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Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 36
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: 
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, April 17, 2007 - 11:49 am: | |
Global warming???? We are still experiencing cold fronts making their way through Florida. By the time they get to South Florida they are not much of a “cold” front but still remain a significant pressure front, with lows in the lower 50's, and that is cold for us in mid April. These high pressure fronts affect our fishing dramatically. The day before or the day after a frontal pattern can be feast or famine, a feeding frenzy or lockjaw shutdown. The coastal and offshore fishermen, fishing deeper water, realize the bite is almost non-existent during the approach of a front and dramatically increases after its arrival.
Yesterday my trip reflected this fact in a big way. It also had a few other quirks thrown in for good measure. Kevin and Kate arrived at 9 AM instead of the normal 7 AM shove off time. We exchanged introductions quickly as we departed the dock. We arrived at a preferred bait patch only to find the mooring ball gone. Rather than taking a chance of throwing the anchor into the coral, I opted for another patch close by. GREAT! Our late departure found us with a ripping offshore current and the winds laying me towards shore. The chum is running under the boat as we scan the surface looking for bait, only seeing a few Chubs rising to the chum. The incoming tide wasn't due for another 3 hours, so I pulled up everything, fired up the Hondas, and pointed The BEAST offshore. The decision was to try and troll up some of the many Dolphin that have been showing up in fish boxes at the docks. We worked offshore in the 200’ to 600’ depths, SE of the Whistle Buoy. The farther we went, the more the ocean looked like a desert barren of cacti (weeds). The radio traffic was quiet, and infrequent information was not good. Someone asked if anyone was catching at all, and the answer was total radio silence. After plying the waters for a couple hours with only one strike on the long rigger, I made my way shoreward surmising that the strong SE wind must have the fish tight against the edge. We worked northward fishing the 120-200’ depths and finally got a double hook up on Bonitos. Shortly thereafter, we hooked up a double on “schoolie” Dolphin. The fishing was slow to say the least. I pulled lines and blasted into the bait patch again to make a second attempt at catching some live bait. The tide had changed and the bait popped up quickly. As we began catching bait, the radio chatter picked up. Many were packing it in and heading home. One Captain cited the incoming front as the culprit to this mediocre fishing, but when fishing a charter you must try and make the best of a bad situation. Kevin suddenly announces that he wanted to be back at the dock by 4 PM so they could hit South Beach that evening. OK! Now the fishing time narrows to only 1-½ hours. I figured 12 baits would be sufficient for this limited time. As we were unhooking bait #10, Kate felt seasick and by bait # 11 she was done. Just as suddenly, I get the “word” and we're headed back to the barn. By the time we arrived at the dock, Kate was feeling better. They both agreed that I did all I could do, a valiant effort on a bad day. Que sera’ sera’, what will be will be!
This was not the case on the 2 previous trips, thank God! Those trips had much better results with no hiccups. Bob and his friends caught 12 Dolphin up to 30# with 3 Kingfish over 20# in the mix. Jeff and his crew caught 7 Kingfish up to 23# and went 0 for 2 on Sails.
This is the story of 2007 so far. El Nino weather blocked most of the usual frontal passages during the winter. El Nino lifted and now we are getting cold fronts when we should be having spring like weather. That is the just the way it is sometimes. We give it our best shot and let the chips fall where they may. Most of the time it works out very well and everyone leaves the dock with a smile. Today as I write this report it is 56 degrees with the winds howling out of the NW at 24 knots. I have mixed feelings. I am warm, dry, and comfortable, but I wish I was out there chasing fish on a frontal feeding frenzy. I guess I'm just ate up with it, huh?
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 35
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 02, 2007 - 4:31 pm: | |
This winter season has been black and white with no gray area, at all. We have had some really slow days and some really busy days. Hopefully we will have a good month in March to finish off the peak of Sailfish season with a bang while sliding right into a good run of big Bull and Cow Dolphin. I have my fingers and toes crossed.
My last 2 trips painted a perfect picture of the black and white, yin and yang, of this winter season. I fished Skip and his crew on a full day. We had to hit 2 bait patches to find enough bait to fish the day and my Calusa net sealed the deal on the 2nd bait patch. We had plenty of bait and shot offshore the 1/4 mile to a beautiful, well pronounced, blue/green color change. This rip was a dream come true with the only downfall being that it was in deeper water than we normally like to fish this time of year. The other problem was that the seas on the clear blue side were 7-8' while the reef edge a short distance away was only 2-3' with dirty, ugly, green water. We caught a Dolphin straight away within minutes of putting out our baits and then struggled. Alex (mate) was diligent, keeping the baits clean and fresh but nothing seemed to matter. We worked a wreck right on the color change and couldn't draw a bite while alternating 3 different types of bait. After Skip started getting queasy we opted to go in on the edge and see if any fish were using the dirty green water. We did manage to hook up and land 3 big Bonito out of 2 assaults and finished the day with a small Silky Shark. Tough doesn't begin to describe this day of fishing.
The next trip was with Jon and Chris, who have fished with me many times. Alex and I met them at 7 AM and we cast off the lines running immediately out to the bait patch that scored yesterday. Not one bait rose to the chum, go figure. We went in to the patch that didn't produce the day before and pulled the bait up like they were starving. We caught all our necessary bait for the day, on hook and line. Alex and I were smiling as we headed offshore with prime "hookers" knowing we had the best bait we could possibly have. I decided to fish farther north than I usually do, opting for some lesser fished areas. As we were running to the area I had chosen in calm seas of 2' or less, a Sailfish flopped out of the water and I immediately pulled back on the throttles and Alex and I scrambled to get out 5 baits, quickly. Within minutes we had a triple header of Sailfish rise to the baits and hook up. One pulled the hook as quick as he ate it while Jon and Chris fought the double that were still pinned on. After about 10 minutes Chris' fish came unglued and we were down to 1 but Jon worked him to the leader and we had our first catch. We tried valiantly the rest of the day to get Chris' first Sailfish going through another double hookup, 5 singles and 5 Dolphin. Chris did manage to get his first Sailfish and also his first Dolphin. A storm cell quickly moved over us and parked there for the last hour which fizzled out our chances of another bite. With numerous free jumping Sailfish flopping around us throughout the day, 9 Sailfish hooked up, and 5 Dolphin caught, we called it a day. Man, what a difference a day can make. Black and white!
Beast Fishing Charters is now offering a $50 discount off the regular trip rate to police officers, fire fighters, or US military, with proper ID. We would like to show our appreciation and gratitude to the personnel that give unselfish devotion to our cities, counties and country.
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 34
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 21, 2007 - 9:40 pm: | |
The first 2 weeks in February have seen some better fishing. We had some good days and the bad days were better. The Sail fishing is still going on but is a far cry from last year. We still have good numbers but I think we got spoiled last year. The King Mackerel bite has slowed down considerably but the Mutton Snapper were doing well.
We fished Anthony and his 2 buddies for 2 days and let me tell you, we had a ball. My mate, Devon, and I never laughed so hard,all day long, as we did with this bunch. Friday we started off with a good hit on the bait patch. These guys caught bait as if they had been doing it their whole lives. I threw the net 1 time just to get some bait for live chum because they had the one well full of lively "hookers", plenty enough for the entire day. We fished hard and tried various methods and the first day came to a conclusion going 1 for 2 on Sails, 4 Kingfish, 4 Dolphin, 4 Bonito, and a Barracuda. We had a good day, buckets of belly laughs, and a first time catch on a very large Barracuda for these guys, as requested.
Day 2 started off NO different. This bunch had us laughing before we ever cast off the first line. The bait was a bit more difficult and we had to move to a second bait patch to find them. Once we found them, getting them into feeding mode was tough. We made our bait but it took us a little longer than the day before. We blasted offshore again and with the 6 baits in the water the jokes started flying again. We caught 3 Cero Mackerel, 1 Kingfish, 1 Bonito, 1 Dolphin, and an Ocean Tally when the day started drawing to a close. Since Anthony brought his 2 friends to catch their first Sailfish and to this point only one had succeeded the day before, we opted to extend their time a little longer. It paid off. As a last shebang we dumped the livewells, flooding the area with free swimming ballyhoo. 2 minutes later we spotted a fish 100' off our far rigger chasing a "freebie". Before I could make an adjustment to come about on him, our rigger baits were skittering toward the boat. A second later we had the center rigger and flat line baits trying to escape the dark silhouettes rising beneath them. I know you are figuring out my next line. A pod of 5 Sailfish have risen on my 5 bait and each one had sighted in on a snack. Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop, all lines release from their clips and the proverbial Chinese fire drill commences. 2 of the Sailfish, made an immediate escape, while #3 was hooked up for a few seconds but we managed to keep 2 pinned to the hook and the guys were ON. To make a long story short, David almost got spooled because the fish had split the boat and I was helpless to assist either angler with a boat maneuver. David managed to get his fish close and "semi" under control and after about 10 minutes the hook came unbuttoned. He caught his first Sail the day before so we didn't spend much time consoling him since Mike was hooked up on his first ever Sail. We managed to get Mikes fish to the boat for a leader touch and his first Sailfish catch. We cut the leader after a quick in the water shot. Yes, in the water photo, We are trying to educate our anglers that the traditional "pull 'em in and hold 'em" pose is extremely harmful to these fish and compromise a clean and healthy release.
These 3 guys were extremely happy breaking 2 of the guys Sailfish virginity and also catching 8 different species of fish here in Miami. They kept us in stitches the entire 2 days. Off shore fishing CAN be many hours of boredom followed by minutes of organized chaos. With these crazy Dudes there was NO boredom. I can honestly say I have had many, many, charters that turned out to be more of a friends fishing with friends type trip but this one took the cake. Devon and I are still remarking about this "off the wall" bunch. Our faces and bellies hurt for 2 days from laughing so hard.
We also took Paul and his group out fishing but the day was slow. We did it all. We spent some time fishing the surface waters and running a downrigger for Sailfish, Dolphin and the Mackerel species. We dropped baits on the wrecks for Mutton Snapper. We trolled lipped plugs on the patches for Grouper. Paul brought 2 of his own rods readied with 50# Power Pro and Butterfly jigs and we hit another wreck and got him hooked up to something, which looked like it was going to pull him over the side, but we never saw it before it got cut off. Our catch on Paul's day was 1 for 2 on Sails, 4 Kingfish, 4 Bonito, and 1 Barracuda.
Yesterday, my trip canceled because all the flights from the NE were canceled due to icy conditions. I took advantage of this to break in another mate and teach him my way of fishing. I took my son with me and the fishing was not good. We had an extremely hard time finding bait but once we did we caught them up quickly. I took this opportunity of slower fishing to get Alex tuned up to my methods. We did most of the various types of fishing I do while I was showing him the way I do it and the knots I like to use when rigging. We caught 1 Kingfish, and then decided to try for some Muttons. We had several really good bites but the "guard dogs" once again wouldn't let us get them to the boat. They preempted our thoughts of dinner by eating everything we tried to bring up. We finished this trial day, missing one Sailfish bite and weathering a blitzkrieg attack of decent sized Dolphin, putting 1 in the fish box beside the Kingfish, to take home for dinner.
We don't always have banner days and I never mind telling people about the slow days. This way they don't get an unrealistic picture painted of what the day will be. We work hard to produce the best day possible but fishing is what it is! One day it might be slow all day and the next day it is non stop chaos. Those chaotic days are what makes us and everyone else, keep on fishing.
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 33
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 02, 2007 - 8:57 am: | |
Last weekend was the true definition of tough fishing. We had some really harsh winds and seas to contend with and the normal "hot" surface bite didn't show up.
Friday, I did a half day with Hayes and his buddy. This day was the nicest conditions of the 4 that I fished. During the Sailfish season, nice conditions are not what we look for unless we are going for a boat ride or a day on the sandbar. However, we had a fairly busy afternoon catching 6 decent Kingfish and going 0 for 1 on Sailfish and losing a nice "gaffer" Dolphin.
Saturday, Devon (mate) and I met Frank, David and James for 2 days of fishing. Saturday started off with North winds blowing 20 knots and we were greeted with seas at 3-5'. The bait was incredibly easy that day and the guys were very efficient at catching them so most of our bait were "primo" hookers and I only threw the net one time to top off the other livewell. We struggled a bit through the day and tried several different methods of fishing to give the guys the full experience since they were fishing for 2 days. We tried some bottom dropping while working the live baits on top which produced a small Mutton Snapper. We caught 2 Barracuda, 3 Kingfish, 1 Cero Mackerel, but never saw the first Sailfish. The Sail fishing was so slow as evidenced by the Ocean Reef Sailfish tournament which had 49 boats stretched over a wide area of water and only caught 20 Sails for the entire day.
Sunday, Frank and crew showed up for Round #2 and the winds were out of the SW which created mild seas on the edge. The bait patch was harder this day and we had to work a bit to get enough bait, but the mission was accomplished. We headed offshore and put out our lines. 4 baits on the surface, 1 bait down 50' on the downrigger and 1 bait on the "meat stick" fished one crank off the bottom. 5 minutes into it the bottom rod jerks with the typical Mutton bite and then, as it is coming up, the rod is jerked to the gunwale. Oh Boy, something just ate our Mutton and got the hook. 1 hour later we still haven't seen color and the rod has been passed off 3 times. Another 10 minutes goes by and we think we are gaining when the leader just couldn't take anymore, and parted. The chafing on the leader showed signs of a shark. The fishing was slowing down significantly as we only boated 1 Kingfish when the wind shifted quickly to the NW, as the cold front approached and started blowing 30 knots. The seas rose to a solid 5' with the tops blown off and only a 4 second interval. We headed for the wreck to drop for Muttons and Grouper. Holding the wreck turned out to be a real chore. We did manage to catch 1 Mutton, 1 Barracuda, and a very small 18" Cobia and several other fish that never made it past the wrecks "Guard Dogs". After some time fighting boat position we went back to the edge to try and get the guys a Sailfish. We did dredge up another Kingfish. As the day wound down to the end we started dumping the leftover baits and low and behold a Sailfish rises and starts chasing a "freebie". Then our left rigger bait starts skittering around as another Sailfish pounces on it. Before we could get the rod and secure it to our angler the fish senses something and takes to the air twice spitting the bait before we could come tight on him. Out of time and out of luck! We gave it our best shot.
Tuesday, we took Russ (RT4YT "Mr Permatrim") and his brother Neil out for the day. It was the coldest day this year. Air temps in the high 40's-low 50's. The seas were nice compared to the weekend with waves in the 2-3' size. The water was crystal clear. We got our bait although they were a bit finicky that morning. We set up our lines as we did on Saturday covering the whole water column. We began the day with the normal sport fishing setup but also included a bottom rod. Nothing happening. We opted to move over the wreck and see if we could get some more Mutton's since they were more about the food fish anyway. Holding the wreck this day was a much easier task and it produced 2 Muttons before the "Guard Dogs" started to chew off everything on the way up. Then came the payback. We got the normal thunking of the rod tip signaling another Snapper and boom the rod doubles over. Russ fought the fish for 30 minutes and passes the rod over to Neil who fights the fish for another 30 minute. No one else to take the rod so Devon get on it and puts the heat to the fish. Slowly he gains ground as he puts max pressure on this fish today. I see color! Oh my God, what a fish! As it get closer and closer the size becomes more apparent. I grab the leader and bring this "Guard Dog" of the wrecks to the surface for a photo op. There it was in all its splendor. A perfect specimen of a Bull Shark, approximately 8' long and weighing an estimated 250-300# without a scar or blemish on it. Absolutely, mind boggling, beautiful. After the photos I gave the 80# leader a jerk and sent him back down to resume his job guarding "his" wreck. The fishing continued to deteriorate as we only managed to pick up 1 more Mutton Snapper on the edge of the reef. Not 1 Kingfish bite! Now that is the epitome of slow when you can't get a King to bite. We opted to run north and fish another wreck, hoping maybe a Barracuda or something would want to play with my anglers. Finally getting a bite down 75' towards the wreck and then it happens again. Same scenario as the last time but it was hooked up on 20# line. 30 minutes, once again for Russ, 30 minutes once again for Neil. We are laughing at the track back on my chartplotter as this fish just has his will with us, walking me offshore and back to the wreck, in a circle and back offshore again, repeatedly for an hour. Now they pass the rod off to Devon once again. It's getting late and I wanted 1 more shot at a last minute Sailfish. Devo' looks at me, with the anglers done and enough time spent on this fish, I give him the nod. Without having to say a word he knew I meant, make it or break it. He put maximum pressure on the fish. The next run was as quick as the first like the fish has not been dragging a 33' WorldCat over miles of ocean. The following run was so fast that Devo' couldn't get his hand off the spool fast enough and with a sharp cracking sound, the line gave way. We went back to the edge and set up for a few more minutes of Sail fishing while we dumped the wells, flooding the area with "freebies". A free jumping Sailfish and we tried to head him off. Won't eat! Wouldn't even eat the "freebies"!?! Then another Sail free jumps and again the same case. Getting really late now we pulled our lines and headed for the barn. To coin and old saying, you have that sort of day, that's why it's called fishing, not catching!
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 32
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 1:16 pm: | |
The month of December was a tough one. El Nino winds from California and the S. Pacific area have been blowing across the Gulf, keeping the cold fronts to the north of us. This has 2 effects on us. It gives us strong winds/seas and mild temperatures with cold fronts stalling out before reaching us. December saw the air temperatures in the 80's almost every day. The winds on the other hand have been anything but mild. Most everyday the past month, saw winds blowing sustained at 25 knots with gusts to 30 and the seas have been 5-6' average with short duration. Although the rougher sea state is the best time to get after the Sailfish, some have trouble keeping their stomach in place.
My last 2 trips before the New Year showed the Yin and Yang of fishing. I took Eric & Tony on a quest for Sailfish. They arrived at the dock on time and we shoved off, motoring down beautiful Biscayne Bay towards Key Largo. We arrived at the bait patch to find most of the patch filled up with Ocean Reef boats who were participating in a small tournament. We found a spot and caught a couple dozen baits in short order and I broke out the Calusa cast net and filled the livewells for the day. We jumped into the pack and began our day of fishing in the 6' seas. In less than 30 minutes we had a triple on (3 Sailfish at the same time) and the melee' began. I had to pick up the last fish and basically kept the fish on the line and untangled from the others. Tony lost his fish first when the line parted, so I gave him the rod I was tending. Eric had his fish close when the leader chafed through. Finally, Tony landed the third fish and we were on the boards with a chaotic start. As the day progressed we raised 5 more Sailfish. By afternoon the seas had subsided some to about 3-4' and the fishing slowed. The final tally included 5 Kingfish up to 10 lbs on the downrigger rod and a few (3) Dolphin as well. Overall we had a very enjoyable day.
The next day I had the pleasure of fishing with Alfredo and his crew. We met up and blasted off to the bait patch. These guys took to catching bait very easily and in no time we made our bait. The short run from there to the fishing grounds were easy with the seas down at 2-3'. We managed to get 10 Kingfish bites on the down rod but they only managed to catch 3 of these fish. We had 2 Sailfish rise in our spread, check it out, and swim on through without an attempt to feed. There was a report of some Dolphin hauling through the shallow 60' patches but we never encountered any of them. Overall the day was good but would have been better if those Sails would have eaten.
January is the month that begins our peak Sail fishing time and hopefully this year will be no different than past years. The Kingfish will be here in heavy concentration and an occasional Dolphin, or Bonito should show up as well. Bottom fishing for Grouper and Muttons should pick up in the shallower water as the water temperatures continue to cool. The "slob" Swordfish are here if mother nature gives you a window to venture into the "Darkside".
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 31
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 30, 2006 - 12:31 am: | |
Thanksgiving weeks was a doozie. I took Tim Rodebaugh, his son, and a friend, from Houston Texas on Sunday and Monday prior to turkey day. Last year he fished with me about this time and it cost him a butt load of money. He ended going home and putting his 270TE WorldCat up for sale and bought a new 330TE WorldCat. Our main goal on this trip was to catch the Miami Duo (Sailfish & Swordfish in the same day).
We fished Sunday from 1 PM until midnight. We caught our bait quickly and headed offshore intent on catching the first leg of this duo. We did just that catching a few Kingfish and 2 Sailfish. The first round complete and the seas being moderate we decided to push out at dusk and try to catch a Swordfish to cap the Miami Duo. The seas out in the 1500' depths of the gulfstream were pushing a solid 4 feet. We set out our 4 baits and started a drift. Nothing doing. The seas were increasing and I decided to come in to a drop I know in 1000' and we set up. The seas were a bit more manageable. We drifted for a bit and noticed the far jug on the 100' line was drifting away. The bottle had broken free and we cranked in the bait hoping the culprit was still there but it had slashed the bait and moved on. None of us had even heard a click on the reel or saw anything out of the ordinary. We put out another fresh bait and after about an hours drift we decided to pull in and reset another drift. To our amazement another bait had been slashed with no indication or warning. As we were pulling in the last line a BIG wave slapped the side of the hull and really wet Tim down. Being cold to begin with and now wet, Tim asked what I thought. I told him the seas were picking up substantially and I was on the verge of calling it. Tim called it for me!
Monday Tim and crew met up with me at noon time and we were almost for sure that this was going to be strictly a day trip because the wind and seas were probably toooo big to attempt a night fish for Swordies. We did the normal bait run and targeted Sailfish the whole afternoon. Unfortunately there was a front moving in quickly and the fish had lockjaw and we ended up with a few cutoffs by Kingfish a big 0 on the scoreboard for Sails. We gave it a valiant effort but it just wasn't to be. Once again he said Thank you for costing him an additional $1000. I asked him what he meant and he told me that now he needed to add the Lee clamp on rod holders and center rigger, not to mention the teaser reels on the T-Top and the ribbon teasers. We ALL had a good laugh over that and I told him it was still cheaper than the last years trip which cost him about $185K for a new 330TE WorldCat.
On Friday I fished the Fossum family from Philly, Pa. The bait patch was extremely cooperative and we made our bait in 30 minutes. We made the quick 2 mile run offshore and found the sea conditions favorable. The winds and seas weren't too bad and we stayed fairly busy most of the day. We caught 8 Kingfish out of about twice that many bites, caught & released a small Silky Shark, and raised, hooked up, and lost 2 Sailfish. Overall a nice day was had by all.
Saturday I had the unusual pleasure to take BOTH of my daughters, Missy & Amy, fishing. I love and live for days like this. My youngest girl brought her "stud-ly" aka Drizzle, with her. We had a bit more trouble than the day before trying to hook & line the bait but my faithful 10' Calusa Cast Net loaded both wells with 2 throws. We had a slow north current with a brisk NW wind. We virtually ran 1 motor in gear at idle all day and stayed in a 1.5 sq mile area. We had fun catching a potpourri of fish that day. We caught a Bonito, 6 Kingfish, 2 Black Grouper, a Red Grouper, a Mutton Snapper, botched a Sailfish hookup after 2 jumps, and also lost a nice Dolphin. We had so much action we used nearly 5 dozen baits in 5 hours of fishing. If we paid attention to the surface baits the bottom rods would get hit which at one point caused us to have a nice grouper thunk his head twice before "hole-ing" us up. When we were paying close attention to the bottom rods we would miss the top bites. Either way we had a great time and good groceries for the frying pan at days end. I'm still smiling thinking of that day with my girls.
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 30
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 11, 2006 - 9:54 am: | |
As the day time temperatures begin to decline just a bit the night time fishing remains "hot". The Swordfish fishery off our South Florida shores is phenomenal to say the least. Although every trip, unfortunately does not result in an adrenaline battle of wills, but the majority are just that. The anticipation of battling this gladiator is, in and of itself, an experience. At any moment that reel can start creeping and you had better be ready. At the present time I am fishing Tiagra 50w's and with the size of some of the fish being taken now many are opting to go to 80w's and even 130's. The majority of the fish are still in the 80-100# range but it is normal to hear of fish in the 200 and 300 pound class. One particular case was of a group who had a fish hooked up to an 80# class setup for 11.5 hours resulting in a broken line. We are coming into the winter season which shows larger fish on average but the weather and the seas are our arch enemy during this time.
