Sailfish, Tarpon And More, OH YEAH!!
Capt. Dave Kostyo
April 14, 2008
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
It's time to get caught up with the fishing trips aboard Knot Nancy, so lets get straight to it.
The father and son team of Scott and Nick Osborne sample the good tarpon fishing available in Miami during the winter. We had the conditions to fish both at the Inlets and in the Bay during the same trip. We started at Government Cut where we went 2 for 3. The trip was finished in the Bay where our total was 1 for 3.
Tony Tavares and his wife Kathy also wanted to sample the tarpon fishing. They opted for a 6 hour trip that also gave us the opportunity to fish at Government Cut on the outside and then move into the Bay to finish the trip. We got the strikes at Government, however, we just couldn't seem to keep the hook in the fish for more than two jumps. We did land and release a spanish mackerel. In the Bay, we had much better success with keeping the hook in the tarpon. Of the 3 shots we got, we landed and released 2 fish.
Long time friends Alan Swan and James Macguire were vacationing from Ireland. They had read and heard about tarpon fishing and wanted to try it out for themselves. Government Cut was alive with tarpon rolling every where and they were also very cooperative. By the end of the evening, both Alan and James had a new found respect for the silver king. They just couldn't believe how hard and long the might tarpon could fight. Final total for the evening was 3 for 5.
Friends Bill Yerby, Todd Butsch, and Alan Sivek did an afternoon/evening trip looking to catch sailfish and tarpon. We had 1 opportunity offshore on the kite and we took good advantage of it with a sailfish. During the evening portion of the trip, it was 2 for 2 on tarpon and 2 large jack crevalles.
Tom Hunt and Lindsay Glazer were each seeking their first tarpon. We started at Government Cut where there were tarpon rolling every where. Try as we might, they had lockjaw. When it got dark, the wind died and our drift was almost non-existent. The decision was made to wait out the tide and then move into the Bay. It turned out to be the right one. At 11:55 PM we were in position. By the time we pulled anchor to go in at 1:30 PM, we had 6 fish on and successfully landed and released 3 fish to 80 pounds. Both Tom and Lindsay had caught their first tarpon.
Phil Philipowowich and his wife Marilyn from Saskatchewan, Canada fished for tarpon for the first time. This evening was another one of those hard to keep the fish hooked up evenings. We had plenty of bites and saw lots of jumping fish that gave us back out hook. When the evening ended we were 1 for 4 and had Phil hooked on tarpon fishing.
Phil and Marilyn were back for an afternoon/evening trip. Marilyn wanted to catch a sailfish and Phil wanted to do battle with more tarpon. The offshore portion was a success with 1 for 2 on sailfish, 5 dolphin, 1 kingfish, and 1 barracuda all caught on the kite baits in the 190 - 235 foot range. The tarpon cooperated again both Phil and Marilyn each released a tarpon before we headed back to TNT Marine Center.
An evening tarpon trip with Taylor McCann and his wife Cristina had Taylor catching his first two tarpon as Cristina took lots of pictures and got some video. With an outgoing tide and a strong east wind, they got to experience the roughness of the deep water of the main channel, having to make way for a container ship going out the channel, and the overall hard fight of a large tarpon in deep water. Before we caught the second tarpon, 2 ladyfish got in on the action. Taylor was very hands on with hooking baits and putting them out. On the last drift of the evening, he had just finished putting out the third bait and locked the reel, when it slammed over hard and hooked up with the second tarpon of the evening. This one also took us to the main channel and by this time the tide was coming in, so the water was much calmer. He made quick work of landing his second tarpon and it was time to head in.
Eileen Clark treated her grand children, Jacob (16 years old), Olivia (13 years old), and Natalie (10 years old) Whitney to a 3/4 day fishing trip. Jacob and Olivia had fished with me before. This was Natalie's first trip. We added about 3 dozen herring to the pilchards we had bought and headed south to the end of Key Biscayne. There was very little wind, so I slow trolled two flatlines and a downrigger bait. In 150 feet, the downrigger got hit and we were hooked up with a not to happy sailfish. Natalie started the fight with the help of her brother Jacob. When she tired, Olivia took over and continued fighting the fish. Jacob was on the rod when we brought the fish alongside and got a group shot before releasing the fish. Eileen was busy with the video and digital cameras and had a smile on her face that was a mile wide. The three exhausted angler went up front and rested while Eileen and I put the baits back out. It didn't take long and Natalie was fighting her first bonito. Lines out again and this time it was Olivia catching and releasing a bonito. A remora cut in on the action and after its release, it decided to follow us around for most of the remainder of the trip. More bonito action and this time it was Jacob who fought the fish. We were looking for something to take home to eat and it wasn't until almost the very end of the trip before the downrigger produced again and this time Eileen caught the kingfish that went home for dinner.
As you can see, the tarpon fishing has been very good as well as the offshore fishing. I've had lots of family groups that have enjoyed the time together fishing. What better way to enjoy quality time together than on a fishing trip.
The action offshore with sails should continue as we progress through April. The dolphin fishing will get better and the blackfin tuna will be making their showing very soon. Inshore, the tarpon action will continue into May and June with plenty of large fish to test your skills.
Don't put off booking your trip. You'd not want to miss out on the action. Give me a call 305 965-9454 or email me [email protected] to schedule your trip. Family's are always welcome. Let get out together and make some memories.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters, Inc.
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
[email protected]
Miami Fishing Forecast:
Sailfish will remain strong throughout April and into May. More dolphin and large ones will make the scene in late April through May. Blackfin tuna should begin to make their yearly showing for late April, May, and June.
Inshore, tarpon will continue to be plentiful in May and June.
Captain Dave
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