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Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 2:56 am: | |
Subject: Great Sailfishing, Good Tarpon, Poor Dolphin
Offshore, the blue/green edge has been in as close as 85' and the current has been off the scale. When you put these two factors together, it means good sailfishing. Despite these good conditions, the word on the dolphin season has been a bit disappointing so far. Yes, there have been some good moments, however, in general there has been no consistency.
Meanwhile inshore, the tarpon are still here and are reliable. They are feeding on crabs and the south side of Government Cut has been the place. It is getting very close to the time when they will be moving out of the area.
Here is the day by day action aboard Knot Nancy.
Saturday (5/31) evening I had the pleasure of fishing with Mike and Ann Little and their two children, Ashley (14 years old) and Will (9 years old). By our third drift, the sun had set and Ann was hooked up to a 110# tarpon. The battle took us the entire length of Fisher Island from the Government Cut jetties to the jetties at the southern end of the island with the fish spending most of its time in about 2-3 feet of water. We released the fish and immediately set up to try and catch a fish for Ashley. Two drifts later, she was hooked to a 90# (her personal best to date) fish. She handled the tackle like a pro and quickly showed the fish who was "Boss". Next it was Will's turn. The next drift had us chasing a tarpon that was fast heading for the deep water of the ship channel. We got there first and everything seemed to be under control when the line went slack. The tarpon had bit throw the leader. We didn't get any other bites that evening. You might ask where Mike was during all these battles? He was busy with winding in the other baits, helping with putting on rod belts, taking pictures, and giving moral encouragement to everyone. Family fishing is FUN, there is no doubt about it.
Sunday (6/1) was a day aboard the big boat. We caught pilchards at Haulover Inlet and had to search to the north to find some herring. We started out in 400' and it didn't take long before we had a sailfish on. When we had no more action out deep, I moved back inshore and started just south of Haulover Inlet. Before I could put out all three baits, we had another sailfish. And that is the way the remainder of the day went. Fishing from the Sheraton Bal Harbor north to the Newport Pier in 110-120 feet, we had a total of 9 sailfish strikes and saw two free jumpers by days end. It sounds like a wonderful day of fishing and it was, however, we only landed three of the fish. The others threw the bait most of the time before Bill could get to the rod. In baseball, a .333 average would get a player a large contract. In fishing it means you had a tough day. Maybe tomorrow would be better.
Monday (6/2) the pilchard fishing at Haulover was better and search as we might, we could find no herring. The current was once again off the scale, so we started in close. We had no action and Bill wanted to try for some dolphin, so offshore we went in search of the needle in the haystack. We found a frigate bird searching, a medium size board, a giant size board, lots and lots of scattered grass and no fish. The final disappointment was when we found half a palm tree trunk with the root ball attached and no dolphin to be found. We ran down to the anchorage and had two sailfish bites in 106'. We pulled the hook on the first when we were within 20' of catching it. The second threw the bait because the hook had turned in it. Between the two sails, we had a lot of fun catching 4 bonito. We got cut off by a kingfish as we were using straight mono leaders and we avoided the afternoon rain storms. Despite our bad luck, it was certainly better than the three days of trolling for marlin.
Tuesday (6/3) evening we were back at tarpon fishing. Our goal was to catch a tarpon. Size or number didn't matter. One would be just fine. It took till about 9 pm, however, the tarpon finally ate our crab and the fight was on. Twenty minutes later we had the pictures we needed and our goal was accomplished.
On Saturday and Sunday June 14 &15, I'll be doing a seminar as part of the FishStock, The Total Saltwater Experience. This extravaganza is presented by Sportfishing Magazine. The place is the American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd. There'll be lots of activities and exhibits and seminars all day long, so mark your calendars and come on by.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 28, 2003 - 6:27 pm: | |
Subject: Mixed Bag Fishing Report
Weather has been playing an important factor in when and how long we have been able to fish without getting wet and safety from lightning. Fishing in general has had its ups and downs in the area from Haulover Inlet south to the Monument Buoy just south of Key Biscayne.
Thursday (5/22) and Friday (5/23) were both washout days as my customer did not want to fish in the south winds at 20+ knots and the heavy rain storms.
Saturday (5/24) was an afternoon/evening trip. We started with a kingfish off Government Cut where there was no current and dirty green water. Next, we had to run inshore to seek the safety of hiding under the 5th Street Bridge till the wind, rain, and lightning subsided. As is typical with South Florida weather, it took about an hour for the skies to clear. Running back out, we found blue water in 290' where we caught and released a small dolphin. While running in to tarpon fish, we were stopped and inspected by the FWC. They were very polite and courteous and we were on our way in a few minutes. For the remainder of the trip, we fought no wind to light wind and constantly changing directions. We had 2 tarpon on by the end of the evening.
Sunday (5/25) we fished from the Twin Towers south to the Monument Buoy. Slow trolling off the Twins produced no action. Moving south to the southern end of the Anchorage found us drifting offshore despite a light SE wind. In 110' a sailfish ate our pilchard and ran under the bow quicker than my angler could get from the stern to the bow and clear the line. The end result was that the 12# line parted as we watched the sail make a beautiful jump inshore of the boat. The deep bait produced a few kingfish, and then the action died. Running south to the Monument Buoy, we found pretty blue water but no current until later in the afternoon. Once again the deep bait got all the action. We missed a few hook ups and caught another kingfish. All afternoon, we kept a close eye on the thunderstorms that were heading our way. They never made it and by the time we ran back to Haulover Inlet, the storms had rained themselves out.
Monday (5/26) was a half day in the morning. We left Spinnaker Marina at 8:15 am and ran out to 130' off the Twin Towers. What difference a day makes. The water was almost purple and the current was ripping to the north. When we reached 124', rods started bending over. We quickly put an 8# bull and two 6# cow dolphin in the fish box. Running south and setting up again gave us action on both the deep and flatline baits. This time it was two bonito. The action slowed and moving back north toward Haulover Inlet saw us hooked up on the deep bait again. This time it was a kingfish. The final action of the morning was a large remora. My two anglers had never seen one before and had to take pictures of old sneaker head before releasing it.
Tuesday (5/27) was another half day, but this time it was offshore for some dolphin fishing. The reports I had been hearing were very mixed. Ten boats would go offshore in search of dolphin. Three boats would find them. Of the three, two boats would catch a few. One boat would slam them. As for the other seven boats, they would come home disappointed but looking forward to doing it again. We fell in the category of the two boats that found a few. From about 8 miles out, there was mostly scattered grass. The slicks also had scattered grass. Two boards and a 3X3 foot square of Styrofoam had no fish around them. We found fish under some birds and hooked up 2 and missed one. The others didn't stick around. After running south to the Twins, I ran back north and found better organized scattered grass off Hallandale. It looked great with lots of bait under the grass and trash, however, the dolphin were not to be found. On our run back to Haulover Inlet, I spotted a large piece of wood. The fish came up and we hooked another one with the remainder of it buddies leaving the area quickly. Despite what sounds like slow dolphin fishing, it is much better than what was going on at this same time last year.
If you have noticed from all my trips on the reef area, most of the strikes have come on the deep baits. Putting bait down deep will become more and more productive as the warmer and then hot weather continues to come on. Another thing to remember is that during the hot weather of summer, the kingfish will move out deeper. You can expect to get bites in the 180 to 220 foot range. If you want to beat the heat, then try night fishing. With calm comfortable seas and swordfish feeding best at night, now is the time to book your trip and beat the heat while doing battle with old Xiphias Gladius.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 21, 2003 - 11:16 am: | |
Subject: High Flying Tarpon Lands in Boat
Beautiful weather, light winds, and calm seas best describe the past week in the Abacos. We caught yellowfin and skipjack tuna, dolphin, barracuda, and a white tip shark. As for the marlin fishing, in three days of trolling, we had one fish make a pass at our lures and disappear. A sailfish held on to a lure long enough to run line off the reel, make a jump, and throw the lure and another billfish of some type smoked about a 100 yards of line from the reel before becoming unglued. That sums up the Bahamas trip.
