Heartbreak!
Capt. Gil Gutierrez
October 13, 2009
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
Let me start out by getting my sad story out of the way. Last week we went daytime deep dropping for swordfish. Out of five drops we had two fish on. Both fish were pulling drag until the 300' mark at which time the heartbreak would come. Both fish became unglued at exactly the same 300' depth. There are many theories as to why this happens but let's just say that it doesn't make the heartbreak any better. In addition to the daytime swordfish trip I also had a reef/night swordfish trip. The reef fishing was great. I think we stopped counting at 6 different species. We had consistent action wherever we stopped the boat. Unfortunately our trip to the sword grounds would prove uneventful as we were unable to find a swordfish that night.
Mahi-mahi where are you? That seems to have been the sentiment for mahi season this summer. There were some fish caught but the action was inconsistent and very short lived at best. I don't know if this is down year in the cycle but this mahi season really left a lot to be desired. I guess the good thing is that it can only go up from here. But there are other things you can do.
This leads me to the next part of my report. Almost all of my success has been in on the reef. I had several charters last week that wanted to run offshore but due to a very inconsistent mahi bite I was able to convince them to stay in on the reef and make the most of their fishing time. The most consistent action has come from the kingfish. We have been having good success once we were able to locate the bite. The kingfish have ranged anywhere from 120' of water all the way out to 200' of water on the bottom so it may take a drift or two to find them. Once you find them you'll be able to catch several.
While fishing for the kings we have also been catching mutton snapper and amberjack.
We have been catching these fish in and around the wrecks off Dade County. We had a trip last week where we caught several muttons so the bottom bite has been pretty good.
The AJ's have come on the wrecks. These fish are truly back breakers. I had one customer who refused to take the rod out of the rod holder because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to hold it. I heard of an AJ caught this week that was 90 pounds. My back hurts just saying that. We have also had some smaller almacos mixed in.
I have also been seeing some cooler temperatures to the north of us and that can only mean one thing, sailfish and tarpon. In a very short time the sailfish should start to trickle into our area so stay tuned for that. Once the waters cool off a little we should also start to see the tarpon arriving in the Haulover and Government cut areas. As we head into our prime fishing time here in Miami the fishing should only get better with the addition of the sails and tarpon so give me a call and let's put together a trip. Till next time.
Best of Luck…
Lucky Fishing Charters, Capt. Gil Gutierrez
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