Tuna Time
Capt. Dean Panos
May 9, 2017
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
Spring is definitely here and right on time are the big blackfin tunas. We had smaller 5 to 20 pound tunas around for almost the whole winter but now we are getting the 30 to 35 pound blackfins, which are typical from April through June. As a matter of fact just this past weekend we caught a 37-pound blackfin as well as a 35 pounder and a 34 pounder. 37 pounds is huge for a blackfin. I have two world records on my boat for blackfins and both were just over 39 pounds so as you can see 37pounds is big! The blackfin bite has also been very consistent all this month, and we are catching anywhere from 2 to 5 blackfins a day.
Besides the blackfin tunas, we are also catching sailfish on a daily basis. We may have one or two more double-digit days left this spring but for the most part it's been 1 to 4 sailfish per day. Not only has the sailfish bite been consistent, but also the spring sailfish have been on the bigger side and catching a 70 pounder is almost the norm. We had one sailfish eat a kite bait and immediately start jumping and due to the size of the fish and the fact that the dorsal fin was tucked in, I thought we either had a white marlin of a small blue marlin on. After the fish took us in over 400 feet of water and we fought it for an hour I was convinced it was either a white or a blue. After a lot of pressure we slowly inched up the fish to see it was a 90-pound sailfish hooked in the tail. It was a great fight on light tackle.
We have also seen some mahis on the edge and quite a few fish have been in the 15 to 30 pound range but we are now getting into the season that we will start seeing more mahis in the Gulfstream and bigger schools of them as well. While you can still catch a 30 or 40 pounder in the Stream, most of the mahis will be schoolies with some bigger ones mixed in. I would venture to say that this will happen within the next few weeks and that's good because now is the time to be booking your summer mahi trips in the Gulfstream. This is an absolute great trip for kids and a family as there is usually plenty of action and lots of fish. It is also very visual as you can see the big schools of mahis swimming all around the boat.
We are also getting into the season of summer time Bimini trips. There we will be fishing for snappers and groupers and also yellowfin tuna in NW Channel. Bimini is a great and safe place and a perfect outing for the family. The only issue is you need to reserve early as the hotels and dockage get booked quick. So whether it's fishing on the edge, summer mahi trips in the Gulfstream or multi day trips to the Bahamas, now is the time to book your summer fishing trip. Also lets not forget about our great summer daytime swordfishing!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Dean Panos
Miami Fishing Forecast:
Tunas and sails on the edge, mahis in the gulf stream, snappers and groupers in the Bahamas
Target Species:
tuna, sailfish, mahis
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