Back in Miami, on Monday evening (5/19), the tarpon were very cooperative. Jay Wright wanted his wife Becky to catch her first tarpon. The fish were rolling and busting baits on the south side of Government Cut. When the sun set, the fish turned on and Becky found herself fighting a not to happy 70# tarpon. The fish made it to the deep water and Becky was a very tired but happy angler when the fish was released. Next drift and Jay hooked a fish that came unglued on its second jump. Next drift and once again Jay was fighting a tarpon. It was being cooperative by heading for the shoreline on Fisher Island and staying away from the deep water. The line went slack and we either hit an obstruction on the bottom or we found the weak spot in the 20# line. By this time, Becky was questioning Jay about whether or not he could land a tarpon. Another drift and another fish. This one ate as it came toward the boat. Some quick winding by Jay and he was hooked up for the third time. The fish made a jump about 50 feet out from the boat as it headed toward the bow. Just as I was about the crank the engines to give chase, I saw what looked like a missile shoot out of the water heading for the boat. The 70# fish landed in the boat just in front of the console and in just a few seconds flopped and beat its way down the port side to the back of the boat. We all ran to the bow area and waited till the fish calmed down enough for me to grab it and put it back in the water. It took off like a shot when it hit the water and 10 minutes later I had the mess cleaned up so we could safely walk around without fear of slipping.
It was just another exciting and adventurous night of tarpon fishing. The action should continue for about another month. I have some open dates waiting for anyone who wants to experience the adventure of some great tarpon fishing. Give me a call and lets go catch a few.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 09, 2003 - 10:45 pm: | |
Subject: With A Little Searching, Fishing Has Been Good
Fishing off the Miami area between Key Biscayne and Haulover Inlet has been very good this past week, so lets get to the day by day results.
Saturday (5/3) was an afternoon/evening trip. Catching bait has been very easy at Haulover Inlet, so with ample bait we ran offshore. There was little to no current and with those conditions, we ran south looking for things to improve. Off Key Biscayne, there was still green water, however, there was some north current. We caught and release a couple of kingfish. Then in 135', we hooked something that will forever remain a mystery. The fish moved north and then went straight to the bottom where we were unable to move it on the 12# spinning tackle. We finally broke the fish off after a 30 minute struggle.
Time to go tarpon fishing. The two anglers were discussing how they were going to share time on any fish that we hooked. They agreed on 15 minutes each. We had a very subtle hit on each bait that I had out. The tarpon ate and swam toward us. When we caught up to the fish, we were hooked to it with both rods. Talk about sharing time, they were both fighting the same 120# fish. After 20 minutes, one of the leaders wore through and we continued fighting the fish on one outfit. An hour later, with both anglers completely worn out, I released the fish.
Sunday (5/4) was a 3/4 day trip. Bait was once again a snap. The it was a run offshore to look for dolphin. That is exactly what it was, a look. Not wanting to waste to much time in search of dolphin, I ran back to the north anchorage area and slow trolled from 250' in. At 130', the downrigger hooked up and Eileen Clark was fighting a very stubborn fish on a 12# spinning outfit. After 30 minutes and lots of guessing, we were all wrong as I gaffed a 25# amberjack that was destined for the smoker. More slow trolling and we released a small kingfish. Several other baits got chopped in half. All the action came on the downrigger fished 40' deep.
Sunday evening's tarpon trip turned out to be a down to the wire one. We arrived on the south side of Government Cut and immediately saw tarpon rolling and blasting baits. We put out our crabs and waited. Then we waited some more. Dusk came and went and we waited. Time clicked by and we waited. The fish just seemed to disappear. At about 10 minutes to 10, Kevin said that he was getting chilly and we would try it again on another night. I pulled in the se anchor, reeled in the bow rod, and then someone said "This reel just clicked". I watched the back rod slowly bend over and then line screamed off the reel as 100#'s of angry tarpon headed for the beach on Fisher Island. We released the fish long before it could make its way to the deep water of the main channel. Talk about your coming through at the last possible minute, I breathed a sigh of relief.
Monday (5/5) we fished a full day. Dennis and Vern got the hang of catching bait almost instantly. The well was full in no time. The ESE/SE wind had picked up quite a bit from Sunday, so I started my drifts out deeper. We moved south and kept moving south. By noon time, we were still looking for our first hit and I had covered the area from Haulover down to Government Cut. Back up off the anchorage area, I started to slow troll. That was the answer. Within 5 minutes, we caught an 8# kingfish. Then a 10# barracuda. Next it was a small brown shark on the downrigger. Then the downrigger produced a 12# kingfish, a finally a remora that Vern won the bet on for the most unusual fish. Dennis wanted to try for some dolphin, so I ran out to 495' for the last hour of the trip. Five minutes later, a turtle surfaced about 200' away from the boat. I made a comment about how dolphin sometimes follow turtles around. The bow rod hooked up right after that and then the stern rod. Both had dolphin. A larger one swam up to Dennis' fish and I tossed a bait to it and Chris was hooked to a 12# bull. We caught all 3 fish and that ended the action for the day. Chris and Suzette caught the largest fish and won the bets with their husbands. You know who was buying the round of drinks that evening.
Wednesday (5/7) evenings tarpon trip was the best of the week. Neil and Kathyrn from Brentwood, England were visiting their friend Neil from Coral Gables. Most of their vacation was spent fishing both offshore and at Flamingo. Before going home on Friday, they wanted another round of catching large tarpon. Half way through the first drift, Neil from CG got a 100# tarpon. On the next drift, Kathyrn caught her 100# tarpon. The next drift, her husband Neil hooked up to one mean and ornery 120# tarpon. The fish went where it wanted to go and soon we were in the deep water of the main channel. All the action was caught on film, so there will be no denying the pain and suffering that he went through to catch that great tarpon. After regrouping, the action wasn't over yet. Neil from CG then caught a 40# fish and Kathyrn got another turn and also caught a 40# fish. We tried hard for another fish for Neil, but it was just not to be. As they put it, 5 for 5 with 3 very tired and worn out anglers and one happy guide. I couldn't have said it better myself. Every fish was caught on a crab.
Thursday (5/8) evening tarpon fishing once again. What a difference a day makes. Dennis and Vern from Nebraska wanted to catch a tarpon after seeing them feeding on the scraps as I cleaned their fish on Monday afternoon. There were just a few fish rolling when we arrived at the Cut. There were 7 boats trying to get a tarpon to feed. Finally, just after the sun set, we hooked up and by the time Vern had picked up the rod, the fish jumped and threw the hook. I quickly set up again and hooked up solid this time. We were gaining line back and then it went slack. The tarpon bit through the leader. Another quick reset and this time, Dennis hooked up and we caught and released a very feisty 40# tarpon. After that, the fish disappeared and we got no more bites the remained of the evening.
I'll be fishing for 3/4 of a day tomorrow and then on Sunday, it off to Marsh Harbour for a week where I'll be a part of the crew on the 45' Hatteras "Bill Time". We'll be fishing in the Bertram-Hatteras Shoot Out. See you all in a week.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2003 - 8:24 pm: | |
Subject: Kingfish, Dolphin, Tarpon, and RAIN!!
