 |
Miami, Florida - Offshore
Capt. Mark Houghtaling
January 9, 2001
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
Sailfishing is reaching a peak to the north of us off Jupiter and Ft. Pierce.
Anglers are having a field day catching and releasing as many as fifteen fish
per day. It’s common for these fish to make their presence there during the
colder parts of the year. A steady stream of cold fronts should keep them
there, when about February, they should make a dash for the Miami coast.
That’s not to say that we are not having terrific Sailfishing in our waters right
now. There have been plenty of fish off Triumph Reef, north to Government
Cut, and especially off the whistle buoy off north Key Largo.
During a recent outing the current was slow and there was no wind to fly a
kite, so we ventured offshore about six to eight miles and found a nice rip
with huge mats of Sargassum weed floating nearby. It didn’t take long to find
plenty of Dolphin swimming in and around the weed. The calm winds
together with the rip apparently had pushed the weeds together to form mats
of seaweed the size of a truck. Many anglers think that this occurrence only
happens during the summer months, but if the conditions are right, it can
happen any time of the year and with good results. We left the fish to make it
back to the dock to watch the Dolphins lose, but we were winners with a few
Dolphin ( Mahi Mahi) in the box for dinner.
North of Triumph reef there has been a school of very small Kingfish. Many
of the fish are not even legal keeping size (24 inches), however at times they
get very hungry and are great action on light tackle. Look for them from 80 to
100 feet of water. On recent trips we have caught Kingfish in the 20 to 30
pound class but they were caught on the kite, and it seems that the bigger fish
are hungrier during the late afternoon.
Anglers having boats with large towers are still locating Cobia in Hawks
Channel. Capt. Quinton Dierterle on the “Cutting Edge”, 305-299-6031,
found a huge school of 20 to 25 pound fish swimming on the surface. He
managed to catch his limit. He said clean water is necessary to find the fish
which are following sting rays.
Anglers are still reporting excellent “patch” fishing on the smaller reefs east
of the keys. This past week there has been a larger presence of Mutton
Snapper feeding in the chum line. Live Ballyho are getting the most strikes.
Spanish Mackerel have also been prevalent inside Hawks Channel.
On Thursday nights, from 7pm to 8pm, at the Old Cutler Raw Bar, South Dixie Highway
and SW 184 Street, come listen to “Fishing South Florida Style”. This is an hour long
live radio show hosted by Mike Pace, Captain Rob Fordyce, Captain Marty Locke, and
Captain Mark Houghtaling. Offshore and inshore fishing topics are covered during the
live radio broadcast, and you can pick up a few tips from the radio hosts after the show.
You can also catch the show on Thunder Country 100.3 FM.
Captain Mark Houghtaling wants to hear from you. Send him your latest catches and
pictures to15920 SW 85 Ave. Miami, Fla. 33157, or E-Mail him at [email protected].
Capt Mark also has a charter fishing service ,you can call him at 305-253-1151 or check
out his web page at http://www.magicfin.com
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
