Clients often ask what the best time of year yields the best catches and I always tell them that with out a doubt, April is it. Even slow days in April can be pretty good with sailfish and kingfish on almost every trip. Another great part of the spring fishing is the variety of target species that are in the area. A great example of this is the recent sighting of giant bluefin tuna and the capture and release of a great white shark estimated at around a thousand pounds. We've also had a large number of small to large bluefish swarm some areas in great numbers. Keep in mind that this is in addition to the usual species that we catch which include sails, tuna, kingfish, cobia, bonito, dolphin, and a myriad of bottom species. Many of the fish caught in the spring are also the largest specimens of the year. Below is a brief overview of some recent trips.
Dee and his friend had a couple of hours before there flight and they wanted to get a taste of our fishery. Even though bait was tough, we managed to catch three muttons, bonito, and several jacks.
Thom wanted to catch tarpon and get a DNA sample of the fish. We fished on two nights back to back. On the first night he was running late and we left of some storms moved over. After the storms cleared the wind shifted to the West and diminished to nothing making the beached very tough to fish. We decided to hit some of the bridges instead. The first bridge produced only one bite and after several jumps the fish found the pilings. This scenario repeated itself several times on our next stop. We finally finished going 1 for 7 and even though it was frustrating for me Thom had a blast pulling on these powerful fish.
On our second night we had pretty good conditions at the beach but were only able to get the attention of jacks with our shrimp and crabs. Later that evening we hit the bridge again and went 1 for 1. Thom also got his DNA sample which will be sent in to researchers.
Earlier this week I decided to go bait fishing for goggle eyes and had some daylight to burn so armed only with my bait rods I decided to stop and catch some herring. After cutting of the quills and replacing them with a leader and hook the herring were deployed on flat lines. The water looked good but lacked current so it was hard to be optimistic. Our first good bite turned out to be a nice sail that put on quite a show before being release boat side. Later, just before dark we had a smoker king fish sky rocket ten feet in the air while trying to eat our herring. The fish hit his mark and proceeded to put some sizzle into the small reel loaded with 12# monofilament. After a couple of long runs the fish came aboard and into the box (check out the video on our FB page). We put the fish on a scale and it was a solid 36 pounds. On the same trip we caught several nice vermillion snapper that decided to eat our rigs. The only down side to this trip is that the goggle eyes didn't bite great and we'll have to go get them again.
On my last trip I fished with JJ on his new boat which he wanted to break in. We started the day by filling the well with frisky herring and runners. Once we stopped on the edge it was time to fine tune the kites and rig everything properly. After a short time it was time to put the new rig and tackle to the test. The first bite we had was a sailfish that ate the short kite bait. Next we caught a nice blackfin tuna followed by another sail which was lost after it swam ahead of the boat before we could maneuver away from it. We also had action from bonitos and missed a couple of other bites.
Today, we were supposed to fish again but unfortunately that trip had to be postponed to a later date. We will participating in the annual Columbus High School tournament next month where we look to defend the title of top junior angler. Last year we had the top tuna and top kingfish. Now it is time to begin preparation.
Well, that's it for right now. Don't forget to follow the action on Facebook and Twitter for the latest and most up to date reports. I still have several dates available this month and also in May so now is a great time to take advantage of the great fishing.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Orlando Muniz
Nomad Fishing Charters
www.fishingchartermiami.com
786-266-0171
