Tarpon fishing is on fire. That's the only way to describe it. They've been feeding in the late afternoon and then after dark, the water has come alive with shrimp and the feeding continues everywhere we have been drifting. The fish have been averaging 30 - 60 pounds with some a bit larger. We have been averaging 5 - 6 fish per trip.
Offshore the sailfishing has been very steady with a few days when it's been off the scale. Those off the scale days are usually when the sea conditions are up and require a strong stomach. We have caught sailfish on each and every trip over my past several trips. The large bonito have also shown up and will definitely give your arms and back a good workout. The kingfish being caught are decent size ones and an occasional blackfin tuna crashes the scene. While working the sailfish depths, there is also a good chance that a dolphin or two might inhale one of your baits.
According to the weather report, the seas were supposed to be quite rough for the 3/4 day trip with Fabio Nick. The reality was that the seas were in the 1 - 3 foot range. After loading the livewell with pilchards, we ran straight out from Government Cut where we noticed several groups of birds flying in the familiar pattern that indicates that they're over fish. We continued out to that area in 350 feet and slow trolling several baits resulted in a shark and 2 dolphin. Our next action came in 150' with a sailfish that spent move time jumping and thrashing on the surface than it did in the water. In 180' the kite and flatline gave us 2 more dolphin. Toward the end of our trip, the birds put us on more dolphin along a small weedline in 150'. Sum total for the trip was 6 dolphin, 1 sailfish and 1 small shark.
Stephen Wilson and Rob Grace experienced their first tarpon fishing trip in Miami. Before the evening was over, they would both be hooked on tarpon fishing. The first action came in the late afternoon on our second drift. Stephen spotted a rolling tarpon behind the boat and within about a minute or so, Rob's rod bent over and he was hooked up. The 40 pound fish put on a wonderful aerial show with several jumps both a ways off and at boat side. It pulled hard and had the typical never give up attitude of a tarpon. Next, it was Stephen's turn and it came after dark. By then, the water was alive with shrimp everywhere. Stephen's fish had a thing for the bow of the boat. It kept swimming toward and under the bow and had us making continuous 360 degree circles in reverse. At one point, the fish made a beautiful jump at boat side and Rob was right there with the camera and got a beautiful aerial shot. A couple of drifts with no action had me moving to the Inlet where Rob and Stephen each caught another tarpon. One final move back down the beach had Rob hooked up again to complete our evening going 5 for 5 on tarpon in the 30 - 60 pound class.
The father and son team of Pablo and Matt Jimenez had plans for an afternoon/evening sailfish/tarpon combo trip. We filled the livewell with pilchards and herring and headed offshore from Government Cut with a wind from the E @ 18 - 20 knots. We found the conditions we were hoping for in 100'. The plan was to work our way slowly out to 200' while slow trolling baits and then put up the kite. We never made it. Our first action came in 105' with a double header bonito. After releasing both fish, we put the baits back out. When we got to 120', a sailfish crashed our bait and Matt took the rod. The seas were rough and we slowly closed the gap on the sail as Pablo was getting the camera ready. The sailfish made long runs and put on a jumping aerial show for us. The good thing was that it never went deep. Matt's consistent pressure soon had the sailfish along side and I had the leader in hand. The fish came up jumping and it would have been a great camera shot except that the seas had gotten to Pablo and he was busy on the other side of the boat. The fish took off and Matt brought it along side again and this time we released the fish while Pablo continued to deal with his motion sickness. All this action took place with the baits in the water for about 10 minutes and Matt fighting the sail for about 15 minutes. The decision was made to seek calmer water and once inside the Bay, the trip was called at a half day.
The action both offshore and inshore is hot and heavy. I have dates open on my schedule, so give me a call and lets fill them in and get in on the action. Don't forget the afternoon/evening combo. You can catch sailfish and tarpon on the same trip on the same day. At the following link, you'll find some commonly asked questions and answers about charter fishing, the different types of trips that I offer, my rates for those trips, and a way to easily contact me to ask questions or book a trip http://www.knotnancy.com/contact.html
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net