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Miami, Florida - Offshore
Capt. Mark Houghtaling
September 11, 2001
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
I am finding it difficult to write about fishing this morning, but while writing this fishing
column I was interrupted with the horrendous news from New York and Washington.
Being a firefighter and paramedic here in Dade County for over twenty one years, I can
only imagine the horror that those firefighters and their families endured that morning.
My heartfelt condolences go out to their families and my brother and sister firefighters
for the tragedy that capsized their lives Tuesday morning.
Just as expected they are heading south. This week anglers found large schools of
Dolphin heading south off the Miami coastline. They ranged from four to ten pounds
with an occasional thirty pounder coming over the gunwales. Captains reported finding
them approximately ten miles out from the edge of the reef on a small weedline. It was
necessary to keep the boat in gear and heading south to keep up with the schools. Plenty
of fisherman found their limit of Dolphin within a few hours. This action should remain
well into October.
Another bright spot on the offshore fishing scene was the larger Kingfish caught off
Miami this past weekend. Anglers found good Kingfishing along the edge in 90 to 120
feet of water. An occasional “smoker” king was caught, a couple in the thirty pound
class. Live bait has been showing up in ever increasing numbers, and should not be a
problem to locate. You will find better Kingfishing using live baits. This time of the year
Pilchards should be easy to find and a live Pilchard attached to a small Eagle Claw L194
hook and a “stinger” #1 L774 treble hook should do the trick. A short piece of # 4 or #5
wire will be necessary to avoid frequent cutoffs.
Court Vernon from Captain Harry’s Fishing Supply in Miami ( 305-374-4661) reported a
major Squid run off Key Biscayne. While fishing offshore at night for Swordfish, his
crew had an unusual bite on their deep line which was down about 400 feet. The fish
didn’t strike like a Swordfish but gave a gentle and only an occasional pull. They reeled
the fish to the boat and was surprised to see an unusually large Squid attached to their
line. They described how the Squid changed colors from an incredible bright red to an
almost white color when the spot light was placed on it. Not only did the Squid change
colors , but the anglers changed colors too when they stuck a gaff in the squid and were
drenched with the black ink spurting from the squid. Court described it as an incredible
mess that took hours to clean. He also said it didn’t smell good either. But never to be
deterred from a little black ink and foul odor, Court and his buddies took the Squid to a
local Sushi restaurant and was shown the proper method of cleaning the Squid. They
proceeded to enjoy the best and LARGEST Squid they had ever eaten. The Squid
measured seven feet in length and weighed 27 pounds. He said the Sushi rings were as
big as their plates.
Coming September 29th and 30th on Saturday and Sunday is the 2001 Miami Florida
Sportsman Fishing Show. 10 am to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
$7.00 admission and kids 12 and under are free. There will be over a hundred exhibitors,
cast netting and fly casting demonstrations. It will be one of the biggest expositions of
fishing gear, outfitters, resorts, marine art, guides and charter boats brought to you by
Florida Sportsman Magazine. Continuous Inshore and Offshore Speakers, and a 500
gallon Grand Slam Fish Tank. The extravaganza will be held at the Miami- Dade County
Fair and Exposition Grounds at 10901 Coral Way in Miami. You can find a $1.00 off
coupon at the Florida Sportsman Web site at FLORIDASPORTSMAN.COM .
More Fishing Reports:
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