My last 4 Sword trips were typical of the yin/yang of this fishery. 2 of the trips resulted in bites, slashed baits, pulled hooks and no fish actually making it to the boat. Matt & Jim fished with me on a Friday and Saturday night. On Friday the fishing was a bit slow and the winds didn't help the drift. We did, however, catch 1 small 30# "pup" which reached the Swordfish "goal" for Jim. Saturday nights trip was an effort to reach Matt's goal now. Saturday nights trip, however, resulted in exactly 1 hour of fishing time. We setup right before dark and in that hour we had 3 bit/slashed baits, 1 fish on which pulled the hook, 1 "pup" of 35# caught & released and a nice 75# fish taken. They pulled the plug on the trip, satisfied at reaching their goals, and one nice delicious fish to take home with them to Philly, Pa. I had mixed emotions. It was nice returning to the dock at 10 PM and getting a full nights sleep but on the other hand, this was a night that dreams are made of. Oh well, there will be other nights.
The day trips have been few due to the hot weather and the fishing has been anything but hot. My last day trip was a good trip with the catch being fair but the company being great. I fished a regular client from Indianapolis and we tried a few different things including live baiting. The total catch for the day was 4 Bonito, 4 Dolphin, and a couple of big Barracuda. For the rest of this month I have only day trips booked so we will see soon enough if these fronts have pushed any of the better fish down our way.
I just returned from fishing a WorldCat owners function in Ocracoke N.C. We had an absolute blast. The Wahoo fishery off North Carolina is incredible to say the least. I was in awe! We fished with Capt. Troy Pate and his mate CL on his 330TE WorldCat aptly named "Water Damage" out of Beaufort N.C. Capt. Troy and CL are extremely knowledgeable of the waters and the most productive methods for catching fish in their area. I was totally impressed with the amount of lines they pulled efficiently, up to 12 lines and 2 teasers, while trolling. We ended up over the 2 days with 5 nice matching Wahoo in the 22# class, 12+ Dolphin (lost count) up to 16# and some small Blackfin Tuna and a large Barracuda. Many cutoff rigs, short strikes and several lost fish (lost count again) are normal when dealing with Wahoo. We did have 1 fish that smoked about 100 yds off an 80# bent butt planer rod with about 35#'s of strike drag. Good grief! Capt. Troy, CL and I could only look at each other with disbelief! That fish would've been a "picture taker", for sure. If you are ever in the Beaufort area of N.C. and looking for a good trip with a great Capt. and mate, give Capt. Troy Pate a shout www.waterdamagecharters.com and see if you can't get hooked up to some of those Wahoo.
Until the next report, consider making a trip to sunny S. Florida where winter can truly be a billfish dream come true by night or day.
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 29
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 21, 2006 - 9:03 pm: | |
The reports have slowed down as has the fishing business. August is, notoriously, the slowest month of the year both in business and in daytime fishing. The daytime fishing is sporadic at best with the sea temperature approaching the high 80's to 90 degrees. The Dolphin fishing has been slow with very few decent sized fish being seen. When finding the birds or "floaters" the fish underneath have been unusually small this season. Occasionally, we are rewarded with a nicer fish moving to the south. Persistent live bait fisherman have found an occasional Sailfish and a few Kingfish have been available as well.
My last few day trips have been of the half day type due to the heat and afternoon thunder-boomers. We have had some success with the Dolphin but the majority of the catch has been the Bonito. Considered a lowly member of the tuna family they are still a welcomed and worthy opponent on 20# tackle and more often, than not, fill the void. The very last day trip I did showed us catching 3 smaller Dolphin and 13 Bonito with the largest being about 18 lb.
The night fishing is another game altogether. The water temperatures drop about 3-5 degrees after the sun goes down and the ambient temperature gets comfortable. Even though these temperatures get cooler the ocean "heats up" with the incredibly strong Swordfish, showing up to feed on the "Darkside". The seas are usually calm in the summer months making the night trip for this fish an enjoyable outing. Surprisingly, they are back up in numbers and with every passing day we see better results. Here is an example of one of the most recent trips.
Jon Clement, one of my more frequent clients, made a detour from his work path in Tampa to come to Miami and fish once again for Xiphias gladius. He had caught a 110# fish with me 2 years before, almost to the day, to complete his offshore "super grand slam" (Sailfish, Blue Marlin, White Marlin & Swordfish) in 2004. He came alone and determined as he did before. We arrived at one of my drift sights at twilight and immediately checked out the drift and began setting out 4 lines. Drifting at approximately 2 knots everything seemed perfect. The first drift produced a slash and jerk from the tip rod. Jon jumped on the rod and got about 3 cranks and as he began to feel the weight of a fish, the hook pulled. No sweat, the night is still early. We continued the drift but it was was uneventful. We pulled the lines up and ran the 5 miles back to the head of the drift track and I mentioned that I had seen a place on my bathy map that I wanted to try in some deeper water. Jon, said "Let's give it a shot, I trust you." We had plenty of time for a good drift and set up again. The drift began to show what was evidently good bottom contours. About an hour into the drift with the moon reaching almost full overhead, we had the closest float rod make a couple of quick clicks on the reel. Jon, once again at the ready, put the rod in his belt and came tight on this fish and in 30 seconds it was over. Dejected, he looked at me with the "its' not my night" look. I told him that it was getting about time to quit but what the heck, let's do another drift. Although Jon had an important conference call to do in the morning he gave me the affirmative nod. We ran up to that drift point again and with precision we had the lines in the water in short order. 2:35 AM and we had drifted about a half mile when I noticed the 2nd long rod twitch. Jon saw it too! We hovered there for what seemed an hour (a minute) and nothing came of it. We hardly started to relax when the reel started screaming and the LED was moving rapidly just under the waters surface. We let this fish have the bait for some extra time to see if we could guarantee a good hook up. When Jon threw the reel up to strike, the hook bit in and the fish was off to the races. 1 hour into the battle Jon had the fish at the 200' mark in the line and they were in a stand off at that position, giving and taking line for the next hour. Knowing I would be overdue at the Marina and a worried wife was a sure bet, I asked him to put some drag heat on the fish. After missing the other 2 bites and a recommendation from his wife to not come home without some Sword meat, he declined to push the lever to full drag. Out of cell range, I radioed USCG and told them I was safe and fighting a good fish just in case my wife called in to report me overdue. They actually took my phone # and called my wife to set her at ease! Thanks again to the USCG for doing this seemingly small but very important favor for me! Twenty minutes later we had the fish tired and giving in as we reached the 100' mark and I had to keep Jon calm because he was starting to grow more weary, anxious, and impatient. 75' and I see the LED clearly, easy Jon! 50' and I begin to see the fish in the light given off by the Hydraglow and I ready 2 large straight gaffs. 2 hrs and 20 minutes, 3 bottles of water and sweating profusely, Jon is about to claim his prize. Easy, easy, don't overwork it, relax! BAM, a perfect head shot with the largest gaff! Pulling for all I'm worth, I couldn't get the fish over the gunnel so Jon grabbed the other hook and sunk it in the dorsal area and the Gladiator hit the deck with a thud! Jon, his body overdosed on adrenalin, began puking up the water and lunch for the next few minutes. High fives followed as we tied the fish in for the run to port. 7:30 AM but well worth it to see the smile on his face as we grunted to lift the fish onto the dock (dead low tide) and weigh it. Not quite as big as I hoped but a good one none the less at 70" long and 147.4 pound.
If you haven't added the Swordfish to your list of catches, South Florida is the place to give it a try. September and October are great months to test yourself.
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com
 |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 28
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 21, 2006 - 8:58 pm: | |
The reports have slowed down as has the fishing business. August is, notoriously, the slowest month of the year both in business and in daytime fishing. The daytime fishing is sporadic at best with the sea temperature approaching the high 80's to 90 degrees. The Dolphin fishing has been slow with very few decent sized fish being seen. When finding the birds or "floaters" the fish underneath have been unusually small this season. Occasionally, we are rewarded with a nicer fish moving to the south. Persistent live bait fisherman have found an occasional Sailfish and a few Kingfish have been available as well.
My last few day trips have been of the half day type due to the heat and afternoon thunder-boomers. We have had some success with the Dolphin but the majority of the catch has been the Bonito. Considered a lowly member of the tuna family they are still a welcomed and worthy opponent on 20# tackle and more often, than not, fill the void. The very last day trip I did showed us catching 3 smaller Dolphin and 13 Bonito with the largest being about 18 lb.
The night fishing is another game altogether. The water temperatures drop about 3-5 degrees after the sun goes down and the ambient temperature gets comfortable. Even though these temperatures get cooler the ocean "heats up" with the incredibly strong Swordfish, showing up to feed on the "Darkside". The seas are usually calm in the summer months making the night trip for this fish an enjoyable outing. Surprisingly, they are back up in numbers and with every passing day we see better results. Here is an example of one of the most recent trips.
Jon Clement, one of my more frequent clients, made a detour from his work path in Tampa to come to Miami and fish once again for Xiphias gladius. He had caught a 110# fish with me 2 years before, almost to the day, to complete his offshore "super grand slam" (Sailfish, Blue Marlin, White Marlin & Swordfish) in 2004. He came alone and determined as he did before. We arrived at one of my drift sights at twilight and immediately checked out the drift and began setting out 4 lines. Drifting at approximately 2 knots everything seemed perfect. The first drift produced a slash and jerk from the tip rod. Jon jumped on the rod and got about 3 cranks and as he began to feel the weight of a fish, the hook pulled. No sweat, the night is still early. We continued the drift but it was was uneventful. We pulled the lines up and ran the 5 miles back to the head of the drift track and I mentioned that I had seen a place on my bathy map that I wanted to try in some deeper water. Jon, said "Let's give it a shot, I trust you." We had plenty of time for a good drift and set up again. The drift began to show what was evidently good bottom contours. About an hour into the drift with the moon reaching almost full overhead, we had the closest float rod make a couple of quick clicks on the reel. Jon, once again at the ready, put the rod in his belt and came tight on this fish and in 30 seconds it was over. Dejected, he looked at me with the "its' not my night" look. I told him that it was getting about time to quit but what the heck, let's do another drift. Although Jon had an important conference call to do in the morning he gave me the affirmative nod. We ran up to that drift point again and with precision we had the lines in the water in short order. 2:35 AM and we had drifted about a half mile when I noticed the 2nd long rod twitch. Jon saw it too! We hovered there for what seemed an hour (a minute) and nothing came of it. We hardly started to relax when the reel started screaming and the LED was moving rapidly just under the waters surface. We let this fish have the bait for some extra time to see if we could guarantee a good hook up. When Jon threw the reel up to strike, the hook bit in and the fish was off to the races. 1 hour into the battle Jon had the fish at the 200' mark in the line and they were in a stand off at that position, giving and taking line for the next hour. Knowing I would be overdue at the Marina and a worried wife was a sure bet, I asked him to put some drag heat on the fish. After missing the other 2 bites and a recommendation from his wife to not come home without some Sword meat, he declined to push the lever to full drag. Out of cell range, I radioed USCG and told them I was safe and fighting a good fish just in case my wife called in to report me overdue. They actually took my phone # and called my wife to set her at ease! Thanks again to the USCG for doing this seemingly small but very important favor for me! Twenty minutes later we had the fish tired and giving in as we reached the 100' mark and I had to keep Jon calm because he was starting to grow more weary, anxious, and impatient. 75' and I see the LED clearly, easy Jon! 50' and I begin to see the fish in the light given off by the Hydraglow and I ready 2 large straight gaffs. 2 hrs and 20 minutes, 3 bottles of water and sweating profusely, Jon is about to claim his prize. Easy, easy, don't overwork it, relax! BAM, a perfect head shot with the largest gaff! Pulling for all I'm worth, I couldn't get the fish over the gunnel so Jon grabbed the other hook and sunk it in the dorsal area and the Gladiator hit the deck with a thud! Jon, his body overdosed on adrenalin, began puking up the water and lunch for the next few minutes. High fives followed as we tied the fish in for the run to port. 7:30 AM but well worth it to see the smile on his face as we grunted to lift the fish onto the dock (dead low tide) and weigh it. Not quite as big as I hoped but a good one none the less at 70" long and 147.4 pound.
If you haven't added the Swordfish to your list of catches, South Florida is the place to give it a try. September and October are great months to test yourself.
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com |
Jorge Valverde (Captjorgevalverde)
New member
Username: Captjorgevalverde
Post Number: 1
Registered: 7-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 04, 2006 - 7:49 am: | |
June 25 06 Fished in Biscayne Bay with Gary and Chris from Orlando. We were looking for bonefish, even with overcast skies we found a good number just couldn’t place a cast in the low light. Fish were so close to the boat that we could not make a cast without spooking them!
June 27 06 fishing out of Islamorada with Fred and son Nick Andalora from Detroit. Tropical cloud cover in the morning and sun later in the afternoon. They landed two lemon sharks and two bonnet sharks. Then went 3 out of 4 bonefish to the boat. What a great day also found good numbers of tarpon and permit.
June 30 06 fishing Biscayne bay with Eric and son Charlie Edlelson from Ft Lauderdale. Again looking for bonefish, we had enough light to see fish and Eric made the best of it. With his second fish eating the fly, he had one more follow the fly. Charlie worked on his casting with 7 small sharks to the boat. |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 27
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 23, 2006 - 9:13 am: | |
Fishing during the day has taken a swing. We went from catching decent sized school Dolphin and a few nice "gaffer" & "slammers", to catching "peanuts" that aren't much bigger than the replicas they sell at the marine stores. There seems to be plenty of them but that is of little consolation when most won't reach the legal bag limit size. The Blackfin Tuna have been in good supply and offer some delicious table fare, whether it is sushi style, seared (my favorite) with wasabi or simply boiled up for tuna salad.
The Beastie Girls and I fished the Miami Kiwanis Club Dolphin Tournament on the 3rd. This tournament was a 4 fish aggregate so the "BIG" fish is not as necessary as 4 "good" fish. We decided against making the long run down to the SE deep in the Keys because it appears that the fish that normally held there the last 2-3 years are not using that area at the present time. We have switched up our usual game plan and are going out of the mainstream tactics for this one. This is what needs to be done to win these tournaments. It's always a gamble but usually the extra hours of watching sea temps, current flows, eddies, rips, weed stacks, and just plain old planning are necessary. With the countless numbers of boats and anglers down here in the Miami/Keys area which steadily pound the Dolphin day in & day out, thinking "out of the box" will usually reap the reward. I guarantee you of one thing, I have never been one of the conventional thinkers when it comes to fishing.
We covered 125 miles on this day of fishing We fished up to 35 miles off in 3000' depths and as close as 250' depths just off the edge. We trolled some weedlines, we did some run & gun, searching and working birds. Sometimes it is just instinct that takes over and makes a Captain suddenly pull back on the throttles and say "Drop 'em back, right here". That happened twice on Saturday and the results were good. The Beastie Girls finished a respectable 20th out of 160 boats and captured the 2nd and 3rd place Lady Anglers positions.
We had a fun day fishing and also entertained a large pod of Spinner Dolphin riding and playing in the wake of The BEAST.
Things didn't work out that great on the 17th & 18th during the Homestead Kiwanis Club Tournament. The winds changed to the SE, the currents picked up a little stronger and the fish had moved once again. The Beastie Girls fished long and hard for 2 days and only managed to snag 5 short Dolphin and 3 Bonito while covering about 200 miles of ocean in those 2 days. At weigh in it was apparent that those who made the LONG run to the SE fishing off Marathon paid off as the fish had moved back into that area, once again. Some really nice sized fish and big aggregate bags came from that area those days. As the old saying goes we were " a day late and a dollar short" in this 2 day venture.
Once again, during this Homestead Tournament we got covered up with the largest pod of Bottlenose Dolphin I have ever seen. As far as we could see were these beautiful creatures and they wanted to be our friends for well over an hour riding in our wake, swimming off the bow, and playing games swimming through the tunnel of my WorldCat. We couldn't get rid of them. Unlike fishing up north where the Porpoise and Tuna feed together, here it is the death knell for fishing while in a herd of Porpoises. If I sped up, the game just got more intense and they played even harder. Finally, after an hour, they left us alone but completely killed our fishing during a peak feeding time.
All proceeds to these tournament are used by the Kiwanis Clubs for the youth of our community. So the money was well spent, regardless. We'll get 'em next year!
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 26
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 02, 2006 - 10:57 am: | |
Sword fishing is awesome. This sport fishery in Miami is rapidly becoming the "Hot Spot", second to none in the world. I have been toying with using artificials as bait rather than live. I still use at least a 50% mix with dead jumbo squid and artificial squid. It is becoming apparent that they are more a visual feeder than by scent. But I have not rendered any final conclusions on this.
2 Nights ago I took Peter Wahl from Germany for a night Swordfish trip. Peter has been fishing all over the world even in some of the most remote billfish areas and is well known in the big game sportfish circles as well as salt water magazine publications. He chose South Florida for his attempt to catch his first ever Swordfish. Filming this event was on his agenda as well.
The following is a brief synopsis of how the night went: We left the dock at 7 PM and made our way to the deep water. Since it was still somewhat daylight I stopped on an anchor ball to rig up 3 jumbo squid and prepare everything. As twilight descended we blasted out to my drift point. I immediately sent out an artificial squid on the 50' line and 3 rigged natural squid on the 150, 250, 350 depth lines. It was a crescent moon. Within 5 minutes of the drift we got an knock on the natural squid on the 250' line. The fish came back in a minute or two and finished off the feed and we were "hooked up". In about 15 minutes, Peter maneuvered the fish to the boat. A small "pup" of about 25 lb. was all it was but his Swordfish none-the-less. We, of course, released this fish to grow and entertain again. That drift found us drifting a bit too shallow in my area so I set up the next drift on the deeper side. We made the second drift with no action at all. Looking at the track on the chartplotter we saw that the drift was caught in the stronger current of the gulfstream and pushed us out into the flat, non-structural portion of the sea bottom. We, pulled the lines and ran back to set up for another drift. This time the drift was perfect, current and winds keeping me on the structure and moving slowly along at about 1 1/2 mph. Approximately 1 hour into that drift we were thinking about calling it a night when I noticed the 50' depth, artificial bait, moving to the side. This is apparent by seeing the bottle/float moving and also the LED light rising and moving up current. The line was growing taut and Peter was prepared. We gave the fish a little drop back and came tight quickly. FISH ON!!!!!!!!!! This was no "pup". Clicker screaming as the line ripped off the reel I worked feverishly to retrieve and clear the other 3 lines. 300yds, 20 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour, the battle raged on. Peter was no novice as was apparent by his angling skills. The fish is 50' from the boat and surfacing. WOW! This fish leaves the water and we estimate it at 250 # as it reenters the sea with a resounding splash and takes off on another run. 1hr/15 min, 1hr/30min and the fish once again is within 100' of the boat and takes to the air again. Oh my God! The fish plunges back into the water and rips off again. 1hr/45min and the fish leaps again as we see the LED light flying through the air in the distance and hear the telltale splash of the water on reentry. 2 hours and the fish is now coming in under the guise of exhaustion. Peter got the fish to about 50' from the boat and thinking the battle was over we prepared to take this fish. This "Gladiator of the Sea" had another idea as it made a 300 yard run as if it were never in a 2 hour battle. After 2 hours and 5 minutes this terrific battle of man vs. beast comes to a conclusion when the hook pulls free. NO WAY! Yes way. This Swordfish tried it all, charging the boat, descending into the depths, taking to the air, forcing boat maneuvers, and testing Peter's expert sport fishing skills to the limits to deservedly regain his/her freedom. Peter remarked to me that this fish was stronger than the largest of the Marlins he has caught. Peter vows to return to South Florida for a rematch. A little dejected and somewhat disappointed, but Peter and I were truly satisfied that this mighty fish had won.
Think you got it in you? Come give it a try and let's see!
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 25
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: 
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 10, 2006 - 1:57 am: | |
It's been a while since I wrote my last report. The fishing business has been good and the fishing even better.
The height of Sailfish season fell off quickly this year. It almost seemed like one day you were tearing them up and the next day you were catching Dolphin instead. The Dolphin invaded our area about as spectacularly as the Sailfish did months earlier. This spring has been very good in the Mahi-Mahi department with many big Bull & Cows being taken with regularity. Most every trip saw catches of schoolie sized fish with many gaffers in the mix.
Focusing on the last couple of weeks I took young Hector and Tony and their Dads fishing in a local tournament. We didn't catch any huge fish but we managed to take 3rd place. Our focus was the early arrival Dolphin and it paid off.
Ed, Josh, and Doug Did a day trip followed the next day by a night trip for Swordfish. The day trip produced 8 decent sized Dolphin and 3 Cobia. The biggest Dolphin being a 23# Bull which decided to come play while we were catching the Cobia. The biggest Cobia was 20# with the other 2 following close behind in the 18# size. The night trip for Swordfish wasn't too bad either. We had a thump which resulted in zip but then caught 2 Swords. The guys went home thoroughly satisfied with their stay in Miami.
Dianne, Ralph, and BJ came on a day trip which also saw a lot of action with the Dolphin as well as a couple of Blackfin Tuna in the mix. We had several Dolphin weighing in the teens once again.
Ben Greer and his son Evan tried their luck, catching 8 Dolphin and jumping off a Sail. We also had a nice Blackfin Tuna on the 30# rod that was taking Evan to school when the line went slack and then sped off. The line again went slack and he thought he had lost the fish. The slight bend in the rod showed he still had him on. Well, the head was still on but the body was inside another fish. The fish appeared and it looked to be about 7 feet of Hammerhead Shark and I yelled for him to quick get the head in the boat. I took the head and hooked it to a 20# spinning rod that was handy which had a Kingfish rig on it with some trace wire. I dragged the bait back about 20-30' with one engine in gear and we watched as the shark swam back and forth across the scent line until he narrowed his search and honed ion on the head. One bite and IT'S ON. Evan battled the Hammer for 30 minutes before the rod pressure and boat maneuvering got him to boatside for the release. That was fun.
The fishing should be really good for the next month or so for big Dolphin and as always the summer run of schoolies is here to stay for a while and some of the bigger fish will still be hanging around farther out in the blue. Just a few trip observations for y'all to ponder while watching the fishing shows on Salt Water Sunday. You can stop wishing and experience the action first hand on our cobalt blue waters with just a short plane ride.
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com |
Merijo Attong (Lady_snook)
New member
Username: Lady_snook
Post Number: 10
Registered: 5-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, May 09, 2006 - 9:17 am: | |
Florida Bay has been on fire as of April with schools of large redfish cruising the flats. I have seen 20 -30 fish in a school all around 9 to 10-pound category. The smaller fish are not in the schools yet and they seem to be in potholes waiting to ambush mullet. Along with the reds are some really big trout for Flamingo. The biggest trout we have landed was
6.5lbs and a bunch more between 4 to 6lbs, just as the smaller redfish, these large trout were in potholes ambushing mullet. Some good size snook are also playing the same game in potholes. The snook have not shown up as
thick on the flats as of yet but I am expecting them at any time now, when they show up expect some exciting fishing in the mornings until the end of July into early August. I am using the Spike-It holographic lures working them in and around the holes. Remember to imitate your bait and Spike-It lures have some of the best jerk baits and colors around. I am using a #2 Owner hook with a 1/8 oz shot above the lure, also making sure the tip of the hook is at the top of the lure and is easily punctured insuring a
quality hook set.
Tarpon are on the move from spot to spot! Some days they are easy to find in deeper water around flats and some days it is not as easy in Florida Bay. Early calm mornings are the easiest ways of finding them rolling and most of these fish are in schools of 10-30. If you are fishing in light colored water they are easier to see as it looks like a large black cloud moving on top of the water with fish breaking the surface. Throwing live bait like a mullet or pilchard in front of them should get a bite. Getting in front of the school and throwing a fly (colors: black and red, yellow and brown are some choices) on 12-weight gear will be another great step in capturing one of these silver kings.
Biscayne Bay is also a great place to fish for Tarpon. The deeper water on the ocean side flats is the place you will want to be. These fish will be on the move and again the schools will hold roughly the same numbers as
Islamorada and Florida Bay.
