Finally!! We get a break from the HOT weather.
Before the cold front passed through, the 100 - 200 foot zone was the place to get plenty of action with kingfish, AJ's, and small sharks. The surface action for these fish was poor at best. All the bites were on either the mid-depth baits or the bottom baits. Fishing the deeper wrecks has been to say the least an adventure. We've seen plenty of action with either sharks or AJ's. Getting them to the surface is another story.
Now that the cold front has passed through, the air temperature is moderating back to a more comfortable zone. It has left behind some strong winds in the 15 - 30 knot range. Don't let this scare you as there is good action in the protected waters of the Bay for tarpon. The wind should push the mullet into our area and that will get the fishing going hot and heavy both offshore and inshore.
Nick Luders and his friend Loren Gardner fished a day trip during the heat. It took us a little while to zone in on the fish, however, once we did, the action was fast and furious. Slow trolling live pilchards on the downrigger along with 2 flatline baits in 190 - 205 feet did the trick. As fast as I could get the bait down on the downrigger, we had instant action. We won 4 times with kingfish in the box and the kings won 3 times. The action shut off and it was back to drifting which produced a small AJ that thought it was a monster. Loren couldn't believe how hard that fish pulled.
Anh Duong and his brother Huan learned many lessons on their trip. First, the bait was crazy solid inside of Haulover. We started with sabiki rigs and then I threw the next a few times to fill the livewell with pilchards. The only action we saw was on the bottom rod in the form of a small shark. We trolled up some larger live baits (bluerunners and small bonito) using the Kaplan jig. We then put a bluerunner down on a deep wreck off Government Cut. It got hit almost immediately by a shark that cut us off. Next it was a small bonito that got inhaled and got back in the wreck. And that's the way it went for the next 2 baits we dropped. We'd get several good turns on the fish before it dove straight back into the cover of the wreck. The end result was a cut off and time for a new hook and bait.
The cooler weather will get the sailfish and tarpon going very soon, so now's the time to book that trip while there are still plenty of dates open. Don't delay too long and be disappointed when I tell you that the date you want is already taken. Call or email me to get that date on the schedule.
Till next time, tie good knots, fish with live bait, and vary your techniques till you find the fish.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters, Inc.
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net
