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Miami, Florida - Offshore
Capt. Mark Houghtaling
January 20, 2002
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sailfishing has been in full swing up and down our coast, and Miami is producing its share of predicted catches. Typically, February is a banner month for the die-hard sailfisherman. Many anglers flying kites off the edge of the reef will record double-digit releases this month. In fact, sailfishing off Miami in February, can rival that of Mexico and other countries to the south. The typical sailfisherman will suspend live baits from a kite or possibly two kites with two baits on each kite outfit. Not only will they find sailfish in their spread, they will encounter many other offshore species that make their way to South Florida during the winter months.
Many people think dolphin fishing is only good during the spring and summer months. But, during the wintertime, dolphin can be found along the reef in search of baitfish that is being pushed up against the drop-off by the Gulf Stream. Pick a day when the winds switch to the southeast and occasionally you can find enough dolphin to fill a cooler in a matter of hours. Most of the fish you find this time of the year will be schoolies from three to six pounds. Kingfish will be in the same areas as the dolphin and sailfish and will readily hit the same baits used for sailfish. However, if you want to target kings exclusively, a live bait fished deeper on a downrigger or weighted line will increase the chances of a kingfish strike. The line can be fished off the side of the boat while you are kitefishing. During a recent trip we encountered schools of bonito along the reef, which became a problem while we were kite fishing. They were stealing our kite baits that were being fished for sailfish. They are hard fighters and it can be fun to catch one or two, but after that, they become a nuisance. We had a baitwell full of live pilchards so we began to chum with the live baits to try and bring the bonito close to the boat. In a matter of minutes we had the bonito boiling behind the boat and we brought out the flyrods. They soon became our number one target and we spent the next hour catching and releasing bonito on fly. They are a thrill for any angler on a fly rod. In February, cobia will begin migrating south along the eastern coast of Florida. They will be following large rays moving to the south. Look for the rays along sandy white bottom. Anglers with high tuna towers can locate them fairly easily. The area off Key Biscayne is a very good area to start your search. If you do find a ray with cobia behind it, cast a live bait to the ray. You may have to weight the bait to get it down to where the ray and cobia are swimming. Current size limits are 33 inches from the tip of the head to the fork of the tail and a bag limit of 1 fish per person per day or 6 fish per vessel per day which ever is less.
The bottom bite has been good and should continue through February. Anglers trolling the reefs with wire line have had a few excellent days fishing for Grouper. You can find these fish up on the shallower reefs from twenty to thirty feet of water. Artificial plugs and rigged dead baits will see most of the action. During a recent patch-fishing trip, we found the fishing to be very good. We caught a variety of bottom fish which included mutton snapper over ten pounds, cero mackerel, mangrove snapper, loads of undersize grouper, yellow jacks and porgies. We used live pilchards and live ballyhoo for bait. A few anglers have been finding bigger mutton snapper in 100 feet of water between Pacific Reef and Carysfort Reef.
Captain Mark Houghtaling is available for charter on his new 31-foot Contender the “Magic Fingers”. He fishes the offshore waters of the Miami area and can accommodate up to four people. For more information call him at 305-253-1151 or check his web page at www.magicfin.com.
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