Permit have also shown up as the water has warmed up nicely. Merijo Attong, of Homestead, caught a 36 lber on a live crab in late April. These fish can show up in schools of 20-50 fish swimming with their backs out of the water or tailing singled out fish. They can get very big as the largest I have taken in the bay was 44 ¾ lbs on a Quantum reel, 7 ft medium action rod and 10 lb power pro and a # 1 Owner hook. Most of the schooling fish average 20-25lbs and live crabs are a must.
Bonefish in South Biscayne Bay have been nice to me lately as well, with nice bonefish schooling up and eating live small crabs since the shrimp are small this time of the year. Many shots are had with calm and warm days with these fish averaging 10 lbs and a fly fisherman's dream!
Capt. Jim Hale
Cane Polin' Charters
786-255-1788 |
Merijo Attong (Lady_snook)
New member
Username: Lady_snook
Post Number: 7
Registered: 5-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 19, 2006 - 10:21 am: | |
Transition time is here again with cold fronts moving in about once a week, some stronger than others. In March they became weaker making for some great fishing opportunities. In between fronts are producing some nice calm sunny days great for sight fishing. Bonefish have been making a strong presence on the Oceanside flats with 10-20 fish in a school, but good amounts of schools. Some of these bonefish are showing up on the inside flats now as well. Peter Santini from Boston and Gustavo Hernandez from the Galapagos, both first timers landed bones of 9 and 10 lbs. respectively with opportunities for more.
Tarpon in April and May will be a strongly sought after, as the silverking makes their way north on the Oceanside edges. Expect them to show up in large numbers. These fish will be in the 40-130 lbs category with the smaller fish being closer to the shore in shallower water. All these fish can be taken on fly this time of year and Green Clousers is a good fly for these fish in the clear waters. Tarpon fishing in Everglades National Park will tend to eat more on Red & Black or Cockroach Brown, as the water sometimes is not as clear. Tarpon have already made a good showing in White Water Bay as well as out front of Flamingo. Remember a strong front can push these fish back out, but they will return quickly as the water warms. For those of you who do not fly fish, Tarpon can be taken on large live shrimp, pilchards or finger mullet. Fishermen have good shots as well by finding rolling fish that are feeding in creek mouths. A great plug is the Rapala Skitterwalk silver and black or a red and white subsurface Yozuri worked slowly.
Tarpon are also making a strong presence in Government Cut. Redfish and Snook are cruising the flats. Reds are there in some places in a good number with up to 100 shots at fish in one day and that number should remain strong going into spring. Small jerk baits on weedless rigs are working well. I find fishing dark colors in clear water and light or silver in murky water works best. Gambler 3” Ugly Otter was crushing the Reds and always the Excude Gold RT Slug Saltwater. I personally like the Holographic Spike-It Bait myself.
The Snook are still in potholes waiting to ambush mullet as they swim by, so look for an area with a good amount of white holes in shallow water and you should find your snook. Large trout are mixed in as well with the Reds and Snook. In late March we boated 8 fish over 24” which were all released. After a great Tarpon run we are looking forward to a stellar run of Permit in May and June.
Tight lines and Gin Clear Water!
Capt. Jim Hale
www.canepolincharters.com
786-255-1788
800-950-FINS, Ext. 1 |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 24
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 13, 2006 - 9:50 pm: | |
To say the least, our Sailfish season is nothing short of spectacular this year! This is a season we will talk about for some time to come.
I took out Scott Thompson and his mates, Matt, and Mark. Getting the bait was very easy that morning and within an hour we had enough bait to last all day and then some for live chumming as well. We started off the day catching Kingfish on the downrigger and missed a few small Dolphin. Within the hour we had a Sail on in 122' of water. We had Sailfish rising in 108' and showering houndfish and ballyhoo in the reefs from 50'- 85'. Meanwhile the Kingfish wouldn't let us alone. We finally got a lull between bites and for an hour or two the fishing slowed up. I grabbed my lunch and ate while waiting. The Kingfish never resumed their bite so we put that gear away and concentrated on Sail fishing. Once again the Sailfish started chasing the bait fish in the patch reef areas and we were having a ball.
We ended up the day with 8 Sails, 1 Bonito and I lost count on the Kingfish. The guys were all smiles as we headed home enjoying the S. Florida sunset. Now let me tell you how quickly things can change.
I did trips on Friday and Saturday and with the moon almost to full and one of this years coldest fronts rapidly approaching. Most people equate approaching fronts with a big "bite" but in offshore fishing it is my opinion to be the opposite. The passing front and first day or two of high pressure, N-NE winds, and bigger waves, tend to trigger the feed instead.
On Friday the front was a little over a day away and I took Peter and his son on a full day adventure to capture their first Sailfish. The seas were flat calm with no more than an occasional 1 footer. The bait came readily and in short order the wells were full. The day was a bit slow. We pecked away at the fish by first getting the boy his Sail. The downrigger action was slow and we only got 1 Kingfish and 1 Cero Mackerel. We had a couple of small schools of marauding Dolphin come through and we picked off 3 of them. We finished up the day with a last ditch effort by dumping what was left of live bait and then making a big circle around the "freebies". Kazaam! Up popped a Sailfish and eating the long rigger. Peter fought the fish with determination and brought him to the boat after a 15 minute battle. Mission accomplished. Peter and his son both had their first Sailfish.
Saturday conditions looked a little better with 1-2' waves but the pending cold front had the skies cloudy. Val, Illya, and David were hoping for the best. The bait came easy but they had trouble with the hook and line attempts so I threw the 10' Calusa Net 3 times and we were out of there. Talk about SLOW! We fished all day from inside of 100' to 250' and only saw 2 Sailfish caught. We did have 4 schools of "schoolie" sized Dolphin come through and we had all 5 lines go off simultaneously each time. They only managed to catch 3 Dolphin out of 15 that were hooked up. At 2 PM I got "the word" because Illya was sick and he wanted to go in. The Dolphin flag was all that flew that day.
The cold front has passed and we are experiencing some really frigid weather by S. Florida standards. The moon is full, the air temp is in the 30's, the seas have risen, and I am fishing 5 out of the next 6 days, so stay tuned for the next report.
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 22
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: 
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 25, 2006 - 12:15 pm: | |
Is the fishing good here in South Florida? You be the judge! Mother Nature lowers the boom on us here and almost turns us from Capt. Heroes to Capt. Zeroes.
Yesterday I took out a father and son for an attempt at their first Sailfish catch. The day started off on the wrong side of the bed when I was awakened by my wife's shriek "Oh my God, I overslept!" The truth of it was that she had overslept by 1 hour but I was only 15 minutes behind. I hustled and regained those minutes and everything was on an even keel again as I headed for the dock. As I was loading the boat I realized I left my thermos of coffee sitting on the Harley in the garage. CRAP! Being a major coffee drinker I wondered, do I have time to make it home and back? Not wanting to risk it I waited for Mark and Ben. Well they arrived 30 minutes late, so I would've had plenty of time to make the coffee run but didn't want to chance it. I cast off the lines and pumped them full of adrenalin with the coming day. Conditions were so-so. Winds were huffing at around 15-20 knots out of the SE and they were calling for 4-6' seas laying back in the afternoon to 2-4'. It has been blowing hard for about 5 days out of the East.
The run down the Bay was uneventful and smooth. We rounded the headpin at Caesars Creek and headed South towards Key Largo on the ocean side. "Doesn't look too bad" I said as we're cruising the short 5 miles to my favorite bait patch. As we pulled out of Hawks Channel and into the shallower patches, the water stood higher and higher. We were looking at 4-6' water and the patch is only in 15' of water. I put out a block of chum and began cutting the bait. We waited, and waited, the water looked like creamed pea soup and the bait is not showing up for the party. I called Jerry on the "Palowan" who was down at the other end of the patch and he said he had been there an hour and no signs of bait. "Palowan" pulled anchor and headed for the "bent stake" patch. I couldn't believe the Ballyhoo were not showing on my end where I have been crushing them time and time again. I heard Jerry telling someone in Ocean Reef that he was seeing a few baits at bent stake but not coming close enough to even try to catch. I decided to try it to the north, because I noticed running down that the water got rougher the farther South I ran. I ran up towards Pacific to another patch I use in these cases. We waited and waited and then as I added the next 7# block of chum we saw one or two Ballyhoo. What in the world is going on? I took a chance and pulled up to run right to Pacific light where I had seen 'hoo by the thousands running home from a night of Swordfishing not too long ago. There was some cleaner water in that area and I saw them darting from the boat as we were slowly running. I found a spot and this time I anchored right there. The occasional glimpse of bally's and 1 in the livewell. Not Good. Now I am telling them I have 1 more block of chum and here it goes. The morning was almost gone. "If we don't get bait, you get a free boat ride" I told them. This has NEVER happened to me before. Tough yes, but none, no!! I pulled anchor and hunted the 'hoo down again in about 18' of water and dropped the anchor for my final attempt. About 15 minutes later the seas started to lay back, the water cleared some more, and we started seeing some Chubs, then some juvenile Yellowtail, and then more and more 'Hoo started to show. They still won't eat. What did I do to deserve this? BAM, like someone threw a switch, they turned on to feed mode and we were catching them on every cast. I even got them in close enough for a throw of the net and got 18 in the net so we had close to 4 dozen and it was 12:30. I wiped my brow and was thankful for the deodorant because I was sweating bullets.
Let's get out there, quick. We busted out the short 1/2 mile to the deeper water in 135' and started to setup. I was attempting to bait the 4th line when the right rigger went off. Ben (the kid) took the rod and I saw it starting to bend and then go slack. "Take this one!" I said as the flat line tripped off. Once again, no hookup. Well at least we were fishing and not looking for bait. I hung there for about another 1/2 hour when I heard "Palowan" (Jerry) telling someone he didn't start fishing until about 12:30 and already had 2 releases. We decided to make the 15 minute run south to the "53" and try and cash in on some action ourselves. Four boats were there working a beautiful rip in 130'. All the bites were in 135-140'. I wonder why, not! All we could do is watch as they caught a few more, so I decided to pull out the downrigger. I kept waiting my turn in the group, politely, jockeying for position in the rip. There it is and I made my move. Bam zoom! The downrigger misses a strike and then quickly after resetting it produces a "snake" King of about 8 lbs. I put on a HORSE ballyhoo, dropping the bait 50' below the surface. About 30 seconds go by and KAPOW, the reel is smokin'. Ben on this one again and it is beating him up. Look! A Sailfish is chasing a free bait 50' from the boat. I pitched a bait to him as he was disappearing but it was too late. Maybe not. I yelled to Mark to grab the flat line on the other side because it tripped and line was paying out. He flipped the bail and we are hooked up on each side of the boat. Ben worked his fish to the boat and I gaffed his tired King Mackerel that weighed in at 34.9 lb. Now I have Mark on a fish and it is dogging him deep. Quick Ben, grab the rigger and get him. Now I have Mark and Ben hooked up and with that thought both fish take to the sky. Double header Sailfish is what I'm talkin' 'bout. We landed both fish and the guys each have their first Sailfish under their belts. Missing 2 more Sails when Ben got another attempt which he calls a 1/2 catch because the leader parted 50' from the tip. Done Deal!
We fished late because I wanted to make up for the late start and crappy bait conditions and mostly because the bite was on! The sun was setting as we pulled lines and headed for home. We raised 7 Sails with 2 releases, 2 Kingfish and a few peanut Dolphin. Mark was extremely happy. He loved The BEAST (compliments to WorldCat) and said it was a pleasure to fish with me. He made that point clear when he gave me a very generous tip for my determination and 100% effort. Another satisfied customer of Beast Fishing Charters.
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com |
Merijo Attong (Lady_snook)
New member
Username: Lady_snook
Post Number: 5
Registered: 5-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 6:23 am: | |
Capt. Jim Hale fishing reports December 6th through January 17th, 2006
Warm and calm days in between the cold and nasty days have made for some real good fishing, when we get them! Low water temps in the 60s on the flats in Biscayne Bay made bone fishing difficult at times, however, on the warm days ocean side flats are teaming with schools of the slimy bones.
Paige Wells fishing with her boyfriend David had many shots at bonefish on the outside of Elliot Key when she got her first fish @10 lbs. That day we had numerous shots at permit, but had no takers willing to play! We also were chasing large schools of tarpon out in a little deeper water on the ocean side, most of these fish are cruising south were also not interested in going for a ride. On the other side of the bay I have had some luck with smaller permit around 10 to 15 lbers but they will only show up when we have temperatures in the 80s for several days and the flats warm up!
On the other hand mutton snapper fishing has been red hot out on the patch reefs with good snapper catches in the 10 and 12 lb class along with red grouper and a nice gag grouper thrown in the mix. Late afternoon or early morning, are the best time. All you need is a little patience, good chum slick and some of the right bait! If one reef doesn’t produce after 45 minutes move to the next one.
In Florida Bay this time of year yields some of the best mackerel fishing anywhere! We have had numerous trips and too many fish to count, fishing with good friend Capt. Brain Helms we caught an estimated 550 lbs of mackerel and could have had another 200 lbs If we would of stayed and fished more, the average fish weighed in at 7 lbs most of these fish were released unharmed except for a couple for the smoker! The flats in Florida Bay have been real good when the water is low just after morning, large snook and plenty of redfish have been caught, some of the snook we have seen and caught are at least 20 lbs I have been catching most of the snook and reds on jerk baits, the spike-it halo graphic has been the best. Some of these days are good to bring out and dust off the fly rods. Find clear water and you should find fish. I recommend fishing this area right now if you can find the right day and conditions, they really aren’t that hard to find. We have had days when the fishing has been nonstop!
Good luck!
Tight lines and Gin Clear waters!
Capt. Jim Hale
www.canepolincharters.com
786-255-1788
800-950-FINS, Ext. 1 |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 21
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 13, 2006 - 11:25 am: | |
The Sail fishing is so RED HOT right now it is almost sick. The weather turned bitter cold by South Florida standards with temperatures dropping into the 30's. The fish are popping up in big pods and multiple hookups are almost for sure. The past weekend there were 2 tournaments going on, one in Palm Beach and the other in Key Largo. The Palm Beach Silver Sailfish Derby had 50 boats entered and recorded 958 releases over there 3 day event. The winner had a 3 day total of 59 releases. The fleet averaged over 6 fish per boat/day. The Key Largo Sailfish Challenge held their 2 day event the same weekend. They had 16 boats entered and released 296 fish with the winner releasing 33 fish. That's an average of more than 9 fish per boat/day. Unfortunately I was scheduled to fish on Sunday but the trip canceled because they said it was too cold to go fishing. Go figure! Days like that only happen every now and then.
I managed to get out on Wednesday for a fun day fishing with my friend Carlos and we had a ball. We cruised out to the bait patch and though it took about 15 minutes to raise the Ballyhoo we hook caught several dozen in short order and Carlos threw the 10' Calusa Cast net and did very well. We caught a few more on the hook and then he tossed the net again and crushed them. We now had plenty of bait to fish with and do some live chumming. We pulled away from the patch with both livewells holding about 4-5 dozen baits. The short cruise to "the spot" was easy as the seas were light with 2-3' rolling waves.
We tossed out our 4 baits on 20# spinning rods and began our search for the spindlebeaks. We deployed the teaser bar and everything was looking good. The water was somewhat stained it was blue water. The wind was blowing about 7-10 knots out of the east and the tide was going out. My thinking was they were going to be laying in ambush right along the edge. Starting out a little bit on the slow side I maneuvered the boat into deeper water. I was working the 150-160' depths when we had a visitor and Carlos jumped on the rod. Thirty seconds and one jump into the fight and the hooks pulled. Not a great start going 0 for 1. About 30 minutes later I saw the Sailfish shadowing the flat line on my side of the boat and the Ballyhoo was skipping for his life. In a flash it was gone and with a short drop back I flipped the bail on my Penn 750 and the Owner 7/0 SSW inline circle hook bit in. FISH ON! This Sailfish had some shoulders and streaked away from the boat, ripping drag. I leaned back on the rod and let go of the handle only to quickly find out that my anti reverse had quit. Great! I had to fight this fish while hold the reel handle continuously. Not to worry, I put a lot of pressure on the fish and Carlos maneuvered The BEAST for a release in about 15 minutes. I put that rod up and brought out another to replace it. We ran back into the strike zone and quickly put out another spread and before we could turn around the rigger line went off on Carlos' side. As he was about to come tight on his fish the flat line on his side popped off and I saw a Sailfish stalking the flat line on my side. AWESOME! Two anglers and a triple header. Mathematically that doesn't compute. Carlos once again lost his fish and grabbed his flat line only to lose that fish too. I fed my Sail and FISH ON! These fish were trying to test this old salts stamina. I worked this fish hard once again and we had it for release in about 8 minutes. We are busting a gut laughing as was Carlos 0 for 3 and I was 2 for 2.
We had a lull in the action so we ate our lunch, caught & released 2 smaller Dolphin, a few Kingfish, and then we began the "snooter" hunt again. The fish were moving to the north slightly so we moved in that direction, after them. Down goes the rigger on Carlos' side again and when the line came tight the fish released the bait. A short time later the rigger pops again and ditto, the same outcome as the previous. We won't count them because they never hooked up. As the day is winding down a frenzied bite occurs and here we go again. Two more Sailfish rise to have a snack on my Ballyhoo and Carlos pulls the hooks on his as my Owner hook bites back in the corner of the fishes mouth and it is ON. This fish was a maniac seemingly spending more time in the air than in the water. He couldn't make up his mind which way he wanted to go left-right, out-in, up-down, and then he decided he would make a break for it, passing the boat at about 50 mph. I reeled as fast as I could turn the handle and the line ripped through the water with an eery sound. The 20# Berkley Big Game was being dragged through the water at such an incredible speed that it sprayed a 2' rooster tail behind it. I recovered quickly and pressured the fish to the boat 3 more times before we could grab the leader to release him. Nice fish, not long and slender by normal standards, but thick and stout weighing an estimated 60#.
We fished for a short while longer trying to get Carlos some redemption but it was not to be. We pulled our lines and pointed the bow home, a couple of Dolphin and a few Kings, 9 Sailfish raised, 7 hooked up, with 3 releases. The jokes began as Carlos had a big question mark on his face wondering how in the world he went 0 for 4 which is very uncharacteristic of him. My take on it was a great fishing day with a great fishing friend, none the less.
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 20
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 20, 2005 - 12:24 pm: | |
The winter season is evolving with each day. The weather has been mild and the water temperature is gradually falling. Cool weather and water is the key to great Sail fishing. My charters have been very successful on an average. There has been some really obscene Sailfish bites in small pocket areas on certain days but a consistent bite is more to my liking. This is not to say that when I have a double digit day I don't get excited, or the Capt. who catches a big total isn't consistent. It is always a beautiful thing to be at the right place at the right time. In my opinion, in the charter business it is more beneficial to produce a good average number each day. Case in point is what happened at the Sailfish Kickoff Challenge on December 3rd. The first 2 hours of the tournament they had 160 Sailfish released. The top boats made a run north, on day one, to fish off Ft. Lauderdale at Port Everglades. They all posted release numbers in the upper teens. On day two, their bite had fizzled to 0 and the BIG bite was off Ocean Reef in Key Largo. The tournament winner came from behind, posting huge numbers from the Key Largo area. One day totals are exactly that, a one day total. I prefer to see each of my charters catch a few Sails than to "one day be a Hero and the next day be a Zero".
That same tournament day I had a half day shark trip followed by a night Swordfish trip. I haven't figured out the allure of shark fishing when there is many more sporty species available, but different strokes for different folks. We only managed to raise 1 Hammerhead of about 6-7' on the surface bait and he was all over the bait and did everything but eat it. Dang, I hate specific species fishing. They seemed understanding but disappointed. I told them the next time to just go fishing and let the Capt. decide which species to fish for. We want our customers to catch fish! I took them in, ate lunch and picked up the Swordfish crew. That night on the Sword trip we got 2 bumps. One was almost undetectable but the second bump on the tip rod was very evident. Unfortunately the angler picked up the rod and disregarding my advice to wait until he felt good weight on the rod he proceeded to set the hook raising the rod from the waterline, banging into the T-Top. Needless to say that didn't result in a hook up but I am sure there is a hair-lipped Swordfish swimming around the Miami area now.
My last 7 day trips posted totals of 9 Sailfish, 40 Kingfish, 12 Dolphin, 3 Cero Mackerel, 3 Silky Sharks, 2 Barracuda, 1 Cobia, 1 Yellow Jack, and 1 Yellowtail. The Sailfish have been on the small side averaging about 25-30 # but the Kingfish and Dolphin have been nice in the range of 10-30 #. These totals do not reflect how many bites or baits used, because the mackerels and smaller Dolphin have wreaked havoc on us. We are losing as many baits to them as we are making successful catches. I could up my odds on Mackerel by putting some trace wire in front of the first hook but I feel my strike ratio suffers dramatically.
The winter season will only continue to get better as the fronts moving through get colder. This is my favorite time of year. Yes, I like fishing for all species, but in my personal opinion, nothing can compare to a Sailfish on 20# spin for their visual antics, power, and the pure sport of it! Leave that frozen tundra behind and come on down and give our South Florida Sailfish a shot. I doubt you will be disappointed!
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, or Seasons Greetings and best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year, from Beast Fishing Charters.
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 19
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 23, 2005 - 4:25 pm: | |
While I am awaiting the arrival of Hurricane "Wilma" Flintstone, I figured I would write a report about my latest trip with a good friend of mine, Carlos.
We left all the trolling gear at home and said its either live bait today or nothing. We did a quick scout for some Pilchards but they weren't readily accessible so we hit the patch reefs for some live ballyhoo. Good Gravy, they were thick as fleas on a dogs back and we had 12 dozen or more in the wells in short order. On the short run offshore we were short stopped in 70' depths due to 4 Frigate birds working hard on the surface right in front of us. We quickly pinned 2 ballyhoo to our 20# spinners and fired them under the birds. Badabing! A pair of matching 12# Dolphin in these shallower waters. We worked them to the boat and into the fish box and tried to coax a couple of others to eat. They were moving very fast and uninterested after watching what happened to their sisters. A good start to the day.
For the next 2 or so hours we got beat up by Cero Mackerel. They were everywhere. Showering bait fish constantly along the edge of the reef. We boxed one because I wanted one for dinner and released the rest. Most of the strikes were short lived as 50# mono leader has little longevity when dealing with the razor sharp teeth of a Cero.
We packed it up and headed to a favorite wreck of mine to see how the bottom fishing was doing. First drop. BAM! Up comes a nice pink Mutton Snapper. Next drop was a "flag" Yellowtail Snapper. Carlos kept dropping on each drift and collected 2 huge Blue Runners, Half of a King Mackerel, Barracuda, and hooked up to several bites that dragged him into the wreck and cut him off. While he was doing that I kept a flat lined livey on the surface and caught 3 very big Barracuda. As the end of the day neared we had the surface bait pop off again and I told him "Go ahead and take it, probably another Cuda." Carlos grabbed the rod and flipped the bail. To our surprise, when the line came tight a Sailfish leaped into the air. Good Grief! I wanted to catch a Sail for a change. Oh well. Carlos worked the fish like an expert and had him boat side in about 10 minutes and I stuck the tag in him. We released this 55 lb fish to entertain another angler some day. After a round of high fives we turned The BEAST toward home with smiling faces. The run seemed short while reminiscing of the days catch and thoughts of hot grease & batter that night.
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Clam Lover (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 07, 2005 - 9:34 pm: | |
Being it is so hot in Florida...Where do you recommend the best place to troll for the infamous Bearded Clams?? ANy help would be appreciated! |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 18
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 07, 2005 - 7:17 pm: | |
The past month was a hot one and I am not referring to the bite. Air temperatures were in the low to mid 90's every day which in turn had the sea surface temps up to impressive 89-90 degrees. This is not conducive to great fishing. This is our slow time of the year and the charter business reflects that. The spawning of hurricanes almost on a weekly basis and the price of fuel had kept most of our out-of-towners, out of town. Normally, I will fish for fun with friends and family during these times but the $3.50 - $4.00 per gallon fuel charge at the docks doesn't allow for much of that. I did pull 2 trips that were worthy of mention, so here we go.