Rain Rain Go Away. It is only human nature that when it hasn't rained for a while, we want it to. Then when it finally does rain, we want it to stop. The tarpon charter I had scheduled for this evening has been postponed till tomorrow evening. The tarpon action has been GREAT, both @ Government Cut and in the Bay. At Government, they are definitely showing a better preference for crabs over shrimp, although it is still worth putting a shrimp out. In the Bay, shrimp is the way to go.
On Sunday (4/27), the wind was from the west most of the day. From about 88 Street north to straight out from Haulover Inlet, there were a fair amount of kingfish. The only problem was that they were on the small side and keeping a hook in them was difficult. Both fish that we caught were snagged in the body. The other 8 strikes we had either chopped baits in half, knocked them off the hook, or pulled quite a bit of drag before the hook pulled. The strikes were in the 90-130 foot range and came on pilchards and sardines. In the afternoon, we found some hungry dolphin in 300' and caught 5.
Monday evening (4/28) we watched as several other boats hooked and fought tarpon. It was going to be just a matter of time before one found our bait. After it got dark, we hooked up and Tim Gipe fought and released a 70# fish. Then after 9 pm, we jumped a fish. The next drift, Richard Bezold had his hands full with a 90# fish that he also released. They both wanted to learn some basics about tarpon fishing in the Bay. We anchored up at the first spot and within 10 minutes we had a fish on that gave us two great jumps before throwing the hook. I dropped Richard off and while Tim and I were returning to Spinnaker Marina, we stopped at another spot where Tim got the opportunity to sight and cast to the fish. It ate his live shrimp offering and he also got 2 jumps from the fish before it threw the hook.
As we go in to May, the dolphin should become more and more plentiful. Tarpon fishing will continue on in to June. With calmer weather just around the corner, sea conditions for swordfishing will become much more comfortable. I've got some open dates, so get your group together, give me a call, and whether its dolphin, tarpon, or swords, let go catch some.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 26, 2003 - 2:58 am: | |
Subject: Dolphin, Tuna, Kingfish, & Tarpon
Take your pick, offshore or inshore, the action is great. Offshore, the dolphin have shown up as well as the blackfin tuna. There are still plenty of kingfish for those seeking them. Inshore, the tarpon action has been hard to beat for the most part.
For our Wednesday evening (4/23) tarpon trip, ENE/ESE winds @ 7-13 mph gave us a very pleasant drift. The action at Government Cut started during the dusk period and continued for every drift throughout the evening. Keeping a shrimp on the line was nearly impossible due to the bottom critters. This didn't matter though because all of our strikes from tarpon came on live crabs. The fish were in the 70-90 pound range and by the end of the trip, we were 3 for 5.
We continued to have nice sea conditions for our Thursday (4/24) morning trip. The ENE/E winds @ 10-14 mph gave us a moderate rate of drift. Michael Oshry from Hewett Harbor, NY wanted to catch some eating fish. We started just south of Haulover Inlet with the thoughts of kingfish. On the second drift, we caught an 8# king. The next drift we got a double strike with one of the two fish hooking up. By the way it was fighting, we weren't certain of what it was. After about 20 minutes Michael pulled a very nice 24.5# blackfin tuna to boatside where I gaffed the fish. For the last drift of the morning, I ran out to 400' and put out the baits. When we came in to 345', the 12# plug outfit hooked up and the chase was on. The bull dolphin dumped half of the spool on the Pflueger PFL66 reel spooled with 12# Cajun Red Lightnin' line. In the process, it made 10 tremendous greyhounding jumps. Back at Spinnaker Marina, the fish weighed 39.5 pounds. Dolphin, tuna, and kingfish was definitely on Michael's menu for dinner.
We were expecting to have some more great tarpon action on Thursday (4/24) evening's trip. The tarpon, however, had something else in mind. From the time we got to Government Cut until sunset, we saw 2 fish roll. After it got dark, they seemed to disappear. Must have taken the night off. Late in the evening, I went into the Bay in hopes of finding a few fish despite it being very late in the tide. The first spot was loaded with fish. We quickly caught one and then they got finicky. They would follow the bait and some rolled on it, but would not take it. I quickly ran to another spot were the tide was flowing a bit stronger. We hit paydirt and caught another one. That made us 2 for 2 for the evening and we were pleased with the results.
Michael Oshry was back on Friday (4/25) evening for some tarpon fishing. He brought along several outfits that he wanted to break in. I baited one with a shrimp and the other with a crab. A strong south wind @ 15-22 mph had us using a sea anchor to slow our drift down. Now normally, the fish eat fairly reliably during the dusk period. They are, however prone to being very unpredictable. We caught two fish on each of two drift about 30 minutes before the dusk period. After it got dark, we got another one. We had no bites during the dusk period. Michael then wanted to try for some in the Bay to see that method of fishing for them. Within minutes of anchoring up and putting out the baits, we caught and released a 40# tarpon. About 25 minutes later, we caught and released a 50# fish. That made us 5 for 5 for the evening. Two of the three fish caught at Government Cut ate crabs. The other fish and those caught in the Bay, ate shrimp.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2003 - 12:15 pm: | |
Subject: Good Kingfish & Tarpon Action
Let's get straight to the fishing action.
Saturday evening (4/19) Frank and Sarah McIntire were out for a tarpon trip. On their last trip with me, Sarah caught her first sailfish and their two sons each caught a dolphin. Frank never got a chance to even hold a rod, so this trip, he was the prime angler. He was anxious to do battle with a tarpon. Little did he know, but that he was about to get more than he expected. Government Cut was the place and a crab did the trick. During the dusk period, the 100# tarpon ate and headed straight for the main channel. We beat the fish to the drop off and the real battle began. One hour and 15 minutes later, Frank was very relieved when I released the fish. He was sore and stiff, but a very happy angler. You picked on a big one Frank. A couple of drifts after that produced no more strikes.
Monday morning (4/21) Paul Sagsvee along with his two sons and daughter wanted some rod bending action. Species of fish was not important. We started straight out from Haulover in 140'. The NNE/NE winds @ 11-15 mph gave us some very pleasant 1-2 foot seas. Using live pilchards on 12 & 20 pound spinning outfits, we caught 7 kingfish in the 10-25 pound range. The action took place in the 100'-120' depth range and we fished as far south as the Lotus range. The largest kingfish (25#) was caught by 7 year old Joey, who is the youngest family member. The fish was almost as long as he was tall.
Monday evening (4/21) it was back to the tarpon action. Dave and Kim Gates from Ft. Lauderdale gave Kim's dad Joe Callaert from Freehold, NJ a birthday present of an evening of tarpon fishing. Joe and his wife, Linda were looking forward to some good tarpon action after hearing all the stories. As I say, "the pressure is on." The fish were rolling in good numbers. On our second drift, the shrimp, suspended under a float to keep it away from the bottom critters, go eaten by a 90# tarpon. Joe got his first chance at a tarpon. It cooperated by not running to the main channel. After numerous pictures, the tarpon was released and Joe was hooked on tarpon fishing. After dark, the crab got eaten next. This time Kim Gates experienced the deep fighting tactics of a tarpon as it made straight for the main channel. She showed the tarpon who was boss and whipped the 60# fish in short order. Then, on the last drift of the evening, another crab got eaten and Joe caught and released his second (70#) tarpon. It was another great family fishing outing with many memories made. As Joe put it "A GREAT TRIP WITH THE FAMILY AND THREE TARPON ACTION, TOO! I'm hooked. It's tarpon fishing for me."
