offshore to target muttons or kings but they were having a blast with the mackerel. After the action cooled off we headed to the second spot and it didn't look good. I decided to fish an area that had been productive in the past. Once the anchor took hold I deployed the chum bag and waited a few minutes for the ballyhoo to ball up behind the boat. Soon after the ballyhoo moved in, the cero mackerel followed. The next few hours turned into an all out mackerel melee. Most fish were caught on pilchards but we also caught them on ballyhoo, jigs and spoons. During the course of the day we also caught several grouper and snapper. Most of the fish were just short of the legal size with the exception of a nice keeper mutton that we hauled in. We also lost another fish that looked like a small goliath. I couldn't believe how many baits we went through on this day. Now the guys are eager to get out again.
Well that pretty much sums things up for now. If you're planning a trip or just want to get in on the action give me a call so that we can make it happen. December is almost here and the good fishing should continue. The last two weeks of the year are usually busy so call or email early for the best days.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Orlando Muniz
Nomad Fishing Charter
www.FishingCharterMiami.com
(786)266-0171