I took Brant Hodnyo and 2 of his friends out for a day of Dolphin fishing. We ran offshore in search mode for good water, "floaters", or schools of flying fish to aid us in locating some fish. We ran for about a half hour and couldn't find anything the farther we went so we ran to the south towards Key Largo and back in towards shore. Finally, locating many flying fish we pulled up and started working a troll. We began finding some slight scattered weeds and had a couple quick knock downs. Time was ticking and we were getting impatient. At about 11 AM I noticed several different boats run to a spot and hang there for a while and then move off. I worked my way there and from a distance we could see something huge in the water. I immediately picked up the speed and we arrived to find a dead tree approx. 40' in length which had apparently been cut and discarded. The limbs were all cut close about 6' in length from the trunk and the same for the roots. BONANZA! This floater was alive with Bar Jacks, Tripletail, small Blue Runners, Filefish, etc.!!!! I grabbed the 20# spinners and we immediately fired out some baits on the surface, mid depth and deep. The Bar Jacks wouldn't let anything get past eating everything to the bone before it could get to any bigger fish. We did end up catching 6 of these rascals and a fat Tripletail. Now it was evident why everyone would only hang there for a few minutes before giving up. I've been doing this long enough to know that there had to be fish around with all this bait so I put out the small trolling lures that have been so productive for me and started to do figure eights around the object. BAM, BAM, BAM, BAM, all lines went down. We could hardly troll 100' before it would all happen again. We continued to do this for the next 2 1/2 hours while other boats passed by and worked the "floater" itself, with no results. This decision to troll around the object and staying a minimum of 100' away netted us 1 Rainbow Runner, 3 "mogan" Blue Runners, 1 Dolphin, 6 Wahoo, and 30 Blackfin Tuna. The heat of the day became to much and they called it a day, tired and happy.
The next trip was a local group of employees from the Redland Company here in Homestead. We started our day out similar to the previous trip but we managed to catch 2 Dolphin while hunting for the mother lode. It was becoming obvious that the surface temp was going to make this a rough day for me locating fish. I went to the north towards Triumph Reef and after exhausting my bag of tricks (almost) I headed for the edge. We never made it that far. I finally put on some trolling plugs and slowed a bit to allow them to work down 25-30'. Whoops! The left flat is screaming and I know that it is Henry Limpett. For those who are saying, "Huh!", there is an old movie titled The Incredible Mr. Limpett and starred Don Knotts as a guy who falls off Coney Island Pier, turns into a fish, and saves the American fleet by alerting them to the German U-Boats. The fish he turned into was a Wahoo! Long explanation just to find that out! (grins) We boated the Wahoo and the scattered weeds were growing impossible to fish so we moved offshore to their edge and found a jug floating. 2 more Wahoo and 4 Dolphin later, they too, hot and sweaty called it an afternoon early.
The fishing was slow in September but the hurricanes and cloudy weather we have been experiencing the last 3 weeks have rejuvenated the "Big Blue Pond" and the fishing is back on schedule. Consistent Sailfish and Kingfish bites are being seen as the first major front has pushed through the Carolinas. It will only get better in the months to come as winter is our PRIME season. Come join me for some world class big game fishing here in sunny South Florida, with all that has been going on, you deserve it!
Capt. Jim
(305) 233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com |
Merijo Attong (Lady_snook)
New member
Username: Lady_snook
Post Number: 2
Registered: 5-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 31, 2005 - 9:10 am: | |
Cane Polin’ Charters Fishing report August 6 through August 31, 2005
For the most part August has turned out to be a good month for inshore fishing. Though, this last week I was fishing for tree limbs. My fishing rod was a 16” Stihl chain saw and back up was a Ridgid wet vac. Before the hurricane, sweltering heat and typical Florida afternoon thunderstorm have tried to make it difficult to fish later in the day. Fishing in the mornings was still our best bet. I have not fished since the 24th of August due to Hurricane Katrina but prior to that I can report from Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay.
In Florida Bay there are still a lot of schools of redfish. They once again dominated the flats. On the average these schools have about 50 fish in them. Some days I’m chasing school after school and other days the schools split up and you see single tailers every where you look. Mike Stasko, of Cutler Ridge, FL, fished along with me and we managed to only catch 6 out of who knows how many reds we saw.
The last day I fished was the day before the hurricane hit. I looked for the redfish all morning long and couldn’t find them. After searching the entire flat I went back to the place I originally started from and where I’ve been seeing them religiously. There, they appeared in schools in front of the boat. The water was getting low but there were many schools of redfish still around the boat. A couple of quick casts into these schools and 6 redfish were released in 20 minutes. The fish averaged 6 lbs. with a couple of 8’s. The redfish that are tailing are a little more finicky and a little spooky.
On the Westside of the park the tarpon are showing up in large numbers from Cape Sable to Harney River. The out-going tide with the bait pushing out into the bay have the tarpon going crazy. I’ve seen fish as small as 40 lbs and up to est. 180 lbs in these waters. In Middle Cape we jumped two in thirty minutes on live finger mullet (quarter-ounce jigs will work as well). Small tarpon are still on the flats rolling in the morning. These fish are only around 15 lbs. They are easily taken on fly. The fly I like is the light green color Lefty’s Deceiver or white minnow patterns will work. The snook are still along the beaches and an out-going tide seems to be the best. Fishing around mangroves with water movement is holding these fish.
In the second week of August I had the pleasure of fishing with Mike Leech (Ambassador of the IGFA) and his son Eric. He had the pleasure in seeing South Biscayne Bay for all it can be. Mike and Eric spent the morning chasing and casting on many schools of bones. All the bones early in the morning were tailing in extremely shallow water, kind of spooky and would not eat. At the next spot we chased school after school and finally managed to hook up on an 8 and 10 lb and missed a couple more. We were using live crabs the size of a quarter. The permit were on the outside and along channel edges on an out-going tide. There were also small pods of tarpon rolling just off Elliot Key on calm mornings, once again the green Lefty Deceiver is my fly of choice.
Next month hopefully I will be field-testing some new inshore baits by some of the leading manufacturers and will give you a report on how well these baits produced. Because of Hurricane Katrina, the fresh water run off to the Bay will shake up fishing for a week or so. But I expect it to return to normal in the beginning of September. I will be on the water everyday awaiting their return and I will let you know next time how the waters are doing. Good luck to everyone who was affected by Katrina and I hope the clean up goes easily and quickly.
Tight lines and gin clear water!
Capt. Jim Hale
www.CanePolinCharters.com
800-950-FINS
786-255-1788 |
Merijo Attong (Lady_snook)
New member
Username: Lady_snook
Post Number: 1
Registered: 5-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 19, 2005 - 6:37 am: | |
Cane Polin’ Charters Fishing report July 10th through August 5, 2005
July through early August fishing has been pretty good in the mornings. After noon the bite slows down because of the heat. Some water temperatures in east Florida Bay had read 92 degrees in the afternoon. If you are looking to do some good fishing in the afternoon the best bet is to fish after the daily storms and showers have diminished. Sometimes these conditions are the best. Redfish love to tail and feed in rain cooled calm waters.
My report this time is very short, as I have only fished about 10 days in the backcountry. As I mentioned in my last report I took some time off the backcountry and went offshore. The Lights and Sirens Tournament held by Island Fishing Adventures in Bimini, Bahamas was surely a blast with the Fireman winning the event. I had an extra week to remain and fish and ended up cleaning up the dolphin, grouper and snapper. The weather was a little sketchy going over with some high seas. The return however was a different story. It was smooth sailing with birds working schools of dolphin everywhere.
Now that I’m back in my norm of the backcountry, I have been seeing numerous amounts of bonefish and tailing permit in Biscayne Bay. The bones are averaging 10 lbs. We boated one on Tuesday at 13lb and change. The permit are a healthy 25lb average and the schools are fast moving. Most of my clients finish fishing by noon as the heat kills both, the bite and us on the boat.
The same pattern has been happening in Florida Bay with the heat. The redfish and snook just quit hitting by noon. After a good shower or storm the bite came back on. A couple of days after charters I stayed and fished by myself after the storms passed. Having to come in and take cover from the lightning, I would proceed to go back out to my flats and find the redfish and snook back out for another bite in later part of the day. This bite, though, is not as strong as early in the day. Some mornings are holding large schools of reds in skinny water, other days we are finding them but in singles tailing, these fish have been kind of spooky. Don’t forget the slimy bones that are still in the Florida Bay backcountry, these guys have been showing themselves early on calm mornings.
Well I’m back from vacation and back on the boat. I’ll talk to you all again in about two weeks for an update.
Tight lines and Gin clear water!
Capt. Jim Hale
www.canepolincharters.com
786-255-1788
800-950-FINS |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 17
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 09, 2005 - 8:06 am: | |
I apologize for the lack of reports but I have had a hectic 2005 year. My mother passed away right before Christmas and I have been extremely busy fishing and closing her estate.
On Friday night, the new moon, I took my daughter Amy one of the Beastie Girls, out to capture her first Swordfish. We took along her friend Alex and my best friend Glenn to join in. We met at the dock at 7 PM and ran off to one of my favorite bait patches to catch goggle eyes. We arrived at the patch and there was absolutely no current and no fish biting. We stayed there for about 45 minutes while I rigged leaders and then decided to head out without them. The Swordfish have been doing extremely well taking dead jumbo squid on a drift so there was no panic involved with the lack of gogs for bait.
We ran off to the deep drop off (800'-1100') and prepared to set up. There was very little current and no wind whatsoever. The seas were flat as a pane of glass. I rigged my first 4 squid and set them out with one on the surface, 100, 200, & 300 foot depths and began our drift. The first 45 minutes of the drift were unproductive and I was debating to pull up lines and start over at the drift point moving in to the top side of the drop off in 800 feet. Minutes after the thought the 100' line got whacked and fell silent. I kept an eye on it and knew in my gut that a fish was either on and swimming in the slack line or at the very least messing with the bait. Amy grabbed the rod and we noticed the leader light swimming around about 25' down. Reel! REEEEEEL!!!!!! Amy began reeling to gather all the slack and when the line came tight the Sword was on the surface and swimming rapidly towards the boat. The Swordfish (a "pup") jumped about 20 feet from the boat almost landing on the transom between the motors and got tangled slightly in the 300' tip rod. The fish gave up quickly outmatched by Amy and the 50# standup tackle. Amy had the fish boatside in mere minutes. A small fish by normal standards but a Swordfish none the less. Amy said, "I don't care about the size, I got my first Sword tonight!" We released the fish.
I made the run south to set up again for Alex. This time I moved in to the shallower edge of the drop off because it was so dark that night I figured the fish might be working the shallower area. I set up 4 baits again and the show started. We had 4 more bites and some temporary hook ups but couldn't keep any of them hooked up for some reason. We even had a good sized Sword in the 150# class swimming in the eerie glow of the hydro glow light and we presented him a squid which he engulfed but managed to shed as well. We called it a night because the fish turned off as suddenly as they turned on. I checked the solunar tables for that day and the major feed was supposed to be at midnight and the action was all based around that time. I keep proving to myself that there is truth to those solunar tables.
We wrapped it up at 2:30 AM and headed to the Marina with a very happy Amy and a big question mark on Alex's face. We ended up 1 for 5 and I was extremely satisfied because all I can do is put them on fish, its up to them to catch them.
This is the time of year that has the nicest weather for chasing Swordfish. If you haven't added a Swordfish to your catch list yet, give it a try. They are magnificent fish and fishing for them is totally different experience.
Capt. Jim
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 16
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 31, 2004 - 9:37 am: | |
This month of December was the Yin and Yang of fishing here in South Florida. We saw the Kingfish infiltrate our waters in huge numbers, with good sized fish being taken, the average fish on my boat being 15 lb. The Cero Mackerel are thick as fleas on your yard dog in the 60' reef areas and Spanish Mackerel are doing well on both the bay and ocean side of Old Stiltsville.
The Sailfish were sporadic but are improving with each passing cold front. The end of the year 2004 saw us inundated with back to back fronts that plummeted the temps to the 40's at night and brought the Sailfish tailing south through our area. The Sailfish season is now considered in full swing. What started out slow in December with shots at Sailfish around 1 or 2 a day soared to double digits with 10 attempts being more probable than not.
Grouper and Mutton Snapper are infiltrating the 100-140' edges and if you can hold bottom with the swift moving north currents the fish are biting. Trolling the deeper patch reefs is producing some awesome bags of these fish as well.
Swordfishing is absolutely unbelievable. My last trip for these "Gladiators" was with a group of guys from Guatemala. We were using live goggle eyes and dead jumbo squid. It didn't make a difference which bait we used. We set up for the drift and in 3 minutes had a Sword on. We brought the fish to boatside after a good struggle and released this 80 lb'er. We were setting up drift number 2 and before I could get the third line over, line 2 sounded off to end up being a nice 4' Silky shark. Next setup made it to line 3 as I was preparing line 4 to go out line 3 was crashed by a nice Sword which jumped in the distance and then again 50' from the boat. This fish weighed about 100 lb and was released to fight again. The next drift saw another 4' Silky shark hooked up and released. What a nice night! We quit fishing and headed in with 4 tried anglers. The legal bag limit is 1 - 47" fish per person. These fish have made a miraculous comeback and I only hope that the local Captains don't abuse this by keeping too many fish. Being, extremely conservation minded, Swordfish are the only billfish I allow to be kept on my boat and I impose my own limit of 1 legal fish per trip instead.
If you are tired of the frozen tundra and want to get some sunshine, make some plans to head south to Miami. Local Floridians can benefit as well, learning tips and techniques that could save you hours or even days of frustrating fishing at today's fuel prices. Experience some of our superb Big Game fishing on The BEAST, a WorldCat 330TE, the ultimate ride. Give us a call or email and get "hooked up!"
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 15
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 08, 2004 - 11:43 am: | |
Its been several months since I reported in and SO much has happened in the interim. I will try to recap what has been happening here in the "Plywood State".
August saw a slow down in Dolphin fishing even though the weather seemed to be not quite as hot as years past. My wife, kids, and best friend, treated me to a belated birthday gift. We spent the weekend in Key West and they chartered a boat (remaining nameless) for me so I could actually fish and have a beer, for a change. My wife expressed to the Captain, upon booking, that I specifically wanted to target Marlin and didn't care to catch anything else. He told her that was no problem but he couldn't guarantee a Marlin. No kidding!!! We had a great time EXCEPT for the charter. The seas were 1-3' and this 53' Bertram rocked and rolled worse than my 330TE WorldCat ever has on its worse day. I knew we were not going to succeed in my quest when I saw the "dink" ballyhoo and small feathers he deployed on all but one long rigger which was a bigger lure. The Bertram only ran 17 knots with the Detroit diesels and we started to slow down and fish an hour form the dock. We had stopped at the southernmost end of the "up downs" in 600' of water and started working a weedline. We got a "schoolie" Dolphin here and there. We never strayed from that weedline until after noon and by 2:30 I realized that he was working his way back towards port. I noticed that we were only a few miles off the reefline when I gave him the "word" to take us back to port. As a Captain in South Florida I know the waters and knew that my best shot for Marlin would have been off of Woods Wall, east of Key West. Needless to say, he will NEVER get a referral from me for a charter. He should have been more careful about who he tried to BS. I pride myself in giving 100% on every trip. Customer satisfaction is paramount. This type of Captain as well as the ones that only report the good days, give the business a "black eye"!
We were knocked down to the deck by Hurricanes, receiving 4 named storms in 6 weeks! We spent 6 weeks boarded up and hunkered down. We here in Miami were fortunate that we didn't receive a direct hit other than some gale force winds and minor damages. Of course the fishing business suffered substantially, no doubt. We did very little fishing during those 6 weeks.
By mid October everything was getting back to normal and we could transform our houses from caves back into homes. I took several trips out and things were about back to normal. One trip, we caught a double out of a triple on Sailfish, 6 Kingfish and a Cero Mackerel. The next trip the guys got 1 Sailfish out of 3 attempts and another 6 Kingfish and a nice Mutton Snapper. I took a couple of guys Sword fishing 2 days before the full moon and we didn't do so well. We had 1 bite but didn't get the hook up but we had a 2 lb squid come up on the 250' line that had eaten our bait and gotten hooked, yes, in the mouth. The end of the month I ran sea trials for WorldCat at the Ft Lauderdale Boat Show so I didn't get to fish for 7 days
November seems to be looking good and back on par. I took the roving warranty reps (Scott and Steve) for WorldCat fishing yesterday. We were trying to get Scott his first Sailfish. Steve fished with me about 10 months ago and was 3 for 5 and Scott has fished with me before and has hooked, but not landed, about 5 himself. The seas were supposed to be 3-5 but were realistically 2-4' with an occasional 5 footer. The Sails never showed themselves but the Kingfish were more than willing to play. I stopped counting at 12 Kings, 1 Cero Mackerel, 2 big Houndfish, and some Dolphin. ALL fished were released! We also had some decent Blackfin Tuna bust on our baits but no solid kook ups. Steve lost a nice "smoker" King in the 25-30 lb category right at boatside. We ran out of bait, using up over 4 or 5 dozen baits, at 4:30 and called it a day.
The Hurricanes are gone for another season and the fishing is getting better each day. Winter is our prime time here in South Florida. When the weather turns cold and cabin fever sets in, jump on the big silver bird and fly on down to Miami and try some hands on fishing South Florida Style.
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 14
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 02, 2004 - 6:36 pm: | |
The Beastie Girls fished the Homestead Kiwanis Dolphin Days Tournament this weekend and the conditions were less than favorable. The seas were dead calm enough to barefoot ski, sea temps were 84-86.5 degrees, NO winds, and ambient air temps were 90-92. BRUTAL!
Saturday, we fished the upper Keys area and offshore almost 50 miles. We saw many schools of 3lb fish but they won't weigh in a major tournament. We scoured the ocean, a little blind trolling but with a lot of run and gun. The ocean looked like it had a janitorial service clean it up that week. We did find a sizable piece of white plastic that had juvenile Blue Runners darting around and a TTripetail nestled in it. We tossed a surface bait over and dropped a weighted bait to the depths. Sharon said "Something ate my deep bait." She flipped the bail and came tight on the fish. Within minutes she brought a 12lb Wahoo to the boat. That was it for day one. We were on the leader board for the biggest non-dolphin species.
Sunday we went for broke changing the normal plans and opted to run north and fish Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. We worked the heck out of scattered weedlines in 600', 1300' and finally one that was 30 miles off. We had a double knockdown but no hook up, first thing in the morning. We again saw fish in the 3lb range, but we needed fish over 20lb to place in this tournament. I decided to run and gun our way south to Elliot Key which would finish our day. We found a lot of crap in the water but our baits went unmolested. Finally we found a bucket floating in some weeds and a small Bull and Cow Dolphin hanging around. Not big enough for the grown ups but big enough to win a place for our junior angler, Lisa. She tossed everything we could think of and they just ignored it all. These fish were so "cold" they were almost black in color with only their noses showing dolphin blue. They were just not going to eat, so we hauled again. Second day, no fish! Dang!!
At the end of the final weigh in, our Wahoo was beat out by a 27.2 lb Kingfish. I really didn't expect it to hold its place. However, I am very proud of my girls because they never gave up for 2 days and well over 400 miles traveled in search of fish. We tried every trick in the book, to no avail.
I took Art Newell and his 3 grandkids for a half day and we worked the waters from 300-600' and found some small Dolphin and a Barracuda for the kids to have fun with. Nothing sizable though.
The Beastie Girls fished the annual Rodbenders Tournament on Sunday determined to improve their standings in the fishing community here in S. Florida. Improve it they did! I am so proud of these women I could just spit!
The girls are an awesome crew, rigging baits, running, and unfouling lines. When the fish are located they clear lines and pitch live and dead baits to the fish knowing what each other is doing without a word. My only job as Captain during tournaments is to locate the fish, then gaff and box them.
Sharon caught the largest fish of the tournament which is no easy feat for someone whose upper arm and shoulder is now titanium following 2 major shoulder replacement surgeries. The Beastie Girls fished hard in 4' seas and reaped their reward. Honors included, Largest fish, 1st Place Ladies, 3rd place Overall, and 3rd place Juniors. They are also currently in 3rd place in the Dolphin Cup standings which is the best combined total in 3 designated tournaments.
I am so proud of my team of "Salty Ladies!"
The fishing in South Florida is good when the seas are tossed up a little, but is absolutely TOUGH when the seas are flat calm. This is what we have to deal with. Mother Nature is the key. When you come down to fish this summer, looking for those Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi), don't wish to hard for calm waters!
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com
|
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 13
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: 
Votes: 1 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 18, 2004 - 8:40 am: | |
The Beastie Girls have been fishing hard during the last couple of weeks. June is tournament month with a Dolphin tournament held every Saturday and Sunday. All you have to do is pick out which one you want to fish. These tournaments are fun as well as competitive. Competition ranges from 20 boats in some of the smaller contests to over 60 boats competing in the larger ones. In case you are not familiar with The Beastie Girls they are my all-female fishing team. These ladies are great anglers and easy to look at too!
The Beastie Girls fished the 8th annual Miami Kiwanis Dolphin Tournament on Saturday June 5 with 60 boats fishing. The seas were 2-3' and we covered over 110 miles in search of the "big" fish. We were fishing with only 2 of the 3 girls this trip. We lost a good fish at 7:30 AM but the girls didn't get discouraged. Around 9:30 we were 30 miles offshore and found some water changes and a piece of weed about 3' square. We put some baits in and a big Bull Dolphin hit, Missy jumped on the rod and was solid into it when another line went off and Sharon was hooked fast to the Cow. Sharon worked her fish in and I gaffed it with one swipe and into the box so I could concentrate on Missy and her big Bull. She methodically worked him to the boat so we didn't lose this one and he was about 40' below the boat when I noticed yet another fish cruising on the surface. Before I could yell "Pitch a bait to her!", Sharon was already tossing a bait to the Cow with the readied 20# spin rod. She yelled "she ate it!" and she flipped the bail and was off to the races. Missy worked the Bull to the surface and again with one adrenaline rush swipe the big Bull was pinned on the 5" gaff hook as I struggled to lift this 55" fish over the tall bow of my WorldCat 330 TE. BAM!!!! Two fish flopping in the floor box! Sharon worked the other cow to me and said "I think she's still too green!" Green Schmeen, I gaffed that fish before she could take her next breath and we had 3 nice ones flopping in the box. We immediately filled the box with saltwater and ice covering the fish to help preserve their weights. We continued fishing and looking for 1 more fish for the 4 fish bag. We never found another fish, not even a schoolie. At 2 PM, we packed it up to make the long run in to the dock. We bagged the fish for the short truck ride to the weigh scales. The weigh in showed the Cows scaling out at 17.2 and 19.1 pounds and the big Bull tipped the scales at 40.9 pounds. The Beastie Girls took 2nd Place overall with 77.2 pounds, losing first by only 5.8 pounds. They also took Ladies 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place. Unfortunately they awarded the 3rd place Ladies to another lady because Sharon wasn't allowed to win the 2 slots. That's cool though... the "girls" know.
A whopping 59 pound Bull Dolphin was weighed in during the tournament. That fish was so BIG it was UGLY!!!!!
The Beastie Girls also fished the West Marine Tournament this past weekend and found themselves on the leader board again. They placed 5th overall and took 2nd and 3rd Ladies prize. The fishing was tough with flat calm seas but the girls managed to catch a large enough fish for 5th overall by high speed trolling around some birds.
Congratulations to The Beastie Girls!!!!
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com
 |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 12
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 06, 2004 - 12:18 pm: | |
This last several weeks have been a slow period on the fishing scene. I have been an example of the Captains' Nightmare a few times. In case you aren't familiar with the term it is when you fish hard and the fish don't. On an occasion or two I thought about tying on the whole tackle box and letting them make their own choice just so we catch some fish. Sometimes it doesn't matter what you do the fish just won't cooperate. The Captains' Nightmare! The Dolphin fishing started off great with many nice fish being caught by almost everyone, and then the "Fish Gods" slammed the door on our fingers. We are totally at the mercy of the weather, seas, and moons. The seas were 5-6' for more than a month due to a stationary high pressure zone in the Atlantic. The ambient temperatures were pleasant in the low to mid 80's but the cloudless skies had penetrating sun rays piercing the waters. Then it got worse, with the moon coming up on full, the seas going flat, cloudless skies, and the daytime temps reaching the 90's. The last few trips I had were testimony to the ups and downs and pressures of charter fishing.
