The first good cold front of the season came through yesterday (11/21). This morning the cooler temperatures are a welcome relief. This should get the fish going as the surface water temperature begins to drop from its present 78 degrees.
Last Thursday evening, we gave tarpon fishing another shot. Mark and Hershey knew that it is still a bit early for the winter tarpon season, however, since this was the only time that Mark would be in the Miami area, he wanted to give it a try. The NNE/NE wind was perfect for covering the entire Haulover tarpon hole area. After numerous drifts we only had one large ladyfish to show for our effort. I moved inside to catch the last of the incoming at a couple of Bay spots. At the first location, Hershey caught a snook on each of the first two drifts through the area. We released one and kept one for dinner. The lights were out at the second location and one drift produced no hits. By the time we made it back to the first spot, the tide had stopped flowing and it was time to go in.
On Monday (11/21) we fished for a half day in the morning. The weather report was calling for rain, thunderstorms, and windy conditions. We all know how accurate the forecasts can be and Monday was no exception. Yes, we watched a few squall lines build and move offshore. We got rained on for maybe 5 minutes if you count the time when we were coming in at the end of the trip. We fished the area from the Twins north to Haulover Inlet in the 95 to 250 foot range. Jose and Julio had not seen kite fishing before, so it was a new experience for them. The closest we found the blue/green edge was 200 feet. The first fish was caught on the kite bait. Jose caught on real quick and did a great job of hooking a 12 pound dolphin. A small shark was following the fish around as it got closer to the boat. With the dolphin in the fish box, the shark kept hanging around. We tossed a bait to it but it got ignored. As we worked the kite bait back out across the edge, it got hit and it was Julio's turn. The shark finally decided to eat and liked the kite bait. A couple of boat side pictures and I released the shark. Next, a flatline got hit and Jose caught the same shark. I guess it didn't learn anything from being hooked the first time. It was released once again and we made a major move to the south. With very little current inside of 150', the last drift of the morning had our downrigger bait eaten by a triggerfish.
There were a few days in the Haulover area when the spanish mackerel and kingfish bite was very good with the nod going to more spanish bites. We're still waiting for the tarpon to show up in the Haulover tarpon hole area. This Friday we'll be giving that another try. This present cold front should kick the sailfish action up a notch or two. We're still waiting for our first major run of kingfish and if this front doesn't do it, then maybe the next one will push them down into our area.
On December 10th, the Ft. Lauderdale Bass Pro Shops is having a Pflueger Day. I'll be there doing both a sailfish and tarpon seminar. There will also be several other Pflueger guides along with TV host Mark Sosin. Come on by, take in a seminar or two, and find out about the various Pflueger reels that we use.
Captain Dave