For the past two weeks we have had a variety of different trips. The majority have been daytime swordfish trips, one combo day/night sword trip, some trips on the edge and some trips for mahis in the Gulfstream. Starting with the swordfish, I have been lucky enough to be averaging about one swordfish per trip. We haven't seen any really big fish. Our biggest was about 200 pounds and the smallest at around 80 pounds. The one combo trip (day/night) we did have one swordfish on during the day that we pulled the hook, caught an oilfish during the day, but did not have any sword bites at night. That was a tough trip as the current was screaming at 5 knots which made the day time fishing challenging and it was also the night of the full moon which made the night fishing challenging as well. The current has slowed back down and the full moon is gone so we should definitely see an increase in the sword bites.
The fishing on the edge has been mostly bonitas, a few big kingfish and an occasional sailfish. The bonitas are thick and it is not uncommon to have every rod bent at the same time once you run into a school of bonitas. The kingfish have not been thick, but luckily the ones we have been catching are all between 20 and 35 pounds. Last month sailfishing was pretty decent especially for summertime. So far this month we have only had one shot and unfortunately didn't get him. August can be a tough month on the edge as the water is now very hot and the fish tend to scatter.
On the other hand, there are a lot of dolphin in The Gulfstream. The only drawback is that a lot of them are still small. The good news is that there are some nicer fish in the 10 to 30 pound range as well. Even after catching mahis since a kid, I still get excited as we approach a big school of mahis in the "Stream". Live bait has been the ticket, but the smaller mahis are also eating cut bait quite well. Remember the legal size is 20 inches from lower jaw to the fork of the tail, and if you do run into a school of smaller fish, it is best to leave them alone and go look for another school of hopefully bigger fish. The sub legal schools will be of legal size in probably just a few weeks.
For the rest of the summer, mahi fishing in the Gulfstream and day or night swordfishing will be the best two options as well as trips to the Bahamas. I still have plenty of dates open in August. September is starting to book as September and October are arguably the two best months for daytime swordfishing in South Florida.
Book your trips now to ensure a chance at some great fishing.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Dean Panos
www.doubledcharters.com
