Great three days on Broad Key!
Capt. Alan Sherman
April 30, 2013
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
My family and I recently had an opportunity to spend three days and two nights with one of our favorite families the Scott's on Broad Key a private island managed by the University of Miami's Rosentstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. The island is located just north of Ocean Reef and south of Adams Key. The island hosts a five bedroom, six bath house, a care takers house, boat house, private dock and a helicopter landing on its 63 acres and is surrounded by pristine bonefish, permit and tarpon flats. Accessible from the water or by helicopter and protected by watch dogs and a care taker the island is set up mostly for the University of Miami's college students but on occasion is occupied by families like mine and the Scott's. My friend Brian Scott won this stay as a door prize during last year's Lionfish Derby.
My family launched our boat from the boat ramp at Biscayne National Park and in just 20 minutes we had tied up to the dock at Broad Key. Our boat was loaded with enough supplies to cover us and a little left over for the Scotts. The Scotts arrived just minutes after us having left from the North Miami area earlier in the day. On board their boat was Brian, Margie, Trisha and Trisha's fiancé Pat. On our boat was myself, wife Dana, son Zachary and daughter Courtney.
After unloading and settling in we met curator Evan who showed us around the island and being anxious to take advantage of the calm conditions that were forecasted to be windy and rough the next day we boarded our boats and headed offshore to see what we could catch. Hoping to catch enough fish for dinner and having two different plans on accomplishing just that we headed into two different areas. We planned to use our Minn Kota I-Pilot to hold us in position over some good looking bottom in hopes of catching some large snappers and kingfish. Brian's boat was set up more for trolling so they headed further offshore to look for dolphin.
Having found a good looking spot in 100 feet of water we put a chum bag out and started fishing. We had fresh frozen ballyhoo and silver sides for bait. Armed with bottom rods, top rods and yellowtail outfits we went to work. With the VHF radio on we could tell it was going to be a tough day of fishing by the chatter. A nice north current had us excited but the bites came slow. The first two fish came on silver sides free lined. Both fish were bonitos. One was kept for bait and the other was released. We had a few strikes on a free lined three hooked ballyhoo but no solid connections. A few cut offs confirmed that they were kingfish but we never got a solid hookup. The bottom baits being ballyhoo just were not getting the job done so I cut the bonito up into strips. I baited Dana's bottom rod and just like that she had a nice five pound mutton snapper in the boat. Her next bait was a 10 pound black grouper that made it back to the bottom after being properly vented. All this time our Minn Kota I-Pilot trolling motor kept us on the spot. After a few more missed hits we were anxious to try our deep dropping rig to see if there were some tilefish around.
We headed offshore into waters that I have never fished before. It took a long time to get offshore definitely a lot further than we have to travel when fishing offshore of Miami. We dropped our deep drop rig in 650 feet of water. The current was ripping and after letting more than half of the Daiwa's Tanacom Bull 1000 reels line out we cranked the line in and headed back to the reef. After contacting Brian's boat on the VHF we were informed that they had no luck trolling and only a few bottom fish. Back on the reef and in 120 feet of water the Humminbird recorder marked a bunch of fish under the boat. We dropped our baits back to the bottom but no bites. Zach kept seeing something under the boat and in the chum line so he dropped a R&R Sabiki rig into the water and just like that his Key Largo rod was doubled over. Zach fought the fish to the surface and almost every hook had a medium size bluerunner on it. Not what we were looking for but just like that Zach spots something swimming to the boat and screams dolphin. Zach grabs a rod with a Rapala X Rap and is hooked up immediately and soon everyone is hooked up. We kept six dolphins just over 24 inches and released about the same amount before the school moved on.
It was getting late and we had enough to feed the eight of us plus some so we headed in. Once back to the Island the Scott's had beaten us in. As we approached we asked if they had any luck and they reached into the fish box and pulled out three 10 to 15 pound bluefish. I hadn't seen bluefish this big since my party boat days and was excited to see them. They informed us that a charter boat had been catching one after another of these big migrating bluefish and waved them in to get into the action and they did. Thanks Cap for making their day!
After cleaning the fish, the boats and ourselves we started getting a fish fry started. Everyone pitched in and soon all eight of us were sitting around this huge table in the screened in Florida room enjoying fresh fried fish, tossed salads, cold beer and great conversation. Evan came later and had a big plate of fish and sides. RJ a young lady that was staying in the owner's home came by and had a bite to eat. When Evan had finished eating we fixed a large plate of fish and sides for him to drop off at Tim the care takers home.
The weather changed as predicted but the three days that we shared with the Scott's on this quaint 63 acre island will stay fresh in our minds for the rest of our lives.
Thank you Broad Key Island, Evan and everyone that was responsible for this beautiful get away.
If you're interested this island is for sale for a mere $20 000,000.
http://www.oceanreefluxuryrealestate.com/broad-key/ />
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