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Miami, Florida - Offshore
Capt. Mark Houghtaling
July 10, 2001
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
I went fishing the other day and could not believe the unbelievable heat we
were encountering, even on the water. The ocean was flat calm, and we did
fill the box with schoolies, but we needed to run the boat to keep cooled
down. Next, on the way back home, we were blasted by fifty knot winds and
dodged nearby lightening strikes. This is a regular occurrence offshore in the
summertime, but is doesn’t have to be this way. Many anglers are avoiding
the heat by wetting a line at night. The months of July and August are well
known in south Florida for the best months for Snapper fishing. Snapper
spawn in July and August and even September and they concentrate in heavy
schools both offshore and inshore. This time of the year you will primarily
find Muttons, Mangrove, Yellowtail, and Cubera Snapper congregating on
the offshore reefs. On a typical night of fishing you can usually be back
home and in bed by one o’clock in the morning. Anglers have found that if
you leave the dock at dusk, you still have enough light to travel safely to your
spot, set up, and be ready for the “bite” which can start almost immediately
as the sun sets to the west. The best action of the night can occur just after
dark. If they haven’t started to bite by midnight, there is a good chance they
are not going to bite at all.
The typical method of fishing for Snapper is by anchoring and chumming on
the reef. That reef may be a patch reef in twenty feet of water or it may be the
drop off that runs north and south up and down our coast in 60 to 90 feet of
water. Patch reefs in the shallower water may have smaller Mangrove
Snapper and an occasional Mutton. The deeper ledge will harbor large
Mangrove’s, Yellowtail, and Muttons. A good depth finder comes in handy
to locate fish hovering over a ledge or drop off. I usually head south along the
drop-off until I read a school of fish over the bottom. I will make a couple of
passes over the spot to confirm they are there. Anchor a good distance ahead
of the spot figuring current and allowing for a good length of anchor line.
Throw out a block of chum and start fishing. It may take thirty minutes or so
for the chum to sink and get the snappers attention. A stout twenty pound
spinning rod works well. While you are chumming you will notice live bait
swimming in your boat’s light. These will usually be Pilchards which make
excellent baits for snapper. Use a knocker rig which consists of a sliding egg
sinker on your line and allow it to slide down to the hook. About a one ounce
sinker will do but it depends on the current. You may have to go up in weight
if you can’t get your weight to the bottom. I use a short shank 3/0 L194 Eagle
Claw hook with no leader. Catch a live Pilchard with your cast net or Sabiki
rig and hook it through the nose and let him go to the bottom. It shouldn’t
take long for a strike. While someone works the bottom, someone else could
fish the top of the water column behind the boat. Use the same rig but
without the sinker, however, while fishing on top, I might fish with a fresh
cut bait to entice a different type of snapper to hit. Try different style of baits
both on top and along the bottom, you may catch a nice variety of snapper in
both areas. Typically you will find Yellowtail behind your boat in the chum
line after the chum line gets established. The larger Mangrove Snapper will
usually be below the smaller one’s you may see in your chum line.
There is an area north of the whistle buoy off north Key Largo that large
Cubera Snapper frequent, especially during the times of the full moon. These
fish look in every way just like a Mangrove Snapper, however, they can grow
to very large sizes. The largest fish I have ever caught was in the eighty
pound class. These fish prefer live Florida Lobster for bait. They can inhale a
whole lobster in less than five seconds and have you pinned against the
gunwale holding on for dear life before you have time to set the hook. You’ll
be wondering....what the hell did I get myself into? A two pound Mangrove
Snapper will give you a good fight. Imagine multiplying that fight twenty to
thirty times and that’s what it feels like when you are hooked into these
gargantuan snapper. Fifty pound tackle is a must, however some anglers try
for them with smaller tackle but will loose plenty of fish to the bottom. If
you fish in July, lobster season will not be open and you will have to use
other baits. Live, large Blue Crabs work well, and I know of some anglers
that have done well using live Mullet for bait. I use a large one to two pound
jig rigged with 250 pound mono leader. I wire a short piece of 150 pound
wire to a triple strength 10/0 treble hook and then to the eye of the look. The
hook of the jig goes through the joint at the base of the lobsters antenna, and
the treble hook gets placed in the meat of the tail. If the current is too fast you
may need to add extra weight, which I do by sliding an eight ounce egg
sinker down to the jig ( just like the knocker rig) until I have enough weight
to keep it on the bottom. Use your depth finder to locate the fish. Fish from
120 to 200 feet of water northeast of the whistle buoy. Shut your motors
down! The fish will spook with the more boats searching around for them.
I spoke with Captain Mike Pellini recently and he fishes the finger channels
south of Cape Florida at night. He uses the same methods as we do on the
deeper reefs. He anchors and chums in a deeper finger channel and he
catches Mangrove Snapper, Muttons and an occasional Grouper. He
explained that the Muttons are not as big as what we catch on the deeper
reefs but they are usually all legal( Sixteen inches), and just as tasty.
If you want to beat the heat, and avoid the daytime crowds, and still get a
good night sleep. Give nighttime Snapper fishing a try. Not only will you be
putting a sweet dinner on the table, think of the sweet dreams you’ll have.
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