Miami and Key Biscayne – offshore
Capt. Quinton Dieterle
January 7, 2002
Key Biscayne - Saltwater Fishing Report
Winter Has Arrived
As the Cold Fronts begin to push through on a more regular basis the fishing arena will become more expanded. The Reef fish including Grouper and Snapper will push farther onto the reef as the Ballyhoo become more plentiful. The migrating Mud Rays will begin their annual push to the north and the Cobia will be only a short distance behind them. Sailfish and Dolphin will seek a warmer client as the cool north breeze cools the waters to the north. Bait will also seek shelter from the cooler water tempeture and begin to push into the area and around bridges and reef areas. The shrimp in the bay will begin to run and the Tarpon and Snook will be waiting, along with every net dragger in Miami.
Now the big question is have any of these exciting events begun to happen yet? The answer is Yes. Sailfish on Saturday were biting good to the north around the Sea buoy and North. They were in shallow; most boats that caught them did so inside 100 ft. There were some fish caught to the south but the major bite was north. Dolphin did show up on Sunday, Neil Running the Cutting Edge for me caught 20 gaffers in 2 hours of fishing and said with a little more time he would have caught his limit. The fish were around Scattered grass in 200 ft. off the sea buoy. He said" it was like summer, the fish were just schooling around the grass". On the reef several Captains elected to stay shallow and fish the patch reefs inside of Fowey and did well on small muttons, red groupers and porgies. Live ballyhoo work well for the Muttons along with live shrimp or small pilchards. The mud rays and Cobia have come through and will continue to do so, the only problem is the water has been milky and we have been unable to see the rays. A calm day with clear water will enhance the chances of catching these prize fish. The shrimp have been running and this week should be right for it. The shrimp last week were nice size. Bait fishing has been good and the bridges have some pilchards around them. The bay is still producing Mackerel, but the weather has to be on the cool side.
Tight Lines
Quinton Dieterle
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