Tuesday evening (4/22) and a GREAT BIG "THANK YOU" to everyone who attended the MET Booster Banquet. Without your support, the MET could not remain the largest free fishing tournament in the world.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 18, 2003 - 11:57 pm: | |
Subject: Fishing Update Through April 18th
This week, we attempted to fish 3 times. I say attempted because one of the trips got cancelled due to a mechanical problem with one of the diesels on the big boat.
Earlier in the week, the wind continued to come out of a NE/ENE direction @ 12-21 mph. On Monday evening (4/14) we used the south jetties at Government Cut to break the wind. There were about 7 boats fishing on that evening and everyone had high hopes of a strong tarpon bite. During the dusk period, one boat hooked up solid and another jumped a tarpon. After it got dark, we hooked up solid (on a crab) to a 90# fish that never jumped. The good thing about this fish was that it ran inshore toward Fisher Island and not out in to the deep water of the ship channel. We made one more drift and decided to try the Bay. We checked out 6 different spots and never saw a single tarpon. Disappointing as it was, we were happy to have gotten the one fish.
Tuesday (4/15) had us running south of Fowey Light to find some decent conditions. Although there was still south current, the water was much cleaner and had some blue in it. Our deep baits kept getting hit by small kingfish that chopped the bait off behind the hook. Finally a fair size one ate a bait and was added to the fish box. A smaller one got released. Then it was bonitos, a fair size cobia, and we ended the day with a dolphin. Both pilchards and herring accounted for our bites and catches.
Wednesday was dental appointment day, so there was no fishing.
Thursday, Nancy and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary.
Friday (4/18) we had plans to do some swordfishing. We caught a bluerunner at the fish spot we stopped at and missed another. When I pulled up to the second bait spot, the port engine on the big boat shut down and would not start again. We dropped off Bill's guests at Miami Beach Marina and limped home on one engine.
We'll be tarpon fishing tomorrow evening, so I'll be able to see if the pattern of how they are feeding has changed.
On Sunday (4/20) evening, watch the Tarpon Bay Tales with Captain Alex Suescun. We shot a TV show for his series in early March and the episode will air at 7:30 pm on the Sunshine Network.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 14, 2003 - 1:00 pm: | |
Subject: Fishing Update Through April 13th
Wind, wind, and more wind. That's how the week started out. A cold front was slow in approaching and had the wind out of a westerly direction for several days. Higher seas resulted in a cancellation of only one trip. We changed our intended plans on two other days and motion sickness found its way on another trip.
In general, fishing the area from the Key Biscayne hotels north to the Twin Towers, it has been mostly kingfish and bonito. There has been a few sailfish and a blackfin tuna here and there. Inshore, the tarpon bit has mostly been late with an average of 3 strikes per evening. Here is the daily activities.
Monday evening (4/7) was a cancel.
Tuesday (4/8) was an afternoon/evening trip. Wind from the ESE/SE @ 7-19 mph had one angler feeling the effects of motion sickness. Fishing was a struggle offshore with a catch of one kingfish. Inshore, the tarpon cooperated by giving us 3 strikes, however, they didn't want to play for more than 1 or 2 jumps each before throwing the hook. They bit late and we had 2 strikes on crabs and 1 on shrimp.
Wednesday (4/9) was a 6 hour evening tarpon trip. The wind started in the south and switch to the west during the course of the evening while blowing @ 17-26 mph. We started out by catching a mangrove snapper, ladyfish, and blue runner. Finally, we got the tarpon we were looking for and Al Trudeau from Nashua, NH caught and released his first tarpon.
Thursday (4/10) Al was back again for another evening of tarpon fishing. Despite the west wind @ 19-28 mph, the water was calm and a sea anchor was necessary to slow down the drift. Al added to his tarpon total by catching 2 of the 3 fish we hooked.
Friday (4/11) the wind was WSW/WNW @ 14-28 mph. After catching bait, we started the day by putting out 1 blue runner and catching 1 - 20# barracuda. Then it was a quick run offshore where all our action came in the anchorage area in the 100-120' range. Eight bonito kept 2 anglers very busy. Add 2 kingfish and 1 houndfish and that rounded out the day trip.
Friday (4/11) evening tarpon was almost a carbon copy of Thursday evening's trip. The fish bit late like Thursday. The wind was west @ 16-24 mph. 2 for 3 tarpon and then they shut off.
Saturday (4/12) and we finally get a break from the wind. The direction swung from WNW all the way around to WSW and was calm to 10 mph. Most of the dolphin fishermen were disappointed and a few caught a couple. In on the reef, the kingfish action was consistent. There were a lot of fish in the high teens and 20 pound range a well as many small ones. I heard of one fish that was pushing 40. Mix in some bonito, and a sail here and there and the action while not hot, was OK. We caught 2 kings including one of 23#'s, had half a dozen baits chopped in half by small fish and caught 1 out of a 3 hit bonito attack.
Sunday (4/13) was another great weather day. It was very evident by the 100's of boats that were taking advantage of it after several weekends of windy weather. SE/SW wind from calm to 10 mph gave us almost flat seas. Jim and Roz Lefevre treated Roz's nephew Jim Lynch and his wife Michelle to a day of fishing. Our afternoon/evening trip started out with catching bait at Government Cut. With ample pilchards and herring, we went straight out front and started in 130'. Before I could put out the 2nd flatline, the downrigger popped and Jim Lynch caught a 6# kingfish. Baits back out and less than 5 minutes later, Michelle caught a 10# dolphin. We moved just north of the sea buoy after getting no further action. At 118' it was Roz's turn to catch an 8# kingfish. Next, Jim Lefevre missed several small fish. It was after this that things really started heating up. Michelle Lynch caught a 15# king, Jim Lynch caught one of 18#'s and finally just after sunset, Jim Lefevre caught one @ 20#'s. Time to go tarpon fishing. The first two drifts had us hooked up. The first one threw the hook on its second jump and we pulled the hook on the 2nd fish just 6 inches from the leader touching. The it went dead. The last drift of the evening was the charm. Jim Lefevre hooked up solid to a 90# fish that we landed and released. This evening, it was two fish on shrimp and one on a crab.
Coming up on April 22nd, is the 68th MET Booster Banquet and Auction. Cocktails start @ 5:30 pm with Dinner starting @ 7:00 pm. There will be Live and Silent Auctions, Guided and International fishing trips, Tackle, Jewelry, Art, Special items for Women and Kids and lots of SURPRISES. Tickets are $50 in advance and $75 at the door. Call 305 233-5535 for more info and to get your tickets. Hope to see lots of you there.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, April 07, 2003 - 10:35 pm: | |
Subject: Fishing's Ups and Downs
The month of April has started out with lots of wind from the easterly directions. Many of my first time clients have been experiencing motion sickness. The fishing has been running hot and cold. On some of the days when the conditions (blue water and strong north current) look really great, catching has been difficult. We all know that fishing is always GREAT, but sometimes the catching leaves a bit to be desired. With that being said, lets get in to the day by day happenings.
Tuesday (4/1) was an evening tarpon trip. E/NE 18-24 mph winds had us hiding behind the south jetty of Government Cut. It was well after dark before the fish turned on. Once it happened, our shrimp and crabs were eaten on every drift till the end of the evening. Final tally was 3 for 5 in the 60 - 90 pound range.
Wednesday (4/2) the winds were ENE @ 17-21 mph. I was expecting another late bite with tarpon. They definitely proved me wrong by doing just the opposite. They fed in the same area where they left off on Tuesday evening. We caught a tarpon on each of our first two drifts. Then they shut off. After several more hours of twitching rod type hits, we were glad to go 2 for 2.
