From mid-August through to the present day in September, I have done several trips. Each trip has resulted in a mixed bag of fish that have included any of the following: sailfish, kingfish, dolphin (mahi-mahi), bonito, small amberjack, barracuda, and mutton snapper. The weather has been very hot and the best way to beat the heat is a morning trip or late afternoon trip. Like fishing at any other time of the year, when there is north current, the fishing is relatively easy. When there is south current or no current, then it takes fishing numerous spots with different methods to put together a decent catch.
There are mullet starting to show up in the Bay and small schools along the beach. This is a good sign that the Fall fishing season is about to kick into gear when the larger schools migrate down the beach along the Miami-Dade County coast. That means tarpon, snook, jack crevalle, and sharks along the beach and in the Inlets. This will also drive large schools of pilchards into the Bay. The pilchards can be taken offshore and converted into sailfish, kingfish, mutton snapper, and fall run dolphin (mahi-mahi).
For the dolphin (mahi-mahi) enthusiasts, the good news is that it's been well worth running out and looking for the colorful tasty fish. They could be anywhere from 400 feet out to as far as 20 miles. As always, look for bird activity and structure in the form of weed lines and floating debris. Even if you don't see any activity on floating debris, it's well worth the time to drop a jig or spoon down deep to possibly bring the school to the surface or catch a wahoo.
During this time of the year when I'm not fishing as much, Nancy and I take a mini vacation. During the season we are like two ships passing each other with nothing more than a "hi" and "bye" both day and night, so it's good that we can spend some time together.
It's also a great time of year to do all the small maintenance items on the boat and with tackle to make sure everything is running smoothly.
With all that said, now is the time to start thinking about booking that late Fall, Winter, and early Spring fishing trip. It's never too early to book in advance as I already have some dates booked out as far as May 2012. Booking a trip is as easy as emailing ( nkostyo@bellsouth.net ) or giving me a call at 305-965-9454.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters, Inc
305-965-9454
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net