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Miami, Florida - Offshore
Capt. Mark Houghtaling
May 9, 2000
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
Dolphin have finally arrived here in South Florida. This isn’t just a wave of
Dolphin moving through. This is the full fledged Dolphin run that we call our
Dolphin season, and there are big ones, small ones, and in-between ones.
Anglers have been having a field day catching Dolphin using all the classic
methods. Trolling has been very effective from the edge of the reef out to 600
feet of water. Of course, there have been many schoolies, but there are also
plenty of twenty and thirty pound fish too. Anglers fishing kites along the
edge for Sailfish are having no trouble catching their fair share of Dolphin.
The Frigate birds are out there also, and they can be a sure sign for locating a
big fish. One angler found two Frigate birds seventeen miles offshore and
followed the same two birds for hours. He said the birds would find a
Dolphin or school. They would troll under the bird and catch what fish was
there. They would then find the birds again, who by that time had located
another school of fish, and they would repeat the process all over again.
Many of the fish they found under the Frigate’s were over twenty pounds.
Meanwhile the Kitefishing along the edge of the Gulf Stream has been
excellent. Sailfishing has been as good as ever. Many catches of 4 to 5 fish
per day have been heard. Along with the Sails have been plenty of Dolphin.
We have been enjoying a nice run of Blackfin Tuna from Triumph Reef to
Government Cut. They are nice fish, in the twenty to twenty five pound class.
The Kingfishing has been good. They have been biting better in the earlier
morning hours. You will find many fish in the fifteen to twenty pound range.
And of course there are plenty of Bonehead’s( Bonita), and the houndfish
have moved in along the reef and can be a pain in the a.. if you let your boat
get in too shallow. Plenty of action, and all of it has been in close along the
reef. The wrecks are hot with Amberjack.
Coming up is the full moon in May. Mutton Snapper fishing should be
terrific. Best time should be the week just before the full moon. Live bait or a
Jig and Ballyho should work best. Legal size limit on Mutton’s is 16 inches
overall length, but these fish are spawning and should be well over the legal
size limit. A short word on these spawning fish. Many anglers will find a pile
of the fish on certain reefs or dropoffs, and make a fish kill out of a morning
or afternoon. Remember, these are spawning fish, and they will be
replenishing the supply of Muttons for years to come. Don’t make a pig of
yourself. In my opinion, we should not be fishing for these fish while they are
spawning. They should be left alone. But the you know the attitude now -a
days......let’s kill everything today and worry about it tomorrow. Good luck!
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