Thursday (4/3) the wind was E @ 10-19 mph. I fished aboard Bill Time. It took us awhile to catch enough bait and we put our first baits in the water at 1 pm. The action started soon there after and was steady till we quit fishing at 6 pm. Live pilchards and herring accounted for 7 dolphin, a 25# blackfin tuna, and 1 out of a double header sailfish.
Friday (4/4) we saw ESE/SE winds @ 12-17 mph. Fishing turned out to be very tough for us. We found better conditions than on Thursday, but it seemed like the fish had vacated the area. I worked the area from the Key Biscayne Lighthouse to the Anchorage and we caught one 8 pound dolphin. It's days like this one that keeps you from getting to swell headed about your ability to catch fish. You just hope they don't come along to often.
Saturday (4/5) was the best day wind (ESE/SE 10-17 mph) wise. Aboard Bill Time once again, the bait fishing was much easier today. We actually set a record by getting our baits in the water by 11:50 am. Then the waiting began. At 4 pm, it was as if someone threw a switch and the fish turned on for us. First, we had a double strike and fought a large kingfish on a straight mono leader for 10 minutes before it bit through the leader. We had the fish to the boat 4 times and each time I reached out with the gaff, the kingfish took off. The other fish cut us off immediately. Next, we caught 2 bonito. Then a 13.5 pound kingfish. A sailfish ate a rigger bait and failed to hook up and finally we ended the day with another bonito.
Sunday (4/6) and the wind picked back up to ESE/SE @ 15-20 mph. Another day of perfect looking conditions and a general lack of fish. After several drifts in the blue water with flatlines, downrigger, and kite baits, were drifted in to the green water at the south end of the Anchorage. The downrigger line hooked up and like kingfish normally do when they see the boat for the first time, they take off. The only problems was that this fish pulled the hook when it ran. I started slow trolling in the 70-105 foot range and it didn't take long for another strike. Teeth marks in the bait. Then another strike, cut off behind the gills. Finally, a solid (at least I thought) hookup. The fish made several strong runs back and forth across the stern. It came to the surface and stuck its head up and shook. YEP, you guessed it, the king shook the hook loose. More slow trolling only produced a remora. Back out to the blue water and lots of live bait chumming only attracted the birds. So as we say, it was my turn in the barrel again!!!
Sunday (4/6) evening's tarpon trip had us using a sea anchor to slow down our drift in the E 15-24 mph winds. We found the fish after dark much further south than we have normally been fishing for them thus far this year. We had 3 strikes as well as a ladyfish hit. We also tried the north side for two drifts with no strikes.
That brings me up to date. I've got trips scheduled through the 15th and I'll do another report as soon as I get a break.
Tarpon fishing has been excellent thus far this season. I looked back through my records and since the season started in the 2nd week of December, I have hooked up 186 fish. We still have another 8 to 9 weeks left in this season, so there is still time to catch the tarpon of your dreams. Give me a call and lets go catch a few.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 31, 2003 - 12:18 am: | |
Subject: Steady Action On A Variety Of Fish
On Wednesday while I was cleaning Alex Szilaygi's dolphin catch, he was awestruck at the sight of several tarpon feeding on the scraps. He wanted to catch one in the worst way. We planned on going Thursday evening, however, that was the day when the severe thunderstorms moved threw our area. We rescheduled for Saturday evening.
Meanwhile on Friday evening, we fished another tarpon trip. The wind was very light and constantly changing directions making it difficult to set up a good drift. On our first drift, we caught and released a spanish mackerel that measured 32 3/4 inches. Well after dark, we managed to keep from drifting back on our baits and were rewarded with a tarpon. The next drift, a steady SW wind allowed us to cover a good area. We had two quick strikes. The first jumped off before we could get the rod out of the holder. The second made three jumps before throwing the hook. Then the action died. We moved in to the Bay and fished 4 spots. The results were 2 for 5 on 12# line. Total for the evening was 3 for 8. The tarpon have been hitting both crabs and shrimp. We have been getting 2 strikes on crabs for every strike on shrimp.
Saturday morning, it was a fishing lesson on kingfish and dolphin. Fishing aboard Sandy's boat, he learned about rigging for kings, some areas to fish, and how to put out baits. We caught and kept 2 of the 5 kings we hooked. Next it was offshore and some dolphin fishing. We found a good edge with lots of grass and debris at 8 miles out. The first method Sandy learned was slow trolling live baits. This produced 2 dolphin. Then it was trolling small lures. We caught 2 more dolphin and released one. With enough kingfish and dolphin for dinner, the half day ended all to quickly.
Saturday evening the tarpon were almost none existent. Alex was back out with me and wanted to catch his first tarpon. We were very fortunate and hooked up the one and only tarpon strike we had the entire evening. The 70# fish gave Alex all he bargained for and more. In the end, Alex won by catching his first tarpon. The tarpon won by giving him a great workout and a great appreciation for the power and stamina of these beautiful silver fish and then being released to give someone else the same thrills.
Sunday morning with a SW wind and a forecast of increasing winds with the approach of a cold front, we headed offshore in search of dolphin. We found lots of weed and floating debris. After lots of searching, our persistence paid off and we caught 2 dolphin that thrilled two wonderful lady anglers. Next it was in to the scattered patches and lots of fun catching grunts and triggerfish. The wind started to pick up as predicted as we headed in.
Sunday late afternoon, a light rain had started as we got to Haulover Inlet to do some barracuda fishing. It was already raining a lot heavier down at Government Cut. We pulled the hooks on two fish before heading south. It rained almost the entire time we were at Government Cut. It certainly didn't bother the barracuda though. Every bait we put out produced some type of action. Two 20# barracudas kept Steve Phillips and his son very busy. By now, the wind was hollowing and the air temperature was dropping quickly. We had accomplished what we had set out to do, so we called it an evening.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 27, 2003 - 1:02 pm: | |
Subject: Springtime Dolphin Make Strong Showing Today
Spring time dolphin fishing made a strong showing today. During this time of year, it is usually not necessary to make the long runs offshore that most anglers associate with dolphin fishing. All of our fish were caught in the 140-200 foot range. Except for the wind (ESE/SSE 7-17), the green water and no current were not exactly what one would call ideal dolphin conditions.
The live herring we used for bait ranged in size from small to large. The small ones were caught inside Haulover Inlet along the ICW. Within 10 minutes of putting out the baits, the downrigger popped and we had our first dolphin on. The school followed the hooked fish to the boat and Alex Szilagyi from England was amazed at the number, beautiful colors, and aggressiveness of the schoolie size dolphin. We kept several fish and I called a nearby boat over to get in on the action. Once they picked up the school, we moved back out to 200' to start another drift.
It didn't take long before we were back in action and we started releasing the fish we caught. I told Alex that the big one could come along at any time. Within minutes of my making that statement, we watched as a large dolphin hit the bait made two huge jumps and threw the hook. I quickly put out another bait and just as I closed the bail on the spinning outfit, the line came tight and this time the hook found its mark. Alex was out of breath by the time I added the 25# cow to the fishbox. Several more smaller fish were released and then the 15# bull found our bait. It also was added to the fishbox and from that point, we released the remainder of the fish we caught.
Next, Alex wanted to catch a bonito, so we moved in to the 70-110 foot range. We got cut off by a kingfish, and had two baits chopped in half by another king, however, we did not get the bonito bite before it was time to go in.
