In my previous reports I have talked about the slow tarpon fishing at the Inlets. The one bright spot has been in the Bay. That has held true until my last two tarpon trips.
Meanwhile, offshore the sailfishing has been very good when you find north current. When the current dies to nothing or turns south, so does the sailfish action. Kingfishing has been very disappointing thus far this season. The few I have found have been out deep and close to the bottom. By deep, I mean as far out as 205 feet. It's like we are in the summer time pattern.
Let's take a closer look at my last few trips.
Thursday (2/22) was a no current green water day. We worked the area from the Cuban Hole north to the Twin Towers in 100 to 240 feet. We had 1 bite and caught 1 kingfish just off the bottom in 205 feet. Not a very good day, but that's the truth, nothing added or nothing enhanced.
Friday morning (2/23) was a tarpon trip starting at 1:00 AM. We were fishing the tides in the Bay. Greg and Donna Stube were both wanting to catch their first tarpon. With the tarpon action as inconsistent as it has been, they were willing to fish the odd ball hours to improve their chances. At 2:10 AM, Greg accomplished his goal with a nice 30# fish. After a few pictures, the lines went back out and it didn't take very long. At 2:25 AM, Donna achieved her goal also and landed a 50# tarpon. That's the way the trip ended, going 2 for 2, with both anglers catching their first tarpon.
Sunday evening (2/25) once again it was tarpon fishing in the Bay. We were fighting the lower end of the tide. This time we were 1 for 1 on tarpon and when the tide died off, we called it a night.
Tuesday evening (2/27) I fished with Doctors Lewis and David Carroll. They are both very accomplished fly fisherman. With high hopes, we went to the Bay spots that had been producing fish. The tarpon had something else in mind and after checking out 4 different locations, we had yet to even see one. At the fifth location, we found fish. We saw and heard several fish popping baits. David got a tarpon to roll on his fly. Another move and this time, Lewis had a strong bite. We got back a chafed leader with the fly gone. On our way in we checked two other locations and saw nothing.
Wednesday evening (2/28) we took the tour of Haulover, the Bay, and Government. On our first drift at Haulover, we got a strong hit that pulled good drag and then the hook popped loose. The second rod bucked once and the shrimp was gone. Checking both outfits revealed two leaders with teeth marks. With no further action at Haulover and the tide having turned, we ran into the Bay. After two Bay locations produced no hits and after looking at another location and seeing none, we moved outside Government to the south side. It too produced no action. Time to try the north side. The first drift had a shrimp cut in half. Another drift and we caught a large ladyfish. Back to the Bay to check out another 2 locations and no action.
So as you can see, even the more reliable Bay spots have cooled off. When the tarpon will turn back on is anyone's guess. We'll keep our fingers crossed and hope it will be on our next trip. We'll keep you posted on how the action is going.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
nkostyo@bellsouth.net