The Beastie Girls fished the Grove Slam Dolphin tournament and the seas were 5-6' so we did a little run and gunning, dropped into trolling mode and not having seen a Dolphin all day we decided to shutdown and drift live bait for the last half hour. We ended up that hour with 0 Dolphin but did catch 5 Sailfish. Whoopee, no cigar, in a Dolphin Tournament.
The Beastie Girls also fished the 3 days of the 19th annual Coconuts Tournament and on Friday (mini warm-up tournament) we caught a few nice fat schoolies and an 18lb Cow Dolphin. We ran all the way to Key Largo to weigh her in only to find out that the smallest fish weighed in that day was a 33lb'er. Oh well. The 2 days of the main tournament we fished hard in the 4-6' seas to no avail. Coconuts tournament is notorious for big fish. If you don't catch a Dolphin in the 35lb range you are not going to make the leader board. We covered well over 400 miles in those three days and burned 175 gallons of fuel, the scarifices of tournament fishing.
I took Scott Durish and his friends out and we ran about 10 miles out to 1100' depths and saw very few signs of fish. We encountered some type of commercial fisher culling his traps and we patterend in behind him and hooked up a schoolie Dolphin. When the fish came to the boat he was accompanied by another and we fired a "livie" out to him and he ate it. We ended up catching those 2 but the rest of the school didn't hang around for us to pick them off. My friend, Mike, called me on the VHF to tell me he found an unusual patch of water with scattered weed out another 12 miles and north of me about 3 miles. We gathered up everything and came up on plane. I looked back and everyone else has done the same. Here in South Florida the locals rely on "radio fishing" which is listening in on the charter Captains and then running out and mugging them. It gets frustrating! We arrived in time to catch an 18lb Bull Dolphin and in a matter of minutes that 1 mile stretch of water had 8 boats working it. Needless to say, the fish won't hang around long with all that commotion. We ended the day by working some birds that were on Blackfin Tuna and hooking up one on a small artificial which we pitched into the melee on 8 # test. A 20lb Blackfin on 8# test? No contest. We lost!
I took Rich Osborn and his brother out for a night of Swordfishing on his birthday. It was a beautiful starry night with a clear skies and calm seas. On the first drift we had both squid baits stripped. On the second drift we used all live Goggle Eyes and had one stripped but then I noticed an eerie green light approaching the area of my surface bait. What the heck? Oh man, that it is a fish dragging around one of my deep baits, but which one. Finally, we saw the balloon moving and we reeled in and hooked up. The fish came to boatside with no trouble and we saw ourselves gazing at the littlest Swordie I have ever seen. He was approximately 12lb and about 36", sword and all. Too cool!! We were more than happy to release this little critter to grow and maybe please us next year. Rich was happy because he said it was a Swordfish and a good warm-up for his next trip.
Glenn and I went bottom fishing and we lost a nice grouper that "holed" us and we tried everything to free him and the line parted. We tried everything that day and caught one big Yellow Jack. Glenn decided to call it a day at 2 PM because it was getting very hot. Of course it wasn't until around noon time that Glenn announced he had a banana to eat if I wanted it. I almost fell out of the boat. Don't you know that you don't eat tuna or fish while trying to catch fish and you NEVER take bananas on a boat!
The last trip out started by the guys showing up late and then we had to stop at the marina store because they had nothing to drink. We had to wait until 8 for the store to open. They got some water and on our way out at 8:30 they announced that they wanted to be on the dock at 2. OK, we'll try to troll up some Dolphin real quick. NO! They also wanted to stop for live bait. If the fish didn't bite within 15 minutes they had me up and running for another area, wreck, or anything. We spent more time running, than fishing. When all was said and done they ended up skunked. Patience is a virtue.
The Beastie Girls are fishing the 8th annual Miami Kiwannis tournament this weekend, and I will let you know how they did in the near future.
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com
|
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 11
Registered: 8-2003
Rating:
Votes: 2 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 19, 2004 - 9:46 pm: | |
I am really sorry about the delay in reporting but I have been very busy, fishing, doing prop tests, etc., and haven't had much time to sit down at the computer. I really don't know where to begin so I will tell you of a few trips and let you know what seems to be going on here in sunny South Florida.
I'll begin by telling you of Bortie Twiford and his son Michael who were on a quest for young Michael's first Sailfish. We managed to hook him up on one, which jumped the hook. We raised 3 more of which he did manage to hook and release his first Sailfish. We also got 2 "schoolie" Dolphin, 1 Cero mackerel, 3 Bonito, 1 Remora, and the same Pelican twice! Dum bird!
I had to cancel the first trip since running a WorldCat when Mr. Bruce, a good client, was scheduled for his trip. The winds were blowing 25-30 knots out of the NE and seas were 12'. They had a recorded gust at 6 AM that exceeded 38 knots. Nothing safe about that day.
Benny, Bill, and Jennifer came out for spring break and the seas were calm. The fishing was calm too until a rain squall came through and left 1-3' seas and a nice breeze in its wake. The fishing improved as well and we managed to go 2 for 4 on Sails, 4 Kingfish, 1 Cero Mackerel, and 1 Bonito.
Rich Osborn came alone as a present for his birthday from his Mom. The seas were flat and the fishing was somewhat flat as well. We caught 1 Cero mackerel, and 1 Kingfish and decided to try for some Grouper. We trolled plugs over the shallow patches and got 2 Red Grouper and all of a sudden this wall of wind came up from the West and blew the seas up to 3' and us off the patches. We tried to finish the day offshore but the Sailfish didn't come out to play for the evening.
Bob Wallace and his family stopped by on their way to the Keys with their boat in tow. His intention was to sea trial my new 330 TE WorldCat. With that in mind, we spent most of the half day trip running in all sea conditions and at different speeds. We did try to troll up some Dolphin but didn't locate any in the 45 minutes we actually spent fishing.
Joe Malozzi, came for a half day trip with the same intentions, 330 TE WorldCat sea trial. We did almost the same as we did with the Wallace group but I opted to finally run in and quick chum up and throw the Calusa Cast Net on some Ballyhoo and then hit the edge for some fish. We caught 3 Kingfish and lost a big Bonito or Blackfin tuna in the last hour before heading in.
William Cook and his son came in for a full day and a full day they got. We caught 5 out of 6 nice Dolphin between 11 and 22 pounds and a Cero Mackerel. They called it a day early to make it home in time for dinner.
I took my friend Glenn on a trip a few days ago and this was the first time on the new boat. he kept telling me how much he loved this new 33' WorldCat. He was assigned to an aircraft carrier in the Gulf of Tonkin and he said "the only thing missing was the Gulf of Tonkin." We were fishing a late season cold front and the winds were from the North at 15 knots and the seas were 3-5. We had a great day talking, watching turtles, a big Hammerhead, oh yeah, and catching 2 of 4 Sailfish, 2 Ceros and a Barracuda. We also quit fishing early that day.
That seems to sum up the potpourri of fish we caught in the last few weeks. As the Sailfish numbers start to dwindle some and become less desirable as a target species, the Dolphin should be moving in here in big numbers, shortly. Stay tuned!
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com
|
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 10
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 21, 2004 - 1:46 pm: | |
The week following my last report were anything but glamorous. The seas fell to nothing and we were on the waning side of the full moon. Some of these days, the open ocean looked like a mill pond. People were all happy about the conditions and looking forward to a nice leisurely day of fishing but these days are not conducive with an incredible fish bite! These days are NOT what a charter skipper is looking for. You have to keep in mind that we don't like the slow days any more than you do. We like to see our people tired and smiling!
Jimmy Shivers a past Homestead resident, brought his group to fish on a flat calm day. The bait patch was like a mirror and you could watch the baits come up and analyze the bait and only the stupid ones would eat. We managed to eke out enough to fish and headed offshore. Conditions there weren't much better. The only thing working was the d/rigger and we missed several mackerel strikes and managed to capture only one of those. The saving grace was that this was only a half day trip so the misery was over in less time.
The next day Grant Smith and company arrived at the dock and we had some good winds blowing and hopes were high. We hit the bait patches and caught our bait with little trouble. Within half an hour of putting the lines out offshore the winds fell off and the seas again went calm. We did manage to catch 5 Kingfish and 2 Bonito. The Kings have been smaller "snakes" and are becoming harder to hook up even with the stinger hook.
Michael and Bill brought 2 friends for their trip and they were on the hunt for "meat". Not really into the sport fishing aspect we caught enough bait to keep the d/ rigger going all day. Again, missing many strikes on the down rod we did manage to capture 2 or 3 Kings. Deciding to give the patches a shot for an hour or so, I pulled out the heavy guns filled with 50# superline and locked down drags. We trolled the 20-30' patches with diving plugs in hopes for Grouper. We missed one, but did catch a nice Red Grouper, and a Cero Mackerel. We returned offshore to try for the afternoon bite and caught a Sailfish right at the end of the day.
Cameron Fisser and his Buds came in on spring break for an outing. The conditions were a little better with the seas about 2-3 foot. Cisco succumbed to motion sickness on the bait patch and was very happy they were only doing a half day. We caught a small Silky Shark right off the bat and raised 3 Sailfish of which we caught 2.
Charlie and Dave tried their luck for a Sailfish or Dolphin. Charlie has fished with me several times and has yet to bag his Sailfish. He was hoping for flat seas and flat he got. Well, as you know now, not good. Better yet as we are casting off lines to start the day I find out that Dave has a banana on board. I told him about the "banana luck" and he quickly tossed it overboard. Too late! We hit the bait patch and struggled. Luckily, my Calusa Net didn't let us down, as I threw it one time with good results. We caught 2 "schoolie" Dolphin, 1 Cero Mackerel, and 2 Bonito. We missed several strikes on the d/rigger and never saw a Sailfish. Guess there is something to be said about the "banana".
I guess, when you have a good "yin" week, you might expect to get the "yang" on the next week. This is NOT the days you dream. These are the "pay backs are a •••••" days that you dread. I will keep after them because "this too shall pass!"
Capt. Jim
(305) 233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 9
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 15, 2004 - 10:42 pm: | |
The BEAST headed out for a blustery weekend of fishing. Weekend before last the winds were kickin' and the seas were BIG. I took Steve Cheri the new regional warranty man for World Cat out on a combination trip. Our goals were to find him a Sailfish and let him get the feel of the new 330 TE in fishing action. It was Saturday and the winds were blowing from the North at 15-20 knots and the seas were 3-5'. Steve checked over the boat in every way as we ran her into the seas and arrived at the bait patch. We caught our bait in short order and we began the short run in quartering seas out to the edge. Steve only wanted to catch Sailfish so we concentrated on that as he made notes about the boat. He was getting a feel for the boat and in the course of the day we raised 5 Sails that ate the bait and he landed 3 of them. World Cat couldn't have given their new employee a better first day on the job than this.
Jeff, Doug, Dave, and Shane arrived at the dock at 7 AM for their full day outing and the wind was HOWLING out of the East. We took off and headed out to the patch for some bait and the seas were 2-4' on the shallow reefs. The Ballyhoo came up with reckless abandon and we loaded the starboard well with frisky hook caught 'hoos and then I crushed them with my 10' Calusa Cast net and loaded the port well with these. We had plenty of bait and I am grateful we did. We made the 2.5 mile run to the edge to find the wind blowing 30+ knots out of the East and the seas were 5-7 footers easily. This 33' World Cat proved her worth that day and made fishing these conditions seem like 2-4's in any other boat. I tossed out the first bait and as I was giving the guys the run down on my technique a nice Dolphin of about 15#'s took the bait. From that point on we never spent more than 30 minutes without a strike. The day finished up with the guys going 1 for 3 on Sailfish, a Kingfish, a Silky shark, 10 Dolphin between 6-20 lb, a 15 lb Jack Crevalle, a Cero mackerel, half of a Bonito, and a nice 200 lb (estimate) Hammerhead shark. These were 4 happy anglers at the end of the day.
Those were a couple of days that dreams are made of !!!!!!!! Stay tuned for more to come!
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com
|
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 8
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 27, 2004 - 12:23 am: | |
The Miami and upper Key Largo area is busting at the seams with Sailfish as you're reading this. We are into our winter season at full strength for the next month. The last couple weeks were good but are ending with a bang. Early in the month it was good with 4 fish per day being the average. The week leading up to the full and new moon each saw double digit days. The Sailfish were snapping at the hook with doubles and triples happening with regularity. Of course on the off weeks we still had shots at 2-6 fish per day.
My last 4 trips were the normally good February days. Eric Overhardt and his wife were into 3 Sails and the SE winds that day brought some nice "gaffer" dolphin to the boat in the 10-12 lb. class. We didn't put any baits out for Kingfish that day but still managed to have a few baits destroyed by these toothy critters.
Steve Stormer came by himself and gave 4 Sailfish a run for their money and missed several Kingfish bites. He lost 1 mystery fish on the bottom.
Walt and Dave came in with their guns blazing and worked over 6 Sailfish, 6 Kingfish, and a Bonito. We actually had to stop fishing for Kings that day because we were worried we would run out of bait before the afternoon bite. Remember that for every King that is hooked up we might lose 1 or 2 baits to cut offs or cut ups.
Damon and his buddy joined me and again we caught 6 Kings before we had to stop because we were, again, using up all the baits. They did battle with 4 Sails, boated 2 nice chunky Dolphin, and missed several others that were mashing the baits but not really eating them.
All in all it has been very satisfying. I love to see the smile on peoples faces when they hook up a Sailfish, whether it is their first or #100. The Sailfish always aim to please even the most discriminate angler.
If you are tired of that cold winter you've been experiencing up in the frozen North, get on the big bird and take a "spring break" and make some reservations for some HOT fishing action South Florida style!
Capt. Jim
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 7
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 02, 2004 - 9:51 am: | |
The first thing I want to do in this report is apologize for the delay. I have been so busy fishing that I haven't had much time to sit down at the computer and write a report. On that note I will tell you what has been going on here in sunny South Florida.
The Sail fishing seems to be a little on the sporadic side with some days being tough and the next day being inundated with fish. The weather plays an important role in Sail fishing and it was evident this last few weeks. Some days would warm up and be very comfortable for the angler with calmer seas and warmer temperatures but made the Captains job much harder. These Sailfish love the cold fronts and rough water as is confirmed by a day in mid January (of course I didn't have a trip that day) when one boat in our area caught 21 Sailfish on a full day trip. Our weather has been fairly mild this winter but the Sails have been fairly consistent, averaging 3-4 fish rising to the baits and catching 2-3 per day. I could blow smoke up you "wazoo" and tell you how great it is but it has been about average.
The Kingfish started out with a bang. They were so "HOT" that I would barely lower the bait on the d/rigger before it was smashed and you were hooked up to a King Mack. One day I they were thick as fleas on a hound dog and I had them hitting the baits as they were being lowered. As the month wore on they became more scattered in the are and it was good but not great. Not to say, they weren't there, but less apt to take the baits. I can only surmise that their is SO much bait on the patches that they are feeding predominately in the shallows as evidenced by the bait pushes seen often in the 40-60 foot depths. Rich Osborn managed to catch a nice 32# King on one of the slower days and it put a smile on his face.
The Dolphin fishing has slowed to a winter lull but we have still managed to catch one or two here and there. These are bigger fish, in the 10-30 pound class. Blackfin and Skipjack Tuna have been slow -- fair as well and these fish are smaller that desired. There was a good run of Wahoo although short, about a week, for those guys who like the high speed trolling.
I don't do a lot of wreck or bottom fishing, but the guys I know that do have been struggling to find the Mutton Snapper and Grouper that they seek. We did have a few African Pompano on the wrecks and it seems that the Amberjack have moved in towards the reef edge. These Jacks were giving us fits while Sail fishing the other day. The lack of current had a lot to do with that.
The Swordfishing has slowed some as well but not in the number of strikes as much as in the size of the fish. Usually during the winter we have the bigger brood fish here but this month has seen many of the "puppies" being caught in the 50-100 pound size.
The weather here is beautiful and the fishing is World Class so get out of the frigid north and give me or Sharon a call and enjoy a day on The BEAST for some fun in sunny South Florida.
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com
|
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 6
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 04, 2004 - 6:33 pm: | |
Fishing, fishing, fishing! That's what The BEAST has been doing since the last report. My new World Cat 330 TE has been getting a work out especially during the Christmas break. I was counting days off instead of charters last month.
We had days of Dolphin and Kings, Sails and Kings, Dolphin, Sails, and Kings. Christmas Day I took my nieces and brother-in-law fishing and the girls were having a good time catching reef fish when the bait got so thick behind the boat I couldn't stand it any longer. I threw my Calusa Cast net and got several dozen baits and we headed for some deeper patches to fish. I free lined a live 'hoo out and it got picked up. Mike fought it until it "holed" him and I knew what we had. I took the rod and strummed it, but it didn't work. I immediately let all the line go slack for about 2 minutes and then with pressure I managed to get it out of the hole. A nice 20 1/4# Black Grouper came up to the gaff. Yum, Yum!
The next day Kris Walters and his gang had many Kingfish cutting him off but then we drifted in to a weedline in only 65' of water and had 4 Dolphin come charging out and eat the spread. We managed to get the 3 cows (15-20#) but lost the big bull to the motor.
Lowell and Stuart were next with a fairly decent bite working. They wanted to take home some Kings so we put the downrigger down 35 feet and in no time caught their limit in chubby Kingfish between 15 - 18 pounds.
Jamie Moorehouse and his wife and friends came in for a day of fishing with me and the bite had slowed considerably. We managed to boat a "schoolie" Dolphin and a nice chubby King. We had 2 shots at Sailfish but they came up empty on both.
Mike and Justin tried for some fish on the morning side of 2 half day trips. The fishing was slow! We eked out a Kingfish on the first drop of the d/rigger and then everything shut off. When we were just about ready to call the 1/2 day trip we had 2 Sails come up and the double was on. Poor Mike got the short straw when the lines got crossed and his parted. Justin got his to boatside and we tagged it and did some photos then released him for another day. The back side (afternoon) trip was not so fortunate. Ralph and his sons wanted to catch anything but "anything" wasn't listening. Nothing was happening on the surface or on the d/rigger so we hit a wreck only to mark fish that wouldn't eat. We did get a Sail up and mashed the bait but didn't feel the hook. We worked hard and used all the baits.
Brad and his son James started the New Year fishing with me and we had several Kingfish hits but poor James couldn't make it to the rod before they would shed the hooks. We had a Sailfish rise to the flat line baits and then turn and eat the right rigger bait. James got one jump out of him and he was gone. Brad started the relentless ribbing, telling his son James he was smelling up the joint. We had a great timed Brad is going home to Rhode Island, trade in his 266 World Cat, to purchase a World Cat 330 TE. He came all the way down here to fish for Sails and get a first hand feel of the new 33. He says it is exactly what he needs to do the long, rough, runs out to the Canyons for Tuna and Sharks.
C'mon down and try some of our excellent fishing and ride on the new 330 TE World Cat. You'll see why more and more people are selling the V-hulls and buying the catamarans. They are the cats, meow!
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 5
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 18, 2003 - 12:08 am: | |
The WorldCat guys were in town to do a photo shoot with The BEAST and their 270 SD they brought with them. While they were here I had a Sunday and Monday open for the shoot and we decided to do the shoot on Monday when the water was to be much rougher. Sunday now open, we decided to fish since Scott has never caught a Sailfish. Scott, Chuck and I met at the dock at 7 AM and made our run down the Bay to the Key Largo bait patches and in very short order we had dozens of frisky Ballyhoo in the livewells. We were offshore with lines in the water by 9:30. The wait for the first fish wasn't long and Scott was into his first Sail. Oops, we spoke to soon! The fish must have been bill wrapped because the leader chafed through in a few minutes. We had 2 more attempts on Sailfish and each one ended in a win for the fish. Maybe you should stick to Flounder, Scott (grins)! They managed to catch a couple of chunky school Dolphin. They had many King Mackerel bites and managed to catch 4 or 5 of them as well as a nice Skipjack Tuna, and a big Rainbow Runner. The fishing completely shut down after 1:30 but we stuck it out until 5 hoping for 1 more shot at a Sail. Nothing else happened but the WorldCat crew had a very enjoyable day out on one of their new 330 TE's, The BEAST!
We arrived at the dock Monday morning at 6 AM for the photo shoot and Scott and Chuck ran the WorldCat 270 SD (chase boat) and Amy, LB (Beastie Girls) and I were in The BEAST. We arrived offshore to find the seas rough enough for the shoot. Scott called for the chopper with the photographer and as he readied his camera. The helicopter arrived in 15 minutes and told us to head offshore into the 6' seas. We took off and in very short order Scott realized as great as the 27' WorldCat rides in rough seas he was not able to keep up with the impressive 330 TE. The BEAST, a WorldCat 330 TE is 33' long with a 10' 6" beam. I had The BEAST running 30 mph in 6' seas with 2 of the beautiful Beastie Girls standing behind the helm seat. The ride was so soft that it was hard to show how rough the seas truly were. We ran for 30 minutes or more while the photographer took still shots and videos from all angles. When he gave the cut signal we were 12 miles offshore. That was exhilarating, running 30 in 6 footers with a chopper flying forward and backwards at very close quarters, sometimes being close enough to feel the prop wash from his rotors!!!!!! Hopefully, you will be seeing a picture of this in the popular magazines.
The seas were 2-3' when I took Mike Jackstadt and his friend, from Jersey Shores out for the day. We got Mike his first Sailfish and missed 2 others. I experienced a first for myself as we had a small Sailfish hit a bait 35 feet down on a downrigger intended for Kingfish. The fish didn't hook up on the strike but followed the bait up to the transom where I tried everything to get him to eat it. I finally pulled the bait in and tossed it overboard. Guess what? You're right! Now he eats it! We caught a school Dolphin and could have caught many more but these guys were sportsman and didn't want the smaller fish. We also got 3 nice Kings and at least 10 cutoff bites. Again the day ended on a stale note with the fish getting lockjaw later in the afternoon.
Another trip had Eileen and Mark Turbessi attempting their first ever Sailfish encounter. We were on a pre-front condition and the fishing reflected it making me work very hard to locate hungry fish. The seas were rumbling along at 4-5 feet and the winds were blowing out of the WSW at 15-20 knots. We worked hard and managed to get into a small school of Dolphin. We released the Dolphin and continued on. We had many Kingfish sky rocketing out of the water and each time they either bit the bait in half or cut the leader clean. It was a sight to see! Fish clearing the waters surface by 10 feet with the bait hanging out of their mouths. We did have a Sailfish come up in the spread and eat the long rigger bait and Eileen was hooked fast to her first Sail. Having fished some before (freshwater lakes) she worked this fish like a pro. We tagged and released this beautiful little 25 LB fish at boatside. We did manage to catch 3 of the Kings that were wreaking havoc on our baits. At 4:15 as my wife was calling to warn me of a severe squall line moving through the charter desk from Ocean Reef was calling in all their charter boats for the same thing. We pulled lines secured all the equipment and as we headed for Angelfish Creek we saw the frontal line approaching. It met us halfway across the reefs and the winds kicked up and the rain was driving down like hail. We kept our course and speed because my radar proved the bad weather to be about 1 mile across. Thankfully The BEAST is a 33' WorldCat because it was steady as she goes. I can't picture me, or any of my customers, ever being in a monohull again.
Sharon and Capt. Jim at Beast Charters would like to wish each and every one of you, a warm and joyous Holiday, and a healthy and prosperous New Year!
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com
|
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 4
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 30, 2003 - 6:49 pm: | |
I will begin this fishing report at the point when The BEAST (new) came into service a few weeks ago. This 2004 WorldCat 330TE is some awesome fishing machine powered by the new 2004 Honda 225's. The weather here has been unsettled with mostly breezy days and a few on the calmer side. Of course the days I had trips it was blustery to say the least. I didn't mind because this 33' WorldCat makes 6' seas seem like a light chop. I have been fishing for too many years to count and have never been so impressed by a boat as I am with The BEAST. Working the cockpit in rough seas is a no hands proposition. The Honda 225's have more than enough torque to push this big boat to a cruise of 30 and top end of 43 while cutting fuel burn to about half, making it possible to keep my rates the same as when I ran the 27 WorldCat. You win and I win, what a great combination.