Tarpon fishing during the evening trip had us running back to Government Cut. SE wind of 12-19 mph gave us ideal drifting conditions. The fish were a bit slow to bite and our hookups were frustrating. The first fish threw the hook on its first jump. The second on its second jump. Finally the third one hooked up solid and we caught and released a 60# tarpon. It was getting late both in the evening and the tide, so we ran in to the Bay to try and find a few more fish. The first stop held one fish which we caught and released. The same for the second stop. At the third and fourth locations we saw no fish, so we called it a night and finished with a respectable 3 for 5 tarpon caught and released.
A quick reminder about fishing baits deep. Three times during the day trip, we got the action started with the deep bait. Always put a bait down deep. There will be days when all your action will take place deep and the surface baits will not be touched. It could make the difference between a slow day and a good one.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2003 - 7:50 pm: | |
Subject: Great Fishing Both Offshore and Inshore
Ted Sweeney, Jr. from Grosse Point Farms, MI was visiting his long time friend Scott Strawbridge in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. A fishing trip was in their schedule. They opted for an afternoon/evening trip so that they could fish both the offshore and inshore waters.
At 1:00 pm, we pulled out of Spinnaker Marina and headed to Government Cut to catch bait. Pilchards were scarce, however, herring were very cooperative. We headed to an area just south of the Cuban Hole in 180'. A strong north wind and strong north current had the seas kicked up to 4-6 feet with 6-8 foot swells as soon as we crossed the blue/green edge. Inside the edge, the seas were 3-5 feet. Within 5 minutes of putting out the first bait, Ted was hooked to an 8 pound dolphin. Scott looked over the side and saw a 10# bull dolphin swim up to the boat. He quickly reeled in his bait and hooked up this dolphin. We put Ted's fish in the boat and immediately saw another 8# dolphin swim up to the boat and Ted was hooked up again. Both of those fish made it to the fishbox and a dolphin fillet dinner was the discussion.
A run back south and the baits were put out in 200'. When the drift reached 125', Scott hooked up to a sailfish on a 12# spinning outfit. After numerous jumps and dumping about 80% of the line off the reel, the fish threw the hook with one last jump. Back out to 200', set out new baits, and this time Ted hooked a sailfish on a 20# outfit. We released the fish and once again set up in 200'. This time the strike took place in 150'. Scott hooked a dolphin and while we were putting it in the fishbox, Ted hooked and was fighting his second sailfish. While I was leadering the fish at boat side, it made about 8 jumps on the leader. One was directly at me. I jumped back just in time to feel only the tip of its bill touch my shirt about chest high. This fish definitely wanted no part of my pulling on him with the leader. We took several pictures in the water after it settled down and then sent it on its way. The last drift before going in to tarpon fish had Scott hooked up to a very hard pulling fish that fought like a bonito. The hook pulled near the boat before we could definitely be sure.
We ran in to Government Cut and set up a drift with 2 lines out. About half way through the drift, Scott hooked a tarpon that we caught and released. Next it was Ted's turn. A few drifts after it got dark, we had another strike and the fish threw the hook on its first jump. The last drift of the evening had Scott hooked up and the fish headed straight for Fisher Island. We got lots of good pictures of the 90# tarpon at boat side before releasing it. We all breathed a sigh of relief that the fish chose not to go to the deep water of the main ship channel.
To sum up the great afternoon/evening of fishing, Ted caught 2 dolphin, 2 sailfish, and missed a tarpon. Scott caught 2 dolphin, 2 tarpon, and missed a sailfish and bonito (?). The two friends are already planning another trip next time Ted makes it down to Ft. Lauderdale.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 23, 2003 - 2:26 am: | |
Subject: Sails, Dolphin, and Tarpon
Picking up from my last report, here is the day by day run down on the fishing off Miami Beach and Key Biscayne.
Tuesday and Wednesday, we had little to no current and dirty green water. Despite these conditions, there were sailfish caught on Tuesday. Fishing from Bill Time on both these days saw us with a sailfish on Tuesday along with 2 remoras. The remoras can become very pesky when there is no current. On Wednesday, we spent some time in the 95-190 foot range with no results. Moving out to 250 feet, we found blue water and north current. We got our reward in the form of a 14# bull dolphin, 22.5# cow dolphin, and a schoolie size dolphin. All this action took place in about a 30 minute time frame and then the action stopped for the remainder of the day.
Thursday morning the conditions made a drastic change. The wind picked up and we found blue water with north current in to 85 feet. All of our action took place from the middle to the north end of the anchorage in 95-105 feet. Unfortunately, one of my anglers experienced motion sickness. When we had a fish on, the condition seemed to disappear, however, once the fish was released, the condition came right back. The half day trip flew by for all except one angler. Results were 1 for 3 on sailfish, and 1 bonito.
Thursday evenings tarpon trip had another angler experience motion sickness. As with the day trip, the condition seemed to get better with the catching of a fish. Government Cut continues to hold plenty of tarpon. Just a bit of a slow down over previous trips, but a respectable 2 for 4 evening.
Friday evening the tarpon made a stronger showing. Bob Caskill of Miami caught 4 of the 6 fish that we hooked.
Saturday evening, we had to work hard to come up with some good results. We got 2 out of 4 tarpon, with the big fish (120#) of the evening being caught by Henry Succop of Miami.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2003 - 11:21 pm: | |
Subject: HOT! HOT! Tarpon Action @ Govt. Cut
Fishing offshore has been good. Inshore, the tarpon fishing at Government Cut has exploded.
Sunday, the goal during our day trip was to catch sailfish. We started by catching pilchards and then herring. Our first drift was made at the Monument Buoy in 140'. When we reached 132' about 10 minutes later, the bow flatline got hit and we had our first sailfish. Five minutes after putting out the baits again, we got the second sailfish. For the remainder of the day we caught bonito, saw about a half dozen free jumping sailfish, and our baits got attacked by 4 Gannets.
Sunday night at Government Cut was nothing short of phenomenal. We had some type of action on every drift. Tarpon were exploding all around us. Jim Lefevre from Stewart, FL had one tremendous workout as we had 10 fish on and landed and released 8. We were only able to count 7 toward the MET Fishing Tournament because one of the tarpon (110 pounds) ate both baits I had out. The fish ranged in size from 70-150 pounds.
Monday night, it was back to Government cut for more tarpon action. Once again they were exploding on the surface. Every drift resulted in a hook up. First time tarpon anglers Todd Sandoval and his friend Jeff, both from Miami, were 5 for 5. I was watching the storm activity building to the west of us. A quick check of the weather channel had us listening to a several thunderstorm alert. We were extremely happy with our results for the evening and we decided to head in before the weather closed in on us. As I rounded the jetty to run back on the inside, we saw a wall of water heading our way. We made it to the 5th street bridge just as the rain, wind, and lightning hit us. We sat it out under the bridge and then had a very pleasant ride back to Spinnaker Marina.
Now is the time to book a tarpon charter to get in on the HOT HOT action. Give me a call, I have a few opening. Don't miss out on the action.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, March 15, 2003 - 10:24 pm: | |
Subject: March 15th Update
Lets get right to the day by day action starting with Wednesday, March 12th.
After having a really great day on Tuesday, the conditions changed drastically for the worse on Wednesday. Beautiful sunny weather and calm seas, but no current at all. We accomplished bait in record time and worked from 65 - 200 feet from Key Biscayne to the Sea Buoy. The results was a bonito and a dolphin. The bonito was kept for bait and the dolphin made a good meal for Bill Borkan. When we docked the boat at his house, he tossed out a live pilchard and got rewarded almost immediately with a tarpon. Another bait and another tarpon. We both laughed and said we should have stayed at the dock on this day.
