Miami, FL Fishing Report - August - Knot Nancy
Capt. Dave Kostyo
August 6, 2016
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
It's early August and we're in the heat of the summer. With air temperatures in the 90's and feels like temperatures over 100, the surface water temperature is in the mid 80's. This time of year calls for a change in technique to improve the chances for success.
Dolphin/mahi fishing is best during the morning hours. It will take a lot of running and gunning to find what is needed to locate the fish. On some days it happens quickly. Other days require putting many miles of searching in to find the mahi. Once found, the schools are generally quite large and you can catch your limit (10 per person) very quickly. The fish tend to school by size. This means that if the first few fish you hook up are in the 20 - 22 inch class, then most of the others will be the same size. Just remember that the minimum size mahi that can be kept is 20" from the lower jaw to the fork of the tail. If you run into a school of small fish, catch a few for fun and then move on.
In on the reef, trolling the planers will break the ice and catch fish. Bonito and kingfish are the main target and blackfin tuna along with an occasional wahoo are always a possibility. When the planer trips you just never know what it might be.
The sea conditions can be quite calm this time of year and that makes anchoring up around wrecks or in certain depths a pleasure. The current can be running to the north at a very good speed, so heavy weights might be in order. The reward can be mutton snapper, grouper, amberjack, or yellow jack.
If anchoring is not your thing, then power drifting can accomplish the same thing. It simply requires getting far enough ahead of the wreck or structure so that the bait can get down to the desired depth.
Drifting live baits will also produce. Just remember to cover the water column with flat lines, mid depth, and bottom rods. A little bit of wind will help push you in from deep to shallow as you drift.
My last few trips have produced kingfish, mahi, and bonito. To beat the heat, fish early or late and vary your technique till you find the fish.
Captain Dave Kostyo
305-965-9454
[email protected]
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