The first trip on the new boat brought strong 15-20 knot winds and Dolphin and Kingfish to excess. We caught some chunky school sized Dolphin and many nice Kings. Unfortunately 2 of the 3 guys got seasick and called the trip by 2 PM.
My wife and I did the next trip and it was blowin' to beat the band and we had to limit ourselves to 3 lines and we still managed to get Dolphin and Kingfish.
That Monday the seas were a little more manageable at 3-4' and we had a great day catching 4 of 5 Sailfish and many Dolphin (schoolies) and some nice Kingfish.
The next 2 trips were a full and a half day and we had rough conditions again but managed a Sail each day and so many Kingfish bites it is hard to keep count.
Last Monday I took Clint Lee from our local West Marine store and we had a bang up knock 'em dead day. The seas were 2-3' and the winds were about 10-15 knots. Clint was hooked up to Kingfish every drop of the downrigger, sometimes it was getting hit before I could lock it down. We stayed busy and then right before he had to call it a day we hooked up a 30# Bull Dolphin and a Sail and then the downrigger went off with a 25# Wahoo. Yahoo! Pandemonium! Great Day!
My last trip was not so effective. A cold front was passing and the winds were "huffin" at 30+ knots from the NW. We were fighting its effects while trying to fish in 4-6' seas. It was a challenge but that WorldCat proved her mettle and hunkered down with no problems. The fishing was tough, missing 1 Sail and numerous king bite offs, so the guys gave up early, cold and wind burnt.
I have always heard and recognized the ability of certain boats to call up fish. When everyone else was struggling, we were catching fish with regularity. This new BEAST is a fish magnet!
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 3
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 9:58 pm: | |
I apologize for the delay in fishing reports but I have been an extremely, busy Captain.
The fishing the last several weeks has been a touch under average. Usually by now the Sailfish are here in good numbers but they took a while to arrive. The last few high pressure zones finally moved them into our area and with each passing front the numbers have increased. The Dolphin are still zipping in and out of the bait spreads on occasion and putting smiles on the faces of those who enjoy eating these delicious fish. Last week the Black Grouper made an incredible showing in the 150' depths and filled the boxes with fish up to 50 lb. in the mix. We also had a pretty decent run on Wahoo for about a week.
The main stay catches for the day trips has been Kingfish. The Kings have been testing all of the anglers with limits of fish inevitable. These speedy brothers of the Wahoo were providing continuous action for most of the live bait fisherman.
Night time trips for Swordfish has been nothing short of spectacular. The big brood fish are here with several in the 300 lb. size being taken. This time of year is prime time for these bruisers with the biggest problem being that of the weather. The winds have been giving us a few problems in getting out there to the fish.
GOOD NEWS! The new BEAST is here! She is a 2004 WorldCat 330TE powered by twin Honda 225's. I added radar, GPS/sonar, VHF, and an AM/FM/CD stereo to make this the ultimate light tackle charter boat in South Florida. This is one incredible fishing machine. They left no stone unturned when they built this boat. Everything was designed with the fisherman in mind, from the ample fishboxes, a multitude of built in tackle centers, plenty of rod holders, and a tuna door in the stern. The creature comforts are not short either. She has a small forward cuddy cabin with stand up head, plenty of seating, oversized hard top, and high gunnels to make you feel secure while fighting your fish. The performance is exceptional. The BEAST is not a speedster, topping out at about 43 mph but cruising at 33-35 mph. The beauty of this boat is she can do that in any sea. My son and I brought her down to Black Point from the Ft. Lauderdale boat show in less than an hour in 3-5 foot seas running 33 mph. Another upside is The BEAST (33' WorldCat) has a 10' beam and feels steady as an oil platform when at rest. In over 30 years of fishing I have never been so impressed by a boat. I am in awe and you will be too!
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com
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Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 2
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 14, 2003 - 10:58 am: | |
The fishing was good for Dolphin during the day when we got out and the weather was beautiful except for the close call of Hurricane Isabel. Many of us were finding good numbers of Dolphin in nice sized schools but there were limited catches of the quality fish. Kingfish were unseasonably present if live baiting was the order of the day. Wreck and bottom fishing was almost non existent due to the lack of northerly currents. Sailfish were scarce but the area around Miami proper seemed to produce these acrobatic gamesters more frequently throughout the month.
Night fishing was BIG TIME and very comfortable. The dark seas were calm and serene but the Swordfish were anything but. Good catches of these broad shouldered brutes were almost guaranteed.
October should start to show the annual migration of bait fishes into our area. When these fish start moving south avoiding the cooler waters of the North the predator fish will be right behind them. I have already seen 2 cool fronts push through the Carolinas so our time is coming very soon. Hoards of Kingfish, pods of Sailfish, and big "slammer" Dolphin should be making their way down the coast as I write this. This month is generally the kickoff of our fall/winter season and it only gets better as each day passes. Wahoo should be showing up slowly until it reaches it's peak in late November.
On a recent outing with my brother-in-law Michael and his partners we were besieged with bad luck. We had an easy time getting hard baits but when we hit a patch to grab a few live Ballyhoo we stumbled a little. I grabbed my Calusa Cast net and gave it a toss, corraling about a dozen or so. We made our way offshore in flat calm seas and found a miserable southerly current. Although the conditions were totally wrong for a good day we did fish hard and missed about a half dozen King bites. Finally, the guys hooked up a good sized Barracuda on the surface and a "micro" 'Cuda on the downrigger. The small Barracuda couldn't even pop the line out of the clip. Fearing we were just going to have to settle for this I tossed a nice little 4" Blue Runner into the spread. He immediately started to dive for the bottom. I pinned the line in the short rigger clip and as I was setting the line in the free line clip it was pulled from my hands. I gave a count of three and slammed the hook home,while handing the rod to Scott Mullane. He was hard fast to something good on a 20# spin rod. After a lengthy battle of give and take we finally saw color. A beautiful Wahoo lit up in full colors, came to the surface, was gaffed, and boxed. Mike could hardly wait to get the scale out. A nice fish of 30 lb. and plenty of steaks for the grill. It wasn't a trip to write home about but it turned out much better than conditions dictated.
October seems to be the month of the Swordfish with many multiple fish trips. Last year saw many fish being taken in the 400 lb. range. The nights should continue to have light breezes and manageable seas making a Swordfish adventure, a comfortable possibility.
The end of this month should also see the arrival of the biggest Beast of all. The arrival of the new "BEAST"! This 330 TE WorldCat is the flagship of World Class Catamarans and is one wicked fishing machine. She has a length of 33' and a 10' 6" beam. The BEAST will be powered with 225 Hondas and they have loaded her with so many standard features that options are an option. I am eager to fish her and put her through the paces. Imagine, 6 feet longer, 2 feet wider, and still runs 45 mph with only 450hp. This will be the ultimate RIDE! Give us a call, book a trip, and see her for yourself. Fish on the smoothest riding, light tackle boat, in Miami. The BEAST!
Capt. Jim
(305)233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 1
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 10:46 am: | |
The Beastie Girls finished their tournament season with a THUD! We had our sights set to win the Miami Wings Dolphin Tournament, with guest host Larry Little from the '72, 17-0 undefeated Miami Dolphins. I loaded the boat to the hilt with fuel, oil, ice, and our insulated fish bag to keep the winning fish in fine form and weight. We left the Marina at 5:15 AM and hit the closest bait patch in the Bay. We loaded down the live well with some frisky Blue runners and Pinfish.
The BEAST was up on a plane and cruising for the offshore fishing grounds with high hopes and a new team member, Melissa Jones. She is as beautiful as the other three ladies, Sharon, Sharon, and Amy, and an avid, competent angler as well. She was getting a prep talk about the ins and outs of all out "run and gun" tournament fishing as we ran through Caesar Creek. Then it happened! Wheeeiiinnn !!!! NO WAY! It's 6:05 AM and we just spun a prop hub cruising at 35 mph for no apparent reason.
The girls looked at me and asked "What do we do now?" I told them we should "Pack it in and take the loss." Within 10 seconds they gave me a unanimous, "NO WAY!" "We still have another engine and plenty of bait so we are fishing!" I explained to them that we were loaded with 240 gallons of fuel, 6 gallons of oil and the boat was at max weight (8500#'s) and couldn't get better than 8 mph. They didn't care! These "never say die" women fished all day, having to change their plans and techniques to accommodate limping around on 1 engine. We never made it out to where we wanted to go but we did find a nice 15# Bull Dolphin which they quickly dispatched into the fish bag. We had to quit fishing at 2 PM in order to make the 5:30 weigh in. We arrived at the weigh in at 5:15 where their fish went on the boards and finished up in 7th place. When the director of the Tournament heard of the plight of these tenacious, pit bull, no quit, competitors, he gave the girls the "Hard Luck" trophy for their efforts. Not quite what they had hoped for but they still had fun.
The fishing here has been slow during the day with not much to report on. This is not because of the fish. The BEAST has had no day trips in the last several weeks which is unusual, but after talking to other Capt.'s, they are experiencing the same. The night time Swordfish action is still "Red Hot" and the seas have been fairly calm, except for this week when Hurricane Isabel passed by. Night trips should be very productive for a while yet. Last year the bigger Swords were caught later in the year, during October. Some of these fish were reaching the 400# mark. Not too shabby!
For those of you who bore the brunt of Hurricane Isabel, I give you my hopes and prayers. I went through Hurricane Andrew on Aug. 24, 1992 and will never forget it. I lost everything and lived in a 16' Pop-up trailer on a generator for 9 months. This is not about me, but words of encouragement. It may look terrible and bleak right now, but keep your chin and your hopes up. Just as tomorrow will dawn with better weather, so will the pieces of your life. South Florida recovered from the worst monetary ($15 billion) natural disaster in history. I know that the ingenuity and the integrity of my southern friends in North Carolina and Virginia will endure. Gods speed to y'all.
Capt. Jim
(305) 233-9996
www.beastcharters.com
beastcharters@aol.com
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Randolph W. Smith (Bouncer)
New member
Username: Bouncer
Post Number: 1
Registered: 9-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 01, 2003 - 8:20 am: | |
It is hard to imagine, but we have not gone daytime fishing in weeks. For over 20 years we fished 7:30 to 4 every day and some evenings. Now during the hot summer months we are fishing more at night than during the day. This is mostly due to the return of the swordfish. The fact that the tarpon and snook have been very willing to eat our baits helps a lot as well. The only down side has been more wind than we normally see in the summer months.
This week started with a swordfish trip. It had been a calm day, but as we headed offshore at 7 PM the wind was on the rise. We were fishing 4 baits, one of which would be on our anglers own rod. Due to the fact that his rod had no depth markers on the line I chose to put it down last. I lowered his line down 150 feet and secured a marker on his line. I then noticed some loose wraps of line on his reel, so I let it down another 150 feet while clearing these loose wraps. Being early in the evening, I left his bait down over 300 feet. I applied just enough drag to hold the bait from taking line. I turn to walk away and line slipped from the reel, causing the clicker to sound. I increased the drag to a tighter setting and the rod bent over with a fish on! We caught a swordfish in the first 15 minutes of fishing. This poor swordfish was in big trouble as his lower jaw split from tip to gills. It was obvious it would not survive. We kept him for the grill and put the lines back out as the wind rose. Even with the big sea anchor out we were sliding rapidly inshore and having to hold on as we moved about. At 11 we decided to call it an early night.
Our next trip was planned to target tarpon. Thee first spot produced a 12 pound snook and a couple barracudas. The next spot, numerous tarpon were rolling all over the surface. We caught 1 about 40 pounds and had a couple other strikes before this spot cooled off as it usually does as night approaches. Most tarpon spots get better as night falls, but not this spot. We moved to the inlet and caught a 20 pound tarpon before time to go home.
The next night was to target snook and was our best night of the year for size of fish. We caught a 25 and a 8 pound double header in the first spot. When the tide changed we changed spots and hit nirvana. We were hooking snook every cast. They were 15 to 25 pounds. We caught 3 or 4 and lost several before this school wised up and quit feeding. We caught a couple more snook in the 6 to 8 pound range as well as a 12 pound jack before going home.
The next night was scheduled as a swordfish trip. With 20 knot winds I suggested a snook trip would be our only option. Away we went. Hitting the same spots as the night before produced next to nothing. We got a 7 pound snook and a couple barracuda. We finally caught another couple 5 to 7 pound snook and a 3 pound mangrove snapper. As darkness fell I decided to try one more very rough spot. It was so rough, that the Coast Guard got a report that we were floundering and in trouble. They dispatched a boat, but I heard the radio call and reported to them that we were just catching fish. As they returned to their other duties, we caught a 15 pound cubera snapper, a rare incidental catch, and a pair of 20 pound snook before going home. All these snook were caught in August and were released in good condition due to using circle hooks. Most were over the 34 inch maximum size limit and would have to be released during the open season. Again showing the value of using circle hooks with no offset so that every fish is lip hooked and will survive to keep the snook population healthy. I remember when snook populations were down to the point that it was no fun to fish for them. Please limit your catch and treat your release fish in a survivable way to help keep the population at these pleasant population levels. |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 23, 2003 - 12:06 pm: | |
Kathy and Ray Pond met me at the dock at 7 AM for a half day trip for Dolphin. We opted to stop at a bait patch and catch some bait just in case we encountered finicky Dolphin. Live bait is a must if you encounter a nice big fish and also to use for wreck fishing. We hunted for the proper conditions but to no avail. We did find a few working birds but they were following fast moving schools of Bonito. We decided to take the remainder of the morning working a nearshore wreck. Ray went through about 18 baits only managing to catch and release two 20# class Barracuda. We had a few live Ballyhoo left which we had saved and the fisherman in me couldn't call it quits. Though our time was up, we went down to the Whistle Buoy and worked the edge. Immediately, we hooked up into a nice Kingfish which Ray fought to within 30 feet of the boat and out of nowhere a "Monster" Barracuda hit the fish devouring half in one bite. We ended the morning trip about 1:30 PM and headed for the Marina.
One of my favorite and most steady clients, Jon Clement, has been trying to hook up for a night of Swordfishing but the weather was always less than favorable each time he had come to town for business. Last week he called and booked a night trip to get that Sword and everything looked good. He called when he got to MIA and I told him that everything was looking great and the trip was a "GO." We met at the Dock at 6 PM and made a short run to a bait patch in the Bay for some Blue Runners. We caught a dozen and left for a bait patch offshore to try and catch some of the preferred "Goggle Eyes" for bait. We took a few minutes going over the plan and methods for Swordfishing while we waited on the sun to set and darkness to fall. We made a few drops to the bottom with our Sabiki rigs and caught 8 or so "gogs" and made our way out to the depths. Our first drift was about an hour long but we never had a bump. I decided to pull in the lines and set up for another drift on the deeper side of the drop-off. We set our baits a little deeper and in about 15 minutes had a strike, but after "thunking" the bait twice he managed to knock it off. Resetting the line with a fresh bait, it wasn't in the water a few minutes when the line came tight and Jon was onto a fish. The fight was 25 minutes and when the fish came to the lights it was a Bull Shark of approx. 200 pounds, and he pulled the hook right then and there. We reset the line and also reset the 3rd line another 50 feet deeper. Before Jon could even get comfortable, the 3rd line went off and Jon jumped on the rod. The line came tight on the fish, setting the Owner 10/0 circle hook. On the first run we knew we hooked what we had come for. The line sizzled off of the 80# standup gear with Jon helplessly watching. He worked and sweated for each yard, often times taking up 50 hard earned yards only to lose 75 on the next run. This was a battle lasting 1 hr & 25 min ending with an unrevivable, 110 pound Swordfish, laying on the deck. Jon was spent and called it a night after spending 2 hours on the rod with only about a 5 minute break in between. We took pictures and made our way back to the Marina to steak up this delicious catch. These fish are truly the "Gladiators of the Sea"!!!!
Coming to Miami? Adventurous? Get hooked up on Swordfish while the weather is calm and the fishing is HOT!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
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Capt Jim
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 17, 2003 - 11:15 pm: | |
Dolphin? Skipjacks? Bonito? Which will it be this time? This has been the major question for the past several weeks. The key to finding the fish this summer has been locating working birds. The Petrels, Terns, Gulls and even the Frigate Birds are all working major schools of fish. They are feasting on the flying fish which take to the air as a means of escaping the hoards of hungry fish below. There are many determining factors as to whether we work the birds hard or just give them a quick pass and move on. How do we tell if they are working a school of Dolphin or one of the tuna species? Well, experience is #1 and then there are some subtle differences in the way they are working, the direction or speed they are moving, the feeding patterns of birds present, as well as other telltale signs.
I've been very busy for the past few weeks and have been very successful at finding the Dolphin the parties have been wishing for. Thankfully most of my customers are not out for a day of grocery fishing, so we have been catching many and keeping a few for dinner. The majority of the trips lately have been half day morning trips to evade the heat of the day. We have been blasting offshore and hunting up the birds and then pulling feathers or bait/lure combos to pick off these scrappy Dolphin. The one drawback we have been finding is the schools are not hanging around the boat allowing us to break out the light weight gear and have more fun. As a matter of fact, they are even snubbing the chunk bait which is normally their downfall.
I took Mark Feroglia and his friend for a full day and he opted not to stop for any live bait. This tactic worked out fairly well as we caught Dolphin all day and kept 12 fish. The fish that we kept were all decent with 9 - 8# "schoolies", and 3 "gaffers" of 11#, 15#, and 19#'s. When the schools came up to the boat with the hooked fish I saw some fish in the 20-40# class swimming with them and here is where we lost out by not stopping to catch any live bait. All in all, it was a great day.
Glen Essig and his son form Homestead, took a full day trip to learn some fishing techniques to aid him when fishing on his boat. We spent the morning chasing Dolphin and kept a handful for their dinner. By noon we were in working the wrecks and caught a few big Barracuda and hooked another big "mystery" fish. At first I thought his son was into a shark but the more I thought about the way the battle was going I began to wonder if he hadn't gotten tied up to one of those BIG nasty Cubera Snapper. The Cubera's have been moving in on the shallow wrecks to spawn for the next month or so.
If it's Dolphin you want, try taking a day trip. If you feel more adventurous, try a night trip for Cubera Snapper or Swordfish.
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 04, 2002 - 11:39 am: | |
Subject: Summertime Fun
Double D Charters
7/4/02
Almost a month from my last report, so here goes.
Dolphin fishing has been on the tough side, and usually requires running way out into the Gulfstream. There has been a lack of debris, so most of the dolphin found have been under birds. The birds have been moving fairly fast, and have been difficult to get in front of. If you do though, you usually get a few dolphin. Size has been on the small size from little peanuts to 5 pound schoolies, although as expected, there have been dolphin up to 50 pounds caught this past month. Quite a few wahoo have also been caught offshore. I also have heard of a few blue marlin as well as a few white marlin offshore.
Fishing on the reef has been productive for bonitas and sailfish. Kingfish have almost all disappeared, but the sailfish are still here. We have been catching at least one or two sailfish on every trip that we fished the reef.
Bahamas fishing is red hot, with mutton snapper being the glamour fish. This last full moon, although I fished Miami, the boats that went over, did very well with the muttons. Yellowtail fishing has been very good, and so has jigging for red grouper. Cobia are also around, and the kingfishing in Bimini is also very good.
Now comes my favorite – Swordfishing!
We went swordfishing last night and caught two swordfish and a shark. The two swordfish were not behemoths, but on was a keeper (70 pounds), and the other one was smaller (50 pounds). We released both fish. What is amazing though, is that even a 50-pound swordfish can pull quite a bit of drag off of an 80 or 50 Wide International reel. I did hear of one 300 pound swordfish being caught last night. The angler had the fish on for over 3 hours.
So if it sounds like you need action, it’s hard to beat Bimini for the reef fish, Miami at night for the swordfish, and Miami daytime for dolphin or sailfish.
Give me a call, and lets set up a trip.
Happy and Safe 4th of July.
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
(954)805-8231
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 11, 2002 - 6:18 pm: | |
Subject: Bimini Bahamas
Double D Charters
6/10/02 - Bahamas
For the past 4 days I was over in Bimini Bahamas. Fishing in Bimini is a lot of fun and the bottom fishing is what you usually go over there for. We caught mutton snappers, yellowtails, groupers, cero mackerels, dolphin and sharks. The first two days were better than the last two, but we caught fish every day. The weather on the other hand was phenomenal. The second day was our best day, as we ventured up into the Gingerbread Area. Although it is quite the run from Bimini, I think it is well worth it. The yellowtail fishing there was great, with lots of 3 – 4 pound fish. Even with a full moon phase and actually almost no moon, we still caught some nice hefty mutton snapper almost daily. We didn’t catch the numbers you can catch as when the moon is full, but the ones we caught were of decent size. The grouper fishing was a bit disappointing, but we did have some nice fish on deep jigging, but unfortunately we got rocked on almost every bite.
On this side, the dolphin fishing seems to be the most consistent action, although the size of the dolphin change from school to school. There have been some nice dolphin (20-30 lb) caught in on the edge over this past weekend. The swordfishing has also been excellent, with many boats hooking 2 – 4 fish per evening (Just as a side note – I love doing swordfish trips).
With all said and done, look at your calendars and let set up a Bahama trip or an evening swordfish trip. These seem to be the premiums during the summer, and if not, dolphin fishing and fishing on the edge are always an option.
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
(954)805-8231
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, May 30, 2002 - 8:16 pm: | |
Subject: SWORDFISH - MIAMI
Double D Charters
5/30/02 - SWORDFISH
Fishing all week has been very good, but this report will deal with the ultimate fish and the ultimate fight. We’re talking swordfish! Last night the swordfishing off of Miami was good. The night started off uneventful for the first hour .Setting up well east of Miami, we put out five rods with live blue runners for bait. We set our baits at different depths and used glowsticks on all of them. The tackle used (Penn International 80’s and 50’s), fishing at night in the middle of the Gulfstream, large live baits, harnesses and flying gaffs, all make this an experience that will not be forgotten. This is big game fishing for big game predators.
Our first strike came after we had set up for about 45 minutes. While I was focusing on my radar to see the course of a freighter that just past us, I noticed the middle rod tip bounce violently. It was obvious that there was a swordfish attacking the bait. No sooner had we noticed the rod tip, when the green cyalume stick started rising to the surface quickly. We attempted to get tight onto the swordfish and did get one run out of him, when the hooks pulled. Swordfish have soft mouths and are notorious for billing and killing a bait but not actually eating it. A few minutes later the shallow rod started bouncing and soon the green cyalume started rising. We got on the fish quick, got tight on him and soon had a solid hookset. We fought the fish on the 50Wide and after about 25 minutes had a nice swordfish boatside. Estimated weight was around 75 pounds, and although it was definitely a legal fish, we decided to release it.
As we pulled in the other lines, two of the remaining rods had the baits picked off clean with one leader severely abraded. At this point we were definitely 1 for 2 or possibly as high as 1 for 4.
We ran back North and reset for another drift. As the trip was approaching the end, I joked with my charter and told them that as was customary for most of my trips this week, we will probably hook a large fish with about 5 minutes left. Right on queue, we reeled in the shallowest rod, when the farthest rod started bouncing and the cyalume stick started coming up fast. We didn’t need to get tight on the fish, since drag was screaming off the reel. After about 45 minutes we got the fish to within 100ft of the boat. With an unexpected burst of energy, this swordfish then pulled out at least 150 yards on line within seconds. It was obviously a big fish and everyone on the boat knew it. A full one hour and 10 minutes later we brought a 200-pound plus swordfish next to the boat. The last run this fish made must of really tired him out. When he was next to the boat he was practically dead and would not have survived if released, so since this was a big fish and conditions the way they were, we hit him with the flying gaff and brought in. In all reality we did the right thing in releasing the smaller fish and keeping one for the table. We ended up the night with a definite 2 out 3 swordfish, which could have been as high as 2 out of 5 (counting those bites that were not seen but were pretty assured of being swordfish). Emotions were high and you could feel the excitement and electricity. The ride home felt short, as everyone knew we just did battle with a magnificent creature.