Thursday, March 14th had us out kingfishing. The action started fast and furious and then quit. One fish in the box and two misses. Next it was a dolphin. Then lots of fishing and no catching. Finally we got some more kingfish action and added another to the fish box. When we found current, we got action. When the current died, so did the action.
Thursday evening tarpon fishing at Government Cut started fast. On our first drift, Elaine Davis from Gulf Breeze, Florida caught her first tarpon. The 40 pound fish showed lots of spunk and stamina while putting on a great show for the camera. Next, Tom Schaefer from Miami caught a kingfish and got two good jumps from a tarpon before it threw the hook. The tarpon ate the shrimp while Tom was putting it out. We took the scenic Bay tour back to Spinnaker Marina and along the way stopped at one of my Bay spots to give Tom another chance at a tarpon. The tarpon cooperated, unfortunately Tom got heavy handed with thumb pressure and broke the fish off. He's already planning another trip so he can make amends.
Friday morning, Tony and Diane from Chicago, Illinois took their first saltwater fishing trip. The pilchards were out on the beach and Tony got the hang of using the sabiki rig very quickly. Loaded with bait, we headed offshore and found plenty of current along with good clean blue water. It wasn't long before we got attacked by skipjack tuna. Every line we had out hooked up. Lines were crossed and it was panic city. We ended up landing one fish and rerigging the other rods. The next attack was a school of bonito. This time they swam in different directions and before it was over, both Tony and Diane had worked up quite a sweat. A dolphin was next and that is how the morning ended.
Friday evening it was back to Government Cut. We fished aboard the Niki-D owned by Greg Capra from Sunny Isles, FL. Our first bit of action was a small kingfish. The beach has been loaded with very small kings. Most are less than 24". We made a move after several non productive drifts and found the fish. Two drifts, two (55 & 70 pounds) tarpon landed and released and Greg said it was time to head for home.
That brings us to Saturday, March 15th. We fished the SFFC Bill Smith Memorial Kingfish Tournament. Rainy, windy, nasty weather greeted all the boats first thing in the morning. The rain slowly cleared and the seas subsided. We fished north of Haulover Inlet with no action, so we ran south. Off Government Cut, there was a good north current and we finally broke the ice with our first king. We added a second later in the day. None of our fish were very large. The big fish of the tournament was a shade over 25 pounds. Congratulations to all the winners.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 09, 2003 - 9:42 pm: | |
Subject: March 9th Fishing Report
The past two days we have had gorgeous weather with very light winds. Lots of anglers have taken advantage of these conditions and catching bait turned into quite an adventure on Sunday. Until the tide started moving in, the bait was in small schools and moving around. There was a lot of jockeying around and at one point I had to jump out on my bracket and push a boat away from my engines. This particular boater didn't even seem aware of the fact that he was about to crash into me. He just keep throttling up. There is lots of bait for everyone and there is no need to be a throttle jockey. Enough said on that subject.
Now for the fishing activity. On Saturday we wanted some rod bending action. We didn't care what kind of fish it was. We found it at the Cuban Hole in the form of all the large bonito anyone could ever want. Mixed in with them were some nice size kingfish. After catching our fill of bonito and a kingfish, we moved offshore a bit and further south. Even in 150' we were still attacked by the bonito. Our final count was 10 and we moved even further offshore trying to find a sailfish. We got our reward in 250' and landed and released a sailfish that ate two of our baits. When I started to pull in the kite to move back to Haulover Inlet to try some tarpon fishing, a sailfish hit the bait and failed to hook up.
At Haulover, we caught a spanish mackerel, lane snapper, and ladyfish, but did not find nor see any tarpon. It is time to try Government Cut and I'll be doing that tomorrow evening.
Sunday, we fished for a half day and after several moves and lots of searching, we found some very cooperative kingfish in 90-110 feet off the north end of the hotels on Key Biscayne. They preferred slow trolled baits to drifted baits. We got strikes both on the flatlines and downrigger (40'). Three was enough for us and we left them in a feeding mood. Add the 1 bonito we started out with and my anglers were very happy.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 06, 2003 - 11:35 pm: | |
Subject: March 6th Update
March 3, 2003
Tarpon fishing showed a dramatic slow down on Saturday evening. Having not fished on Sunday evening and not knowing if the slow down was continuing, Jorge Rodriguez, Robert Fernandez, and I left Spinnaker Marina at 5 PM to catch some tarpon at Haulover Inlet.
A light SE wind had us using floats for a part of the evening. The live shrimp on the P170 7/0 circle hooks from Eagle Claw were doing their part. The tide was incoming most all evening. Everything seemed perfect for some fast and furious tarpon action. We went 5 for 5 on LADYFISH that is!! As the saying goes, "The tarpon have left the Inlet & Beach area", atleast for Monday evening.
I'll be fishing for tarpon again on Wednesday evening. If the slow down continues, then it will be time to make the run to Government Cut. Check my report on late Wednesday night for the up to date information on the tarpon action.
March 5, 2003
The question I had on my mind this evening was whether or not there would be tarpon at Haulover Inlet. A slow Saturday and no tarpon on Monday evening had me wondering if the fish were moving south to Government Cut or if it was just a slow down for a few days.
The late afternoon and dusk period had us still searching for the first tarpon strike. Finally, at 7:35 pm when I was threatening to go to Government Cut, we caught our one and only tarpon of the evening. The 90 pound fish allowed us to get the catch very quickly. Then it finally realized that something was wrong and it was another 35 minutes before we actually released it. Our next drift produced a ladyfish and then fishing got tough. Live shrimp is still the bait of choice.
Each season we usually have a slow down period that lasts from 1 to 2 weeks. This year appears to be no exception. The only thing we can do is wait it out and see how long it will last. The good news is that once they make their come back, they are usually strong for the remainder of the season.
Today (March 6) was the first time that I fished offshore since Sunday. I ran the 45' Hatteras, Bill Time, owned by Bill Borkan. We left Bill's dock at 10 am and ran to Government Cut to catch bait. The pilchards were plentiful and it didn't take very long to fill the live well. Starting in the Cuban Hole area, we were presented with a south wind and no current. The kingfish and bonito were very cooperative and after catching 3 kings and 3 bonito, we ran further offshore in hopes of finding a dolphin or two. At 10 miles out and after finding nothing to fish to, I decided to put out some dolphin juniors and start trolling back in. It turned out to be the right choice. A 15# dolphin struck the starboard rod and had the clicker screaming. Bill made quick work of bringing it to the boat where Mike Dumas Jr. did a great job of gaffing and adding the dolphin to the fish box.
We'll be back out on Bill's boat again tomorrow for another wonderful day of fishing and enjoying the beautiful South Florida weather.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 11:50 pm: | |
Subject: March 2nd Fishing Report Update
When I do tarpon fishing seminars, one of the things I discuss is the fact that tarpon do not settle into any one pattern for too long. This week was a prime example of that fact.
In the late afternoon, we were getting several strikes from the fish through Thursday. That pattern changed completely on Friday. Just after the dusk period, the fish started popping baits on the surface as they made their way south through the tarpon hole. Thursday saw this pattern stop. On Wednesday, during the outgoing tide, there was a major shrimp run that had the fish feeding the entire evening. Thursday and Friday there was no shrimp run. Saturday, we saw just a few at the top of the incoming tide. Also on Thursday and Friday, the tarpon seemed to disappear after 7:30 pm. If you hung around long enough, we got one more bite each night after 9:30 pm. Saturday, the tarpon started popping baits again after dark, but not in the large numbers like Wednesday. So you can see that you just had to be there and fish the conditions presented by the tarpon. They never seem to do what you think they should.
