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Fishing Report for Northern Miami-Dade County
Capt. Dave Kostyo
April 19, 2004
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
For most of the week, the windy weather gave us sea conditions that only those with a strong stomach would want to fish in. The fishing action ranged the full gamut from a struggle to good fishing. Dolphin are showing up with a bit more consistency, there have been decent size kingfish on some days, the sailfish action has been spread out over a wide area and if you stopped in the right place, the action has been great, bonito have been filling in while waiting for other bites, and the tarpon fishing has been excellent with the fish showing a definite taste for crabs on the outside and shrimp in the Bay.
Tuesday (4/13), the Sagsveen family decided that the combination of rain storms and windy weather was not a day they wanted to fish. With a Thursday night opening, we rescheduled for a tarpon trip.
Wednesday (4/14) we fished in wind conditions from the NW/NNW @ 24 - 31 MPH. Just north of the hotels on Key Biscayne, we got into a double header of bonito that kept Fabio and Jason Nick busy. Putting the baits back out, the short flatline popped from the clip when we reached 130'. The sailfish crushed the bait, spit it back at us, swam past the stern of the boat, and showed no interest in another bait we tossed at it. The next hit turned out to be a large houndfish. By this time the wind had reached a steady 30 MPH and Fabio decided it was time to head in.
Wednesday (4/14) evening, Doug Gamlin and his girlfriend Deborah Judy were looking to challenge some tarpon. By now, the wind was coming from the WNW/NW @ 23 - 26 MPH and the sea conditions on the south side of the jetties at Government Cut were very fishable. Try as we might, the fish were absent from this area. Once it turned dark and the tide started out, we ran into the Bay. The action was hot and consistent. Within minutes of setting up, Doug had a fish on that we released. Next it was Deborah's turn and she showed the 50# tarpon who was boss. Back to Doug and he landed and released another tarpon. The final fish of the evening was also landed by Doug. Deborah got the big fish of the evening and was giving Doug some good natured ribbing about catching the biggest fish. All the action in the Bay came on live shrimp.
Thursday (4/15) evening the Sagsveen Family experienced their first tarpon trip. On our first drift, Rob hooked up and we proceeded to work our way to the main channel. Just before the fish went over the drop off, we got the official catch of the leader touching the rod tip. With the catch out of the way, the drag was tightened and Rob found out about fighting a large tarpon. His great form and constant pressure soon whipped the 120# tarpon and after a 45 minute battle it was released. Back to the south side and no more action during the remaining daylight hours and first drift after dark. Once again, it was time to head into the Bay. Liz was next up and very quickly she got two great jumps out a 30# fish before it threw the hook. We watched several fish make a pass at our baits and not take them. Then a 70# tarpon gobbled the bait down and Liz was winding frantically to keep up with the fish. It made 2 great jumps, ran toward the bow of the boat and abruptly changed directions toward the stern. Next it ran about 30 yards before coming up again in a 6' high twisting and cartwheeling jump that pulled the hook despite Liz's best effort. AMAZED is the only way to describe Liz's reaction. Next it was Joey's turn. He had a fish pull the bait down, however, it didn't connect. All this time, Dad (Paul) was enjoying watching his children doing battle and giving moral encouragement. He was heard to say that he was glad that it was Rob and Liz on the fish rather than him, because his back was hurting him just watching them. Joey will be first up on their next trip. Hang in there Joey, your time is coming.
Friday (4/16) morning, Bob and Lisa Larsen from Arvada, Colorado wanted a half day of fishing for dolphin. The wind was NE @ 17 - 23 MPH. Catching bait was accomplished quickly with both Bob and Lisa amazed at how the bait would eat a sabiki rig. They had never used the rigs before and got the hang of it very quickly. Off we went straight out from Government Cut to 220'. During the first drift, the seas got the best of Bob. He hung in there and we set up a second drift starting in 300'. We heard of a few dolphin being caught from under a turtle, some king action, and lots of bonito south of Fowey. Bob's condition was not improving any, however, he still hung in. At 170' Lisa saw the sailfish shortly after I did. It knocked the herring off our long flatline. I quickly rebaited and threw out another herring. Just as the bait hit the water, the deep rod got hit and the sailfish was hooked up and none to happy about it. Lisa grabbed the rod, I cleared lines and the sailfish jumped several times, tailwalked in circles and charged the boat before reversing directions and heading seaward. This was Lisa's first sailfish and teamwork between us soon had the fish in photo range. Bob worked the camera and it wasn't long before we got some great shots of Lisa's first sailfish caught on 12# Cajun Red Cast Line and the new Pflueger Contender 7550 size reel. By now, Bob went as far as he could and we headed in for some calmer water. The south side of Government Cut was still too much for him, so we headed back to Spinnaker Marina via the Bay. Lisa still could not get over the fact that she had caught a sailfish, but she had the pictures to prove it. They are both looking forward to another trip with thoughts of calmer sea conditions next time.
Saturday (4/17), Nancy and I celebrated our 22nd anniversary. This is one of two days during the year when I do not schedule a charter. We took a Bay cruise (no rods on board) during the late morning and early afternoon. Saturday evening we continued our celebration by dining at her favorite seafood restaurant in Ft. Lauderdale. The years have gone by quickly and I'm looking forward to the next 22 years.
Sunday (4/18) we rescheduled our trip to next Sunday in hopes of getting calmer seas for Fred and Eileen Clark's grandson to take his first offshore trip in the Atlantic Ocean. I hope the weather Gods are listening. Sunday afternoon Nancy and I joined other members of the South Florida Fishing Club (SFFC) for a BBQ in conjunction with their Club Sailfish Tournament.
That brings me up to date. I've got both tarpon and offshore trips scheduled for this coming week. I'll keep you posted as soon as I can. I also have a few days available the remainder of April. Give me a call and lets go catch some fish.
Captain Dave
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