If you would like to experience this style of big game fishing, give me a call and lets set up a swordfish charter.
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
(954)805-8231
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 20, 2002 - 9:21 pm: | |
Subject: RED HOT MIAMI
Double D Charters
5/20/02
Last week the fishing off of Miami was spectacular. Live baiting on the edge not only produced lots of fish, but a large amount of variety as well. Early in the day the kingfish were biting fairly good, and there was some decent sized ones as well. The sailfish are continuing to eat throughout the day and have been responding well to live chum. Two days last week, we were actually able to chum up a sailfish behind the boat, toss a live bait on a hook to him, hook up and land him. It is pretty exciting to see a sailfish so close, actually cast a bait to him and see him eat it. The dolphin have also been in the mix, with both dolphin offshore as well as on the edge. The afternoons have also been on fire with the blackfin tunas. On Wednesday of last week, we got the blackfins so fired up with live chumming; that at one point during the day, we had at least six blackfin at one time crashing the freebies we were chumming with.
Obviously the offshore action sounds great, but the tarpon fishing along the beaches has also been phenomenal. I fished 3 night trips as well, and went 2 – 3 one night, 5 for 9 another night and 4 for 5 on the third night. All those fish, with the exception of one, were over 100 pounds. The largest tarpon we caught last week was estimated at 140 pounds. We only have a few weeks left for the big tarpon on the beaches, so don’t miss out.
During the weekend, I fished with a charter for the Pompano Beach Rodeo. We placed just out of the money, and ended up 12th place out of over 250 boats. Tournaments are long days, but I had an excellent bunch of guys, that really helped out and knew how to handle fishing rods well. My charter did win 3rd place Family award. We caught lots of kings, blackfin tuna, dolphin and sailfish. It was an exciting time, and look forward to fishing it again next year.
As you can see from this report, the fishing remains excellent, so give me a call and let’s set up a trip.
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
(954)805-8231
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 06, 2002 - 7:43 pm: | |
Subject: Miami Fishing
Double D Charters
5/6/02
The fishing off of Miami continues to be good. Early last week, the blackfin tuna bite was consistent, especially in the afternoons with a few fish caught every day. Sailfish have also been active and been eating mostly smaller baits like herring and pilchards. On Friday we got a last minute half day trip. The trip started at 10am and bait was a little tough to get. With only a few dozen herring, we went out to drift the edge. Not 5 minutes went by, when we had our first sailfish on. After a successful release, we restarted our drift, and as the baits were going out, we got our second sailfish. This type of action continued for the remainder of our trip. We ended up hooking and releasing 5 sailfish and lost a big king at the boat. Not bad for a half day trip!
On Sunday, the kingfish action off of Gov’t Cut, really turned on. Quite a few kingfish over 30 pounds were caught, along with some nice size dolphin. Last night we went swordfishing. The swordfish bite during the week was fairly good, but as the weekend approached, it started tapering off. We ended up get two swordfish bites, but unfortunately lost them both.
I’m off to the Bahamas again this week. I still have the weekend of the full moon in May open for a Bahama trip, so if you want to experience mutton madness in the Bahamas, give me a call and lets set up a trip.
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
(954)805-8231
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 29, 2002 - 8:20 pm: | |
Subject: Miami Marlin and Fishing in the Bahamas
Double D Charters
4/29/02
Fishing this past week has been pretty good, with good numbers of blackfin tuna and sailfish being caught daily. The best bite has been in the late afternoon, and for those staying out late, the bite has been very productive.
Last week was topped off on Friday with our catch and release of a blue marlin.
With very little wind, we put up a kite with a helium balloon attached, and set out a live goggle eye on the long bait, and a large threadfin herring on the short bait. On the other side of the boat we had 4 flatlines and deep lines out. Although we had a decent north current and blue water, for the first two hours the only bite we had was a bonita. Things were not looking good. I made a move up to the North, were the water was looking a bit better. While I was messing with one of the flatlines, I looked over my shoulder and watched the rod tip of the short bait bounce quite a few times. The kite bobber now started moving quite well. I got my angler to the rod, and seconds later the head and shoulders of a blue marlin came out of the water. For whatever reason, this fish kept his head and shoulders well above water for what seemed like an eternity. My bet is that he wanted to let us know, that he wasn’t a sailfish, but with a short pointed dorsal, he was clearly a marlin. After a bunch of spectacular greyhounding jumps, he went down deep. The guy on the rod was determined and quite a good angler. We slowly started pumping him back towards the surface. All of a sudden the line started coming up, he cleared the water about 5 times and then ran straight back at the boat. The angler got all the line back and was tight on him again, when this marlin dashed down the side of the boat and then practically jumped over one of the outboards. He sounded again, but not for too long. We got him back up again and grabbed the leader for our official release. Approximate weight was about 100 –125 pounds. The fish was short, but quite stocky. The fight lasted about 45 minutes on 20 pound test line. The best part is that they got the whole thing on video. After previewing the video, it actually looks like ESPN, but the best part is that it is their memory engrained in film forever. We caught sailfish that days as well, but the blue marlin that didn’t get away was on the top of everyone’s mind.
Over the weekend, we went over to Bimini on the first trip across on the new boat. I was glad I was on a 34 ft SeaVee on Saturday, as the wind and seas kicked up a bit. The ride over was worth it, as my charter caught plenty of yellowtails, grouper, quite a few muttons and some cero’s. With all the warm weather we had, I was hoping the muttons would bite a bit earlier in the season, and bite during April’s full moon. Luckily I was right as we caught quite a few muttons. Next months full moon should be perfect. I expect the mutton bite to be very good during the next full moon. That full moon falls on Memorial Day weekend, and due to a cancellation, I have that prime time open right now. If you want to experience mutton madness in the Bahamas, as well as yellowtails, groupers, cobia, jacks, etc., give me a call and lets set up a Bimini trip. Don’t wait to long, as hotels book way in advance.
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
(954)805-8231
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Double d Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 17, 2002 - 11:37 pm: | |
Subject: SWORDFISH!
Double D Charters
4/17/02
We went out yesterday for an evening fishing trip and ended up the evening with 3 out 5 fish. Normally you would say that catching three out of five tarpon was a good evening but we caught 3 out 5 Swordfish!
Although it was still blowing a steady 15 or more out of the east, the seas were a bit bumpy out to our fishing areas 15 miles offshore, but it was definitely worth it. We had strike almost immediately. As we were setting up our first drift, we were sending out the third bait, when the rod tip started bouncing violently. For those that have been swordfishing, this is indicative of when a swordfish is using his massive bill to kill the bait. After this swordfish killed the bait with his bill, he for whatever reason, never came back to claim his prey. Although we missed the first fish, we were optimistic, knowing we were in the right area.
We now had all our baits out, I was looking in the water, when all of a sudden a swordfish swam from underneath my boat. Running to the shallowest rod, we cranked in the rod with the bait, tore off the heavy sinker and freelined our bait to the swordfish still swimming in the area. Seconds later, the swordfish attacked the bait and repeatedly batted the bait with his bill, and I mean repeatedly. After what seemed like an eternity, the swordfish batted this bait around at least 15 times and we finally got a hookset. While up on the rod and fighting the swordfish, the deepest rod got hit and we now had a double header. The second fish was quite big, as he successfully peeled off 300 yards of 80 pound mono within less than a minute. As we tried to get up on the second fish, he stopped running and then started coming towards the boat. Unable to pick up the slack fast enough, the second fish ended up throwing the hook. No big worries though as we still had the first fish on and after a short battle had that fish boatside.
We continued on our drift and set out a new set of baits. Within the next two hours, we caught two more swordfish and released both. The last two fish were small, and releasing these fish will help ensure that these magnificent creatures will grow bigger to fight another day. This is a great fishery and as long as we are careful and responsible, it hopefully will continue to get better.
Swordfishing off of Florida is good year round, but as summer approaches, the seas get calmer, and more anglers try their luck with probably one of the most magnificent and probably one of the meanest fish in the ocean.
If you want give swordfishing a try, and experience the thrill of these fish, give me a call and let’s set up a trip. Remember, you can’t catch fish from your couch.
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
(954)805-8231
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 14, 2002 - 3:37 pm: | |
Subject: Spring Fishing
Double D Charters
4/12/02
Windy weather has been the norm for this past week, and has kept most of the boats in port. We went out yesterday (Thursday), and although it was a bit windy, it was definitely fishable. The conditions were light North current with a blue edge in about 180 ft. We started down by Key Biscayne, and after two drifts without a strike, we moved up towards the Sea Buoy. First drift, we landed a sailfish. Second drift we got a nice 29 lb blackfin tuna and some decent size dolphin. We started another drift and got another sailfish and more dolphin. After we made the move north, the action was quite good and consistent. More dolphin and bonitas, and by the end of the day, the single angler was quite worn out. The good thing about the dolphin, they were all between 10 – 25 pounds.
Windy weather is pretty normal during the beginning of April, but the fishing is usually pretty good. As the month progresses, the winds start lying down.
There still a good month left to sailfishing, and the dolphin and blackfin tuna will continue to show up in larger numbers. Kingfish will also stick around, and the spring kingfish are usually on the large size.
Beginning with this month, Bahama trips are starting. Don’t miss out on a truly great trip. Bahama trips offer a variety of fish. It is not uncommon to catch 10 different species of fish in one day. Everything from yellowtails and muttons, groupers and jacks, dolphin, tuna and marlin, can be targeted in the Bahamas.
For more info on Bahama trips, check out my article in the April 2002 Florida Sportsman Magazine, or call at (954)805-8231.
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 03, 2002 - 1:39 am: | |
Subject: Tarpon, Sailfish and teh Miami Billfish Tournament
Double D Charters
4/1/02
What a change in current does to the fishing. As the week progressed the current died off and with it the fishing slowed down. On Friday the current was almost at a standstill and the fishing was slow. Come Saturday, the current picked up to about 1 – 2 knots to the North, the blue water moved in to about 200 feet, and the sailfish started biting. We had three sailfish on our morning trip and 7 sailfish in the afternoon trip. We managed to get 5 out of those 10 sailfish. The ratio wasn’t that good, but having 10 shots in a day is pretty good. Besides the sailfish we also caught kingfish, and heard of a few boats that caught some cobia.
On Sunday, the current was off the charts. At one point the current was going 5 knots to the North. The blue water edge moved in to about 130 feet, and everything looked like it was about to explode. With the conditions as good as they were, I figured our sailfish would come quick. Two hours into the trip, and we didn’t even have a bite. Go figure – conditions were perfect, we had great baits (goggle eyes and herring) wind for the kites, but no bites. We made a move, and within minutes we had our first sailfish. We ended the day with two sailfish and we saw one or two more. Not bad, but considering the conditions, I would have expected more. I was not the only one scratching my head, as the other captains had similar thoughts. Well, hopefully the sailfish were taking a break, so they can fire it up for the Miami Billfish Tournament this upcoming weekend.
Got to go goggle eye fishing, so I; ll be back in touch after the tournament.
Update – 4/2/02
Went tarpon fishing tonight, and it has been the best tarpon fishing I have seen this season. We ended up 5 out of 7 tarpon, and every fish except one, over 100 pounds. The tarpon strikes were vicious and all the tarpon made long runs from the beaches and into the cut.
Don’t miss out on great tarpon fishing – Give me a call and lets set up a trip.
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 26, 2002 - 11:14 pm: | |
Subject: Kings, Sails, Tarpon and More
Double D Charters
3/25/02
This past week we saw ripping North current, up to 4 knots, trickle down to almost zero by Sunday. Fortunately the blue water stayed and so did the fish.
The main species were sailfish and kingfish. The good thing about the kingfish, is that they were not only numerous, but quite big as well. On Friday we caught a few kings, but the ones we did catch were between 30 and 40 pounds. Nice size fish on light tackle 12 and 20 lb test.
Sailfishing also stayed good, especially in the afternoons. Even on the slow days we caught at least 2 sailfish per day, and as many as 5. Most of the sailfish have been eating the big baits on the kites. They have also been feeding aggressively and the hook ups with the Eagle Claw 2004 EL circle hooks have been solid.
A few amberjacks have been caught on the wrecks, and we have caught some decent muttons on the deep rod as we drift for the top water fish. The tarpon have also turned on. The last night I tarpon fished was Friday, and due to rain and wind, we had to cut the trip short prior to any hook ups. The reports though from Saturday through last night, were good, with quite a few tarpon being hooked and caught. As predicted, a few blackfins were also caught last week, which puts them right on time.
As a side note – Check out April 2002 edition of Florida Sportsman Magazine, pages 192 – 197. Yours truly is there on an article on fishing in Bimini, that I did with the editor last summer. Fishing in the Bahamas is right around the corner, so book your Bahama trips early.
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 20, 2002 - 12:19 am: | |
Subject: Sailfish & Tarpon - Miami
Double D Charters
3/18/02
Two exciting events occurred this past weekend – the sailfish really turned on and I received delivery of my new 34 ft SeaVee Openfisherman. Starting with the boat - what an awesome machine. 34 ft long with a 10 foot beam, powered by twin 225 HP Mercury Optimax motors. Even full of fuel, I got the boat close to 50 mph. Having fished on the 34 SeaVee for almost all the tournaments, I am now happy to be an owner of one, and so will my customers. We will be fishing in quite a bit more comfort and safety, and fishing in style. The boat has great Furuno electronics and awesome fishing accessories.
As far as the fishing goes, last week itself was OK but not red hot until Friday. Beginning with Friday the sailfish really turned on. Some boats went into the double digits and quite a few boats had up to 6 –8 sailfish on Saturday. Breaking in the boat, I didn’t fish on Saturday, but did charter fish on Sunday. The bite did slow down just a slight bit on Sunday, but we still got 5 sailfish shots, releasing them all after a few pictures boatside. That was a good way to break in a new boat. The water was about as pretty as it has been all season. Blue water with a ripping North Current was exactly the conditions needed to spark up the sailfish.
Tarpon fishing has been a bit up and down, but we did get two very large tarpon last night. When the line is screaming off the reel, and the tarpon doesn’t jump at all, you know you have a big fish on. Fishing along the outside of the jetty, both tarpon dragged us threw the inlet (undoubtedly to break us off on the ledge) and then back over the top of the ledge. We released both fish in great condition.
The kingfish have started to show up, as have the dolphin. I did hear of a few boats that ventured 10 – 12 miles offshore, and said that the dolphin fishing was fantastic, with lots of big schoolies along with bigger fish. I did see some 40 – 50 pound fish being brought in. Next fish to show up will be the blackfin tunas, which are due any week now.
This week looks good, and with an approaching cold front Friday, the fishing can get even better. So if you want to experience some great fishing as well as the experience of a 34ft SeaVee , give me a call and lets set up a trip!
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 5:33 pm: | |
Subject: Dolphin, Sailfish, Tarpon
Double D Charters
3/10/02
What a great run of dolphin, and decent size ones. After the wind died down and we could get out, we were rewarded with dolphin between 10 – 30 pounds. The dolphin were right on the edge, with the majority of the fish between 250 ft and 100 ft. The fish were moving in schools, so as soon as you hooked one, the majority of the time you got covered up and all the lines had dolphin on them. Unlike dolphin fishing in the summer, where you venture out into the Gulfstream and hunt for dolphin, these fish were in shallow and were also good size. On Thursday we got a 30 pounder and a dozen or so between 10 –20 pounds. Friday we moved down South of the light and on our first drift were instantly into dolphin. The rest of the day we caught more dolphin with the biggest one about 25 pounds. Once the afternoon set in, the sailfish showed up. We ended up catching one sailfish, and most boats had shots at one or two sails in the afternoon.
Yesterday I had commitments with SeaVee Boats (working on my new 34 ft SeaVee openfish – expected delivery this week), but I did have a tarpon charter in the evening. The tarpon cooperated for us as well. We got two tarpon, but both were good size. The first tarpon was a very large fish. Estimated at 130 pounds, but fought like a 150 pound fish. From the first jump, left by a huge hole in the water, it was apparent that this fish was big. After a 45-minute battle, we got the tarpon boatside for a release. Next drift we hooked up to an 80 pounder. After a decent fight, we got this fish boatside for another release.
I am fishing every day next week, with a couple of tarpon trips as well. We are in prime time for fishing in South Florida. In the next few weeks, we should start seeing the blackfin tunas showing up. Kingfish will also get better this month. This with good dolphin, sailfish and tarpon action, means hot action offshore. Don’t miss out, book a trip now and enjoy South Florida fishing!
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 05, 2002 - 7:47 pm: | |
Subject: Capt. Bob Lewis Sailfish Tournament
3/4/02
Windy weather was the norm for this past week, especially during the weekend. This past weekend was the Bob Lewis Billfish Tournament. We have done well in this tournament in the past and hoped to do well this year also. Last year we got first place angler, and the year prior we got 2nd place overall.
This year we ended up in ~ 12th place, and most importantly we had a great time. What hurt us is that we had two sailfish on Saturday, but managed to lose them both. We also had on a large yellowfin tuna, which eventually broke us off. Several of the big boats also spotted big bluefin tuna shallow (500 plus pounders) which would have been exciting to see. Although the wind was howling on Saturday, and seas were 8 feet, with some 10 footers thrown, we were in a 34 ft SeaVee, and not only were the conditions fishable for that boat, but we were actually comfortable. During certain conditions and especially when it is rough, I use a 15 ft sea anchor. This sea anchor not only slows down your drift, but pulls your bow into the seas, so the bow takes the brunt of the waves and not you and your customers. This plus the fact that the 34 SeaVee runs so good in rough seas, definitely allowed us to fish safely and comfortably. Some may already know, but I have ordered a new 34 ft SeaVee, which I am expecting delivery in a week or so.
Sunday, for us, the fishing was much better. We started our first drift by Pacific, and with blue water and North current, we had a doubleheader within 15 minutes. Landing both sailfish, we set up again and immediately got another sailfish. The bite slowed down for us, but we got some dolphin and our 4th sailfish at the end of the day. There were only 2 other boats that got four or more sailfish that day, so we felt pretty good with our daily standings.
The lead boat had 6 sailfish total and the 10th place boat had 4 sailfish. As you can see, if we didn’t miss those two fish, we would have been right there. I’m sure other boats had similar stories, but either way, the teams in this tournament are some of the best in South Florida, and most of them are friends of mine. Congratulations to all the winners and to all the teams fishing in the tournament.
Although tournaments are a lot of work for captain and crew, they are also a whole lot of fun. This is just the beginning of the sailfish tournaments in South Florida. More tournaments are scheduled for this month and next month. Next sailfish tournament is the Masters Tournament on March 16-17th. I am tentatively open for that tournament, so if you are interested in tournament fishing please give me a call.
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
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Double D Charters
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 26, 2002 - 12:26 am: | |
Subject: Cold Fronts
Double D Charters
2/25/02
Fishing last week was a bit on the slow side. Even though we caught sailfish every day last week, with the exception of one day, we didn’t get many shots at them during each day. Dolphin fishing was good one day and off the next. Kingfish have been biting better and should continue to improve.
All that turned around on Sunday as the cold front went through. We caught 3 out of 6 sailfish, a few decent size dolphin and quite a few bonitas. The conditions improved on Sunday with bluish water moving in to the top of the reef. The edge, although not deep blue, was sitting in around 110 ft off of Key Biscayne. As you went north, and as the day went on, the edge moved out.
We put the first kite bait in the water and were setting out the second bait, when a sailfish showed up and devoured the first bait. As we scrambled to go after the sailfish, the second bait got nervous and a second sailfish charged that bait, but failed to eat it. Perhaps the boat moving towards the bait as we were chasing the first fish may have spooked the second one. As the day progressed we ended up catching 3 out of 6 sailfish, and I saw at least 5 other sailfish either tailing down sea or coming up to the kite baits, but not eating.
One thing worth mentioning is the use of circle hooks and sailfish. Since early November and since almost every major billfish tournament in South Florida is requiring the mandatory use of circle hooks, I have switched over to exclusive use of circle hooks while sailfishing. Not only has my hook up ratio gone up, but also the sailfish are released in better condition and are more active during the fight.
Last Friday, we were fishing almost exclusively for food fish, mainly kingfish. Staying a bit shallower, using wire tracers and standard J-hooks, we caught some kingfish but also caught a sailfish. As in the years past while fishing with J-hooks, the sailfish was gut hooked and was bleeding slightly when boat side. What impressed me the most was how much less the sailfish fought and how many fewer jumps we got out of him, when compared to sailfish caught on circle hooks. The circle hooks I use are Eagle Claw 2004 EL. Give them a try. If fished properly (no hook setting with circle hooks) your hook up ratio should not suffer and may actually improve, but the sailfish will be much more active during the fight, and will be released in great condition. The intent of the circle hook is to slide across soft tissue such as their stomachs and the top of the mouth cavity, and instead find a bony structure, like the corner of their mouth, and latch into that. Sailfish are a great fish on light tackle and we should do everything possible to allow for a healthier release.
Tight Lines
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 - 9:37 pm: | |
Subject: Miami Fishing
Double D Charters
2/20/02
The fishing offshore last week was very good. There was a decent sailfish bite south of Fowey Light most of last week. Below the light there was a nice blue edge and good North current. Having fished down there most of the week, we had at least 5 sailfish shots per day with one day going 5 for 5, next day 2 for 5 and then 4 for 5 on the following day.
As the weekend approached, the fishing slowed down significantly on Saturday, but bounced right back on Sunday. On Sunday we fished just off the Miami Sea Buoy and ended up 3 for 6 on the sailfish.
Kingfish have begun to show up and some decent sized kings were caught last week. Today the kingfish bite was decent although we managed to miss most of the kings on the kite baits. Some dolphin were caught today, but sailfishing definitely slowed down. Even with the wind pumping hard most of the day, and some North current, the sailfish took the day off.
An interesting piece of info though, was that at least 3 blue marlin have been hooked, but unfortunately not landed, during the last few days. Bouncer Smith had one on a few days ago that they fought for over an hour. Today someone had on a blue that dumped the entire spool of line.
With a cold front expected Friday night, the outlook for the weekend looks good. Sailfish should turn back on, and the kingfishing should steadily get better. All we need is the dolphin to show up and we have the opportunity for some decent fishing.
Tight Lines
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 10, 2002 - 1:45 pm: | |
Subject: Good or Outrageous
Double D Charters
2/10/02
Offshore the action has been good on some days and outrageous on others. Wind and current have been the determining factors in the offshore bite. Sailfish have been the primary species, but dolphin showed up pretty well this week also. The sailfish continued to bite all during the week, with Wednesday (the day my boat was down for maintenance), being the banner day. Capt. Q fished down south on Wednesday and released an awesome 17 sailfish in one day. Congratulations to Capt. Q and Capt. Neil on a banner day.
The sailfish bite slowed down a bit since then, but we have been getting at least one to three sailfish per day, with the exception of Friday when the dolphin were beating the sailfish to the baits. The size of the dolphin were pretty good with the biggest at around 25 pounds. Fish this size make for plenty of fillets. Kingfish have been surprisingly quiet so far, but a few cobia have been caught to take up some of the slack.
Tarpon fishing in the evening continues to be very good, with the best night at 5 fish. The tarpon have been found mostly in the Government Cut area. It seems that there is some magical switch somewhere that triggers the tarpon to eat. It may be quiet for an hour or two, and then all of a sudden you catch 5 tarpon in an hour. So when you are tarpon fishing and it seems slow, hang out and give it a while, eventually they will turn on.
With more cold fronts expected this week, and hopefully some good North current, the action offshore should continue to get better.
Tight Lines
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 05, 2002 - 12:59 am: | |
Subject: Bite for Tarpon and Sailfiash Continues in Miami
Double D Charters
2/4/02
Well the fishing in Miami has begun to heat up. Whether it is sailfish or tarpon your after, you can’t go wrong. How does this sound – 5 tarpon out of 7 hookups for tarpon and then two days later 6 sailfish out of 8 hookups.
The tarpon fishing was good all last week with at least two fish per night, with the best night at five tarpon. The bigger fish, over 100 pounds have been on the beaches, but the evening we landed the five tarpon, they were all in the inlet. That evening we fished most of the night on the beaches, without a bite. We then moved into the inlet and still no bites. Something then happened and the tarpon just turned on like a light switch. The next hour or so was action packed with 7 hookups, landing and releasing 5 of those fish. Those tarpon were mostly between 50 to 70 pounds.
