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Fishing Report for Northern Miami-Dade County
Capt. Dave Kostyo
May 9, 2003
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
Fishing off the Miami area between Key Biscayne and Haulover Inlet has been very good this past week, so lets get to the day by day results.
Saturday (5/3) was an afternoon/evening trip. Catching bait has been very easy at Haulover Inlet, so with ample bait we ran offshore. There was little to no current and with those conditions, we ran south looking for things to improve. Off Key Biscayne, there was still green water, however, there was some north current. We caught and release a couple of kingfish. Then in 135', we hooked something that will forever remain a mystery. The fish moved north and then went straight to the bottom where we were unable to move it on the 12# spinning tackle. We finally broke the fish off after a 30 minute struggle.
Time to go tarpon fishing. The two anglers were discussing how they were going to share time on any fish that we hooked. They agreed on 15 minutes each. We had a very subtle hit on each bait that I had out. The tarpon ate and swam toward us. When we caught up to the fish, we were hooked to it with both rods. Talk about sharing time, they were both fighting the same 120# fish. After 20 minutes, one of the leaders wore through and we continued fighting the fish on one outfit. An hour later, with both anglers completely worn out, I released the fish.
Sunday (5/4) was a 3/4 day trip. Bait was once again a snap. The it was a run offshore to look for dolphin. That is exactly what it was, a look. Not wanting to waste to much time in search of dolphin, I ran back to the north anchorage area and slow trolled from 250' in. At 130', the downrigger hooked up and Eileen Clark was fighting a very stubborn fish on a 12# spinning outfit. After 30 minutes and lots of guessing, we were all wrong as I gaffed a 25# amberjack that was destined for the smoker. More slow trolling and we released a small kingfish. Several other baits got chopped in half. All the action came on the downrigger fished 40' deep.
Sunday evening's tarpon trip turned out to be a down to the wire one. We arrived on the south side of Government Cut and immediately saw tarpon rolling and blasting baits. We put out our crabs and waited. Then we waited some more. Dusk came and went and we waited. Time clicked by and we waited. The fish just seemed to disappear. At about 10 minutes to 10, Kevin said that he was getting chilly and we would try it again on another night. I pulled in the se anchor, reeled in the bow rod, and then someone said "This reel just clicked". I watched the back rod slowly bend over and then line screamed off the reel as 100#'s of angry tarpon headed for the beach on Fisher Island. We released the fish long before it could make its way to the deep water of the main channel. Talk about your coming through at the last possible minute, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Monday (5/5) we fished a full day. Dennis and Vern got the hang of catching bait almost instantly. The well was full in no time. The ESE/SE wind had picked up quite a bit from Sunday, so I started my drifts out deeper. We moved south and kept moving south. By noon time, we were still looking for our first hit and I had covered the area from Haulover down to Government Cut. Back up off the anchorage area, I started to slow troll. That was the answer. Within 5 minutes, we caught an 8# kingfish. Then a 10# barracuda. Next it was a small brown shark on the downrigger. Then the downrigger produced a 12# kingfish, a finally a remora that Vern won the bet on for the most unusual fish. Dennis wanted to try for some dolphin, so I ran out to 495' for the last hour of the trip. Five minutes later, a turtle surfaced about 200' away from the boat. I made a comment about how dolphin sometimes follow turtles around. The bow rod hooked up right after that and then the stern rod. Both had dolphin. A larger one swam up to Dennis' fish and I tossed a bait to it and Chris was hooked to a 12# bull. We caught all 3 fish and that ended the action for the day. Chris and Suzette caught the largest fish and won the bets with their husbands. You know who was buying the round of drinks that evening.
Wednesday (5/7) evenings tarpon trip was the best of the week. Neil and Kathyrn from Brentwood, England were visiting their friend Neil from Coral Gables. Most of their vacation was spent fishing both offshore and at Flamingo. Before going home on Friday, they wanted another round of catching large tarpon. Half way through the first drift, Neil from CG got a 100# tarpon. On the next drift, Kathyrn caught her 100# tarpon. The next drift, her husband Neil hooked up to one mean and ornery 120# tarpon. The fish went where it wanted to go and soon we were in the deep water of the main channel. All the action was caught on film, so there will be no denying the pain and suffering that he went through to catch that great tarpon. After regrouping, the action wasn't over yet. Neil from CG then caught a 40# fish and Kathyrn got another turn and also caught a 40# fish. We tried hard for another fish for Neil, but it was just not to be. As they put it, 5 for 5 with 3 very tired and worn out anglers and one happy guide. I couldn't have said it better myself. Every fish was caught on a crab.
Thursday (5/8) evening tarpon fishing once again. What a difference a day makes. Dennis and Vern from Nebraska wanted to catch a tarpon after seeing them feeding on the scraps as I cleaned their fish on Monday afternoon. There were just a few fish rolling when we arrived at the Cut. There were 7 boats trying to get a tarpon to feed. Finally, just after the sun set, we hooked up and by the time Vern had picked up the rod, the fish jumped and threw the hook. I quickly set up again and hooked up solid this time. We were gaining line back and then it went slack. The tarpon bit through the leader. Another quick reset and this time, Dennis hooked up and we caught and released a very feisty 40# tarpon. After that, the fish disappeared and we got no more bites the remained of the evening.
I'll be fishing for 3/4 of a day tomorrow and then on Sunday, it off to Marsh Harbour for a week where I'll be a part of the crew on the 45' Hatteras "Bill Time". We'll be fishing in the Bertram-Hatteras Shoot Out. See you all in a week.
Captain Dave
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