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Miami - Haulover to Fowey Light
Capt. Dean Panos
November 19, 2001
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
11/27/01
Ft. Lauderdale Billfish Tournament
We didn’t come into the money, but we came close. We had the daily won on the third day, but in the last hour someone caught a third sailfish to win. We fished the tournament hard, but the fishing was tough. 69 boats entered and only 131 billfish were caught. The lead boat had 7 sailfish, and the 10th place boat had 5. We were tied for 14th place with 14 other boats with 3 sailfish releases.
The first day we ran all the way up to Palm Beach. On the way up, my depth recorder transducer stopped working, so we fished without knowing the depth, which put us in a disadvantage. We went 1 for 2 working a deep edge. The second sailfish was within 12 ft of the boat (2 feet from the leader), before the leader gave way. This tournament allows 10 ft leaders, while most other tournaments are 15 ft leaders.
For the second and third day we used the 34 ft SeaVee. What a ride. The 3-5 footers on Saturday and the 4-6 footers on Sunday were no match for this monster. (www.seaveeboats.com)
The second day we went 0-1 but saw 2 other sailfish that never ate. The third day we caught 2 out of 2, with confirmation numbers 1 and 3. Because the prize money is based on total fish, and ties are broken by earliest time, we were in good shape, unless someone caught three sailfish, which in the last hour they did. All said and done, it was a lot of fun.
Tournament rules this year required the use of circle hooks. A circle hook prevents deep hooking a sailfish and allows for better survival. Although some anglers do not like circle hooks, they do have advantages if fished properly. With a circle hook, it is imperative that you do not set the hook or yank on the rod at hookset. Allow the fish to run and by the nature of the hook design, the hook should lodge in the corner or the hinge of the mouth. I have been using circle hooks for years on tarpon and love them for tarpon. As any other fisherman, I was apprehensive using circle hooks in comparison to my faithful J-Hooks. A few weeks ago, I made the commitment to switch completely to circle hooks. Since that time I have had 17 sailfish strikes and landed 16. The one that we lost on day one, I don’t count as a loss, since with a normal leader it would have been a release. Although it is a bit early, I hope the ratio stays. It will allow for healthier release of billfish, while keeping a great hook up ratio.
The hooks I have been using are Eagle Claw 2004 EL. Look them up on the web at www.eagleclaw.com
Capt. Dean Panos
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