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Miami, Florida - Offshore
Capt. Mark Houghtaling
April 23, 2001
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
World class Sailfishing was seen last week during the Coco Plum Sailfishing
Tournament. 382 Sailfish were released from 48 boats during three days of
fishing. Two weeks before, 404 Sailfish were released from 121 boats during
the Yamaha Miami Billfish Tournament, and in February, 217 Sailfish were
released from 62 boats fishing the Captain Bob Lewis Billfish Challenge.
Miami’s Sailfishing now rivals the Florida Keys. Heavy baitfishing for
Ballyho has decreased the bait supply so much that anglers believe the fish
move to Miami in search of food. Local’s in Miami believe that possibly the
extensive artificial reef system off Miami holds a tremendous supply of bait
and is keeping the fish here. Many anglers are pointing to the catch and
release efforts over the past ten years that have paid off. It’s no longer
necessary to travel thousands of miles to distant places to experience great
Sailfishing. Miami is the premier spot for catching Sailfish in the United
States. In the past, anglers wanting to bring a fish home for mounting or
eating were congratulated and proud to have his fish hung on a nail at the
dock for a picture. Today, an angler has to bring the fish back secretly to
avoid being chastised by other captains and fisherman. Rarely is a fish kept
for mounting. All that is needed is an approximate size of the fish, and most
taxidermists can duplicate your fish exactly how you remembered him before
you released him. Many captains will oblige an angler by bringing a Sailfish
aboard for a quick picture and then a release. If they are handled carefully,
little or no damage will occur to the fish......if they are handled carefully little
or no damage will occur to the mate or person grabbing the fish. Many of the
fish caught during these past three tournaments were small. This would
indicate to me that these are young fish and that the larger and mature fish
are breeding and doing a good job of sustaining the fishery. However, other
fisherman believe that the lack of larger fish being caught would indicate
there may not be much breeding taking place and we may see a decrease in
the fishery in the next couple of years. I’m sure we will see small increases
and decreases over the next few years, but for the most part I see Sailfishing
remaining strong for years to come.
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