Despite all the changes they threw at us, our week at Haulover Inlet went as follows. Monday was an 0 for 4 night. I must have had some rubber hooks mixed in with my regular ones. Tuesday, we bounced back with 3 for 5. Wednesday was the best evening with 6 for 8 including a double header. Thursday, the wind died after it got dark and we had to use floats to keep the baits away from the bottom critters. The results were 3 for 5 including another double header. Friday was a 2 for 4 night and we had to use the floats again. Saturday there was a drastic slow down. We managed to catch 1 of the 2 fish we hooked and a 6# spanish mackerel along with a ladyfish gave us some more action.
Saturday morning, we had the bottom fishing trio out again. When the first grunt came aboard, the smiles got really big. We caught a lot more. Add in triggerfish, porgy, and yellowtail snapper and the visions of the fish fry scheduled for the next day became a reality.
Sunday morning we started by looking for dolphin. No one I spoke with was having any success, so we moved back in to 200' and set up a drift. A 4.5 mph current had us flying to the north. In 185' we had a triple header hook up of skipjack tuna. All three lines crossed and the end result was that we caught 1. The next hook up acted like it might be a sailfish. It seemed as if the fish didn't even know it was hooked. After 2 minutes of fighting the fish, the hook pulled and it will remain a mystery fish. We ran back south for our last drift of the morning and as Alex Slobodski was putting his bait out, he got a strike and caught an even larger skipjack tuna.
On Tuesday (3/4/03) evening, I'll be doing a kingfish seminar at the South Florida Fishing Club meeting. The seminar is in conjunction with the Annual Bill Smith Memorial Kingfish Tournament that is being held on March 15th. The tournament is open to the general public and has cash prizes. Call 954 455-2219 for information or entry forms.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 28, 2003 - 2:51 am: | |
Subject: WOW!! - Best Describes The Tarpon Action
This may sound like a broken record, however, tarpon fishing at Haulover Inlet has been nothing short of spectacular.
On Wednesday evening, there was a major shrimp run and the tarpon where there by the hundreds to feed to their hearts content. It started with our first fish at 8:30 pm and was still going on when we left at 11:00 pm. During that time, we hooked up 8 fish, which included one double header. We landed and released 6. The fish were in the 60 - 110 pound class. I had one exhausted angler by the time we headed back in, but it was a good type of exhaustion.
Thursday evening we were hoping for the same results. We jumped a fish before it got dark and then landed and released another just after dark. The tarpon started blasting baits on the surface and we thought it was time for the fire works to begin. A boat running to the south put the fish down and we never saw them again the remainder of the evening. I moved up to the Inlet to see if the shrimp were running and we hooked up a double header and landed both fish. Then it seemed like the fish just disappeared. We never saw a single shrimp tonight. We had hoped for more, however, we where pleased with the 3 for 5 night that we had.
If this sounds like fun, give me a call to schedule a trip. Once you've caught one tarpon, you'll want to catch another and another and then you'll be hooked.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, February 26, 2003 - 2:47 pm: | |
Subject: Steady Consistent Tarpon Action
Normally after having a tough night keeping the hook in a tarpon such as we experienced on Monday evening with our 0 for 4 results, the next trip is much better. Tuesday evening was to be no exception. Haulover Inlet continues to produce steady tarpon action. The wind all but died this evening, making it necessary to use floats to keep the shrimp away from the bottom critters. The fish showed a preference for the Inlet and the north end of the tarpon hole. We started the evening off on the right foot with a 100#'er at the Inlet. Next, with fish busting all around us, a 50#'er gave us some great thrills at boat side when it slammed into the boat twice after I released it. Trying some of the spots to the south produced no results and had us scrambling for rain gear as an intense rain storm hit us. As the rain was subsiding, I moved back north and was rewarded with another 50#'er. I had a hunch about the Inlet and it turned out to be right. The only thing was that the tarpon only wanted to give us a brief show as it threw the hook on its first jump. Before I could rebait the hook, the other rod had a strike with the same results. We ended our evening pleased with the 3 for 5 results.
This type of action will continue till the mid June time frame. If you want to get in on it, then give me a call and lets go make some memories catching them tarpon.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 - 2:40 am: | |
Subject: Fishing Update February 24, 2003
This past week has gone by like a whirlwind. Between fishing and the Bass Pro Shop Spring Classic, my days and nights have been long and lots of fun.
Inshore, the tarpon continue to be plentiful at Haulover Inlet. Live shrimp is the ticket and we've been averaging 4 strikes a trip. Guy Rock from Wilton Manors and his friend Marty Stoyer from Auburn, Pennslyvania had their hands full with a double header tarpon of 100#'s and 70#'s. There was a lot of running around the boat before we landed and released both fish. Marty, who is a professional bass angler, caught his first tarpon and was amazed at how hard they pull and how high they jump. That evening, we finished with 3 for 4.
The next day, I did a really great job of avoiding the fish. We broke a line on the downrigger, had a hook turn in a bait, and finally landed a large bonito. That evening, I made up for the slow days fishing. Jim Lefevre from Stuart, Florida added to his 20# total in the MET Fishing Tournamemt by going 3 for 4.
Back offshore the following day, we made up for the previous slow day by catching 2 for 2 sailfish, 2 bonito, and 1 dolphin. Three days at the Bass Pro Shop Spring Classic was a lot of fun and I got to talk with loads of wonderful people, as well as, giving 3 half hour seminars on tarpon fishing at Haulover Inlet, Government Cut, and Biscayne Bay.
That brings us to Monday evening. Long time friends Jorge Rodriguez, Danny Batista, and Robert Fernandez all from Miami had visions of tarpon dancing in their heads. The three amigos were soon to learn that sometimes, the tarpon get their revenge. Jorge got to get eyeball to eyeball with his tarpon as it made a 6 foot high jump at boatside and proceeded to give him back his hook. Next, Robert got the rod out of the holder in time for his tarpon to make a jump and shake the hook. Everyone was rooting for Danny to be the one to hook up solid. It was not to be!! Good run, first jump, and thrown hook. Then we caught and released a ladyfish. Jorge was keeping his fingers and toes crossed as it was his turn again. We got the tremendous strike and it appeared that we were finally going to get the solid hook up. That is until the tarpon made a helicopter style jump and you can guess what happened next. THROWN HOOK!!!! This evening the tarpon won. But wait till tomorrow night. I'll keep you posted.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 17, 2003 - 12:58 am: | |
Subject: Continued Good Inshore and Offshore Action
I have been very busy with fishing trips and the Miami Boat Show since my last report. This is the first opportunity I have had to bring everyone up to date with what has been going on with Knot Nancy Fishing Charters.
One of the more unusual trips I have had was with 3 anglers who were not interested in going after sails, kings, dolphin, or tarpon. They were extremely happy with catching grunts, triggerfish, and nurse sharks. It just goes to show that everyone has different tastes in fishing. The trip was a riot. They each had their own mark for their fish and the contest was who could catch the most fish. I'm not sure whether it was Mr. No Mark, Mr. One on the Head, or Mr. Two on the Head. Regardless, they each had a ball catching fish after fish.
Jeff Godel and his friend Keith Zelles from Voorhees and Beach Haven, NJ fished a 7 am till 7 pm trip. After catching half a dozen dolphin, we concentrated on finding a sailfish for Keith. The sail found a flatline bait and Keith caught his first sailfish. Later in the day a larger dolphin ate a kite bait and a large bonito found the deep bait. Moving inshore, Keith caught and released his first tarpon on our first drift. Next drift it was a spanish mackerel. | |
