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Miami, Florida - Offshore
Capt. Mark Houghtaling
January 1, 2001
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
This week we saw record cold temperatures put a chill on us and the coastal
waters as well. Without a doubt the colder temperatures will affect our
fishing. As always finding bait inside the bay will be nearly impossible.
Pilchards will put on a disappearing act as soon as the bay waters get below
72 degrees. I haven’t found out where they go. They either leave the bay or
hug the bottom where the birds can’t see them and you can’t detect them on
your depth finder. However, there should still be plenty of bait outside of the
bay around the markers and patch reefs.
Prior to the cold front, Sailfishing was terrific from Key Largo to Miami.
Fish were found from 90 to approximately 150 feet of water. There was no
“hard” edge but a consistent northerly current, and fairly clean water,
provided plenty of action for the kite fisherman. Mixed in with the Sails were
sporadic waves of Dolphin moving through. At times there were so many
Dolphin you would have thought it was the middle of June. Then, as fast as
they showed up, they were gone again. Look for the Dolphin action to be in
close along the edge of the reef where they will be searching for flying fish.
The Dolphin have been averaging between 3 and 10 pounds. Almost all the
Dolphin action I found was while kite fishing with live bait along the edge,
however, I’m sure you could have caught plenty by trolling lures in this same
productive area. King Mackerel fishing is on the rise. More and bigger fish
have been moving into the area. I found bigger fish midway between
Triumph Reef and Fowey Light. They should be common up and down the
reef from Key Largo to Miami.
One angler reported good Spanish Mackerel fishing inside the bay off Marker
21, which is located just inside Biscayne Channel near Stiltsville. The fish
were averaging 3 to 5 pounds and were hitting live Pilchards and jigs. They
caught a dozen Mackerel on an incoming tide while chumming with frozen
chum. They even caught a few Bluefish. Sounding like the old days may be
returning? We can only hope.
The cooler water temperatures can really turn on the patch fishing. Might be
worth a try in the coming weeks prior to the next full moon. Also a shrimp
run should be in the works almost any night now, if it hasn’t happened
already.
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