Offshore the sailfish have really started to show up in good numbers. The best day last week for sailfish was Sunday. The morning bite was slow, and then just like the tarpon, something clicked and the sailfish really started to chew. The afternoon bite has been hot and right around 1:30 we started off with triple-header. Two sailfish were on two flat lines and one sailfish on the kite. After complete but coordinated pandemonium, we or the sailfish settled down and we actually caught and released all three fish. Between 2:00pm and 4:00pm we had five more shots and caught and released three of those five. The total for the day was 6 sailfish out of 8. At one point we had the sailfish behind the boat eating the live chum we were throwing out. We had one sailfish so charge up, that he was really tearing into the live chum. As we threw out a pilchard with in hook in it, the line started sizzling off the reel. We figured this was the sailfish but minutes late we found out that a big ocean bonita beat the sailfish to the bait. Either way, it was total excitement. If the sound of sailfish within casting distance of your boat and watching them eating baits right off your transom doesn’t get you fired up, then fishing is not for you. So if it sailfish or big tarpon you’re after, give us a call and lets see if we can make it happen.
Tight Lines
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
Note new e-mail address at doubledcharters@earthlink.net
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Double D Charters
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 27, 2002 - 11:48 am: | |
Subject: MIAMI SAILFISH AND TARPON
Double D Charters
1/27/02
Lack of blue water and a slow down in the North current should have kept the sailfish off the bite, but sailfish in Miami continue biting. Yesterday with flat calm conditions, we ended up with three sailfish, some red groupers off the bottom and some huge ocean bonitas. The cool thing about catching sailfish in calm conditions is that you get to see everything. The sailfish dancing, jumping and tail walking can be seen from a long distance when it is calm. All of our sailfish ate flatline pilchards, even though we were flying helium on a kite with goggle eyes as well. It helps to keep a variety of bait on board, just in case the fish show a preference to one bait over the other. By the end of the day, we started some heavy live chumming (throwing pilchards overboard to attract fish). After about twenty minutes we had three sailfish within 15 feet of the boat crashing the free baits. By the time we put a pilchard on a hook and cast him out, they were gone, but what an awesome site. That would have been a perfect opportunity for a sailfish on fly – calm conditions and sailfish well within casting range.
Tarpon fishing was off for us Friday night, but I’ll be tarpon fishing most of the evenings this week, so I’ll have a good handle on what’s going on with the tarpon.
So if it’s offshore live baiting for sailfish, dolphin and kingfish or evening trips for tarpon, Miami has got it. Give us a call and lets go fishing.
Tight Lines
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
Note new e-mail address at doubledcharters@earthlink.net
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Double D Charters
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 22, 2002 - 8:25 pm: | |
Subject: Tarpon and Sailfish
Double D Charters
1/22/02
As usual, fishing during the week was pretty good, and as the weekend approached, the fishing slowed down. There has been a decent North Current almost every day, but unfortunately the water has been pretty green. Despite the green water, the sailfish have stayed around and have been mostly biting on the dirty green side of the edge.
There has been an occasional kingfish, along with some bonitas. Dolphin have been sporadic, but this upcoming breeze should bring them right back. The boats that have been bottom fishing have done all right with several big grouper caught last week.
Tarpon fishing was very good early last week, and slowed down on Friday through Sunday. The moon is coming full in the next couple of days. This should trigger a shrimp run which will inevitably get the tarpon biting again.
A mild cold front is expected on Saturday. With every cold front, we get more sailfish our way. A cold front and some decent water could make thing explode. Tarpon fishing should definitely improve with the moon so the prospects for this week and weekend look good.
Congratulations to the Miami Sportfishing Club for winning the Rod and Reel Club Sailfish Challenge. Last year I won top boat and top angler with 9 sailfish releases, this year we didn’t fare as well, but at least my club won the trophy and a fellow club member won top angler and top boat.
Tight Lines
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
Note new e-mail address at doubledcharters@earthlink.net
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Double D Charters
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 14, 2002 - 8:26 pm: | |
Subject: Miami
Double D Charters
1/14/02
Fishing continues to be pretty good, with a slight slowdown this past weekend. Water conditions have been alright but not great. We have had a decent North current, but have not had clean blue water. Although we haven’t been catching as many sailfish per day as the previous week, we have been getting at least two sailfish per day with shots at a few more. Dolphin fishing has been spotty and so have kingfish. Bonitas have shown up again, and on light tackle they have been a blast.
Late last week, we had a trip that we also hooked a blue marlin. We were sailfishing, and with little wind, we put out a kite with helium. A 10 pound dolphin ate the long kite bait and after we landed the dolphin, I pulled the kite about ¾ of the way in, until I could get the next rod baited and so I could send the kite back out. The kite and single bait were about 50 yards from the boat, when a 200 lb plus blue marlin skyrocketed on the single goggle. We got a few jumps out of him, until he threw the hook. Even though we didn’t land him, or for that matter fight him for long, what a sight!
The tarpon have definitely and finally shown up. Early during the week some boats have been getting close to 10 shots at them per evening trip. Yesterday after my day trip, I had an evening tarpon charter. The tarpon definitely got the better of us last night. We went 1 for 5. We landed the first fish, which was about 50 pounds and then jumped of 4 tarpon in a row, until it was time to go. Although they got us yesterday, tomorrow’s going to be our day.
With both the day fishing and the tarpon fishing as good as it is, try to make plans to get out on the water. It’s good for the heart and soul!
Tight Lines
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
Note new e-mail address at doubledcharters@earthlink.net
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Double D Charters
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Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 06, 2002 - 5:07 pm: | |
Subject: Sailfish Bite Is On
Double D Charters
1/06/02 - SAILFISH ARE POURING THROUGH MIAMI
The sailfish bite was on. Since Friday, the sailfish have been cooperating very well and some boats have scored into the double digits on sailfish releases.
Yesterday I fish with two young boys and their parents. Nick was 13 and Zach was 8. My goal was to catch each of them their first sailfish. After getting a livewell full of pilchards and herring and already have a dozen or so goggle eyes, we headed south of Fowey for our first drift. Setting out the big parachute sea anchor and while we were setting out our kites, within seconds we had a sailfish on. Nick was on the rod and a minute or so after we had another sailfish on. Now we had a double-header going. After 15 minutes or so, we got Nick’s fish.
On our second drift we got Zach his sailfish. Most sailfish come up and inhale the kite bait and then run, some eat slowly and then turn, but each one seems to eat a bit differently. Zach’s sailfish certainly didn’t follow any pattern. While we watched the kite baits, I saw the black tail of a sailfish come up right behind the kite bait. I told Zach’s dad, but he didn’t see it. A few seconds later I saw it again, but this time the cork went down slightly, but the line never ran. I knew something was up and was thinking that this sailfish ate the goggle eye and was just sitting there. Truth be known, the sailfish had eaten the bait and was just sitting there. Reeling up the line, the line released from the clip and soon we had Zach’s sailfish jumping all over the place. Zach’s fish was a wild one, jumping and greyhounding for the entire fight. Little Zach wore him out (or maybe they both got worn out) and 20 minutes later we had Zach’s fish boatside for a picture.
Next drift we got Mom her sailfish. All the sailfish we caught were on circle hooks and each sailfish was hooked right in the corner of the mouth.
On the next drift we got both boys fairly decent size dolphin (two – 20 pounders). By now it was only 11:45 or so and we had only fished for three hours or so and already had 4 sailfish and two dolphin. The boys started feeling the effects of the seas a little bit and we opted to head home with food for the table and sailfish for everyone. I remember when I got my daughter her first sailfish and am sure that Zach’s and Nick’s mom and dad will not forget when their two boys got their first sailfish. Fishing is exciting but fishing with children is awesome. Our sport depends on them, so lets get them hooked on fishing!
Yesterday was the type of day we could have gotten into the double digits on releases. It happens many times during the winter in Miami, so if you want to go for it, give me a call and lets schedule a trip.
Tight Lines
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
Note new e-mail address at doubledcharters@earthlink.net
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Double D Charters
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 01, 2002 - 10:00 pm: | |
Subject: New Years Sailfish
Double D Charters
1/01/02
Happy New Year to all! Hope everyone survived New Years Eve, and recovered on New Years Day. I did what I love to do the most on New Years Day, and that is going fishing. I fished with one of my best customers, Jorge Acuna, and we had a blast.
Fishing during the holiday week was spotty. Some days you had a decent catch and other days you really had to work at it for just a few fish. We caught dolphin almost daily, but sailfishing was hit or miss. One day we would end up with three sailfish and the next day none. That is usually what happens when you have no current and no defined edge. Lack of cold fronts has also been an issue.
Today though was different. Finally we saw the conditions we have been waiting for. We had a strong North Current and a North wind. There was a nice blue edge in 130ft of water. Although we ended the day with only one out of two sailfish, we also caught bonitas, cudas, and dolphin. The day though was action packed. We had a yellowfin tuna on for about 15 minutes. Unfortunately the line parted and we didn’t get a good visual (size wise). We also had plenty of cutoffs from kingfish, and since we were specifically targeting sailfish, we didn’t’ t use any wire.
All in all, today seemed different though. The air temperature was down, we had North current and blue water and there were flyers (flying fish) were getting busted by predators. The ocean looked alive. With more cold fronts coming this week and the weeks to come, the offshore fishing is going to steadily improve. A pretty good front is due in a few days, and the action should pick up just in time for the weekend. If you’re interested in fishing, I have a few days open this week and weekend, so give me a shout and lets GO FISHING!
Tight Lines
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
Note new e-mail address at doubledcharters@earthlink.net
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 28, 2001 - 11:22 am: | |
Subject: Miami
Double D Charters
12/28/01
Extremes in weather. On Wednesday we fished in 25-knot winds out of the NW. Even with so much wind, the fishing is comfortable due to the land protecting you from the wind coming out of the NW. The anglers aboard wanted sailfish and within the first 5 minutes we accomplished our mission. The sailfish ate a threadfin herring on a flatline. The rest of the day we didn’t see any more sailfish, but caught some bonitas, sharks and kingfish.
Yesterday we had chilly temperatures in the morning and everyone had sailfish in their mind. Running offshore we found less than ideal sailfish conditions. There was no current and no wind. Even with a helium balloon on the kite, it was difficult to get the kite away from the boat. After trying live baiting on the reef with little success, we ran a bit farther out and we got into the dolphin. We got into two schools and landed 1q8 dolphin, all between 3 – 7 pounds. Not big fish, but plenty of fun on light tackle and enough fillets to go around for a while. We headed back to the reef in search of a sailfish, but little success.
Another cold front is heading our way, and if we get the wind and current out of the right direction and some blue water on the reef, the sailfishing is due to explode. Don’t miss out!
Happy and Safe Holidays to All,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
Note new e-mail address at doubledcharters@earthlink.net
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DoubleD Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 21, 2001 - 7:33 pm: | |
Subject: HOT MIAMI FISHING
Double D Charters
12/21/01
Finally North Current and blue water. The minor cold front that passed was exactly what we needed for the fishing. Blue water and over a knot of north current was from Key Biscayne passed Miami.
We started down by the Monument Bouy and by the end of the day we were passed the anchorage off of Miami. We had a North wind with North Current and a decent north swell. Sailfish was the targeted species and we ended up releasing 3 out 4 sailfish. We had a double header and two singles. Luckily both fish from the double header were cooperative. After the initial hookup, the fish crossed each other, and we react according and passed the lines over each other to avoid breaking them off. From that point one fish went SE and the other went SW. After 20 minutes we ended up catching both. The day followed with two more singles of which we missed one (popped the leader).
Throughout the day we had a few dolphin kingfish and two very large barracudas. The action was enough to keep us busy most of the day.
Another cold front is expected early next week, and currently I only have one or two days open, so don’t miss out on the fun, this week and next looks like good fishing.
Happy and Safe Holidays to All,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 10, 2001 - 9:51 pm: | |
Subject: SAILFISH TIME
Double D Charters
12/10/01
Yesterday I had a repeat client take out his nephew and friend. I fished with this client last year during one of the early cold fronts in December. I remember the day well because the temperature was around 30 – 40 degrees and the sailfish were biting. We ended up catch 9 sailfish that day. Although fishing is fishing, people remember those days, and I’m sure Gustavo was hoping for a repeat performance.
The forecast was for light winds out of the SE, not the winds I was hoping for, but you always have a shot. Setting out with a well full of goggle eyes, we headed to catch some pilchards and herring. After a short amount of time we had the livewell full of bait. I headed down towards Monument and was greeted with a 10-15 mph wind out of the SE and a semi decent blue edge in around 160 ft depth. We also had a pretty strong North Current. The conditions were good but didn’t seem good enough to beat out last years trip.
The first drift we got a small shark on the kite bait. Gustavo’s nephew’s friend learned the technique of baiting a fish on the kite, hooking the fish and releasing the clip. It wasn’t the fish we wanted, but it was good practice for technique. On the next drift we got a 25-pound dolphin, again on a kite bait. Heading towards Fowey, we set up on another drift. This time it was the sailfish’s turn. As his nephew was fighting a stubborn sailfish for over a half hour, another sailfish ate the long kite bait we were towing around. We now had two sailfish on. We ended up releasing both sailfish. High fives around the boat as we set up for another drift, and this drift produced another 25-pound dolphin, again on the kite bait. Resetting the kite baits, we landed another sailfish. Reaching towards the end of the day, we set up for another drift, and got another double-header of sailfish. We ended up the day ended up with 5 sailfish, a few dolphin and a shark.
As cold fronts approach from the North, the sailfishing will continue to get better. Dolphin and kingfish should hold strong most of the winter. Don’t miss out on what can become spectacular fishing. If you still need to find the perfect gift for a fisherman or fisherwoman, try a fishing charter gift certificate. For more info on Holiday Gift Certificates call (954) 805-8231 or e-mail at doubled@concentric.net.
Tight Lines and Good Fishing,
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, November 30, 2001 - 8:52 pm: | |
Subject: Holiday Sails
Double D Charters
11/30/01
Although I have battling with the flu since Thanksgiving, I still managed to fish most days this week. Until today, the conditions have been less than ideal with blue green water. There has been a steady North Current, which picked up a notch today. We still have been catching sailfish on every trip with the best day this week with 3 sailfish releases in a day. Today the conditions were perfect, NE wind, purple blue water and a North Current. It was only a half day charter, but we did get one sailfish, dolphin and kingfish. The conditions looked like it get turn on and break loose at any moment. Who knows what the afternoon would have produced.
This weekend looks promising as well with NE breezes forecasted for the weekend. Tomorrow I am taking the day off and hopefully recover from this flu. With the time of year and conditions as they were today, I can’t wait until my next trip (Sunday).
If your looking for that perfect gift for the holidays for the fisherwoman or fisherman of your life, we offer gift certificates for an offshore fishing charter. If you are interested e-mail me at doubled@concentric.net for more info.
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 22, 2001 - 9:28 pm: | |
Subject: Miami Fishing
Double D Charters
10/22/01
The weather has certainly been on the wild side. Rainy and windy described most of the week, and few boats if any were fishing. My last trip was yesterday, and it was a bit interesting. I was to fish aboard a larger boat. After transferring a livewell full of goggle eyes and pilchards from my boat to my client’s boat, we finally ended up on the edge. There was pretty blue water and a decent north current in around 150 ft depth. As I was setting out the first kite bait, my client informed me that the other members of the charter were not feeling well. It was blowing around 15 knots from the East and the seas were 3 – 5 ft max. These types of conditions usually make for good fishing, but for some people seasickness is a problem. My advice is that if you are prone to seasickness, take medication before you go out in, because usually theses conditions produce good action for sailfish, dolphin, kingfish and other ocean going predators.
Back at the dock and now transferring the bait back in to my livewell, I had a decision to make. I hadn’t fished in a few days, it was barely noon, and with a livewell full of bait and prime offshore conditions, you bet, I went out and did some fishing on my own. I decided I would do one drift and see what action could be found. As I was setting out the flatlines and attempting to send out the kite, all my flatlines got hit. I had a 10 –15 pound dolphin on each line. Doing the best I could by myself, I landed two of the three dolphin. After re-organizing the cockpit, I set out for another drift. This time I was able to get my flatlines out and as I was setting out the kite baits, I was wondering if the blue-green dolphin would show up for another attack. Instead of the dolphin showing up, a sailfish sprang from below the kite bait, missed the bait, but unfortunately didn’t come back. Even without fighting him, it was cool to watch. My drift had now taken me to the green water, and I was wondering if the kings would bite today. With overcast skies, I felt there was a good chance of them showing up. No sooner said than done, the deep line sizzled with a 15-pound king. As I fought this king, another rod went off, but that kingfish cut the bait in half and just missed the hook. With a kingfish in the boat, 2 dolphin, and a sailfish show, and basically all in one drift, I decided to get back to my dock at a decent hour and end the day on a high note.
With the rain letting up in a day or so and a new cold front coming to South Florida, the fishing should continuously get better. So for those getting a bit of cabin fever, when the weather lets up, get out and enjoy some decent fishing.
The Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show is coming up this weekend. I will be at the Mercury Booth as well as the SeaVee Boats booth Friday evening, and one day during the weekend, so come on out and we’ll talk fishing.
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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CApt. Dean Panos
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 14, 2001 - 9:11 pm: | |
Subject: Early Sailfish Action
Double D Charters
10/14/01
The wind blew hard most of last week, but let up a bit beginning with Friday. Although I didn’t have a charter Friday, I went out goggle eye fishing and caught enough for my next three trips.
On Saturday, the wind was E- SE about 15 knots. We started the day fishing in front of the hotels in Key Biscayne. There was a good-looking edge with blue water and a strong North current. The edge was a bit deep at about 300 ft depth. Although it was a deep, this area held fish. We stayed in this area most of the day. Our first drift rewarded us with a few dolphin. Both fish were between 15 and 20 pounds. With goggle eyes on the kite and pilchards on the flatlines, the next drift rewarded us with a sailfish on the flatline. After that drift we caught a few more dolphin and a sailfish off of the kite bait. We now had 2 sailfish and 4 dolphin. Yet another drift, and another 20 pound dolphin. On our last drift and we watch the front kite bait disappear, and soon after line was streaming off the reel. This fish never jumped, so we ruled out sailfish or dolphin, but line was disappearing fast. Since there was no wire leader, we thought maybe a big tuna. As we inched line back on and finally got the fish next to the boat, it was a 35 pound wahoo that was caught in the hinge of the mouth. With no wire leader, that was the perfect place to hook him. That ended the day with 2 out 2 sailfish, 7 big dolphin up to 25 pounds, and a 35 pound wahoo.
The next day, the wind was at 15 knots out of the SE. The same edge had pushed in slightly to about 250 ft depth. Within 5 seconds of our first drift we landed a 10 pound dolphin. Moving in on the color change we caught a sailfish off of the short kite bait. On our second drift, the long kite bait yielded another sailfish. By 9:15 we had two sailfish and 2 dolphin. This was a half day trip and on our last drift we hooked a large sailfish that had a lot of spirit. The sailfish stayed down deep most for most of the fight. The angler had claimed that he wanted his arms so tired, that he would have trouble typing on his computer at work. I think we accomplished the mission. That last sailfish took 40 minutes to land, but we did get him, and after a few nice pictures boatside we released out third sailfish of the day. We ended up with 5 dolphin, three sailfish and a large bonita.
A lot of us blue water anglers have been eagerly awaiting winter and watching as the cold fronts come inching towards the South. This weekend was just a preview of what is coming - BLUE WATER – Sailfish, dolphin, wahoo, kingfish, just to name a few.
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 07, 2001 - 7:13 pm: | |
Subject: Fall Kingfish
Double D Charters
10/7/01
It’s been a while since my last report, but the charter business has definitely been affected by the various outcomes of the past month’s events. It seems people are starting to get there lives as back to normal as possible and we actually had two back to back trips this past week.
On Saturday, the water was green, with a bit of South current. Not the best of conditions, but conditions that could produce a decent kingfish bite. We first started drifting from 200 –80 ft of water in front on the Monument Bouy with little action. We then anchored in 95 ft of water, and started some heavy live chumming with pilchards. With pilchards on the flatlines, goggle eyes on the kite with helium (very little wind) and goggle eyes on the bottom, the kingfish started to show up. In about an hour or so, we caught our limit, and missed a few others as well. For a while, the live chumming had the kingfish going nuts. We had kingfish skying baits. Skying a bait is when a kingfish dashes from under a bait and propels itself into the air like a missile. Watching a 20 pound king, 15 feet in the air is impressive. Most of the kingfish we caught were of decent size, 10 –18 pounds, with only a few below 10 pounds. We also caught 2 gag grouper, one about 15 pounds and the other about 8 pounds. From the rest of the fleet, the kingfish action seemed to pick up in the afternoon.
Today we had a ½ day trip, and unfortunately the action for us was not as good as the day before. I elected to go back to the same area as yesterday. We started the day anchored. There was little current, and it going opposite the drift. This caused our fishing lines to up the anchor line, away from the dead chum as well as the live chum we were throwing. Not good conditions for this type of fishing. Besides having a sailfish show up 50 ft from the boat and eating our live chum, we had little action. With the conditions as they were, we decided to drift. While drifting, we caught some kingfish and missed plenty of others. The action seemed to have shifted a bit to the north (north of the sea bouy) and the kingfish moved out a bit deeper (130 –160 ft.) Although we only had a morning trip, I kept the VHF on, and it seemed that again, the action picked up in the afternoon. Half day trips are a great way to get a few hours out in the water, but sometimes it can work against you. The fishing can be great all day, great in the morning, or great in the afternoon. It’s sort of a gamble, but getting out on the water and catching some fish is better than sitting on the couch and dreaming about fishing.
With that said, get out and enjoy the fall run of kingfish. Soon sailfish will be knocking on our door as well. Get away from the daily grind, go out and enjoy a good day of fishing. Support your local economy as well as your local charter captains.
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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Double D Charters
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 16, 2001 - 9:02 pm: | |
Subject: FREEDOM!
Double D Charters
9/16/01
I would like to start this fishing report expressing my sincerest condolences and heartfelt sympathies to the victims and their families from this past Tuesday’s horrific events. This is a great nation and as a nation, we will definitely overcome from this national tragedy. As most Americans, I have been glued to the television watching outcomes from the atrocious events placed upon on our nation. Although these terrorist may have struck us with a harmful blow, we will show the world that we cannot be stifled. As our government, military and every American will seek justice; our lives will resume a sense of normalcy. This tragedy coupled with bad weather during the week kept almost everyone at port.
Today was my first day out in over a week. Upon reaching the marina, I was greeted with a nice chill in the air. The season is definitely changing to Fall. More evidence of this was found as we headed out the inlet. Large pods of bait schools could be found all along the beaches. Large pods of sardines as well as pilchards were everywhere. After stocking the livewell full of pilchards, sardines, and blue runners, we headed out towards the edge. The wind was out of the N- NW and the seas were light, although there was a fairly good size swell, apparently from Tropical Storm Gabrielle. Running to the south, we ran across a rip in about 130 ft of water. After we set out our flatlines and kite baits, we had every flatline get hit by big bonitas. A large hammerhead shark, obviously excited from the distress signals put out from the bonitas came within a few feet of the boat. As we were releasing a bonita and fighting a few more, three large dolphin swam right to the excitement. Each one of these dolphin was around 20 –30 pounds. One of the anglers quickly grabbed a rod, baited it with a pilchard, and tossed it to the dolphin. As fast as the bait hit the water a bonita charged it and stole the bait from the dolphin. The dolphin were heading towards the south and straight towards our kite baits. After just a few minutes, both kite baits got hit and 20 –30 pound dolphin were hooked up and jumping in the air. After a week of watching CNN and feeling helpless, this is definitely what the heart and soul needed. As I looked out on the horizon, I saw another boat doing battle with a sailfish. At this point I realized that normalcy must resume, air travel will resume, and what many of us love to do –FISHING- will resume.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
Capt. Dean Panos
Look us up on the web at www.doubledcharters.com
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