Islamorada Sailfish report

[Hookup1]

Friday evening I stopped at Wide World Sportsman and Bud & Mary's. Sailfishing was off the charts with dozen plus boats with dozen plus releases. Running around in the tower looking for groups of fish. No sprays. Pitching to them. Hasn't been this good but turned on Friday. Had to be 200+ releases.

Saturday not as good but still great. Most boats 8 or so releases. We fished Saturday. 2 sail releases, one wahoo cut leader at the boat and one kingfish. Fished 8 to 11. My wife was the angler and the only person onboard. She did a great job and even took pictures.

 

[Fishtales]

Very nice...

 

[Hookup1]

Released one yesterday and another today along with a big shark.

 

[Hookup1]

Been live baiting goggle eyes since the new moon. We can catch all the live ballyhoo we want but they are terrible baits. They don't slow troll well and die quickly on the kites.

Today was slow. Ran all over looking for sailfish. Charter guys are running down the beach "looking" from the towers. They can see them tailing and setup. Not something I can do. Today (Wednesday) was tough. Ran down to Long Key and worked back up. Wound up on a current line that we have been fishing all week in the afternoon. 220' of water there is a green/blue edge with scattered weeds. No action South/West. Moved East and we got there around 11. Two wahoo bites - one on mono and one on wire (got head back). One sail came up - nice view- but didn't eat. Large hammerhead came thru but we didn't want to mess with him.

Baitwell full of fresh goggs for the morning (Thursday). Wind picking up. Going to put the sea anchor out and let the current drag us up the beach. May put the kits up.

Friday a blowout. May fish Saturday (last possible fishing day). Then back to reality!

 

[dogdoc]

There are a few up here in Ft Pierce, got my first yesterday!

 

[Hookup1]

Nice!

Out again today. Released 2 - goggs off kite. Couple of toothy bite offs. Small mahi for dinner!

Saturday last fishing day. Heading home.

 

[Hookup1]

Today I was all thumbs. First stop put the chum bucket out. Tossed spinning reel pitch bait off the back of the boat, sailfish grabbed it almost as it landed. Line tangled up in reel, breaks off before I could get it free.

Brian hooks a sailfish on the other spinning reel. Fish takes off, sounds and we wind up chasing it for 20 minute. Fish comes back up and takes off again. Sounds. We turn the drag up and eventually pull the hook near the boat.

Down rod with wire trace takes off. Brian gets on it. We brake that one off! Snap swivel straightened likely due to my not closing it!

Couple of bite off, two small sharks chasing our baits and a couple of mystery bites. Wind drops completely out and we loose our drift. Not fishing Sunday - no wind. We’re done for 2023! Heading home.

 

[Hookup1]

Three tips that worked out well for live baiting this year.

Using the pool noodles for rigging needles, rubber bands and temporary hook holder while fishing.



The other is our transport system for getting goggle eyes to the boat. We can only get live goggs in Tavineer which is about 15 miles from the place we stay. I have a 4-port aquarium aerator connected via extension cord to an inverter in the truck. Usually 4 goggs per bucket but I have done 5. I have also used the battery powered aerators for 4 per bucket without problems.


The canal water at the house is crap. When I return with the goggs the 15-gallon oval baitwell (strapped to Eurotransom swim ladder) is empty. The goggs and their transport water go in the tank and the battery powered aerators go in. We try to get out ASAP. Once outside the baitwell pump is turned on to bring clean ocean water in.

At the end of the day we close off the baitwell, turn the pump off and install the battery powered aerators. At the dock we swap the AC powered aerator in. We have have been able to keep goggs for a day or two this way. It also lets us buy bait the afternoon before so we can get an early start.

Last we have been rigging the kite line for 4 clips. Drilling out a Black's clip to 1/8" for clip #2. Using beads for spacers, back to back nail knots, different color braid for each segments. Much better than swivels that fall apart or floss buildup to make the spacer.

 

[dogdoc]

way above my pay grade!

 

[Hookup1]

way above my pay grade!

It may be a little extreme!

 

[SkunkBoat]

What did you catch in the canal at night?

 

[Hookup1]

What did you catch in the canal at night?

We don't bother. Canal is only 4' at best and is closed at the end. No flow. This house is 300' from the ocean but it is shallow there too. We get a little turnover of water on the tide. Only get 1.5' of tide. Poor water quality especially on full and new moon.



Across from us is Manacumbe Resort - a timeshare place with many small boats in the low 20' range. The kids are catching small mangrove snapper. Needlefish, pilchards, occasional barracuda. Mullet. Manatee!

 

[SkunkBoat]

Oh ya dead end canals aren't that good.
Spent a few weeks on Summerland Key. Fantastic mangrove snapper fishing at night. Monster black grouper breaking off on the piles every time. Dead sticked a tarpon on a dolphin rack. Jumped his way down the canal til he finally threw it.

 

[Hookup1]

It's a great place to fish. Rather than fish a week or charter we prefer to "live" there and fish our own boat. We rent a place for a month or two and try to fish every day. February +/- is sailfish time. Grouper closed. No tarpon around. Occasional wahoo, blackfin and dolphin as by-catch. Mangrove and yellowtail fishing is best at night but I need my sleep - we do some. Been on the "Endless Summer" plan since 1995 with a few breaks and with this boat since 2008.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Summerland Key trip a few years ago. Rented a place for a month. Rotated family and friends thruogh...

We had my brother's 29 Aquasport and a canoe. here's a night's catch of mangroves in the canoe(only kept the big ones)

 

[Hookup1]

Nice catch!

I have never stayed below Key Colony Beach in Marathon. Fishing is better where you were. Less pressure. Access to the open bay unlike Islamorada.

You could never get that Aquasport in our canal!

 

[Hookup1]

Just left on the CM ferry. Back to Islamorada again this Winter. Lots of stuff to put together. Should be fishing by Christmas! Any GG Captains need info down here just PM me.

 

[Hookup1]

Just fought that Florida storm that moved up the coast. Trailering in the rain is no fun. Time it right though - overnight in Darian,GA as the rain started, left at 10am Sunday after it passed over. No wind and roads good all the way down - 80 miles of construction in NC but no delays.

 

[Hookup1]

Been here in Islamorada since Christmas. Fishing has been slow. Most days of reef and trolling have been zero's. Dead ocean. It usually flips around so we will see. Here for another month. We have caught blacken, amberjak, sails, kings but it's been sporadic.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Been here in Islamorada since Christmas. Fishing has been slow. Most days of reef and trolling have been zero's. Dead ocean. It usually flips around so we will see. Here for another month. We have caught blacken, amberjak, sails, kings but it's been sporadic.

My brother moved back to Pompano Bch. Bought a 23CC. He's been anchoring at night and catching snapper (yellowtail & mangrove). Dolphin is nada... They tried speed trolling for wahoo...nada...

Sails are usually a cold north wind in Feb thing. He doesn't target them cause you can't eat them.