End of Summer
Capt. Dean Panos
September 7, 2026
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
Happy Labor Day to everyone. Labor Day signifies the end of summer and for me I couldn't be happier for summer to end. It has been and incredibly hot summer is South Florida, and it has been the slowest summer I have ever had. I'm not sure if it's the economy or just that other people don't like this heat either, but tourism has been down and the locals are not fishing as much in the summer. The mahi fishing this summer has been rather poor as well. And lastly, the amount of sargassum we had this summer was astounding. It's one thing to have big mats of sargassum to find fish off, but when the sargassum is literally everywhere it makes trolling nearly impossible and you have no idea which patch of grass will hold fish, since there are patches everywhere.
We are heading into fall, and fall is an absolutely great time to fish in South Florida. To start, it is the beginning of our fall daytime swordfishing season. Typically, we get our best action on swords from late September to February with October through December being great. The size of the swords increases as does that number of fish hooked. It's been a few years back, but we have caught 11 swordfish during the day twice and both times where in the fall. I'm looking forward to this fall and looking forward to catching more swordfish on conventional tackle vs electric gear.
Mahi fishing is so much better right now that it was in the summer. The mahis are bigger and seem to be more plentiful. The past three years September and October were substantially better than the summer mahi fishing. This is also the time you will find some of the bigger bull dolphin around.
Kite fishing will also be our go to tactic beginning in fall. Soon we will be putting up the kites targeting sailfish. While sailfishing you can also get strikes for mahis, kingfish, blackfin tunas, wahoo etc. It's by far my favorite way to fish in South Florida, and there is nothing as exciting as seeing a sailfish come up and eat your live bait suspended on the surface under your kite.
Lastly will be the high-speed trolling for wahoo. We set out 5 rods and troll artificials at 15 knots and there is quite nothing like to the sound of the reel when a wahoo hits it at that speed. You literally think the reel is going to explode so make sure your tackle is up to par and every part of your tackle including terminal tackle is in top shape. I learned this a long time ago; we can't control when or whether a fish hits but we can control our tackle and ANY fish lost due to tackle failure is shame on you. I realize issues do occur but stay on top of your tackle to minimize any failures.
As you can see, I am excited about fall and the boat (new motors, new electronics, fresh bottom paint and new cushions coming up), the tackle and the crew are ready to take you on some amazing fishing trips this fall. Make your plans now and you can book your trip directly online or give me a call. Looking forward to a great fall season!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Dean Panos
Miami Fishing Forecast:
Great Daytime Swordfish.Great High Speed Trolling for wahoo, beginning of kite fishing for sailfish
Target Species:
Swordfish, Sailfish, Mahis, Wahoo
More Fishing Reports:
