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Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 112
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 28, 2011 - 12:49 pm: | |
A very frequent customer who has fished with me more than 50 times, called me last week because he heard the Dolphin were moving through the area. He was going to be in town right before Turkey Day and wanted to see if we had any time available to get him out for a “mental health day“. That is Jon’s term for taking an extra layover day to get out on our boat, catch some fish, and forget about work! I told him that we could hook him up on Tuesday.
Jon arrived on time as usual. The winds were a bit strong and the Bay was choppy. We made the run to hit one of our good Blue Runner spots for bait. There were no premium 6-8” Runners there but we did pick up 6 or 8 “Jumbo”, full grown specimens. Enough of that because we knew our preferred baits were thick on the reefs. We’re off!
The reef was turned up and green but we could see our quarry darting around in the face of the waves. I continued on to one of our spots that usually has clearer water in these conditions. We set out the chum and the bait was a bit slower to show than I had anticipated. When they came into the chum line, they came with a ravenous appetite. We spent about 30-45 minutes getting some good small to medium baits on the hook. A group of ballyhoo eventually worked their way to within “easy net range” of the stern. This enticed me to get out the net. 2 tosses of the net and we had more than enough bait for the day, or so we thought!
I decided to forego any long runs to our more distant areas and simply meandered off the edge. The winds were strong out of the east and the waves were standing about 4 feet. The water was too green to suit me so I continued out until I found some water with more blue to it. The color change was in our preferred depth so I pulled back to idle speed, and Devon started sending out the spread. 5 minutes after we got everything set, the Dolphin, Dorado, Mahi-Mahi or whatever name you prefer, crashed our spread. I think we got 3 out of the 4 that hooked up. We set the spread out again and this scenario went on for the next hour and a half. Singles, doubles, triples, and a few quad hook ups, kept us on our toes. All were good sized lifters. We decided quickly that we weren’t going to bother keeping anything that was even close to needing a measurement. We finally had a 20-30 minute lull so I made an adjustment to deeper water and we were in them again.
This action continued on for the rest of the day. There was no time for pictures. The only thing that slowed down were the weather conditions. The winds lightened as it changed to the SE, and the water laid back to 2 feet with an occasional 3 footer. We had a few more breaks in the action, between the Kamikaze waves of these hungry southbound fish. We even caught one fish that had recently been attacked, probably by a Wahoo. The tail lobes were cut off cleanly and he had cuts in his head area. He went into the fish box. Around 3 PM we were noticeably running low on bait. Yeah, we thought we had more than enough bait. We sure didn’t anticipate this much action.
We dipped out the smallest of the Hardtails hoping we might find a Wahoo. We had to trim his tail down to curb his power so he wouldn’t pull out of the downrigger clip. Devon sent him downstairs. There’s a shark chasing our rigger bait. Jon really didn’t want to waste bait catching him so I kept pulling the bait away from him. It was a Silky about 4’ long. He finally lost interest and we reset the line. The downwrigger popped off and we had a strong fish working. A minute or two later we were all guessing that the shark submerged, doubled back, and ate the big Hardtail below. When we got him to the surface it was a shark but it wasn’t that little Silky. This was a 6-7’ big bodied Sandbar hooked up on 20# test. When the shark saw the boat, it turned and burned for the depths. Seconds later, the leader was no match for those teeth.
Only 3 Ballyhoo left and Jon decided to call it a day, a bit early. We had a busy day and his limit of fish. We probably had 40-50+ fish attack our spreads, hooked up 35 or so, and caught about 28. WOW! We were all tired but it was a good tired! A good day like this parlays into a fair amount of work at the dock, fileting fish and cleaning the boat. Since we hadn’t taken a single picture all day, I snapped off a quick one just to show the average size of the fish.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/11-22-2011001.jp g
Devon wanted to cash in on some of that action for himself. He loaded up his boat, called his Uncle Al, and went fishing yesterday. They started fishing at 11 AM and quit fishing at 2PM. In those 3 hours they caught their limit of 20 Dolphin and also added a Blackfin Tuna, a Kingfish, and a Sailfish to the catch count. Good job, Devon and Al.
The economy is taking the long route coming back and it is frustrating for all of us. Trust me, I know it too well. I can’t relax on a boat while at home worrying about my financial situation and I can’t catch fish by reading these fishing reports. We can either try to make the best of the situation by doing something that makes us happy, or we can be depressed sitting around thinking about money all day. Just ask yourself 1 simple question. Couldn’t I use a “mental health day”?
I hope everyone had a deliciously fattening Thanksgiving Day!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 111
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 19, 2011 - 2:45 pm: | |
Last Friday I was down at the dock doing some maintenance and prepping The BEAST for our trip on Saturday. The day was sunny with a very light breeze and pleasant temperatures in the 80’s. By evening some cloud cover had moved in. Saturday morning Devon and I arrived at the dock to find 20 knot winds. As daylight broke we saw gray skies that threatened rain. What’s with this? I thought the forecast was for this front to push through overnight and winds of 13-18 knots. Well… It is what it is!
Matt and Ryan Briggle arrived at the dock with their Dad, Jack, and Uncle Forest. Forest told me that he was the photographer on the first photo shoot in which World Cat used The BEAST. That was 1999. Small world, huh? I told Forest that he was going to experience, first hand, what the catamaran hype was all about.
I fired up The BEAST and we headed off into the gloom. Our first agenda was to stop for a few Hardtail baits. We hit 2 spots and all we could find were a couple of cupcakes, very small Blue Runners. I pushed the juice to the outboards and off we go for some Ballyhoo. The reef area was choppy with solid 3 footers but we never slowed down. I realized that the wind was bucking the currents so our favorite ballyhoo spot was not possible. I turned the wheel south toward another good spot. We arrived a few minutes later and set out a chum block. We spent a good while finally caught about 3 or 4 Bally’s. No more in sight anywhere. I’m not waiting this one out! Reel ‘em in boys and let’s head farther south and more inshore. Reaching that spot, I freshened the chum pot and waited what seemed like an agonizing eternity. The ’hoo had finally found the scent and were coming up in good numbers. Unfortunately, the Moon Jellies were coming in large groups with each passing wave. The guys were picking off the ’hoo with hook and line as the ballyhoo were dipping and diving to dodge the jellyfish. I was itching to get a net on them. They were in good numbers behind the boat but so were the moons. If I toss the net and get a few jellies in it, they will fry the baits as we gather the net. I loaded the net as Devon kept a visual on the bait and jellies. When we had a group of ’hoo in range and clear of the jellies, he gave me the green light. I pancaked the Calusa net and we hauled in about 3 dozen baits. Teamwork paid off. We caught a few more on the hook and then bagged the bait ritual to head offshore.
Our starting point looked like a blue water washing machine with 5’ waves. The winds seemed to be increasing and the clouds were getting heavy with moisture. Devon and I opted for a 3 up and 1 down set on this blustery day. We had 2 bites on the top rods but when we retrieved the lines we found the telltale mackerel bite. Our next bite resulted in a hook up for Matt. He worked the small fish in and as we expected it was a nice Cero Mackerel. A light rain began to fall. It wasn’t enough to get out the rain gear but it was just enough to be annoying. We missed another couple of bites and these baits came back in looking more like some sort of tuna bite. Finally the left rigger pops off and we have a solid fish ripping line off the reel. I was anticipating a Sailfish to go airborne but it didn’t happen. This fish wanted to stay deeper so I began bringing the boat around so Ryan could fight the fish off the bow quarter. Suddenly the line went limp. Ryan didn’t make a mistake, no slack line. When he brought the bait back to the boat, it appeared we had a tuna bite again. The problem was that the hook had turned and went back through the bait. This left only the point of the hook visible and obviously the hook never passed the barb. That’s a tough break. We spent another half hour with nothing happening. I suggested we try some wreck fishing with the speed jigs. Matt and Ryan agreed because they wanted to see our speed jigging techniques.
As we pulled up on the chosen wreck the wind was blowing in excess of 25 knots. The wind push on the boat was defeating the current which allowed me to keep the boat in good position with little drift. We dropped 2 lines. Devon was working one rod, showing Ryan the rhythm. Matt, on the other rod, was doing a pretty good job of mimicking Devon’s style. Ryan was watching Devon when the jig gets hit and Devon passes the rod over to Ryan. A few seconds later, Matt’s jig gets whacked too! The Briggle Brothers were on a double and working their fish toward the surface. At the snap of your fingers, Matt;s fish is gone. Judging by the cut off hook and scraped up leader, it was a dang shark! Ryan brought his fish up and it was a fine specimen of a Yellow Jack. Nothing was marking on the sonar so after a few more drops with nothing happening, I suggested we try something else. Before Devon and I could get everything squared away to move on, I got the WORD! “Let’s head in.” Ryan said. It’s only 1:15 and I tried to get them to hang on until the major feed time or at least until we set lines and chummed out all the live bait we had left. Ryan had been fighting off seas sickness for a good bit and everyone in his crew had forgotten to bring rain gear, except Forest. The conditions had taken their toll on my guys and turning green was definitely not on Ryan’s agenda. They passed on my suggestions.
I pointed The BEAST toward home and grabbed a handful of throttles. We arrived as the rain began coming down now, light but steady. I realized that no one had taken a single picture. None of us wanted to pull out our cameras, in the rain, to take pictures of this stellar catch. At this point in time I think we were all really glad that we had come in early. Matt and Ryan said they had a good time learning some of our techniques and they wanted to do it again. I explained to them that my experience has shown that a cloudy, low pressure pre-frontal condition has always seemed to be slow fishing. We give 100% effort and can control most everything but we can’t control the weather. It is what it is!
I’m not the kind of Captain that only reports on my good trips. However… Writing reports about our less productive trips is definitely not my favorite item on the “Things to do” list. Thankfully these trips don’t happen very often!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 110
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 04, 2011 - 3:03 pm: | |
The other day we had a trip with a very good repeat customer, Ed Conway, a.k.a. Gimpy. Of course he brought along our amigo, Julio Sr (78) a.k.a. Poppi A lot of our customers earn a nickname when fishing on The BEAST. It’s like a badge of honor! Ed got his a.k.a. on his first trip when he arrived sporting a full leg cast and a limp. This time he brought along his nephew Jeff and Poppi’s friend Anthony.
The foursome was waiting at the dock when I arrived. They had already been there for 30 minutes. Anxious? Devon and I loaded our gear and let them onboard to arrange their lunch, drinks, and personal items. We turned The BEAST out and made our way into the Bay.
Gimpy and I picked a gorgeous day, following 2 days of rain, but there was not a breath of wind, slick calm water, and it was getting hot quick. I hoped my choice, when picking this day for Gimpy, turned out to be a good one. I hit 2 Hardtail spots and only put one small Jack and 2 large Runners in the well. Off we go for some Ballyhoo. We pulled up to our spot of choice for this day and the ’hoos were showing up before the chum bag was in the water. The crew started catching them and putting them into the other well. We had about 2-3 dozen in the well and I decided to toss the net. The bulk of the bait was tight against the motors making it difficult to throw the net without lassoing the motors. The day was so clear that they spooked as soon as I let go of the net. I got 4. Man, that sucked! 3 more tosses and nothing, so we spent a few more minutes with the rods to fill the wells. If you have the time the hookers last a lot longer than the netters do in the wells.
We strolled across the reef in crystal clear, flat calm water. You could see the fish and corals on the bottom in 45 feet of water. Uh oh! This makes for good boat riding but is usually a recipe for disaster when it comes to catching fish. We eased out into the blue water and set out some lines. 10 minutes later and Gimpy had a small Cuda on the line. We reset the down line and moved slowly about the area when the down rod sings out again. Not another Cuda, please. Jeff was working this fish but it wasn’t thumping the rod like we expected. As the fish got closer, about 50’ down, Devon notices it is an African Pompano and happily pulled the 31” fish aboard for Jeff. Nice!
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/9-28-2011002.jpg
This is a pretty good start with 2 fish caught in less than 30 minutes. Devon reset the rod again. Yes! 10 minutes later and the line is ripping off the reel this time. I think this is one of our “Spotted Caribbean Mackerel” Yup, sure enough! Good job Poppi! Anthony wants to keep all of the Barracuda, so we tossed it in the box for him too.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/9-28-2011003.jpg
We were in the process of resetting the down rod when the long rigger popped the clip. Jeff jumped on the rod and a Sailfish took to the air. Unfortunately the fish was heading toward the boat and Jeff never got the hook set into the fish. I worked that area in and out for another hour but the bite had turned off. I made the decision to go hit the Grunt & Sweat wreck to see if the Big’uns are still around. Let’s try it and see if we can keep these guys busy while we watch them sweat. Devon dropped the bigger Hardtail and in less than a minute the rod doubled over. They’re still here! Anthony jumps on the rod and I think this fish was a bit stronger than he had anticipated. Meanwhile Devon had tossed a speed jig and was working it to the top. Bam… it gets hit and he hands the rod to Jeff. This was not a Wreck Donkey like Anthony was trying his best to just hold on to. This had a fast tail beat. A nice football sized Blackfin appears and Devon quickly dispatches it to the ice. Anthony is still on his fish and asks someone to take over, so Jeff grabs that rod. This 30+ Amberjack had no chance with this big, young dude.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/9-28-2011008.jpg
We made 2 more drops and Gimpy hooked up to a bruiser for 10-15 minutes when it finally broke off. The hook was missing and Devon inspected the remaining roughed up leader and surmised it to be a shark. Since we are out of deep baits now, I headed for another spot to try for some Muttons. We made several drift/drops and ended up with 2 nice fish.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/9-28-2011010.jpg
The afternoon was growing long and my group was hot, tired, and getting very quiet. When Gimpy gets quiet, that is the cue to try and get one more fish and call it a day. We set out a spread for some surface fish and hopefully another Sail. Time is dwindling and we get the word to wrap it up. Devon had 3 rods in when I see a Sailfish rapidly tail walking toward the boat. Sailfish! Sailfish! Devon thought I was joking until he sensed the urgency in my voice. He’s on the down rod. This sneak had taken the bait down deep and surfaced without the slightest indication. Gimpy grabs the rod and he’s hooked up. As usual with Sailfish, there is always a fire drill. Devon notices the line has wrapped around the down rigger line and the fish is pulling the weight up. OMG! I don’t know how, but Devon takes the rod and with 2 quick passes around the d/line, he frees up the fish. That was too close! Gimpy works the fish in and Devon bills the fish for a quick photo op and release.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/9-28-2011012.jpg
Now that is the way to end a day! We buttoned up the boat, grabbed a drink, and I headed west. As always, it was fun fishing with Gimpy, Poppi, and his crew. We tallied 1 for 2 on Sailfish, 2 Barracuda, 2 Mutton Snaps, 1 African, 1 Blackfin, and an Amberjack.
The second front of the season will be here this weekend. The bait is arriving in mass as we evidenced that morning seeing huge schools of finger mullet, pilchards, sardines, and ballyhoo. The arrival of baitfish means the predators are only a tail beat behind.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 109
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, September 01, 2011 - 5:12 pm: | |
Jorge Marquez seems to love going Cubera fishing with Devon and I. Matter of fact, he booked his first trip with us in ’08 and the very first fish that night was a 76 ¼ pounder. I don’t know who was hooked deeper, the fish or Jorge! Ever since that night, he books two trips with us every season. Since we had to cancel Saturday night due to residual effects from H’cane Irene, we were determined to get this trip in on Tuesday. We weren’t going to let a chance of rain and/or the moon jellies stop us.
Jorge arrived at the dock on time. He was alone. The rest of the crew had bagged out on him but he focused on the “Nasty’s” even if he had to do it by himself. We hung out at the dock for about 30 minutes while the last of the afternoon rains passed through. We turned out The BEAST and made our way to catch a few live baits. One stop and we had a half dozen or so Hardtails and we blasted off to the reef to get some of those delicious “crickets”. We spent less than an hour collecting bugs and we had plenty in the live well.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/8-30-2011001.jpg
We still had about 2 hours to kill before darkness settled in. Jorge was so psyched up that he didn’t want to catch Yellowtail or warm up on big AJ’s. We just played around with the speed jigs at a local wreck for a little while but only caught a couple of humongous sized, full grown, Hardtails. OK… enough of that. We decided to make the run to our final destination and try a few drops before dark.
Arriving at the spot, I find the drift was slow, the winds were light, and the seas were about 1 foot. There was nothing much marking on the sonar but, I told Devon to make a drop anyway. Devon sent down a small Runner and Jorge got hung on the bottom, losing the terminal rig and weight. I set up again and Devon fired another small Hardtail down. Nothing down there but it did get bitten in two on the way back up. Alright Bud, we don’t want Barracuda messing with us, so send a bug down on the next drop. About 10 minutes until the sun slid below the horizon and we sent the first bait down. Oops… that’s bottom again Jorge! We were hung up and lost the whole rig. The second drop went down as the sun is only a sliver on the horizon. Dang! Hung up again! We lost this rig too. OK… let’s regroup.
As I made my way around the area I was starting to see a few fish marking on the sonar. This drop went to the bottom and I was giving Jorge a refresher course on how to “feel” the line. As I turned to move back to the helm, I felt that initial bite. Whoa, there’s a fish! The fish took the bait and I made a few cranks on the reel and the rod began to double over, then popped right back up. I quickly made an adjustment and the fish came back on the bait and nailed it. Three turns of the handle and it was fish on at 8:18. Jorge was very familiar with the drill on how to get these big snapper to the boat. He did a good job and we were on the boards with a nice 36” fish in the mid 20# range.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/8-30-2011003.jpg
The excitement died down and I motored up to make another drift. I was marking fish but not where I expected them to be. I made a major adjustment to my drift and Devon sent another bug to the bottom. The drift is still slow and I reach the point where I had detected them. Bam! Fish on, Bro! Jorge jumps on the rod and this fish has a little bit more oomph to it. The fight was as expected and we boated this not quite 30 pound fish for a photo op as well. Now it’s only 8:42 and we are already 2 for 2.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/8-30-2011007.jpg
On the following drifts we had changing winds, current fluctuations, and several drift adjustments were needed. Despite all that, I managed to stay on the fish. Bada Bing! Hooked up and lost a better fish at 8:55. At 9:05 Jorge hooked up a real nice fish and lost that one too! Once again at 9:17 and Jorge is on a big’un this time. Oops… he lost that one too. Don’t sweat it Jorge, the bite is on and we have plenty of bait. Boom! The bait gets hammered at 9:27 and this one is a bruiser. Jorge is gaining and is just passed the halfway mark when the rod tip snaps to attention. What?
Several more drifts went by and the bite had obviously shut off like someone flipped a light switch. They were there but very complacent. We tried to get Jorge to adjust his delivery to try and finesse these fish into biting. It wasn’t happening because he, unlike the fish, couldn’t stop using the “feed mode” technique. He did manage to get one more bite but it sucked his bait off the hooks only bending the rod about a foot. The clouds were beginning to grow over the edges of the mainland and cloud to cloud lightning was beginning to put on a show. We continued on until 11:00 PM and Jorge was ready to head in. I offered to do a couple more drifts but he declined.
We packed everything up and I turned the bow toward the barn. We were 2 for 7. Losing the other 5 bites was a bit frustrating for Jorge, but hey… that’s fishing. We reached the marina where the bottom fell out of a cloud and it came down on us. We all had a good time and Jorge even went home with a bonus… a fist full of Lobster! You can’t beat these Cubera trips. If you don’t use all of your bait, you simply melt some butter and eat them!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Alan Sherman (Shermana)
New member
Username: Shermana
Post Number: 24
Registered: 10-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 24, 2011 - 9:59 am: | |
HOT FISHING IN SOUTH FLORIDA
Report Date: August 6, 2011
TARPON, SEA TROUT, SNAPPERS, TRIPLETAILS, DOLPHINS SOUTH FLORIDA
Capt. Alan Sherman
August 7, 2011
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report.
I HAVE RECENTLY SOLD MY NEW 22' PATHFINDER XL TOURNAMENT EDITION BAY BOAT WILL BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THE MONTH. I WILL CONTINUE TO USE MY CURRENT BOAT UNTIL THE NEW BOAT HAS BEEN COMPLETED. I HAD NO INTEREST IN REPLACING MY CURRENT PATHFINDER BECAUSE IT HAS HELD UP EXTREMELY WELL AS ONE WOULD EXPECT FROM A MAVERICK BOATS PRODUCT AND SINCE MY ONE YEAR OLD YAMAHA 250 SHO VMAX OUTBOARD ENGINE IS THE PERFECT OUTBOARD FOR THIS BOAT AND RUNNING LIKE NEW A NEW BOAT WAS THE LAST THING ON MY MIND FOR AT LEAST A FEW MORE YEARS BUT ONE OF MY CLIENTS AND HIS BUDDY LIKED THE BOAT AND HOW IT WAS OUTFITTED AND THEY JUST HAD TO HAVE IT. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A BAY BOAT YOU TOO WILL BE BE AS HAPPY AS I HAVE BEEN WITH MY LAST TWO PATHFINDERS AND NOW IS A GREAT TIME TO PURCHASE THIS BOAT OR TO POWER ANOTHER BOAT SINCE YAMAHA IS OFFERING A GREAT PROMOTION THAT RUNS THROUGH AUGUST 31ST. 2021. PURCHASE ONE OF THE SELECTED FOUR STROKE MODELS AND RECEIVE AN EXTRA THREE YEARS ADDED TO YOUR FACTORY TWO YEAR WARRANTY GIVING YOU FIVE FULL YEARS OF WARRANTY COVERAGE OR YOU CAN GET UP TO $1500 IN CREDIT TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF GOODS/SERVICES.I
Hot days, mild winds and fantastic fishing! That is what you are missing if you haven't been out on the water lately. South Florida is experiencing a summer pattern a bit different than we have seen in recent history. Tropical systems that started forming months ago usually form in August through October but this year they started forming in late May. Fortunately none of these systems have really affected us here except to bring us some much needed rain. Water temperatures have been steady at about 88 degrees a few degrees warmer than we normally see in late July and early August but the fish don't seem to mind. Put yourself in the right place at the right time and the fishing has been very good inshore, offshore and in the freshwater canal systems.
Fishing in North Biscayne Bay continues to produce some very good fishing especially during early mornings. Small baitfish are schooled up in many areas of the Bay attracting the attention of sea trout that have reached 4 pounds, barracudas up to 10 pounds, jack crevalles, tarpon in the 10 to 40 pound range, bluerunners, mangrove snappers, bonnet head, bull and blacktip sharks, a few wayward pompano and bluefish and a few snook. I have been arming my clients with live pilchards and threadfin herring when available and we have fished these baits under a Cajun Thunder float and free lined. Pretty much all of the species that I have mentioned have gone out of their way to inhale these baits. On days when baitfishes have not been available we have cast Rapala X Raps, Twitchin Raps, Flat Raps and SubWalks plus Hookup lures tipped with Trigger X and Gulp soft plastics. Nighttime fishing I have been told has produced small tarpon, snook and snappers but I have not fished at night as of yet this summer.
Offshore fishing has been mostly for dolphins. The past two summers dolphins were almost impossible to find but not this year. Why not who knows and who cares at this point because these fish have been in great numbers and in the larger sizes. The key to scoring with the dolphins is to have a good supply of live baits onboard because the dolphins have not been eager to eat trolled lures or baits. The next step is to be in the right depth. Recently that depth has been in the 800 to 1200 foot depths. Lots of weedlines, mostly broken lines, slicks and some floating debris have been found from 200 feet of water out to 1200 feet of water but the real action has taken place in that 800 to 1200 foot depths. Here packs of dolphins with many fish in the 10 to 40 pound range have been hopping from one patch of weeds to another as they feed on schools of small jacks, filefish, trigger fish and very small dolphins. Locating the weedlines that have bait underneath them has been key to finding the fish. Terns have also helped in fending the fish. Normally trolling along these patches has gotten the dolphins to attack the trollers but not so much this year and maybe that is because of the large amount of food under the grass weedlines. Tossing out a few handfuls of live pilchards or threadfin herring is what has gotten the dolphins feeding for us and many others. Legal size tripletail and some small wahoos have been holding under the larger weed patches and pieces of debris. A hookup lure tipped with a three inch Trigger X shrimp or Gulp shrimp has worked on the tripletail and a large lipped deep diving Rapala plug with a piece of wire has gotten the wahoos attention. Along the reef line kingfish and bonitos have kept the fishermen happy.
Fishing in Flamingo continues to reward anglers with catches of snook, tarpon, redfish, sea trout, mangrove snappers, big sharks and tripletails. Last August my clients cleaned up on the tripletails with many of the fish being over eight pounds.
Freshwater canals and the Conservation Areas in the Glade's are higher now that the rains have come but Flood Management continues to release water from these areas keeping the largemouth bass in areas that they can be reached.
RECENT CATCHES:
Michael and his grandsons fished a half day in Biscayne Bay with live threadfin herring fished under a Cajun Thunder float and hooked six tarpon and released eight sea trout to four pounds.
Caught a total of 45 spiny crawfish with son Zach, his friend Chris, my wife Dana, and my niece Katherine and nephew Alexander during the two day Mini Season in Biscayne Bay.
Tom A fished North Biscayne Bay during a half day and hooked eight tarpon on live baits fished under a Cajun Thunder float and free lined plus on Rapala X Raps and released one of these tarpon along with three sea trout to 18 inches.
Fished with my wife and son offshore of Miami with live baits and landed 12 dolphins to 10 pounds plus two tripletails and a bunch of jacks.
Charlie and Mark fished a Half day in North Biscayne Bay with live baits free lined and under a Cajun Thunder float and released a 10 pound bonnet head shark, two blacktip sharks and landed six mangrove snappers and seven sea trout to three pounds.
Charlie and Mark fished offshore of Miami during a six hour day and landed 19 dolphins to 15 pounds. All of the fish were caught on live pilchards and threadfin herring although quite a few fish were hooked on Rapala Flat Raps and Skitter Walks. Sixteen of the dolphins were in the seven to 15 pound class.
That catches us up for now!
I do have scattered openings for the next three weeks so don't hesitate to give me a call so you too can have sore arms, big smiles and pictures of what you caught on the Get Em with Captain Alan Sherman!
Give me a call at 786-436-2064 or e-mail me at shermana@bellsouth.net
Let's go catch some Fish!
Check out my new web site and to read about the weekly catches and to see your pictures.
Key Largo Rods www.keylargorods.com) recently got in a new shipment of jigging rods. There model numbers are 843 and 844. These are 7 foot spinning rods with a lot of beef that will easily handle 12 to 30 and 15 to 40 pound braided line and a one to two ounce vertical jig. I have been using them for live bait fishing for snook, tarpon, sailfish, bonitos and dolphins and am very excited about the strength and feel of these new rods. I can't wait to give them a shot on snapper and grouper on the reefs! Check out the Key Largo Rods web site or give the shop a call and have a few made up.
Want to stay cool and look like you belong on the water? Than gear up with some Columbia Sportswear! For starters slip on a pair of cool fitting and quick drying Aruba III Zip Off Pants. They are so light you won't even know you're wearing them and they quickly turn into shorts if you feel the need. Find yourself in Flamingo in Everglades National Park where at times bugs can be a problem then add The Bug Shield long sleeve shirt that has the new Insect Blocker technology that keeps six-legged pests at bay and it offers Omni-Shade UPF 40 sun protection, and Omni-Wick advanced evaporation technology that keeps you cool, dry, and collected - leaving you free to focus on the adventure at hand. And then last but not least slip on a pair of Omni Free gloves and neck-buff that is outfitted with a UPF 30 sun protection enough sun protection to get the Skin Cancer Foundation's seal of recommendation.
Check out my report in the Miami Herald's Sports section under Fishing Updates each Thursday, the Florida Sportsman Magazines South Florida Internet Fishing Report www.floridaspotsman.com), my monthly Action Spotter Fishing Report for the South Region in the Florida Sportsman Magazine each month.
I have recently changed outboard engines on my 22' Pathfinder XL Tournament Edition Bay Boat. I had an opportunity to put one of the first Yamaha SHO 250 Four Stroke outboards on my boat and the difference has been just amazing. This engine has 25 more horsepower but carries 77 less pounds allowing me better hole shot while giving great cruising fuel efficiency. What more can a boater ask for?
I have been wearing a lot of Columbia Sports Wear on my fishing charters and the new Blood & Guts shirts are amazing. I have had mackerel, cobia and snook just splatter me with blood and one good washing and the shirts are as good as new.
Check out their web site at www.columbia.com.
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Suffix, Trigger X, Mustad, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, Capt. Hank Brown's Hookup Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Saltwater Assassins, Key Largo Rods, Lee Fisher Cast Nets, Smartshield, Master Repair in Stuart Florida, Power Pole, Stow Master Nets, superfishlight.com, Columbia Wear, Tempress Seating, Aluminum Fabricating Inc.
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
786-436-2064
www.getemsportfishing.com
Field Editor of the Florida Sportsman Magazines Action Spotter Report South Region
Field Editor of the Florida Sportsman Magazines Internet Fishing Forecast South Region
Editor of the Miami Heralds South Florida Fishing Report Thursdays Edition
Miami Fishing Forecast:
I expect the fishing to be pretty consistent for the next three or four months with lots of SEA TROUT, JACK CREVALLES, LADYFISH, BARRACUDAS, SNOOK, TARPON in NORTH BISCAYNE BAY and OFFSHORE of MIAMI KINGFISH SAILFISH and DOLPHINS available on the calmer days and in FLAMINGO in EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK will have a huge amount of wildlife like the WHITE PELICANS, ROSEATTE SPOONBILLS, SKIMMER BIRDS,GULLS, OSPREYS, EAGLES, TERNS, EGRETS, HERONS, ALLIGATORS, CROCODILES, BOTTLE NOSED DOLPHINS, MANATTEES, SHARKS and TURTLES and of course the wide variety of fish that migrate into FLORIDA BAY and the GULF waters during the cooler months of the year. SNOOK, TARPON, REDFISH, SEA TROUT, SHEEPSHEAD, TRIIPLETAIL, BLACK DRUM, SNAPPER, GOLIATH AND GAG GROUPER, POMOPANO, COBIA, MACKEREL, PERMITS, BLUEFISH and I'm sure I am leaving a few other fish species out will be available to all anglers at one time or another throughout the rest of the Summer.
Target Species:
LARGEMOUTH BASS, SNOOK, TARPON, REDFISH, SHARKS, DOLPHINS, SAILFISH, TRIPLETAIL
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
www.getemsportfishing.com. Field Editor of the Florida Sportsman Magazines Action Spotter Report South Region
Field Editor of the Florida Sportsman Magazines Internet Fishing Forecast South Region
Editor of the Miami Heralds South Florida Fishing Report Thursdays Edition
786-436-2064 |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 108
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 28, 2011 - 8:08 am: | |
We did another 3 days with our good friends from New York City, the Harbor Club. It’s always nice to see Chief, Yalkin, Frank, and this time they brought along Rich. They are the guys that brought the bananas last year and we dubbed them the Banana Club. Yalkin is not an early riser so I knew when he called Thursday night that they wouldn’t be there before 9 AM. It turns out that their plane was late and they didn’t make it to the hotel until 4:45 AM. They arrived at the dock at 11 AM. Oh Boy! Not a good start, but it is what it is, and Devon and I will make the best of it.
We made way to catch bait. We hit a couple of spots and had a good number of Hardtails. Let’s get some Ballyhoo. The conditions weren’t great but the Ballyhoo did come up and we scored plenty to do the day. It’s almost 1 PM and we made our way offshore into the 15 knot ENE winds. The seas weren’t as big as the Bonito Bonanza trip but they were 3 feet or larger. The blue water was actually a little on the green side. Devon put out a spread. About 5 minutes into it and the down rod sounds off. Rich puts on a valiant effort, for a few minutes, but the fish manages to spit the hook. Devon quickly resets the line and after a few go rounds, the down rod is screaming. Franky, a.k.a. Soulie, jumps on it this time to give Rich a lesson in how to catch a 30+ pound Barracuda.
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The spread is reset and we give it a concerted effort but the surface action was dead. Time is of the essence as the seas are rising. I suggested that we head over to the “Grunt & Sweat” to let the crew pull on some donkeys for a little bit. We arrived at the site and I made a quick drift to get my bearings. A light current at 1/2 knot made it too easy. Drop’em Devon! As we passed over a portion of the wreck the bait was ignored. Give it time. Let the baits get down current of the wreck before we pull them. Kapow! Down goes the bait rod and we are hooked up. There is just something about going up against these bruisers.
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As we worked the wreck, it came alive with each, successive pass. We spent the rest of the afternoon giving them a couple of rumbles each. We backed off from the area even though the sonar was lit up with these agitated and hungry fish.
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We tried the surface bite for another hour and called it a day. The guys were spent from tussling with the AJ’s and the lack of sleep the night before. They vowed to come back the next day renewed, refreshed, and ready.
The “better late than never” guys said they would be there at 9-9:30 AM. Yeah right! Devon an I know them too well by now. At 10:05 they came rolling in. Well, that’s an hour earlier than yesterday. The BEAST was chewing at the dock lines, so we hurriedly loaded their gear and shoved off. The Hardtails were hard to come by so we grabbed about 8 or 10 and headed out for some ‘hoos. They weren’t on fire either but they did get stupid enough for me to get a good throw on them with the net. We’re outa here.
The seas were much calmer than the day before and we had the dreaded, south current. I decided to try an hour of surface fishing before the sun got too hot. Too late, nothing going on! The day before, Chief had expressed his desire (about 20 times) to try and catch a Hammerhead. Let’s give it a go. Devon set up 2 of the rods they brought and we put a down rod out to catch a Barracuda for bait. I slowly motored over the ‘Cuda hole and we quickly picked up a monster. Devon tossed it in the box while he finished readying the lines. Devon cut the Cuda into baits and used the rest of it for chum. We set a live bait out on the surface as well. 20-30 minutes into the set, when Devon yells out, “Sailfish on the flat line!” Sure enough. Rich grabs the line and we instruct him to reel hard until the line comes tight. Hook up! Rich is loving the scene as the Sail goes airborne. This goes on for several minutes. The fish sounds for a few seconds and comes skyward about 6 feet out of the water and we see the bait go flying in the opposite direction. Crap! A big disappointment but as we all know, you can’t catch them all. Another 30 minutes passes. We are about to pull the shark baits up and try something else when Devon spots a dorsal fin approaching the surface bait. Gulp! Yalkin jumps on the rod (his rod) and I looked around wondering why the Chief didn’t get it. Oh well. Yalkin is putting the heat to this shark with his fancy harness, and expensive, 4 piece, 50-80# custom travel rod with an accurate twin drag winch. 10 minutes, the fish is below the boat, and suddenly we hear a SNAP!
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The boat is full of laughs, chides, and short one line comments. The Chief helps Yalkin by holding the rod so the line doesn’t bind in any of the “leftover” parts. Believe it or not, we got the fish.
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The general consensus was to finish the day working the surface for Sails, Dolphin, Tuna, or whatever. We worked the waters northward and had a few bites but no solid hook ups. The tip of the down rod pops up and it immediately makes a deliberate power run. The Chief takes this one and it goes into a slow and steady tug o’ war. I think you got your shark Chief! 5, 10, 15 minutes and the Chief has his hands full on 20# test. After another 10 minutes we see color. OK, Chief, it’s not a Hammer, but it is a shark.
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We fished a little while longer and the group called it a day. They told us that tomorrow they would arrive at a better time to tackle a full day for a change.
The last day and the Banana Boys arrived “almost” at their decided time. What is the term… fashionably late! Devon and I were ready. We unleashed The BEAST and made a beeline for the bait but it was a tough bait morning. I had to hit 3 different spots to get enough for this quasi full day trip. After we left the bait patches, they opted to troll awhile for some Dolphin, etc., looking for some food fish. I ran out to 1400 feet and we didn’t see anything that looked the least bit fishy, so I made a turn more to the south and inward toward an area of scattered weeds in 1000 feet. I really hate calm days. We put the lines in and worked the scattered stuff until we saw a mat, using the term loosely. Nothing. About a ¼ mile north of the mat the lines went down. 4 Dolphin and everyone is engaged in the proverbial fire drill. We picked away at a small school and ended up with 3 legal fish. Ugh. We played around offshore for a while longer and nothing much was happening. Very little weeds, no debris, no flying fish, no birds, nada, zilch, nothing! That brings out the prankster in Devon and I. Rich has a bucket list, but does he have a bucket fish. He does now!
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Alright, enough already, we’ve wasted a good part of the day, so lets bag this and go drop on the bottom for some groceries. Arriving at our new destination, Devon readied 2 rods, one bait and one speed jig. The first drop and the bait rod goes thump, thump. I quickly take up the slack and Franky removes the rod from the holder. C’mon Soulie, move it. There are fish down there that want to eat him as much as you do. Get him in the boat, then play with it. I see PINK, it’s a nice Mutton. The weight is aboard and as I grabbed the leader, a flash comes from nowhere. Our catch just became a Barracuda snack. The remainder was still a legal length but we just lost 1/3 of a good 9-10 # Snapper.
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Several unproductive drifts and nothing was going on especially with the speed jig. Yalkin is slowly bringing up a bait from an unsuccessful drop when, WHAM, the rod doubles over and he says “This is an AJ… Want it Chief?” The Chief takes the rod and feels the power of the fish. It’s not an AJ. Now we see color and it is definitely not an AJ. Grouper? No. It’s a CUBERA! It’s not just a Cubera, it’s a 43 # Cubera Snapper. Sorry Yalkin, that’ll teach you to hand off the rod. Good job Chief!
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After the excitement died down on the boat and the “We’ll be back for Cubera in August” comments subsided, we got back to dropping. The guys missed a couple of bites. Not too much longer and Rich gets another thump on the rod tip. I told him to crank it up as fast as he can so it doesn’t get halved. He is working the fish and suddenly feels a temporary weight. Not this time. The rod is still showing the tail beat. Devon takes the leader on a beautiful 14 # Mutton that almost lost his tail.
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With enough fish for a few meals and anticipating the time to clean/bag the catch, the guys called it a day. They had packing to do for their flights home to New York. Will we see them again this August or September? I don’t know the answer to that one but I will venture a guess we will see them again next year.
Cubera season is fast approaching. Weekend nights book quickly and 2 are already reserved. So… If fishing Cubera with us, is in your plans this year, you might want to drop an email or give us a call.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 107
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 14, 2011 - 8:24 pm: | |
Steffen and Silmara Jahn from Munich Germany returned to fish with us again this year. They decided to book 3 days of fishing (6/3,4,+5) before heading off for the rest of their vacation. Steffen has fished in many places throughout the world but ultimately loves fishing with us in S. Florida.
The duo arrived about a half hour late due to the rental car GPS being set on city streets. I guess the rental company wants to avoid the automatic “by license plate” toll charges. We loaded their gear and headed out. Winds were blowing 20 knots out of the ENE. The waters were a bit on the rough side but The BEAST can handle it
The bait was excellent and we had several dozen Hardtails and several dozen Ballyhoo in the live wells. In short order we were headed out for the blue water to get them hooked up. The first bite of the day was on the down rod and it came unpinned. Apparently a large fish by the way the line peeled off and the terminal rig was mangled. Devon re-rigged and dropped the down rod again. A few scant minutes later and the line is off to the races again. This time Steffen keeps the fish hooked up and in short order Devon puts the steel to a nice 12# Kingfish.
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Devon readjusted the cockpit and reset all lines. I made a few passes around the area to see if we could pick up another King. The down rod pops off again and we are on a big fish. Uh oh! To many head shakes to be a Kingfish. Several minutes passed by and we see color. Look at the size of that “Caribbean Spotted Mackerel” (Cuda). This Barracuda was of the larger variety. Devon removed the hooks and made a good release on the fish.
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Once again we reset lines and I moved from the area looking for more desirable fish. We managed to get into a school of “Grasshoppers” (schoolie Dolphin) and caught 2 keepers out of 4 fish. Then we got nailed by 2 “Boneheads” (Bonito).
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The action was a bit slow and the seas are up to 5+feet. We decided to do the wrecks for a little while. Several drops produced 2 Almaco Jacks on the speed jigs and 1 Amberjack on the live bait. We left the wrecks to finish the day off doing some more live baits on the surface. A Sailfish came up and ate the long rigger bait. Before Steffen could get tight, the Sail sensed something, went skyward, and spit the bait. Well, almost a fitting end to a good day.
Day 2 and our dynamic duo arrived at 7 AM and we pulled away from the dock in good time. We began bait fishing but the bait was slower this morning. What a difference a day can make out there. We managed to grab enough bait for the entire day and headed off to the deep blue.
The day was non stop action. We could barely keep the baits in the water. We got nailed by a small school of “micro” Dolphin. The Boneheads were out in record numbers, a virtual Bonito Bonanza. They were all full grown, very large fish. We hooked up so many that we lost count and actually boated 18 of them. During the day we made a quick stop at a wreck to take a break from the Bonito Barrage. We got 2 of 3 big Barracuda, and a nice Almie on the speed jig.
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We spent the final hours working the surface water to the north. The Bonito were everywhere, and you could see huge schools of them tailing in the 5’ waves. During the Bonitofest, we did manage to hook up a shark on the down rod. Unfortunately after a lengthy fight the trace wire finally broke. As time wound down and running low on bait, we saw 2 Sailfish tailing. They wouldn’t take a bait. We had 3 more Sails come up in the spread but they were just window shopping.
Day 3 arrived. The winds had come down quite a bit and the bait was even slower than Day 2. We did get enough for the day and off we went. Devon put out his spread and the action wasn’t as hot as the day before. We got into a school of small Dolphin but “eagle eye” Devon spots a larger fish in the mix. He casts a bait to the fish and it eats. Get’em Steffen! A few minutes later and our German couple have a nice little bull dolphin for dinner.
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The Bonito Bonanza was still going on but not as hot as it was the previous day. We boated about a dozen or so.
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We were working a nice current rip and at one point we had 3 fish on. A shark was on the down rod. Steffen took the shark at first but suddenly 4 Sails came up on the top baits. A Bonito plunges in and takes one bait from a Sailfish. Silmara takes that rod and Devon and I try to bait up the remaining 3 Sails. 2 of the Sails lost interest but we managed to get the last one to eat. Steffen switches over to the Sailfish. Silmara is still on the Bonito and we left the shark rod in the rod holder.
Steffen, was hooked up to the Sailfish and the fish went deep. LOOK! The shark is getting awful close to Steffen’s line. As the shark neared the 20# fluorescent line, it parted without a tug. Are you kidding me? That shark just cut the line. Steffen, switches back to the shark on 20# line. Silmara boats the Bonito and Steffen, with much effort, wins his battle. We pulled the shark close for a photo op and release.
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The day progresses and it’s well after quitting time. We have had some good excitement but it finally went stale. I announced that we’d give it 15 more minutes. At the 14 minute mark I spot a pallet floating a few hundred feet off the rip. I maneuver The BEAST over to put the baits around the pallet. Devon is tossing a speed jig hoping that a Wahoo may be lurking below. At 14 Minutes and 59 seconds we notice the long rigger line is going out. Grab it, Steffen, and reel until your tight. Bada Bing! The line comes tight and a Sailfish goes skyward. Steffen is nervous because he has tried all weekend to get his Sailfish again this year. This time he succeeds and we have a good release on his fish. Good job Steffen.
What a weekend! We had many hookups and boated a wide variety of fish. The smiles on Steffen and Silmara’s faces were priceless. I also want to give credit where credit is due. A well deserved shout out to Devon who, in my book, is one of the best mates in S. Florida.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 106
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 07, 2011 - 11:24 pm: | |
I’m a little behind in my reports so I’m going to double this one up and make it short and sweet.
David Aurbach and his friend Jarrett had fished Cubera’s with us before. This time they brought some new blood in Gayle and Gayle Jr. We made bait quickly and headed out. During this trip the Permit were still working good so we also took 10 crab with us.
Our first stop was to hit the Permit. We couldn’t get a visual on them so I had to find them with the electronics and drift the baits to them. 1 missed queue and hung on the bottom (????). I guess the angler was feeding his line out a little too liberally. The other 9 crab got eaten but every one of the Permit found some structure to cut them off.
OK… off to try some live baits on top. The seas were too calm, almost like a lake so the action was dead. We worked it hard for a couple hours then decided to head to the “Grunt & Sweat” wreck to put some hurt on these boys. That is just what we did.
We spent a few hours dropping some very large baits down and speed jigging as well. David and his crew got bit by some respectable AJ‘s.
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We still had about another hour or so left in the day. Since Devon had brought along some dead crab that he had in his freezer. We decided to give the Permit a try again. Nothing beats a live crab, but those garbage can lids had a hearty appetite earlier and maybe they would still be hungry enough to eat a dead one. We made a few drifts to locate fish and suddenly David came tight on a fish. This fish made a mistake and headed away from the structure so I followed him. When the fish tried to double back I had the boat in position and we put the heat on him. I love it when a plan comes together. Several minutes passed as David and the fish played give and take, but the game was drawing to an end. OMG! Nice fish! We just beat one of the older wiser ones.
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An awesome end to a fun day! I believe they had a good time, once again.
We also had our repeat friend from Gibraltar Spain, Ivan Alman, who brought his son this time. The last time he came to see us he had booked 5 days but this time he had time constraints and only had time for 2 days. Sweet… Let’s do this.
We blasted out and caught bait. The water was a bit choppy but not too bad by Beast standards. As we were finishing up catching bait I noticed the boy was getting a bit green around the gills. UH OH!
Ivan had read some of last years Permit reports so this was on his agenda. We gave it a try and they were there but a bit slower to chew. A few drifts and nothing happening. I was manning one rod while Devon did some jigging and Ivan was attempting to man a crab while checking on his son who was getting a lighter shade of pale by the minute. Tap, tap, tap, and my line started moving off. Bam… here ya go Ivan! He was hooked up and I’m not sure who had who for the first several minutes. He worked the fish to the boat and we had a catch.
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I had to get the boat moving in hopes to revive his son, so we left that area and headed for the House of AJ. Let’s get the boy pulling on something. We made a few drops with the speed jig while I set up my drift. I located my drift line and we sent down some baits. Double Bam! Devon grunts as a fish strikes his speed jig and he hands it off to Ivan. Less than 5 seconds later the live bait gets whacked. I begged the boy to just come over and crank it in from the rod holder. He rose from the dead long enough to bring in this good fish. He stood by while his Dad finished off his fish.
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The poor kid gave it his all. Shortly after catching that fish, the extra adrenaline pumping through his body made holding his stomach impossible. UH OH! In record time, Ivan whirls around and lets go of his lunch as well. Some people can’t watch another hurl and it turns them sour as well. It doesn’t bother Devon or I because we see it quite frequently. After a few sips of water, the father son team give me the word. We’re headed home early. As we idled down the home channel we got the second word. Ivan decided that this vacation was for his boy and he didn’t want to make him do it again the next day. We told him that we could go outside just long enough to catch a Cuda or 2 and then go shark fishing on the inside if he wanted. Ivan decided against that. He paid me and tipped Devon out, telling us to enjoy our day off! Thanks again to Ivan, that was very generous and refreshingly out of the ordinary.
Stay tuned for the next report from this past weekends 3 day event with our German friends Steffen and Silmara.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 105
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 24, 2011 - 7:53 pm: | |
Wow! It’s been a good while since I wrote a report. I’ve been extremely busy in all aspects of my life for the last several months. I went into one of my local bait shops the other day and the owner said he had heard from 3 or 4 guys that I stopped doing charters and sold my boat. Well… that’s news to me! Matter of fact, the bank keeps taking my boat payments every month. This recent statement has reminded me to take a little time to sit down and pound out some reports. We’re in the worst economy I’ve ever seen and BP tried to kill the fishing business last year, BUT… The BEAST is still here!
Many of the local guys around South Biscayne Bay may know a guy who runs one of those red & white boats with the TowBoatUS name on the side. He works around the Feather Beds and Boca Chita. His name is Carlos. Carlos and I have been friends for a good while now and we were talking one day about catching Kingfish. He was asking me how I managed to have such good success with them. Rather than explaining the entire process, I told him that we should get a day together and go and get them. That way he could see for himself. When that day came, Carlos and “Uncle Al” joined me, but we all opted for a late start.
We untied the snarling BEAST and headed out to collect some baits. After a few stops we had enough different baits to really enjoy ourselves for several hours. We headed out in search of our quarry and deployed a spread. We decided to fish for whatever would bite but the top bite was slow. The wind and seas were calm. I made a few adjustments and began targeting the Kings to give Carlos some hands on lessons. Within minutes of this change we had a hook up. Carlos took the rod and quickly landed a “snake”.
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We missed a few bites. My guess was that the fish were on the small side. Then the rod began to sing. We didn’t miss this one! Carlos once again jumped on the rod and he was off to the races. A bit longer fight than the first time but Carlos overcame the odds and landed a good fish.
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The action had slowed down again and Al was tossing a small speed jig around when he got hooked up. He was putting the heat to his little 15# setup and scored a pretty Blackfin Tuna.
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After that we decided to call it a day. We had some fresh “sashimi” and Carlos had plenty of Kingfish meat. It was a good day with good friends!
Another trip we had was with a long time customer, Jon Clement, and his friend. Devon and I met them at the normal 7 AM shove off time. The winds were good and the seas had enough chop to get the fish going. We ran out and did our normal bait routine and then headed offshore.
Devon set out our normal 5 line spread and we were fishing. We had pretty good action most of the day. Jon’s friend, who’s name escapes me, hooked into a nice Sailfish and it was game on! There were several minutes of some incredible aerial antics by the Sailfish. A little more time was spent with the fish dogging him deep and then he got the fish under control. Shortly thereafter we had the fish at the boat for a quick photo op and good release.
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We stayed busy on Dolphin, Kingfish and Bonito, when another Sailfish came calling. This fish seemed to do the opposite of the first Sailfish of the day. It dogged us deep in the beginning portion of the fight and then went ballistic at boatside.
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Another good release and we set out the spread once again. We had a double hook up but it only lasted for a short time. One of the fish came unpinned. Several minutes went by on the remaining fish and we began to see the tell tale gold of a Blackie. Yes sir!
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Well there ya go! That is the way to end a good day. Jon and his buddy tallied 2 Sails, 6 Kings, 10 Dolphin, 2 Bonito, and a nice Blackfin. The mission was accomplished and followed up with a good ride home.
Yep… The BEAST is still here!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
liu (Huahua)
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 21, 2010 - 6:17 pm: | |
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Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 104
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 08, 2010 - 5:30 am: | |
Tuesday we took out a trip with Georg and Christian Funke from Germany. They arrived at the dock and we exchanged introductions. We stored their gear and iced their lunch and drink. That morning the weather was anything but lovely and my 33’ WorldCat would have to do the job that I knew she could. The day began with winds out of the North at 20+ knots and the skies were completely overcast with thick rainless clouds. We unleashed The BEAST and made our way into a moderate/rough chop on the Bay. Our first stop was to see if we could get Hardtails for bait before heading outside.
We arrived at the mark and made our attempt to catch some baits. A few passes back and forth through the area and we managed to boat 3 small Runners to throw in the live well. OK, not quite the start I was hoping for, so we went to another spot. Doing the same routine as we normally do, we managed to get 1 or 2 more Hardtails that were a little larger than at the first spot. The next pass and we get a much stronger hookup, then another and another. These fish were taking some drag on our small 12# bait rods. The next thing I heard was Devon saying, “Can you believe this?” I turned to look as he pulls in a Bonito, then another, and the third was the same. We laughed so hard as neither of us has ever caught a Bonito on the West side of Biscayne Bay. It’s going to be one of those days, Mate! Let’s get out of here and go find some Ballyhoo.
I pushed the throttles down, making way for our favorite patch reef. As we headed offshore the seas inside of Hawks Channel were not much worse than the Bay, but as we got farther out onto the patches they began to grow. My concerns were that my customers were going to get seasick since they normally fish on placid lakes or streams in Germany. We arrived at the patch and set out a chum bag and got the slick going. The ’Hoo were a bit slow in coming. They began to come in and we started to peck away at them with hook and line. After 45 minutes we had about 30 in the live well and the swarm moved in with reckless abandon. They were almost sucking chum out of the bag now, so I broke out the 10’ Calusa cast net. One pancake toss was all it took and Devon and I both pulled the net aboard. A fair estimate would be 60-70 baits are now in the other live well. Let’s get out of here, guys!
We made our way offshore and the condition weren’t too bad. Seas were a 3-4’ washing machine, the sun can’t burn through the clouds, the winds are blustery, and the eel grass is everywhere. We pulled up a short distance past the edge and put out a 5 line spread. Soon we see a nice blue/green edge offshore of us so I work our way out to it. On the way out Devon was kept very busy keeping the grass off our baits. We arrived in the area to find that the color line was not as defined as we thought and the waves were considerably larger. I worked the area to the south, riding with the winds. The wind is only thing that is bothersome at this point. There wasn’t much happening. I decided to make my way back in to find some Kingfish to try and get some action going. As I got to the edge we began to get hits on the down rigger. Bam… miss… Bam… miss! Can you believe this? After 3 missed fish we managed to get Georg hooked up to a “Snake” Kingfish.
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Through the course of the next several hours, the grass has blown out and the winds have turned out of the NNE and were beginning to howl. These German guys are tough as nails. No seasickness for them! We missed 10 Mack bites on the down rigger. Add in a couple of baits cut in half on the top lines. Devon says again “Can you believe this?” We did, however get Christian and Georg another “Snake” King and a Cero Mack in the process.
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That blue water edge was looking better so I sidled my way out there once again. Wow! Looking good with a mess of grass forming a solid line. I ventured into the blue water side. The waves were a few feet larger, the wind was blowing about 30 knots now, and not one ray of sunshine. We could see Flyers getting up and some activity around but nothing was taking our baits. I started to get frustrated so I made a move back into the green side where the waters only had 4’ waves with wind blown tops. As I made my way towards the north in 180’ of water Devon hollers out “Sailfish on the flat line!” This fish is small, taking 3 attempts with some fancy bait work before the circle hook found its mark. Georg got him hooked up. On the first jump we realized how small he was but Georg didn’t care. About 8 minutes passed and Georg has the fish boat side when it catches a second wind and Devon releases the leader. A minute later and Devon has the leader and a grip on the bill. We pulled the fish aboard for a quick photo op and then made a good release, watching it swim away as if nothing happened. We told Georg it was only about 15 pounds but Georg didn’t care as he remarked that he has never caught a Mackerel or a Billfish of any kind. OK Georg, now you have!
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I worked my way in to a favorite wreck to see if we could get them on some fast action before time ran out. The current was running to the south and the winds were gusting to 32 knots. Still no sun! I had to keep the bow pointed north and both Suzuki’s at 900 RPM just to maintain a position. Can you believe this? We only got one bite on a small speed jig (lg. Blue Runner) and couldn’t even get a snaggle-toothed Barracuda to eat a live Ballyhoo or a small Hardtail. Now I’m shaking my head with complete disbelief as Devon screams out for Christian to come tight on the right flat. Christian does, and the circle hook finds home. Baboom! Sailfish on! A couple of great aerial displays, a few runs, in the first 4-5 minutes. The fish is going down and dirty on him, taking the fight deep. Suddenly the tension on the rod tip releases and the fish is gone. OMG! Can you believe this? It’s about quitting time but we set out another spread anyway. I worked the area hard as Devon chummed the waters with the remainder of our live baits. Another 30 minutes passes by with no action, so we call it a wrap.
Devon and I are still bewildered with the days events. I don’t think we have ever said “Can you believe this?” that many times in a month let alone in one day. We turned the bow toward shore and made the lumpy run back to the calmer 2-3’ waters of the Bay. After saying our good byes, Devon and I just looked at each other and shrugged. That was tough conditions and tougher fishing, at its best. Devon confessed that the one thing he could believe is… He wouldn’t have wanted to be out there on any other boat besides The BEAST. Me too, Bud… Me too!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 103
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 30, 2010 - 9:12 am: | |
Friday night we took out Paul, Dave, Ping, and Trollin’ Tom, my friend and Paul’s brother-in-law. Paul had heard Tom speak of the Cubera fishing we do, so they just had to try it. We met up at the usual time and loaded everything onboard. El Nasty was on the agenda, for sure, this evening.
We untied The BEAST and headed out to collect baits. We began gathering the crickets and when we had 12 good, legal bugs, we made our way out to do some Yellowtail fishing. We arrived at the spot, dropped the hook, and started the chum slick while Devon readied the rods. A short while into it and we had some fish biting and a lot of Ballyhoo at the chum net. Devon caught a few of the ‘hoos and tossed them into the well. The down rod got thumped and Tom grabs the rod and works up a very large “Homer” (Nurse Shark). Devon dispatched the shark quickly and reset the down rod. We saw the Bally scattering in the chum slick so Devon pinned a live ‘hoo to a rod and pitched it out. Gulp! Fish on! Paul takes the rod and after a few decent runs and some muscle, a very respectable 20 pound Kingfish comes to the boat.
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The guys caught a Bonito, a few Triggerfish, and some good Yellowtail as we passed the time. As twilight fell, they picked off a few Yellowtail that were almost in the “flag” category. We pulled up the chum as the darkness engulfed the sky. It was time to head out.
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I powered up and made way for Cubera country. We arrived to find smoking current to the north. The water was ripping at over 3 knots and the winds were puffing at 12-15 knots on our beam. OK… Devon and I have our work cut out for us. We look at each other… It is what it is… Let’s get’r done! There were 2 other boats out there trying their luck as well. The evening started out very slow. The drifts seemed to change every 15 minutes and Devon worked hard to keep the baits in proper position. We changed up a bit and dropped the secondary rod with a fin fish. BAM! Ping jumps on it and fights this muscle bound fish. As it comes to the light we see it is 40 pounds of “Night Donkey” (AJ).
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Well that worked for some action but not for our target species. Time is passing and BADA BING! Get on it Dave! He climbs on the rod and works the fish up to the boat. Now that’s what we came for, a pretty 20 pound Cubera comes over the side.
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The bite is on! We missed one or two good bites and then on the next drift we hang up both rods. Devon and I both hustle to replace the terminal tackle on the rods. I had a feeling this was going to be a short bite. KABOOM! Paul gets the nod and is into his first Cubera. He works the fish to boatside. Devon wields another small fish, by our Cubera standards, over the rail. It pulled the scales down to 25 pounds.
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Just as quick as the bite turned on, it turned off. Wow, that was a fast and furious 45 minutes! We worked for another 90 minutes or so but the fish had lockjaw and the sonar marks were disappearing. I suggested making a run to another spot and give it one more drop before we packed it up for the night. Everyone was in agreement.
Arriving in that area we found the conditions much better but the sonar was marking a ton of bait and not very many big fish. OK, one drop and we’re gone. I line up the drift and everything is going well. The rod tip twitches twice and then the tip moves quickly toward the water. There he is! Ping takes his place and this is a nice one. He tries his best to slowly maneuver this fish to the surface and 30 seconds later, the fish shakes the hook. Crap!
This night was a done deal. As usual the ride back home, with tired anglers, is very quiet! We went 2 for 5 on our targets and some additional good catches. We braved some adverse conditions and a few rain showers. Good job, guys!
Saturday we hooked up with Dave Irving and his mates, Ian and Rob. Dave is the mad Englishman who caught a Cubera on a speed jig with us 2 seasons ago. We shoved off at 3 PM and did our usual routine of collecting baits. This time instead of speed jigging while waiting for darkness, they wanted to catch some Yellowtail. We anchored up and began chumming in a fairly strong current. The ’Tails weren’t so obliging but the down rod did manage to catch a pretty little 25” Black grouper. Although he was legal to keep, we all agreed to vent & release this fish to grow some more. The Yellowtail we did catch were once again, some Fatties.
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Devon and I were anticipating another night like last night with tough fishing ahead of us. Strong current on the reef edge and the wind is blowing 15 from the East with solid 3+’ seas. As the dark side drew down on us we made our way out to Nastyville. Wow! Saturday night and not another boat in sight. Are you kidding me? We have Cubera country all to ourselves. Other than the 3-4’ sea, the current is a very fishable 1.5 knots. This is doable! The fish are marking good and the first bait goes down. Nothing. This isn’t unusual because it sometimes takes several attempts for me to fine tune the drift. We’re working hard at it and nothing is happening but we had already anticipated a late bite again. Drift after drift and all we had so far were a couple of “almost” bites that turned out to be bottom hang ups. Devon had his “It’s going to happen” hat on. KATHUMP! The bite turned on and the rod bent over. Ian got on the fish and manhandled a smaller 20 pound fish to the boat. Nice! We boxed this fish because they wanted to keep one smaller fish for the table.
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WHOMP! Missed it! The bug came up minus the front end of his carapace. BOOM! Hooked up! Rob got after this one and judging by the pull, it isn‘t a small one. He cranks on the reel and the fish pulls harder, After several hard fought minutes the fish comes to the light and Devon brings it aboard. There ya go, Mate! Now that‘s a “Nasty” fish. It scaled out at 42 pounds. We vented the fish and slipped it over the side to continue on with its intended purpose
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For 45 minutes we had a bite on almost every drift and then it shut down. C’mon, we were just starting to have fun! By now, Ian and Rob have lost their sea keeping abilities and were laying down. The only time we would see them is when they were hanging over the side calling down to some fish they must’ve named “Ralph”!
I made a few calculated moves to keep us in the fish longer. Devon made a few major adjustments on his end in the pit. 20 minutes later a ferocious bite started. Every drift resulted in a bite as long as we stayed on our pattern. The only problem was that these must have been smaller fish as the baits were coming back with fang punctures in the carapace and a half dozen legs missing. Dave was hanging in there, confident he was going to get one. Another swing and a miss! There’s a bite! Crank down on him Dave! HOOK UP! We must’ve sifted through the leg nippers and found a real one. Dave puts the muscle on the fish and it comes to the top. The fish won’t give up and it takes a few minutes on the leader to quiet it down. We pull the fish over the side to take a quick pic and get the hooks out. This fish is well into the mid 30 range. Yup… 35 pounds!
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Devon vented the fish and put it in the water for a release. Not this time. We’re not sure why but this fish was a goner. We gave it 100% effort, righting the fish and staying with it for 5 minutes. It isn’t going to make it. With only 1 fish in the box we decided we had to keep this one too! We had no choice, either keep it, or let it float away dead and that would be a total waste!.
The BEAST has a 2 fish limit in the box and a good release. Each guy has a Cubera notch on their belt, out of the 7 or 8 bites. It’s getting late now and little to gain at this point, but repetition. The 3 mates from the UK decided to toss in the towel instead of injuring another fish just for fun. Good decision and pretty work, Mates!
I pointed the bow toward the West and throttled up. Our 3 Brit friends were “out for the count” on the ride home.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 102
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 23, 2010 - 5:05 pm: | |
Last night we took Mike, and his crew of little guys out for some Cubera fishing. The boys, Matt (13), Mason (10) and Kyle (8), were very anxious to do this. They are very interested in fishing which was evident by the hundreds of questions that Devon and I answered throughout the night. We didn’t mind the constant barrage of questions, because this is the future of sport fishing.
Devon and I were ready and waiting when they arrived. We loaded everyone on board and headed out to gather bait. We made a few stops for alternative baits and continued out to round out the bait wells. We found an area that looked good and Devon slid over the side to hunt some crickets. The boys got excited watching him dive down and come up with a bait. We used this time to also teach them the about the legalities, how to measure for shorts, and what an egg bearing female looks like. I continued the learning process onboard by showing them the differences in male/female crawfish. After we collected enough bugs for the night, we made way to find some Yellowtail.
We weighed anchor and came tight on the rode. Wow! The current was smoking to the north so hard that The BEAST was almost on a plane. We gave it a try but it was barely manageable so I made the call to move. After resetting in a better location we began to catch some fish. The chum was also bringing in a variety of bait fish. The boys got to see a Sailfish feeding on some of the farther bait fish, for a brief minute. We had been watching the electrical show of a couple of onshore storms which were slowly making their way offshore. I did one last radar check and it was clear for over 16 miles. OK, Boys! Time to go to Nastyville!
We arrived on site to find 6 other boats and a stiff current! Within minutes the winds from the SW storm started to blow but it only lasted for about 5 minutes. The storm to our north began putting out some very impressive downdrafts. I’m talking 25-30 knot winds and the seas kicked up quickly. I motored around to get all the information I needed to make a good drift. The winds were making this a bit difficult and uncomfortable. A look around and there were only 4 of us out there now as 3 boats ran for cover which was a smart move if you have a smaller craft.
Our first drift is usually more of the “let’s try it” type until we get dialed in. A few adjustments and the second drift was much better but uneventful. I made one more adjustment on the 3rd drift and shortly into the drift, my little man Kyle gets the nod! FISH ON, little buddy! Mason and Matt were so excited that they were right in on the action shoulder to shoulder with Kyle. We had to drop the reel into low gear so Kyle could move his fish up. The next 5 minutes were filled with a lot of grunting, huffing, puffing and exited chatter from the boys. Kyle got his fish to the surface and Devon handed him over the side. Way to go Kyle, you just caught a 28 pound Cubera Snapper! Pretty work, little Dude!
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The winds were laying back now and we made a couple more drifts that were unsuccessful so I made some more adjustments. Drift number 6 was going real nice and we made yet another quick adjustment. Seconds later the bait gets thumped and the rod doubles over. Get ’em Mason! As the boys gathered at the rail with excitement, we dropped the reel into low gear so Mason could move the fish. Work’em boy! The fish finally pops up and Devon brings it over the side. That’s a nugget! Mason is on the board with a 35 pound fish. Good job, Bud!
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Now we need to get Matt a fish, too! Conditions are changing rapidly and the bite is falling off. Devon and I worked hard, changing things up, making different adjustments with almost every drift. We went through quite a few drifts for the next half hour or so. Finally, persistence paid off and the front rod thunks twice. Crap, we missed him. No, wait a minute, he’s back. Thunk, thunk, the rod starts to bend over and I give the reel some cranks. FISH ON! Matt is hooked up. This fish isn’t a nugget, for sure, this is one is a bruiser. The rod is bent over to within a foot of the water and its throbbing under the weight of this fish. The fish either has Matt in a stalemate or it is taking line from him. I tried to move the fish a little bit with the motors as Devon races forward to give Matt low gear. The rod tip snaps back into place as the line parts. This fish made some bottom structure and won its freedom. Tough break Matt. It wasn’t your fault at all. That stuff happens occasionally especially when dealing with larger fish!
We continued to work hard using different types of bait to change things up. All 3 boys are lost to sleep when the bow rod gets hammered. Matt… Matt… MATT!!!! Mason arouses to keep the fish on until Matt, groggy from sleep, gets his bearings to take over. The fish surfaces and it is a 15 pound Horse Eye Jack. Before we could take a picture, Matt was already prone and falling back to sleep, so Devon quickly released the fish. You can’t blame them for being that tired. They played football that afternoon, came straight to the boat, had adrenaline pumping through their young bodies, and it is getting late. We made another 4 or 5 drifts but it was more than obvious to Devon and I that the night was over.
We packed it up and stowed the gear. I pointed the bow toward the barn and throttled up the 600 ponies. Other than the motors humming, the ride was quiet. The kids were asleep and there wasn’t a single question asked on the whole ride home.
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This was an excited crew of kids that, I do believe, thoroughly enjoyed their night. Mike remarked that they will have some good stories to tell when school starts. Our kids should be a constant reminder that spurs us to conserve our resources. Abide by all regulations, take what you can use, and properly release the rest. Let’s leave our oceans and it’s creatures, better than we found it, for the sake of our future generations.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 101
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 08, 2010 - 4:16 pm: | |
Cubera season started off a bit slow this year, even though the moon phases seemed to be perfectly in line. Opening day of mini lobster season we took Todd, Fernando, and their boys, out to give the Cubera a go!
The day started out with an unexpected delay in our 3 PM shove off. We motored out and got a handful of baits and then blasted out to the patches to see if anyone left us some bugs. Devon slid over the side and in an hour or so, came up with 9 good baits. That should be plenty, so we headed out to do some ‘Tailing.
Arriving on our Yellowtail grounds we put out the chum and began dropping lines back. We managed to get quite a few legal ‘Tails and just before the sun set, Fernando brought in a good’un. The fish was 26 ½ inches long and weighed 5 pounds. Nice!
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Darkness falling, we headed out for the Cubera. To make a long story short, we dropped baits, and marked fish on the recorder, over and over again. The fish were there for sure but they had other things on their minds, obviously. Finally, after some frustrating hours of repetitive fishing, we got a bite on one of the live baits. It was short lived as the fish can unpinned. When we retrieved the bait is was obvious that it was our target species that bit. We fished past quitting time and never did catch one of these big snappers. This is not the start I had expected! It grew very apparent that these fish had a stronger sexual/mating drive than their appetite. After thinking about it, I wouldn’t stop mating, to grab a sandwich either!
Devon and I felt really bad for Todd and his son since they flew here from Jersey just for this. It’s fishing! They were there for sure but no matter what we did, even with little tricks and techniques, you can’t make them do what they don’t want to do. Sorry guys! At least there was Lobster and Yellowtail for dinner.
I was sitting home on Saturday afternoon looking at the weather. Lobster season opened on Friday and it was supposed to rain all day on Sunday, which it has! I picked up the phone and called one of my best friends, “Uncle Al”, and my good friend, Harry! “Hey Guys, what’s up? Feel like blasting out for some Nasty’s tonight?” The answer was a resounding… He!! yeah! We met at the boat in less than an hour and unleashed The BEAST. Stopping to quickly take on some fuel, we began discussing the game plan.
We powered up and cruised out to the patches for some crickets. Since this was a last minute deal we needed to get bait quickly. Al went over the side. In less than an hour he collected us a dozen, fat bugs! OK Boys, Let’s do a quick, one chum block Yellowtail session. Arriving in the area we set out the chum and shortly thereafter began bailing, nice, fat, keeper ’tails. With things going so well to this point, all I could hope for was a better performance at Nastyville! Uh oh! Hold your tongue Capt. Jim. Storms are moving offshore to the north and southwest. The north storm was a bad one with frequent lightning cracking down and making its way slowly toward us. My radar showed it to be 2 ½ miles from us. I hoped this storm would play itself out so we wouldn’t have to take an intermission to run from it. Thankfully the north storm began falling apart. We packed up our 15-18 Yellowtail and gear, then made our run to Nastyville.
When we arrived, the north storm came over us and we donned our rain gear. No electrical displays, thank God! As we waited for the rains to dissipate , I scouted the area. The winds went slack, the sea was slick, the current was slow, and the air was heavy with moisture. There were fish marking everywhere and all hope was that it wouldn’t be a night like the last outing.
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We worked the area for a solid hour and then some, without a single look. Then I heard Al start yelling, “Uh… Uh… take it, eat it!” BAM… Fish on! Al has his hands full working this fish and has to throw the reel into low gear to move it away from the bottom. It’s coming up now and when it breaks the surface we see a respectable 27 pound fish. Wow! It’s about time we broke the ice. Cubera 2010! First fish of the season for us and In the box it goes.
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The bite was on, unfortunately, we missed the next 3 fish. Just like that, the bite quits and we are back to square one, putting primo baits in front of preoccupied fish. Are you kidding me? Look at this sonar, Mate! Can you believe that none of those fish are hungry?
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With a bait well full of prime bait we decided to stick it out until we couldn’t take it anymore. I kept looking for areas and places that I haven’t put a bait in yet. Several hours pass and I hear Uncle Al say, “That’s a bite.” A second later, he cranks the reel about 3 turns, and it’s game on. This fish has some shoulders and Al drops into low gear again. The fish is stripping 25 pounds of drag, repeatedly! This fish never said quit, continually fighting Al until it came over the side. Good job Uncle Al. The fish tipped our scales at 42 ½ pounds with double canine teeth on both uppers and one of the lowers. Now that’s a brute of a Snappa!
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We worked the area for a little while longer but the bite never resumed. We hit the “I’m getting really tired” wall and reluctantly called it a night. Unfortunately for Harry, he didn’t get on the boards with a catch. Although he only had a few brief encounters with El Nasty that night, he has caught them with me before and he will again!
We did what we came for, going 2 for 5, limiting us out with a 27 and 42.5 pound fish. Everyone on board was spent, so I pointed The BEAST toward home and boogied.
If doing a charter with us to catch Cubera, the King of Snappers, is on your list of things to do… remember that the season can be short (30-60 days). Get your dates together and give us a call ASAP to reserve them. Weekend nights, especially, tend to fill up very fast.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 100
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, June 13, 2010 - 11:42 am: | |
We’ve had fun on our last 2 trips. The Dolphin have been plentiful but the majority of the fish have been ½ - 1 inch short of legal size. In other words, plenty of “schoolies” to keep you busy but nothing much in the way of notoriety. When the ocean only gives up limes, The BEAST crew does its best to turn the day into a Mojito!
We took Brian Mitchell and his crew out to fish the 26th annual Dick Fuhr Memorial Dolphin Tournament. We picked them up at Homestead Marina and took off. We planned to run and gun along with some trolling on any debris or weed lines we might find. Well, the best laid plans do not always come together. We ran and trolled every flock of birds we found, picking up 19 inch “schoolies” with regularity. We didn’t find any debris and only scattered weeds at best, covering almost 200 miles of ocean. We managed to catch 3 legal Dolphin, out of 15 or more that we caught. We were running away from them in hopes that the next flock of birds would yield a big fish. We even dropped 2 planer rods when deploying a spread and only ended up with 3 Barracuda. Yep, Barracuda in 1000’+ of water. The results at the end of the day showed 1st place - 21#… 2nd place - 13#... 3rd place - 10#. We took 6th place with a 4½ # fish. Since this heat wave descended on us, there have been plenty of fish around but nothing impressive.
Thursday we did a ½ day morning trip with Mike McCann, his wife, and twin 10yr old boys, Mike and Shane. We left the channel and made our way out to a Hardtail spot and collected up 8 baits for this quick trip. As we broke out of the islands we found the seas were comfortable at 1-2 feet. Our first goal was to try and get some Dolphin and/or Blackfins before the late morning sun began to heat up. We found a decent weed line in about 300’ of water and within minutes of putting out a spread, we had a hookup on the right rigger. Little Mike took the rod and we ended up with a nice little 5½ # “schoolie”! We reset that line and worked our way up the weed line. The planer rod trips but we only get a weak click or two of the drag. A better Dolphin takes to the air and Shane throws a leg over the gunnel to “ride the pony” and crank. The little cow is a long and skinny fish weighing around 9 pounds. Hey… with all the little grasshoppers swimming around, we were very happy with this one.
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Devon reset and we trolled north a bit then crossed over to go south. After 10 minutes I crossed back over to go north on the other side again. 15 minutes without a strike and I got the word that little Mike and Shane were bored. Wow! The Xbox/PS3 generation is so spoiled by the instant gratification of video games that they have no patience. This is no reflection on little Mike and Shane. This is not the first time we’ve had young boys complain of being bored if they aren’t bailing fish one after another. Mike asked if we could go catch some little fish that would be more action for them. I suggested we do a wreck and at least they could get some bigger ‘Cudas that would impress them while keeping them busy as well. So we put the Dolphin gear away and broke out the down rigger and live bait.
We went to our top action wreck and put down a live Runner! While we bumped around the area, Mike worked a speed jig and got bit. He worked the fish to the boat and we were surprised to see a Horse Eye Jack.
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We released the fish and continued working the area. The downrigger goes off and little Mike works the fish but grows tired quickly and Shane takes over to land this “Snaggletooth”.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/6-10-2010-03.jpg
OK… we put the d/rigger down again and it keeps getting tapped by these “Caribbean Spotted Mackerel“. The boys are having a ball now catching these big ‘Cudas! The line goes off and this is a better fish. Shane is working the fish when Devon suddenly spots a big school of Permit, well below the boat. While Shane is pressuring his fish, Devon readies a jig. Wow, it’s a nice sized ‘Cuda for a young 10 year old boy! Good job!
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We release the toothy one and turn our gazes for the “rubber lips”. As I begin to make my way back to where we saw them, Mike tells me they had enough. His wife is not feeling well. Really? OK… put ‘em away Devon, we’re done for the day. Although Mike pulled the plug only a few minutes before actual quitting time, we were ready to stay a while and give the Permit a shot. Oh well, there is always another day, God willing! I turned the bow west and throttled up. As we ran the creek between the islands I spotted a dead turtle. What happened to him? I banged a U-turn to investigate. As I approached we could see that this turtle was a good 36 - 40” across the shell and it’s death was conspicuously apparent. He ran into a Tiger shark that was looking for a turtle dinner!
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/6-10-2010-05.jpg
The raw power and bite pressure from those sharks must be incredible. The bite was completely through both sides of the shell and everything in between. This turtle was done in with 2 massive bites and the only remains were his hind legs. Take a good look at the size of those bites!
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/6-10-2010-06.jpg
I don’t know about you, but I sure wouldn’t want to bump into that critter while in the water!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Alan Sherman (Shermana)
New member
Username: Shermana
Post Number: 20
Registered: 10-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 07, 2010 - 9:21 am: | |
Tarpon, Cobia’s, Redfish, Sea trout, Tripletail in Flamingo, Sea Trout, Tarpon, Snappers in North Biscayne Bay, Dolphins, Big Jacks, Tunas Offshore of Miami! Sailfish, Dolphins, Jacks, Yellowtail and Mangrove Snappers in Marathon and Dolphins and Tunas Offshore of Islamorada During the Columbia Sportswear/ Sea Grass Grow Media Event!
I know it’s been a few weeks or more since my last Fishing Update Report and I apologize for not getting a report or sooner. Since my last fishing report I have been fishing North Biscayne Bay, Offshore of Miami, in Flamingo, Marathon and Islamorada in the Florida Keys. I have fished many clients during that period plus some old friends, my family and with fellow editors of many different publications. I have some great fishing reports to report and hope you can find the time to read this report plus I had the great opportunity to spend a few days rubbing shoulders with some important people in the fishing industry like George Poveromo of Saltwater Sportsman, Bob Sterns, Rodney Smith of Coastal Angler, Sam Hudson of Florida Sportsman Magazine, Sue Cocking of the Miami Herald and a few others. I also had the opportunity to stay at the Coral Lagoon Resort and Marina in Marathon and the Cheeca Lodge in Islamorada. I will report more on my excursions in Islamorada and Marathon at another time but at this time let’s talk fishing.
Let’s start with North Biscayne Bay! Summer like conditions have brought water temperatures into the mid 80’s and many of the Bay fish have started to feed more during the 7 to 11 AM and 4 to 8 PM hours and then shutting down during the hottest part of the day. Due to these conditions I highly recommend booking a half day charter. The late afternoon charters have been hampered by strong late afternoon thunderstorms and I expect these conditions to hold for awhile. Once these storms subside the winds have dropped off and the Bay has been flat calm. These late afternoon storms have been forming over the Everglades and then rushing east and then falling apart as they head offshore. These storms have not been a problem at Flamingo. North Biscayne Bay has produced lots of sea trout from 12 inchers to over 20 inch fish and the trout are eating live baits and artificial lures like the Hookup lures tipped with a Gulp shrimp and Rapala X Raps and Twitchin Raps. A few snook are being caught in the Bay along with tarpon, jacks, barracudas, quite a few mangrove snappers and some sharks.
Offshore when the weather has allowed and baitfishes are available has produced jack crevalles to 17 pounds. Almoco jacks, amberjacks, gag groupers, mutton snappers, kingfish, blackfin tuna, sailfish, bonitos and dolphins.
Flamingo in Everglades National Park has produced great early morning and late afternoon tarpon action, lots of hungry sea trout, cobias to over 30 pounds, redfish, small Spanish mackerel, a few permit, lots of sharks, an occasional snook, and lots of tripletail.
While in the Florida Keys dolphins to 18 pounds are being caught along with a lot of small blackfin tuna, mangrove and yellowtail snappers and an assortment of jacks.
Check my web page at www.getemsportfishing.net to see some of the great recent catches that my anglers, friends and family have made recently.
RECENT CATCHES:
Almost all of the catches reported below where made on Key Largo Fishing Rods, Daiwa Advantage 3000, 35000 and 4000 spinning reels, Mustad hooks, Hookup lures, Gulp scented baits, Rapala plugs, Cajun Thunder floats, Fins and Berkley braided lines.
Terry and Ralph fished North Biscayne Bay and caught Tarpon, Barracudas, Sea Trout, Snappers and Jacks on live pilchards fished on a Mustad long shank hook and on Rapala plugs and Hookup lures tipped with a Gulp shrimp.
Fishing in Marathon out of the Coral Lagoon Resort and Marina with my family during a day and half of stormy weather we managed to catch dolphins to 11 pounds, over 100 yellowtail snappers keeping 14 of the biggest, mangrove snappers to 5 pounds plus sharks and almoco jacks.
Fishing in Flamingo with Dr Ken and buddies Alan and Tom the trio had plenty of action from sea trout, jacks, ladyfish and lost two tarpon on light tackle when one threw the hook on the second jump and the other stripped the reel after catching the line on a downed tree root.
Fishing with Jeff and Scott along the Gulf Coast of Flamingo the guys released snook, jacks, sea trout, tripletail, ladyfish and a 60 to 70 pound tarpon that ate a live pilchard. Jeff landed a nice redfish that ate a Rapala X Rap. Jeff had a Backcountry Grand Slam!
Fishing with my daughter Courtney and son Zach offshore of Miami after filling our live wells with cast netted live pilchards we released jack crevalles to 17 pounds, bonitos, almoco jacks to 15 pounds, amberjacks to 30 pounds and landed a small yellowfin tuna and two snowy groupers.
Fishing with Manny his son Manny and Joey the guys fished all over offshore and lost three kingfish that cut our lines before heading inshore where we released three barracudas and a trout and fought a nice tarpon of about 60 pounds for 15 minutes before the fish broke the line on a dock piling.
Fishing with Joel and Steve in Flamingo Steve released a large tarpon and Joel jumped another before we moved on and caught a ton of small sharks and lots of sea trout before hooking up on two big cobias that were landed. The fish ate live pinfish hooked to a Mustad 4/0 short shank Ultra Point hook and weighed 28 pounds and over 30 pounds. The guys also kept and released tripletail.
Fishing with Dr Karody and his wife and nephew the trio released a small cobia and kept three limits of sea trout, a redfish and released a lot of sharks and tripletail.
Fishing in North Biscayne Bay Mike and his son Dan and Dan’s daughter Mya 10 years old the guys got out fished by Mya two to one. The trio caught and released over 20 sea trout to 19 inches plus a few snappers casting Hookup lures tipped with a Gulp shrimp.
Fishing with Andrea of Columbia Sportswear, Randy W., Jonh K, and Rodney S on the Hunters Charters with captain Chris Barth out of Islamorada we all caught dolphins to 18 pounds plus a handful of small blackfin tunas.
Fishing on a group charter out of North Biscayne Bay, Bo and his wife Nancy caught 10 sea trout, mangrove snappers and jack crevalles trolling Rapala X raps and casting Hookup lures tipped with a Gulp shrimp under a Cajun thunder float.
YOUR UP NEXT! Just give me call and let's see what we can catch!
www.getemsportfishing.com
shermana@bellsouth.net
Check out my report in the Miami Herald's Sports section under Fishing Updates each Thursday, the Florida Sportsman Magazines South Florida Internet Fishing Report
www.floridaspotsman.com), my monthly Action Spotter Fishing Report for the South Region in the Florida Sportsman Magazine each month.
I have recently been wearing a lot of Columbia Sports Wear on my fishing charters and the new Blood & Guts shirts are amazing. I have had mackerel, cobia and snook just splatter me with blood and one good washing and the shirts are as good as new. Check out their web site at www.columbia.com
Sponsors:
Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, Capt. Hank Brown's Hook Up Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Saltwater Assassins, Key Largo Rods, Lee Fisher Cast Nets, Smartshield, Master Repair in Stuart Florida, Power Pole, Stow Master Nets, superfishlight.com, Columbia Sports Wear, Tempress Seating
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
786-436-2064
w ww.getemsportfishing.com.
I expect the fishing to be pretty consistent for the next three or four months with lots of SEA TROUT, JACK CREVALLES, LADYFISH, GROUPER, BARRACUDAS, SNOOK and TARPON in NORTH BISCAYNE BAY and OFFSHORE of MIAMI KINGFISH, SAILFISH and DOLPHINS available on the calmer days and in FLAMINGO in EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK will have a huge amount of wildlife like the WHITE PELICANS, ROSEATTE SPOONBILLS, SKIMMER BIRDS,GULLS, OSPREYS, EAGLES, TERNS, EGRETS, HERONS, ALLIGATORS, CROCODILES, BOTTLE NOSED DOLPHINS, MANATTEES, SHARKS and TURTLES and of course the wide variety of fish that migrate into FLORIDA BAY and the GULF waters during the cooler months of the year. SNOOK, TARPON, REDFISH, SEA TROUT, SHEEPSHEAD, TRIIPLETAIL, BLACK DRUM, SNAPPER, GOLIATH AND GAG GROUPER, POMOPANO, COBIA, MACKEREL, BLUEFISH and I'm sure I am leaving a few other fish species out will be available to all anglers at one time or another through the Summer Fishing Season. |
darrell primrose (Wahoo_tooya)
New member
Username: Wahoo_tooya
Post Number: 5
Registered: 6-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 04, 2010 - 3:04 pm: | |
HI_SPEED WAHOO WHY ? the tournament guys KNOW that 14-20 knots will produce BIGGER WAHOO ! and they are looking for just 1 big fish --they are not out there hi speeding it to cover more ground and BURN MORE FUEL they know that hi speed = gig fish ! -- YOU will get MORE WAHOO at 7-10knots so if you want more wahoo go 7-10 knots IN EITHER CASE you need some of BALLYHOOD lURES-- NO TROLLING WEIGHT NEEDED-- wahoo lures -snap em on and go any where from 0-20 knots ! Ballyhood wahoo lures have won over 20 tournaments !! www.ballyhood.com sponsors in the BAHAMAS WAHOO SERIES |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 99
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 03, 2010 - 10:57 am: | |
We celebrated Memorial Day weekend with a day of fun fishing with the regular “fun crew”! Uncle Al, Devon, Amy, and I met at the dock at 7 AM. Well let’s call it 7-ish as everyone was running a bit behind except Al. We loaded up and fired up The BEAST. We didn’t know what we were going to fish for so we ended up with 26 rods on board! Winds were calm and the seas were flat. Oh Boy!
Our first stop was to try and get some Hardtails but they were a bit slow and we only put 5 or 6 in the well. Next stop was to see if we could coax some Ballyhoo into riding along with the Hardtails. Only 4 would succumb to the baited hooks, so I threw the Calusa net until we had about 18 or so in the well. OK… we took a vote and the first stop was to try for some Permit.
Arriving at the wreck and no one is around. So much for the crowded holiday weekend we had anticipated! First drop and Uncle Al has a hook up, and Amy too! Amy’s fish gets totally sharked and Al’s fish is running to the surface. It’s either a Permit racing away from a shark or a Cobia! After a few more minutes the fish gives up and rises to the boat. Cobia it is!
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Next drop and Allen again gets a hook up and Devon gets a strong bite on the speed jig. Both of them are dancing around the boat and Al’s fish gets heavy. Uh Oh! Yup. Devon brings his fish up about the same time as Al and we have 2 more Cobia. Well, Al had a small piece of his left. We released Devon’s fish and tossed the remains of Al’s fish over as well, hoping to satisfy the toothy fish below.
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Back at it again and the action is HOT! Amy gets a hook up and loses the fish to the wreck! She’s getting frustrated so I lowered the underwater camera and she and I were enjoying ourselves watching the occasional Bar Jack swim by. Amy look quick, a Sailfish just swam through. She saw the last half of it as it moved out of frame. Crap, there goes a Sandbar shark. Looks like we are going to be in for more chewed up fish. Meanwhile Devon gets hooked up again and works the fish up to find it is another Cobia. This one is only 32” so we released it as well. Al gets another fish on a speed jig and it is the dreaded Barracuda. Another drift and Devon gets a bang on his speed jig again. Nice fish! This has some weight and after a few more runs it gains about 300 pounds. Maybe not, it’s still there. There’s that extra weight again and now he is pulling up a lot less dead weight. Crap! A beautiful African Pompano became brunch for one of those sharks.
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OK, enough of that! We donned the trolling gear and began a quick hunt for some Dolphin or Wahoo. With a full moon occurring just 2 days before, we were not counting on this as a productive deal. I headed for deep water and then circled into another wreck to try for some Mutton’s. On the way, one of the deep rods goes off. Wahoo? No, another Barracuda.
A fruitless troll led us to the wreck and we stowed that gear and got out the bottom rods. Dropped a live Ballyhoo and Bada boom, I’m hooked up! If this is a Mutton, it has some shoulders. Finally we see some color about 100’ below and it sure doesn’t look like our target. Maybe a Grouper? Not even close. It’s a small Amberjack. We rarely catch wreck donkeys on a live ‘hoo! We made a few more drops and nothing much was happening on the Mutton bite. What’s next? Let’s give one of our deeper wrecks a try.
A few minutes run time and we arrive on site. 2 rods go over with bait and Devon flips over his speed jig. One, two, three…Triple hookup! These are wreck donkeys for sure. After several fire drills we manage to get all 3 aboard, vented and released 2 of them. Ok! No more of that! Let’s go back and see if the Permit want to play.
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Back at our morning spot we begin to get excited. Only one boat on site and we can overhear them telling each other they see them. We found them, 100 yards away. Amy drops the cam… Yup, she saw them! A nice tight school and feeding! I’ve hooked up many Permit but always pass the rod off to one of my customers, so the crew want to see the Captain get one. Chomp chomp! Hooked up! The fish is racing to the surface with a shark hot on its butt! With the drag at max pressure I muscled the fish to the boat and Al takes a gaff shot! As the announcer says at the soccer game. SCORE! It’s not a big one, but it IS a Permit.
I’m going to try to load this short video Amy took. Maybe it’ll work!
http://s200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/?action=view&cur rent=Movie.flv
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Next drift and Devon hooks up and tries to get Amy to take the rod. She’s not in the mood, I guess, so Devon fights the fish. Done deal. So far we have managed to boat 2 for 2.
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Once again, another drift, and Uncle Al is grunting. The fish runs for the surface and suddenly a massive splash. Missed him! Al is muscling the fish and the shark makes another attempt. Almost, but not quite! We boat the fish and find that the Permit barely escaped the jaws of death.
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A few more drifts and things slow down a bit. We had 2 more hook ups but no catches. No sense in playing with these guys only to feed the sharks. The vote goes to try some live baiting as the afternoon draws toward evening. We put the gear away and break out the live bait tackle. Devon and AL put out our normal 4 line top spread with one down rod, so off we go. Time passes by and nothing is happening on the surface. Devon and Al stayed busy on the speed jigs, boating a small Bonito and a Bullet Bonito. The down rod goes off! About time! Uncle Al takes control of the rod and works the fish up. A sport model Kingfish comes boat side and catches some steel.
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This group is tired. We had a Memorial Weekend Potpourri. I guess you could say we had a Wreck Grand Slam. I must tell you, that was a “FUN” day and well worth the price of admission! We turned The BEAST toward the barn and made the run. Another good point to this day… We had 2 cleaning the fish and 2 cleaning the boat. NICE!
By the way Folks… We will be taking reservations now for Cubera season. Book early and often!
There is NO oil in S. Florida!!!!!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 98
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 16, 2010 - 10:10 pm: | |
Wind, wind, and more wind! That was the theme for The BEAST on her last 2 trips. The winds were howling from the East at consistent 22-25 knots. This produces stacked up water at a close interval. Thankfully we run a 33’ World Cat that eats them up and provides a safe and stabile platform to fish from.
Our first trip was with Charlie and his buddies, Yalkin, Frank, and Wally. They call themselves the Harbor Club but we call them the Banana crew. You might recall them if you remember last years report and picture of them all eating a banana on the way out through the channel. They were supposed to arrive at 7-ish but knowing Yalkin, it would be more like 8 AM. He didn’t let us down, as they arrived minutes before 8.
We loaded them up, stowed their gear, and took the reins off The BEAST. We made the run to find some Hardtails. The second spot produced an adequate supply. Now off to find some live Ballyhoo. This actually turned out to be an effort. The Ballyhoo have been finicky to say the least. We’ve had no problems raising them but getting them to bite the hair hooks has been the test. Getting them within net range is even harder. They tend to get very wary late in the season. We managed to get a dozen or so and we headed off to the blue water.
Our first stop was to see if we could catch some Permit on a wreck. We moved back and forth while looking for them from the deck and on the sonar. We ended up soaking 2 crabs with no bites. On to plan B.
Plan B was to do some live baiting around the vicinity, trying for some Blackfin, Kingfish, Dolphin, and Sails. The time dragged on! Nothing was working and the radio chatter was filled with the word “SLOW”. Suddenly the down rigger line starts to sing. Ok, we might be on the boards here! Up comes a Barracuda. Not quite what we had in mind, but it’s action. We kept working the water and got a visual of a fish on the surface. As we approached, the fish turned out to be a Hammerhead. The shark wouldn’t let us get close enough to try and pitch him one of our live baits and finally disappeared. The whole time we had 5 baits in the water as well. Nothing! We caught 3 more of those dreaded Caribbean Spotted Mackerel and we threw one in the fish box for bait because the guys were suggesting, to maybe do some shark fishing. I suggested to do some Jack fishing on the wrecks because we knew that wouldn’t be a long process to get them busy. All agreed.
We ponied up The BEAST and in short order we were casing the wreck. Oh yeah, they‘re there! Several drops and we were on them like fleas on a hound dog. The guys were getting a work out now. Several drifts in and everyone has a good 30-35 pound fish under their belt. When Yalkin’s turn comes around again, he pulls out his Accurate 665 on one of those high tech rods that he brought along. They are amazing how those rods and reels look like one you would go Bass fishing with, but it can pull a car off the ocean floor. We dropped the largest bait we had on his rod. BOOM! He is on! Yalkin is working the fish and it is another good one. He had to fight this fish in low gear for the entire fight. After about 35-40 minutes we see color. It’s another Donkey Kong! Devon gaffs the fish and both of pull it aboard. The guys are amazed at the size of this critter. The fish weighed in at 82.5 pounds.
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After 8-10 of these fish, big seas, relentless winds, coupled with the factor that they didn’t get into town until late, and they called it a day. Even though the fishing was slow for our target species, we always have a good time fishing with the “Banana Crew”!
Our next trip was a ¾ day with Fernando, his son Nick, Todd, and his son Zack. They met us at the dock and the wind was blowing hard out of the East, once again. NOAA was forecasting for 3-5 foot seas. Can’t a guy get a break! Fernando and Nick are from Boca Raton, Todd and Zach are from New Jersey. Fernando wanted to show his friends a good time regardless of the forecast. All aboard, and Devon cut loose The BEAST.
We blasted off to our Hardtail spot. Not a bite. No worries! We went to our trusted spot and nothing doing! Uh oh! We tried one more spot with the same results. Not good! Off we go in hopes that the Ballyhoo would be on the feed. This was another lesson in humility as they came up but wouldn’t feed. They never got closer than 50’ from the boat. I wasn’t a collegiate shot putter, so throwing the 18 pound cast net that far was totally out of the question. We are spending too much time and this is a short day. Catch some of those Yellowtail and drop down for some Pig Grunts to use for bait. We filled the well with the bigger ‘Tails and a few Grunts to go along with the only 2 Ballyhoo we caught. OK. At worst we have some baits to drop on the wrecks and we already had crab on board. Off we go to make the best of this situation.
Our first stop was to see if we could find some Permit. The seas were every bit of 4-5 feet and getting a visual on the Permit was not to be. Nothing was hitting the speed jigs either. This is not good. Let’s try some live baiting for a bit. Devon put out the ‘hoo and we dropped a Yellowtail down. I meandered about trying to get some action going. Devon is working a speed jig and I hear his telltale grunt as it hooks up. He hands the rod off to Zach. This is taking a bit of time, what is it? Maybe a Blackfin or Bonito? While the fish is working him over, a small pack of “schoolie” Dolphin come into the spread. Devon baits them up and now everyone is hooked up. They’re small, but over the legal size limit. One by one, we picked off the little Dollies. One flipped off at the boat, but the other 4 were dispatched to the fish box. Zach gets his fish to the boat and it is a 25 pound AJ. Go figure!
With Dolphin in the area I decided to put out a spread and try trolling for some Dolphin, Tuna, or Wahoo. This might help Nick out too, as he is hanging over the side calling his buddy Ralph. I told him that Facebook might be a better way to reach his buddy. We hooked up and Zach got the call on this fish. In short order a Bonito is on the boat.
The word on the radio that morning was a few Sails being caught but generally slow. Let’s hit the deep wreck and get these kids, especially “Sick” Nick, on some bruiser fish. As usual, the fish didn’t let us down. A 20 pound Bluefish was the largest fish Todd and Zach had caught, so shock and awe were the key words for them. Todd is no little guy but he was amazed at the power of these fish. No monsters, but all averaging around 30-35 pounds.
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The afternoon got going and our time was running short. The radio was telling of a good Sailfish bite, but we had no decent baits to try it. Let’s try for some Permit one more time, it’s on our way in. The seas over the wreck were getting big with some 6 and 7 footers coming through. This attempt proved better. I located the fish on the sonar and Devon got a visual on a them too. We dropped our baits and I felt a pick up. BOOM! Fernando is hooked up. A few strong runs and suddenly the fish races to the surface. The fish now is heavy as it goes down. Pop, the line parts. Sharked! I have the line on the fish and we make a few more drifts. We get another bite and Zach is on the line. Once again the fish races to the surface and leaps out of the water. Cobia! I can’t recall ever seeing one jump.
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We made a few more drifts and Devon spotted a tailing Sail, but before he could get a bait to it, it turned invisible! Next drift and we had another hook up. This fish took Fernando to the wreck and was gone! I got carried away as usual and went way past time. We packed it up and turned the bow for the barn. Although the lack of bait was an issue, we tallied, 5 Dolphin, 5 Amberjack, a Bonito, a Cobia, and 0 for 2 on Permit.
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Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 97
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 22, 2010 - 11:08 am: | |
It’s been a while since my last report. It’s not by choice but rather this economy that has us tied to the dock more often than we’d like. Adding to that downside, the weather has been brisk and several charters have cancelled. On the brighter side, the weather and the fishing are now turning more towards our spring season. Fortunately we managed to get out last Thursday and Friday, which makes Devon and I happy because fishing is our passion.
One of my best friends, Major Kevin “Hoss“ White used to fish many tournaments with us back in the mid 90’s. He moved from Miami when he left the National Guard to go active in the Army. He did 15 long months in Afghanistan and is now living in Iowa and teaching ROTC at Iowa State. He called us last month to see if we could set up a trip for him and his oldest son, Garrett. Absolutely Hoss!
Hoss and Garrett met us at the dock at 7 AM and we turned The BEAST out. We spoke of old times as we idled out of the Marina. The years that have passed, simply melted away, and it seemed like only yesterday. As we entered the Bay I fed the 600 ponies and we were up and running to our first bait patch. WOW! Bay temps were only 64 degrees. We pushed through to the patch reefs and found them to be only 67 degrees. We arrived on our bait patch and the worms were sluggish. We managed to pick at the Ballyhoo with hook and line while Garrett was impressing us with his bait catching skills on the small Pig Grunts (Tomtate). Since we were on a time budget, I tossed the cast net and completed the process. We weren’t loaded but we had plenty for the day.
I pushed the throttles down and we made the short run to the “edge” to find 71-72 degree water temps, light westerly winds, and trickle of south current. Not the best conditions. This offshore fishing was new to Garrett, so he was observing and asking questions about everything we did. Devon deployed our normal spread and within a few minutes we had a Kingfish on the down rod, then another.
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Then suddenly Devon yells “SAILFISH UP!” Garrett gets on the rod and Devon coaches him through the process. Hooked up! Garrett had his hands full as the fish jumped only twice then sounded to fight him down and dirty style. This went on for 15 minutes when the fish began to rise and suddenly the hook pulled. Dang it! Tough break for “Little Hoss”!
The downrigger was active for an hour or so and we caught and released several more Kingfish. The Kingfish shut off and we also missed a bite from a very small Mahi. SAILFISH UP on the short flat line! There’s another one on the other flat line! Devon fed the first fish but it just played with the bait. The second fish was just shopping, not buying! Double Dang! A father and son double would have been awesome!
The winds died down to almost nothing and the current slowed even more. We picked up a hitchhiker and it was evident now that the surface bite was done.
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We pulled lines and moved off to some wrecks to put Garrett and Hoss on some big fish, and that we did. The first wreck was active for a short time but the fish kept breaking them off in the structure. Then the current went slack and so did the bite. We made a move to a deep wreck where there was a bit more current toward the north and it was forming a nice rip. Devon put a bait out on top while we dropped on the wreck. The speed jig tallied up Garrett’s first Bonito.
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On the next drift the surface bait got nervous and we missed a decent 15# Dolphin (Mahi). We put out another bait and it got eaten immediately by his little sister.
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The next drift and Garrett is hooked up to one of our bruiser Amberjack when suddenly the line gets heavy and pulls back with twice the power. Did he lose him? No, there’s still weight on the rod tip but no fight. Garrett learns that it’s hard to fight when your propeller is bitten of by a shark.
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Hoss and Garrett had some fun working the wrecks and getting beat up by these stubborn Wreck Donkeys and their smaller cousins the Almaco Jacks.
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The current and winds had died and we also ran out of time as Hoss and Garrett had to meet up with the rest of the family, later that afternoon. Garrett’s first time offshore fishing netted him some Kingfish, Dolphin, AJ’s, Almaco’s, and almost a Sailfish. That was fun but it was even better to see my old buddy “Hoss” again!
Friday we met up with John Dancer and his troop. They were celebrating John’s 70th birthday. We did the usual drill but this time the bait patch was not going to give up bait easily. Only doing a scheduled half day, we were in a hurry and the bait was not cooperating. The winds were a mere breath and the seas were flat. Luckily we had wreck baits left over from yesterday as we could only manage to get 3 Ballyhoo and a few more Pig Grunts. Well this will change the game plan. We went out to the edge and began by putting out all 3 of the Ballyhoo. About a half hour later I saw Richard on Good Life coming out and asked him how he did on bait. He had 7. Oh Boy! There was the slightest trickle of south current and it didn’t take long before we realized we could’ve had 0 baits and netted the same results. No current, no wind, and no fish activity. I looked forward and there sat another Tern on the bow pulpit, possibly the same banded bird from yesterday. I didn’t waste much time beating this dead horse.
We pulled the lines and went to a wreck to try a jig tipped with some jumbo shrimp. Bam! A slow southward drift resulted in a bite and a break off in the wreck. The next drift, another bite, and the same results. The third drift and we are hooked up and the fish stays up in the water column long enough to get away from the wreck. 10 minutes pass and it appears that we may have this one. NOT! We no sooner thought it was a done deal when the hook simply pulls loose. Action, but no catches, so far. The next couple of drifts were fruitless as the current went dead slack and the fish have lockjaw.
I made a move to the deep wreck again and found a 1 knot current and drift to the southeast. Not great but moving water of any kind is better than nothing. Devon drops a live one down and then starts a speed jig. Boom! The jig gets nailed and this fish has some shoulders. Austin fights the fish and the fish is fighting Austin. It took a while but he managed to get it boat side and the fish weighed in at 42 pounds. Nice!
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The wreck was active and each drift produced at least 1 bite. John asked if I could extend the trip to a ¾ day for them. Of course Devon and I said “Yes.” We like to fish as much as you do. The very next drift produced a 28 lb fish for Kim.
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We continued on and they were having a ball. The winds died and seas were flat as glass now. Everyone had several rounds on the rods. Live bait and speed jigs both doing their job with the speed jigs working best in the slower currents below. We finished up our day with Amberjack and Almy’s from 5 pounds to 42 pounds with the last fish pulling the scale down to 38 pounds.
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Being from Michigan they don’t catch fish like this. They had been on a lot of party boats and a few charters but never had much success. We had a lot of smiling faces as The BEAST made her run for the barn!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 96
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 5:09 am: | |
We had to cancel our first trip since fishing out of a World Cat. Around the middle of the month we had a Sunday charter and it had been blowing for a few days. I had a bad feeling and a restless night, so I finally crawled out of bed at 4 AM and turned on the PC to check current observations at our closest light house stations. OMG! Winds were blowing from the North at 30 with gust to 33 knots and the ambient temperature was 32 degrees. That equated to a wind chill factor of 22 degrees. At 5:15 the 5 AM readings came in and I saw 32 knots gusting to 36 with seas predicted to be 10 feet. I had to make a major decision since my people were from out of town. I called Todd’s cell phone and regretfully canceled the trip for everyone’s safety. It blew hard the rest of the day and was spitefully cold for Miami. All were thankful we weren’t out there! It has been a good blow ever since with only a few days of lighter winds mixed in.
My good customer Jon called on the 20th and set up for a mental health day on Monday the 25th. Sure enough, the winds started howling again as he hung up the phone. Wonderful, not again! The economy is bad enough without “Mother Nature” throwing a monkey wrench into the works. The night before the trip I was up most of the night checking Fowey Rocks conditions. At 5 AM we were looking at S winds @ 22-25 knot, so it was definitely fishable on The BEAST. Jon and his friend John (easy to remember their names) are good seafarers so it wasn’t going to be a problem.
We all arrived at the dock and unleashed The BEAST at 7 AM. A frontal system was to pass through that afternoon. I don’t like fishing pre frontal conditions, but as Jon said, we’ll take whatever is given us and deal with it. The good thing will be the rougher sea conditions, although from the South, might have the Sails stirred up. We made a stop at our Hardtail spot and collected some big 1-1 ½ # Runners. We blasted out for some Ballyhoo and were pleasantly surprised by the seas which weren’t too bad/ The patch reefs, however, looked like pea soup. Well isn’t this a daisy? We hit 4 different patches spending 15 minutes each and only collected one suicidal ‘hoo. As we ran between patches we could see them scurrying away from the boat but every time we stopped they disappeared. I finally found some clearer water on a deep patch in 40’ and had the Bally’s coming slowly. We managed to catch 2 more before the Terns moved in and the worms ski-daddled. Too much time is being spent on this now. Jon agreed to go with what we got.
As we readied to leave the patch, Jon notices a fish swimming by. Look at that fish, I think it’s a Cuda! Devon quickly made that side of the boat and yelled, “That isn’t a Cuda, that’s a Sail!!! As he grabbed a spinner and one of our 3 ballyhoo, I kept an eye on the fish. He asked me which way to cast and I pointed to where the fish started to sound. Perfect cast and the fish rose, circled the worm and took a few swipes at it with his bill. Devon handed John, not Jon, the rod and told him to wait until he eats it. The bait disappears and John comes tight. Fish on! Just like in the Sailfish 101 text books. The fish was lackadaisical and acted like it hadn’t a clue that he was hooked. It lacked that urgency you see when they are trying to throw the hook. As John quickly worked the fish to the boat we realized why. It was bill wrapped. No… Wait! The line was tied around the bill and the hook was just dangling. Devon got the leader for the catch and with little effort it slid off the tip of his bill. Upon further inspection the leader was tied in a simple overhand knot. Well, there ya go! That good ole granny knot held! Too funny!
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The day was starting out horrible and yet we are 1 for 1 and just pulling away from the bait patch! We backed out of there and headed deeper. Solid 3 to 4 foot seas greeted us with a few 5 to 6 foot swells as guests of honor. The seas were turbid at best, a turquoise green color as far as I could see. The wind is smoking out of the South and there is no current. The next fish ate one of the jumbo Hardtails down deep. Jon worked the fish to the surface and from a distance we thought we might have a Cobia but it turned out to be a small Silky shark. Devon put the grip on it and quickly unhooked him to return to his business. The fishing was slow and we were the only boat as far as I could see. I decided to skirt around a wreck area where we frequently catch Sails on just this type of day. Once again the down rod goes off and John is up. The tug of war lasted about 5 minutes or so and we see color. Dang, a decent winter AJ. That AngryJack weighed in at 29 pounds and worked him pretty hard on the light tackle. Devon made a successful release without venting. Pretty work!
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I scanned the seas relentlessly searching for some tailing fish and never saw a one. We caught and boated 2 big Barracuda. It seems that it is going to be a Caribbean Spotted Mackerel kind of afternoon as the front line got closer. You wouldn’t think the fishing conditions could get much worse when at 2:30 the front line hits us and we are getting pounded by rain and strong winds clocking out of the WSW now. In full rain gear, we toughed it out with seas coming in from the South and rains from the West. The only thing that could make this day any worse would be lightning. NO… We were spared that, although we heard thunder off in the distance. Jon is proving once again that he is a die hard fisherman and his motto is “The best day to go fishing is whenever you can.” As expected, nothing happened during the deluge. As the rains subsided and the sun began to show through we had yet another hook up on the down rod. You guessed it! Another Spotted Mackerel.
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Jon was tired since his flight was delayed and he didn’t arrive in town until 2:30 AM. With only 2 hours sleep, he pulled the plug on the trip. I pointed The BEAST toward the barn and throttled up. Although we had a really crappy day due to weather conditions, we managed to eek out 1 Sailfish, 1 Shark, 1 Amberjack and 3 Barracuda. We always seem to have a good time when we get together, regardless!
This was not the kind of report I wanted to write but I have to call ‘em like I see ‘em! I’m not one who only writes about the good days! If you’re coming to Miami for the Pro Bowl, Super Bowl, or Miami International Boat Show, cut loose and take in a fishing trip while you’re here.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 95
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 19, 2009 - 2:57 pm: | |
I have 2 trips to report on with the last just getting in before this rain and bad weather consumed us. As I’m writing this the rains are torrential and we have up to 10” of rainfall in parts of Miami. THIS… is the dry season???
My wife planned an evening for us and I told her that as soon as she bought tickets to attend, I would get a charter call. You guessed it. Joe Abood called to ask about a trip for that same day and it was the only day he could fish. I couldn’t refuse him so we agreed on doing a ¾ day. We would get some good fishing time in and I could, with some hurry up, still make my date with my wife.
Joe and his friends, Doug, Duane, and Tommy, met us at the dock at the normal 7 AM shove off. Devon removed the tethers and I awakened The BEAST. We made the run to one of our Blue Runner spots and quickly picked up some of those Kingfish candies. I powered up and pushed the cruise up an extra couple hundred rpm’s. We arrived at the Bally patch and the worms came up quickly. We got a good share of hookers, so I tossed the net. The 10’ Calusa net did the trick and the bait process was complete.
We made the short run to the “edge” and put out our spread. The seas were nice at 1-3 feet and everything was in order. Bang! That didn’t take long as Joe was hooked up to a smoker. The line was peeling off the reel and then it was over, just that fast. Cut off the hook. That was obviously a Kingfish. They continued the man rotation, losing fish after fish. Joe even had a Sailfish hooked up and only got 1 jump before it said “I’m out of here!” OK… What’s with the Palm Beach releases, guys?
Duane finally figured it out and kept a nice “snake” Kingfish pinned on. The fish hit the box and we were on the boards.
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We had another fish come into the spread and Duane was hooked up again. Wait.. How did that happen? We’re out of rotation. It was really Tommy’s turn but he was calling his friend Ralph as he leaned over the rail. Duane took Tommy’s turn and brought in a respectable Dolphin to add to their grocery cart.
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The day progressed with a few more, missed strikes, lost fish, and Tommy chumming the water. We fell into a lull for about an hour or two. The next bite got us jump started as Joe brought another “snake” King aboard.
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After Joe’s fish, the last hour was a non stop bite on the downrigger. We caught and boated 2 Cobia that didn’t quite make the size limit, missed a few more bites and then Doug caught another Kingfish.
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Time ran out and reluctantly we had to leave an active bite. This was bitter sweet as the day saw lots of action and leaving during the bite was not what any of us wanted… EXCEPT Tommy. He never had a chance to feel good enough to even catch a fish. He hung in there and didn’t complain, but he sure did count the minutes. He was more than happy that the trip was over.
Yesterday I met Harry and Al at the dock, once again at 7 AM. This trip was supposedly to try and catch some “horse” Ballyhoo for a Bluefin Tuna trip that Harry intended on taking in January. I brought along some of my normal tackle just in case we wanted to go offshore and have some fun too.
We loaded up and cut The BEAST loose. We bee-lined it for a Bally patch that I call Horse ‘hoo. If the conditions are right, it is slam full of very large Ballyhoo. The conditions were marginal and it took exceptionally long to get the worms to show up. We caught a few large ‘hoos but it wasn’t productive enough to waste anymore than 1 block of chum. I set my sights for Bait Central and we made the short run to this patch. The bait came up quickly and we were loading the wells. We made 3 or 4 net throws and had more than enough bait to fish the rest of the day. We had plenty for Al to take home and brine up for trolling baits as well. Unfortunately we didn’t succeed in catching the “horses” that Harry wanted.
We headed offshore to have some fun. East winds at 10-12 knots and 2-3’ seas greeted us. We put out the normal Beast spread and within minutes Harry was hooked up to a decent Dolphin. As we tried to unhook the fish it decided to go ballistic. Anyone who has ever had this privilege, knows what a mess they can make. We had to break out the wash down hose and clean up the boat before we could continue fishing.
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Al was working his speed jig methodically from time to time. He caught a nice sized Bonito and Skipjack Tuna. The down rigger was eerily silent. Not a Kingfish, nothing even touching the live baits sent down below. I started noticing the sonar marking large amounts of fish in 138 feet of water. Zingoweee!!! The d/rigger set at 70 feet, pops off and the drag takes a couple of short but strong runs. I throw the rod under my arm in my redneck bottom fishing style. This fish was amping it for the bottom but I kept the heat on it. I got it away from the bottom but it wanted to stay under the boat. I knew it wasn’t a Kingfish and Harry was thinking ‘Cuda. It’s got the rod thump of the infamous Caribbean Spotted Mackerel, but I don’t think so. There’s color! The silhouette wasn’t long and silvery, it was rather short. A few more feet and I yelled, “Are you believing this? It‘s a Mutton!” We hoisted the 10# Mutton Snapper over the side and into the fish box. Al was already thinking, crab stuffing!
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We were still buzzing about catching this Mutton 60’ off the bottom, when the left long rigger pops the clip. Harry free spooled the fish for a few seconds and then flipped the bail. Now he’s off to the races and a Sailfish peeks his head out of the water. The fight stayed down and dirty as the fish never surfaced or did any of the notorious aerial feats. After a fair amount of time and 3 laps around the boat, the fish comes to the surface at the boat. He seems to be wrapped up somehow. On the second pass I grab the leader and was walking him to the boat for a release when suddenly the whole deal just came loose. Hook and all the leader still intact… it just came loose. Hey, it makes the release a whole lot easier on us and the fish, right?
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Now, the birds that were a little annoying late in the morning, were becoming desperate to eat as the winds and seas began to grow. Good Lord they can be
frustrating, especially the Gannets. The Royal Terns were picking up the baits and even a few of the sharp eyed Frigates were getting in on it. We continued dealing with the birds while we caught a few more Bonito and 3 or 4 dink Dolphin. Several times we had to pick up all the baits and drift, until the birds left us. Then we would go into stealth mode as we put the baits out again. In between all this other action, we had another Sailfish pop up, but he was just doing some window shopping. We finally got a Kingfish bite on the down rigger and I reeled it in and boxed it for Al’s smoker.
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Our nerves were near the breaking point. Every time a bait twitched or moved from a predator fish, the birds would come in on a strafing run like a Kamikaze pilot at Pearl Harbor. We hooked 3 of the Boobies and 2 Terns. We did find out that circle hooks are conservation oriented for the birds as well as the fish. By the way… What is the limit on them? I think it’s 3 of each per boat. JUST KIDDING!!! We finally had enough and picked everything up and ran 4 miles north to try and finish the day. Hopefully we would leave the birds behind. Did it work, you ask? No… hell no! We were still being pestered by 4 or 5 Terns up there and finally caught #3. After catching a Barracuda on the down rod and reaching our patience level with the birds, we called it a day. I pointed the nose of The BEAST towards the barn and made tracks for home.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 94
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 02, 2009 - 9:21 am: | |
Most of our family got together for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday evening and the main topic of conversation was, of course, fishing! Charlie, Missy, and the boys were absent as well as Rita, Scott, and Matthew, because they had to do the other half of their extended families. I had talked to Charlie on Wednesday and he had expressed to me that he would love to do another offshore trip. You see… he is a flats/backcountry type guy. Amy called me on Friday morning and told me that it was a go for Saturday if I was ready. Let’s go!
Saturday morning rolled around and Charlie had duty at the fire house until 7 am so we all met at the dock at 8. Uncle AL, Amy, Devon, me and then Charlie rolled in about 7:45. Everyone was feeling happy and relaxed. The air was crisp from the passing cold front and the winds were calm. Devon realizes he has forgotten his drink cooler. We finished loading the boat while he buzzed home. When he returned we shoved off at what seemed the pace of a 3 toed Sloth. This was a “fun trip” so we are always laid back and leisurely, with no worries.
Our usual stops for Hardtails proved fruitless. This was expected since the temperature had dropped significantly. OK! Let’s do the Ballyhoo patches and hope things go better there. We blasted off and arrived at the worm hole in 15 or so minutes. That was a brisk run! The tide was going slack and the winds were barely pushing the chum out. The worms were hungry, at first! It took us a little while to collect enough hookers and I threw the big ol’ Calusa a few times to fill the wells. Now, we had plenty of bait for the day. Off we go for the wild blue yonder.
We pulled up to hear the radio buzzing with Captains asking each other if anyone, anyone at all, were doing anything. There was virtually no current. Ruh Roh Scooby! That was how our morning went as well. We fed the Trigger fish like we were at the petting zoo, and that’s about all the action we were having. We had the normal 4 line spread on top and Charlie had his “Trout” rod (grins) with him so we put it out on the center rigger, right in the middle of the spread. The downrigger was down looking for Kingfish as well. Nothing. Uncle Al is working the heck out of a speed jig and Devon is working a hair jig/bally combo. Nada! The morning continued into afternoon and we finally had a school of peanut Dolphin come into the spread. One was a Kamikaze and ate the hook. The rest just terrorized the baits and turned their nose up at cut bait too. WOW! The lone fish measured 19 inches. A Monster! We turned it loose to grow up. Another endless time period passed and we managed to catch a Caribbean Spotted Mackerel. These Cudas seem to have my number and we catch at least one on every trip.
Things seemed to slow down even more if you can even imagine that. Charlie was getting bored and whining. He had never caught a Sailfish and was beginning to think that even Devon and the old man couldn’t get him his first one. Tired from running calls all night, he laid down for a nap. We moseyed out to a couple of our Mutton areas. Let’s see if anything on the bottom wants to play. Trust me when I tell you that the current was so slight that the opposing breeze kept us locked in a 100 yard area as if we were on a sky hook. You could sit right on some structure, mark fish, and still nothing. Zilch. Wait. I take that back. Amy did have a fish on for a few minutes until it cut the leader. Yep, what you’re thinking is probably what it was!
Now Charlie is really starting to whine! He’s doubting it is going to happen as 3:30 rolls around. We decided to get back after some topside fish. Let’s make a run to our favorite area for the witching hour. The 4 o’clock hour comes and Charlie is getting discouraged. Devon tells him that it will happen, just be ready. The sun is sinking low when Devon breaks the idle chatter with a blood curdling cry. SAILFISH! SAILFISH on the flat. I look back and see it give up on that bait and haul freight over to the other flat. Devon tries to feed him when I see another fish on Charlie’s rod in the center. The line trips and I yell… center rigger popped off. Amy grabs the rod and hands it to Charlie. OK… REEL!!!!! Get on him, now! The line comes tight and the fish takes off, then turns a 180 right back at the boat on his tail the whole way! I hit the throttles to get Charlie tight again and it is fish on, Buddy! The cameras and camcorder came out of storage. The fish was a gamer, jumping several times as he headed offshore.
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http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/11-28-2009-04.jp g
The fish is putting Charlie to the test and putting a hurtin’ on that little shallow water rod and Stradic 6000. Charlie is huffing and puffing but determined. This fish is working him deep and then comes up for another quick show.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/11-28-2009-05.jp g
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/11-28-2009-06.jp g
Now the fish goes down and barn doors Charlie for several minutes as we poke fun at how hard this fish is working him. You’re burning daylight Dude! He finally gets the fish up for a tag shot and we get the dart in him. Not done yet!
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/11-28-2009-07.jp g
He works Charlie under the boat and then forward off the bow. Staying deep the whole way he manhandles Charlie as Charlie tries to manhandle him. 15 minutes or so and the fish finally comes to the boat for a hook out and release. As Devon gets a grip and the fish is playing possum.
[IMG]http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/11-28-2009-08.jp g[/IMG]
The faint melody of that old nursery rhyme starts playin… POP goes the leader! The fish takes off at cruising speed. I guess he didn’t need to be revived! Ya think!
Here’s a condensed version of Charlie’s Battle Royale on video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JbKsdp4sEs
Let’s get ‘em back in the water and chum out! We put the lines out and sent out the rest of the livies to see if we could get a twilighter.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/11-28-2009-09.jp g
We noticed a ¼ acre of small baits moving south and the birds were wreaking havoc on them. Sardines. Stand ready, it could happen. Uncle Al is deep jigging and his bait gets fouled. Oh Snap, check this out! This is crazy! Either the fish was trying to mate or it eats fish it’s own size.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/025.jpg
We called it a day and I pointed the nose of The BEAST toward the barn. Once again we had a memorable “fun day” on the water with good friends and family. It just doesn’t get any better than this. Congrats on your first Sailfish, Charlie!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Alan Sherman (Shermana)
New member
Username: Shermana
Post Number: 18
Registered: 10-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 01, 2009 - 6:50 am: | |
South Florida Cools Down and the Fishing Heats Up!
Before I get into my WEEKLY FISHING UPDATE FOR SOUTH FLORIDA, MIAMI, OFFSHORE and FLAMINGO I want to wish everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING and hope this Holiday Season brings health, friendship, wealth and great fishing to everyone.
This past week we had two cold fronts pass through the Miami area bringing lots of rain on Wednesday and cool temperatures on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I was able to fish a few times with family members and clients this past week.
On Wednesday the morning rains canceled my fishing charter but then things cleared up so I took my son Zachary out on NORTH BISCAYNE BAY. We started the early afternoon in a light drizzle that gave way to clear skies and calm winds. Bait was tough to find at first but after a little searching we located a large school of MULLET and small PILCHARDS on a large grass flat. TARPON of all sizes, SEA TROUT, BARRACUDA, JACKS, BLUERUNNERS and small LADYFISH were feeding on the baitfish. Fishing with live ladyfish and mullet Zachary hooked a TARPON in the 100+ range that ate the live LADYFISH that was hooked to a MUSTAD ULTRA POINT 5/0 hook. After two spectacular jumps and a couple of long runs the Tarpon wore through the leader material and got away. We continued to slow troll the mullet while casting RAPALA TWITCHIN RAPS and X RAPS. The Twitchin Raps and X RAPS got us lots of hits by the ladyfish, sea trout, jacks, runners and barracudas and we released many before moving on. We fished a few other spots with no success before hitting our last spot where we caught two GROUPERS, three large JACK CREVALLES and lost a few SPANISH MACKEREL on live pilchards hooked to a MUSTAD ULTRA POINT short shank hook and RAPALA TWICHIN RAPS.
Thursday we had a great time with family and friends and ate until we could hardly move.
Friday I fished my son Zach again along with my brother in law George and his son Alexander. We were in SOUTH BISCAYNE BAY and the idea was to fish the FINGER CHANNELS for the wide variety of fish that can be found in that area during the colder months of the year. We cast netted a well full of pilchards and then ran o our first spot with hopes of catching MACKEREL and POMPANO. WE caught JACK CREVALLES and lost a few mackerel before moving on. Hoping from one spot to the next we caught and released easily 40 RED GROUPERS to 17 inches, 4 or five BLACK GROUPERS to 18 inches, at least 15 MUTTON SNAPPERS to 18 inches plus a few bluerunners, grunts and porgies and a 26.5 inch snook before calling it a day.
On Saturday I fished Gene, Bill and Lance again in SOUTH BISCAYNE BAY. The pilchards were scarce on Saturday but we had plenty of live SHRIMP and frozen pilchards for bait. Once again hoping from one spot to the next the guys caught over 30 red groupers, 20 mutton snappers to 16 inches, two black groupers, mangrove and yellowtail snappers, lots of bluerunners, porgies and grunts plus a cero mackerel and a Spanish mackerel. All of the fish caught in the FINGER CHANNELS of SOUTH BISCAYNE BAY were caught on live or dead baits fished on the bottom with MUSTAD 1/0 to 3/0 short shank hooks and the majority of the fish were released unharmed.
I have a few days off now and hope to start filling my calendar with bookings but I like many of my fellow guides and Captains we are feeling the economy crunch like everyone else. Our business costs keep going up and our bookings keep dropping off.
I expect the fishing to be pretty consistent for the next three or four months with lots of SEA TROUT, JACK CREVALLES, LADYFISH, SPANISH MACKEREL, BLUEFISH, GROUPER, BARRACUDAS, SNOOK, TARPON and some POMPANO in NORTH BISCAYNE BAY and OFFSHORE of MIAMI KINGFISH, MACKEREL, SAILFISH and DOLPHINS available on the calmer days and in SOUTH BISCAYNE BAY lots of action from a wide variety of fish like the SNAPPERS, GROUPERS, JACKS, BLUEFISH, MACKERELS, POMPANO, LADYFISH, PORGIES, GRUNTS, SNOOK and BLUERUNNERS keeping anglers busy catching and releasing fish most of the day. FLAMINGO in EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK will have a huge amount of wildlife like the WHITE PELICANS, ROSEATTE SPOONBILLS, SKIMMER BIRDS,GULLS, OSPREYS, EAGLES, TERNS, EGRETS, HERONS, ALLIGATORS, CROCODILES, BOTTLE NOSED DOLPHINS, MANATTEES, SHARKS and TURTLES and of course the wide variety of fish that migrate into FLORIDA BAY and the GULF waters during the cooler months of the year. SNOOK, TARPON, REDFISH, SEA TROUT, SHEEPSHEAD, TRIIPLETAIL, BLACK DRUM, SNAPPER, GOLIATH AND GAG GROUPER, POMOPANO, COBIA, MACKEREL, BLUEFISH and I’m sure I am leaving a few other fish species out will be available to all anglers at one time or another throughout the rest of our FALL and into WINTER FISHING SEASON.
I have a few days off now and hope to start filling my calendar with bookings but I like many of my fellow guides and Captains we are feeling the economy crunch like everyone else. Our business costs keep going up and our bookings keep dropping off.
That catches us up for now!
On a sad note I must take a moment and let all of my loyal readers and listeners of the Florida Sportsman Magazine Live Radio Show in South Florida know that my last radio show was last week and Florida Sportsman magazine Radio Live will air its last radio show here in Miami on October 31st. I have been involved with the radio show for the last eight years, the show was on the air for 12 years and only because of a lack of advertising is this show and three others being discontinued as of Oct. 31st. I want to thank all of our listeners for being there for us each and every Saturday morning at first when we were on WAXY at 8 to 9 AM and then from 6 to 7 AM and then when we left WAXY to go to WKAT at 7 to 8 AM and finally to WMCU from 7 to 8 AM. I want to thank all of our Action Spotters and Advertisers that helped make the radio show number one when were on WAXY 790. I for one am not happy about the show being canceled but the truth of the matter is if there is no income being generated by the show then the show cannot go on. If anyone out there is interested in being a featured advertiser at the cost of $250 a show each week then we can bring the show back on the air. I have been offered a spot at a very good sports minded radio station that is willing to give us an hour on Saturday mornings and for that $250 ad that person would get there name or company's name mentioned as the feature advertiser at the beginning of the show, after each break and at the end of the show. They would also have their name or company's name mentioned on at least one of this radio stations sister station plus the one we were aired on and possibly on a third one as well during week day and weekend programming.
Check out my new web site and to read about the weekly catches and to see your pictures.
www.getemsportfishing.com
Check out my report in the Miami Herald's Sports section under Fishing Updates each Thursday, the Florida Sportsman Magazines South Florida Internet Fishing Report
(www.floridaspotsman.com), my monthly Action Spotter Fishing Report for the South Region in the Florida Sportsman Magazine each month.
I have recently been wearing a lot of Columbia Sports Wear on my fishing charters and the new Blood & Guts shirts are amazing. I have had mackerel, cobia and snook just splatter me with blood and one good washing and the shirts are as good as new. Check out their web site at www.columbia.com
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, Capt. Hank Brown's Hook Up Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Saltwater Assassins, Key Largo Rods, Lee Fisher Cast Nets, Smartshield, Master Repair in Stuart Florida, Power Pole, Stow Master Nets, superfishlight.com, Columbia Wear, Tempress Seating
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
www.getemsportfishing.com.
Field Editor of the Florida Sportsman Magazines Action Spotter Report South Region
Field Editor of the Florida Sportsman Magazines Internet Fishing Forecast South Region
Editor of the Miami Heralds South Florida Fishing Report Thursdays Edition
786-436-2064
Miami Fishing Forecast:
I expect the fishing to be pretty consistent for the next three or four months with lots of SEA TROUT, JACK CREVALLES, LADYFISH, SPANISH MACKEREL, BLUEFISH, GROUPER, BARRACUDAS, SNOOK, TARPON and some POMPANO in NORTH BISCAYNE BAY and OFFSHORE of MIAMI KINGFISH, MACKEREL, SAILFISH and DOLPHINS available on the calmer days and in SOUTH BISCAYNE BAY lots of action from a wide variety of fish like the SNAPPERS, GROUPERS, JACKS, BLUEFISH, MACKERELS, POMPANO, LADYFISH, PORGIES, GRUNTS, SNOOK and BLUERUNNERS keeping anglers busy catching and releasing fish most of the day. FLAMINGO in EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK will have a huge amount of wildlife like the WHITE PELICANS, ROSEATTE SPOONBILLS, SKIMMER BIRDS,GULLS, OSPREYS, EAGLES, TERNS, EGRETS, HERONS, ALLIGATORS, CROCODILES, BOTTLE NOSED DOLPHINS, MANATTEES, SHARKS and TURTLES and of course the wide variety of fish that migrate into FLORIDA BAY and the GULF waters during the cooler months of the year. SNOOK, TARPON, REDFISH, SEA TROUT, SHEEPSHEAD, TRIIPLETAIL, BLACK DRUM, SNAPPER, GOLIATH AND GAG GROUPER, POMOPANO, COBIA, MACKEREL, BLUEFISH and I'm sure I am leaving a few other fish species out will be available to all anglers at one time or another throughout the rest of our FALL and into WINTER FISHING SEASON.
Target Species:
Snook, Redfish, Tarpon, Sea Trout, Snapper, Grouper, Mackerel, Cobia, Pompano, Kingfish, Sailfish, Dolphins |
Capt. Alan Sherman (Shermana)
New member
Username: Shermana
Post Number: 17
Registered: 10-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, November 19, 2009 - 1:24 pm: | |
I apologize for the lapse in fishing reports lately but that happens when I am busy and that is the reason I have not written recently. Fishing has been very good despite the crazy weather we have had recently. I operate my business from a 22’ Pathfinder Tournament Edition Bay Boat that is powered by the most dependable outboard engine on the market. A Yamaha F-225 Four Stroke outboard engine! This boat and outboard along with my Continental Trailer and my Chevy Avalanche SUV allow me to go where ever the fishing is best so my anglers can get a shot at catching the fish that are most numerous in South Florida. In the past three weeks I have fished as deep as 850 feet of water offshore of Miami to North Biscayne Bay, South Biscayne Bay and Flamingo and just a few days ago I was in Islamorada where I participated in a Media Event sponsored by Rapala, LaSiesta Resort and Marina in Islamorada, Flying Fisherman Sunglasses, Florida Sportsman Magazine and Jones and Company for three days. I am back in Miami now and ready to get out and catch some fish.
Check out my most recent fishing catches in the middle of this report. Some outstanding catches and action took place on most of these charters.
Fall like conditions continue to play cat and mouse with one week having strong winds caused by Tropical Storms and Hurricanes and the next week a cold front rolls in and temperatures drop into the 50’s. I am going out on a limb but I think we finally are out of the summer pattern that has been hanging on for so long. Look for fall like conditions to take hold in South Florida and migratory fish like the mackerels, bluefish, large jack crevalles, ladyfish, larger sea trout that are out of season, snook , tarpon, pompano, and snapper and grouper to be biting in North Biscayne Bay and South Biscayne Bay.
Offshore when the weather allows me to go offshore Spanish mackerel, kingfish, dolphins, sailfish and blackfin tunas should be waiting for us.
Flamingo is where I will be doing a lot of my charters due to the wide variety of fish that can be targeted and all of the sightings of numerous varieties of birds plus the manatees, dolphins, alligators and crocodiles. On the warmer day’s snook, tarpon, redfish, tripletail, trout, and jacks and ladyfish should be easy. On the cooler day’s sheepshead, black drum, cobia, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano, goliath grouper and permit will be waiting for my clients on the fringes of the Park.
There is still plenty of time to take advantage of what looks like a great season of Fall and early Winter fishing in Miami and South Florida.
I want to take a moment to thank Bob and Mark at Shallow Water Customs at 4455 NE 10th Avenue, Oakland Park, Florida 33334 (954) 772-1172. I had a few issues with my electronics onboard my Pathfinder and these guys jumped right on the problems and in no time had me up and running. Thanks Bob and John!
RECENT CATCHES:
Today I am in Flamingo with Armando, Matt and Shaushang. We start out casting Hook Up lures tipped with a Gulp shrimp on a grass flat and immediately start catching sea trout, jacks and ladyfish. The action is hot but I need to be at another spot to hit a tide. We set up at the next spot and right away hook a good fish that turns into an estimated 80 pound tarpon. The fish takes monster run jumps twice and the line gets cut by something. Many casts later and after releasing three snook lots of jacks, ladyfish and sea trout we move on. Next spot we catch a nice tripletail then on to the next where we release a nice permit, lose a big fish when the hook pulls and catch over a dozen mackerel.
Back on the water but it’s a local trip with one of my most favorite regulars Jerome C. We start out in North Biscayne Bay and after catching some finger mullet we jump six tarpon and release two plus a 30 pound shark and a few sea trout. All of the fish are caught on Mustad Circle hooks and live mullet. A monster school of large mullet is holding on a flat next to us and 100 pound tarpon are crashing into them whenever they want. The action slows and we head offshore where we find two groups of dolphins and land seven in the 10 to 15 pound range on live pilchards fished on Mustad Ultra Point 4/0 hooks. A school of fish starts breaking the surface nearby and we land an Arctic bonito on a Rapala Skitter Walk. While cleaning up the boat we throw two more baits out and one closest to me gets hit and the fish is a 30 pound sailfish. Soon after that strike we hook another sailfish in the 50 pound class. We release both sails and the action dies off and we head inshore where we catch a mangrove snapper on the reef and now it’s time to head into the bay where we have a few minutes to fish before we head in. In the bay we hit a nice shoreline and for the next 45 minutes we get hit by one snook after another releasing eight out of twelve that we hooked.
The winds are starting to blow today and we are in North Biscayne Bay. I have Raffi and his buddy Gabriel onboard. Tarpon are on their mind and the fish don’t let us down. For the first two hours of the trip we release one out of seven tarpon that we had in the air. All on mullet! The guys seemed to enjoy watching the silver kings jump more than bowing to the king causing the hooks to fall out of the tarpons mouth. Next spot produces a bunch of trout and small snappers caught on live pilchards. Next spot its one jack crevalles after another. Raffi is catching his jacks on the Rapala X Rap and Gabriel is using live pilchards. Next spot we lose four more tarpon all on big live mullet. Last spot we catch and release two snook to 28 inches on live pilchards hooked to a 3/0 Mustad Ultra Point hooks.
Back in Flamingo with Keith and his brother John. It’s very windy today and we have no choice but to fish a wind protected area. Casting Hook Up lures tipped with a Gulp shrimp in three feet of very dirty water all day long the guys managed to catch and release close to 12 snook, lots of jacks and ladyfish and trout and land two redfish in the 22 to 27 inch range.
Back in Flamingo today with John and his buddy Russ in winds that are steady at 25 and gusting to 30. We stay with the same game plan as we had a few days ago. Wind protected shorelines and coves and ended up catching and releasing one small snook missing at least four others, released a redfish and many sea trout, jacks, ladyfish and catfish.
Last charter this week is again with John and Russ and today we are in North Biscayne Bay. The water is like white mud everywhere we go but we fish anyway. It’s a tough day producing a number of small barracudas, three nurse sharks and two mutton snappers of which one was 5.5 pounds.
On Tuesday I headed down to Islamorada to participate in the Media Event I mentioned earlier. On my way I stopped in on a meeting being held in Key Largo on Amendments 17A and 17B. If you have ever bottom fished offshore for snapper, grouper, amberjack or any other species you might want to check out this web site http://www.safmc.net/Portals/6/Newsletters/Fall09Update.pdf. These Amendments if passed will eliminate all bottom fishing from the Carolinas south to Key West and out to the Dry Tortugas. It sounds impossible but check out the web site to see for yourself what has been proposed. You have until November 25th to comment on the web and to contact your Congressman to let them know what you think.
After checking into the Resort and having a nice time at the Happy Hour talking to many inshore and offshore guides plus lots of outdoor writers and the representatives of Rapala, Jones and Company, Suffix, Flambeau, Storm, Trigger X, Williamson Lures, Flying Fisherman, LaSiesta Resort and Marina and Florida Sportsman Magazine I headed for my room so I could get up at 6 AM for breakfast and the meeting that would last till 11:30 AM. Lunch was served and then we headed for the Marina where we were hooked up to our offshore and inshore guides. I got to fish with captain Matt Bellinger of Bamboo Charters, The winds were still blowing and the water was dirty so we headed to a basin and threw Rapala Clackin Raps, X Raps and Storm Curly Tail soft plastics. For the next few hours we caught and released lots of ladyfish, sea trout, jack crevalles, skip jacks and a nice cero mackerel. After another great Happy Hour and a fantastic meal and some more fishing stories it was time to get some sleep for day three. Today I am with captain Greg Poland and the weather is very stormy with a cold front on its way. We decide to stay close and fish for bonefish with Trigger X shrimp but before we can wet a line a rain squall hits and we take off for the nearest bridge. We wait the storm out and then hit a flat that has a nice channel between it and another flat. Casting a new Rapala Flat Rap we had hits by lots of barracudas, mangrove snappers and then I got the hit I was waiting for. The strike was hard and immediately I could tell it was a solid fish. After many long runs along the edge of the flat and going under the boat and engine three times the fish came to the surface. A beautiful snook! We high fived and took pictures in the water out of the water and then released the fish. As we got ready to resume fishing we realized we were surrounded by storms and about to get soaked. We ran for the dock just before the rains started.
That catches us up for now!
On a sad note I must take a moment and let all of my loyal readers and listeners of the Florida Sportsman Magazine Live Radio Show in South Florida know that my last radio show was last week and Florida Sportsman magazine Radio Live will air its last radio show here in Miami on October 31st. I have been involved with the radio show for the last eight years, the show was on the air for 12 years and only because of a lack of advertising is this show and three others being discontinued as of Oct. 31st. I want to thank all of our listeners for being there for us each and every Saturday morning at first when we were on WAXY at 8 to 9 AM and then from 6 to 7 AM and then when we left WAXY to go to WKAT at 7 to 8 AM and finally to WMCU from 7 to 8 AM. I want to thank all of our Action Spotters and Advertisers that helped make the radio show number one when were on WAXY 790. I for one am not happy about the show being canceled but the truth of the matter is if there is no income being generated by the show then the show cannot go on. If anyone out there is interested in being a featured advertiser at the cost of $250 a show each week then we can bring the show back on the air. I have been offered a spot at a very good sports minded radio station that is willing to give us an hour on Saturday mornings and for that $250 ad that person would get there name or company’s name mentioned as the feature advertiser at the beginning of the show, after each break and at the end of the show. They would also have their name or company’s name mentioned on at least one of this radio stations sister station plus the one we were aired on and possibly on a third one as well during week day and weekend programming.
Check out my new web site and to read about the weekly catches and to see your pictures.
http://www.getemsportfishing.com
Check out my report in the Miami Herald's Sports section under Fishing Updates each Thursday, the Florida Sportsman Magazines South Florida Internet Fishing Report
(www.floridaspotsman.com), my monthly Action Spotter Fishing Report for the South Region in the Florida Sportsman Magazine each month.
I have recently been wearing a lot of Columbia Sports Wear on my fishing charters and the new Blood & Guts shirts are amazing. I have had mackerel, cobia and snook just splatter me with blood and one good washing and the shirts are as good as new. Check out their web site at www.columbia.com
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, Capt. Hank Brown's Hook Up Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Saltwater Assassins, Key Largo Rods, Lee Fisher Cast Nets, Smartshield, Master Repair in Stuart Florida, Power Pole, Stow Master Nets, superfishlight.com, Columbia Wear, Tempress Seating |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 93
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 16, 2009 - 1:52 pm: | |
Saturday was a welcomed relief. We have had some incredibly intense winds for the past week or so. The winds had finally begun to lay back towards the end of last week. Roberto Lopez, a local from the SW Kendall area, wanted to treat his son, Roberto Lopez, to a fishing trip for his excellent academic scores. Little Roberto is 14 and a freshman at Coral Reef High School. The weather looked good so we booked the date.
We all met at the dock a little early and the two Roberto’s hung back while Devon and I loaded and prepped the boat. Everything ready, we told the double R’s to come aboard. Devon directed them to the dry storage for their personal bags and the iced cooler for their food and drinks. The Suzuki’s were purring as I guided the big “Cat” out of the slip. I discussed the normal routine and possible expectations for the day as we idled, like a herd of turtles, down the manatee zoned channel.
I throttled up on the 600 ponies and The BEAST let out a growl as we came up on plane. At cruise speed she went back to purring and I pointed her toward one of our favorite Hardtail spots. We stopped there and picked up a dozen or so baits before we headed out for some Ballyhoo. You can never have too much bait and it’s not a bad thing to have different types as well. Once again I ponied up and headed for the ‘hoo patches. Arriving there about 15 minutes later, Devon set out the chum bag and cut some bait. The Bally’s were slow in getting up to the chum but once they crawled into sight they were eager feeders. We caught several dozen on hooks and put them in the other live well. Getting more stupid by the minute, the 10’ Calusa net made short work of a couple dozen worms that had gotten too comfortable while feeding. We quickly dispatched them into the Hardtail well. Off we go into the wild blue yonder!
Arriving on the grounds, after the short run, we found the seas to be about 1-2’ with a residual ground swell of 3’ or so. The skies were blue, the winds were NW at about 10-12 knots, and there was only a trickle of current to the north. Man, what a beautiful day! Devon quickly put out the usual spread of 4 up and 1 down. Little R told us he had never caught a Dolphin and really wanted to catch one. OK. Last trip we had several and this time of year it is not unlikely to encounter them. Well… the morning began painfully slow. Triggerfish (Ocean Tally) were tearing up the baits if I got in too close to the edge, and we had several misses on the down rod. There were 10 -15 boats in the area and the radio was buzzing. Captains were asking each other if it was happening for them. The answers were so very predictable. “Haven’t seen a thing other than Triggers”. Oh Boy, this is just great! As we approached the noon hour we had used up a bunch of baits with only one Trigger on the hook. A few other boats had an occasional Kingfish and there was one boat that had 2 or 3 Dolphin. One or two boats have seen a Sailfish pop up here and there with only a scant couple of these fish being hooked up. Slow! Slow! Slow!
I was beginning to remind myself that we hadn’t had this much trouble catching fish, in a long time. Too long to even remember! Was this going to be the day I paid my dues for all of our past successes? Man, I sure hope not! Devon broke out our lunch and he remarks that eating a sandwich is always a sure fired way to get a hook up. I hope so! We were half way through eating lunch when I made a turn up current and noticed something on the rigger. Crap! It’s another Trigger! Suddenly Devon yells, ”SAILFISH!!! Sailfish on the short flat line!” It’s a small one that is having trouble catching the bait! Devon grabs the rod and free lines the bait back until the fish picks it up. He hands the rod to Little Roberto and tells him to engage and begin reeling until the circle hook finds its mark. Good job! We’re hooked up, Boys! As I reposition the boat, I hear the long rigger pop off then begin free spooling line. Big Roberto! We got another fish going here! Same drill. Engage and reel until the line comes tight. Bada Bing! That’s a DOUBLE!!!!!! The second fish is a good one. Little R has his fish close to the boat and I see that Big R’s fish is screaming line and heading offshore. A minute later and the line is down to less than a third of the spool. I told Devon we had to get after the second fish, NOW! He quickly leaders and unhooks the small 10# Sailfish for Little R on his first ever “Snooter”! I turned the bow towards the other fish and pushed the throttles up a bit to help gain back some of the line. The fish is jumping way out there in front of another boat. Nice fish! After we regained the majority of the line, Big R stayed in control of the fight. This one was an active fish, with many acrobatic moves. Roberto maneuvered the fish boat side and Devon grabbed the leader. That’s a catch, guys! I tried to place a tag but the fish wouldn’t give me a good, clean shot. He made a short strong run pulling the leader out of Devon’s hand, but Big R led him back to the boat. Once again, Devon has the leader and tries to maneuver him for the tag. POP, goes the leader! No tag but definitely a catch. Pretty work, Double R’s!!!
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/11-14-2009-02.jp g
The boat that was offshore of me, hailed us on the squawk box. As it turns out it was a friend of mine, Al Gonzales, who was also hooked up on a fish. He said he was heading in after they boated his fish so we made plans to transfer his bait over to us. The water is still too warm and the worms are soft. They don’t last as good as when the water is chilly. Not to mention that we had spent most of the morning feeding our worms to the Triggerfish. As we waited for Al to get his fish, our down rod goes off. Little R works the rod and Devon puts the steel to a “snake” Kingfish.
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Al moves in and passes his bait over to us, then blasts off to go home and watch the football game. Thanks again, Al! The Sailfish bite was smoldering but the Double R’s would rather get Little R a Dolphin catch since that would be another “first” for him. Not a problem… I’ll up the odds and meander out into some deeper water. The down rod pops off and Little R catches an 18-20 pound Barracuda or better known on the BEAST as a Caribbean Spotted Mackerel. Sounds more glamorous, no?
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/11-14-2009-04.jp g
Things slowed for us again as we had worked much farther north. The radio chatter was telling of the Sailfish bite heating up again, down south. We pulled the lines and made a run for it. Setting up and still looking, more for Dolphin than anything else, it never hurts to place yourself in an active area. We continued on searching for our elusive Dorado. As time passes we find ourselves north again. I had another area in mind and as we pulled into the area, the down rod goes crazy. Little R climbs onto the rod and the fish takes him for a ride. Wow! If this is a Kingfish, it’s a nice one! 7-8 minutes later we see color and it is long with a lot of silver flash. It’s one of two could be’s! It could be a King or it could be a Cuda. As Little R gains line and gets it up towards the surface we see the latter is the case. Oh my God! That is a grande’, Dude! Devon hand lifts the fish aboard and if it wasn’t for the teeth and lack of USN markings I would’ve thought he just grabbed a torpedo! Every bit of 40+ pounds of muscle and teeth! Nice job, Little R!
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With the departure time upon us, I asked Devon to dump the baits. Let’s see if we can make something happen, a last hoorah, if you will. The down rod goes off again and once again, Little R grabs it. This fish felt stronger than the last so hopefully we have something better this time. Nope! Up comes another Caribbean Spotted Mackerel. Although it seemed tougher than the last one it wasn’t quite as long and about 10 pounds shy in weight too. Oh well… what would you expect a Coral Reef High School student to catch more of? Ironically… Barracudas of course! After all, it is their school mascot!
As I turned the bow of The BEAST toward the barn we see a Sailfish free jumping about 150 feet in front of us. No story here. We dumped all the bait, remember! We cruised in and Big Roberto remarked that we tried our best to get the young one a Dolphin. He said that It just means he’s going to have to keep his grades up so they can come back after one, again!
By the way… The holiday season is fast approaching. Think about it! A fishing charter for that special someone, could be that unforgettable gift you’ve been searching for.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 92
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 08, 2009 - 6:58 pm: | |
I received a call from one of our customers that fished with us last May. “Gimpy”, Ed Conway, wanted to fish a couple of days with us again. He booked Thursday and Saturday. If you remember back to my report from June 1 of this year, Gimpy was the guy who fished 3 days with a cast on his leg. He was minus the cast but still had a slight tell-tale limp.
Thursday arrived and Gimpy was at the dock at 6:30. He brought along a friend from S. Cal. They were beat up from jet lag and staying up all night drinking. Also with them was my favorite of the old group, “Papi” Julio Sr., the 76 year old Viejo from N. Miami. This was going to be fun if nothing else.
The weather forecast was for a passing cool front with a 50% chance of rain and increasing winds from the NNE. We finished prepping at 7 AM and Devon and I unleashed The BEAST from its lair. We exchanged pleasantries and discussed the past trip of a few months earlier. As we idled out through the channel, we noticed acres of mullet being swept by the tides and wind, across the low spots in the jetty. Devon grabbed the cast net and beat it for the casting deck as I positioned The BEAST for a throw. He loaded the net and made a toss. Holy Mullet, Beast-mate! He hit the Mullet Mother-lode! It took both of us to pull the net aboard. Ed and I quickly grabbed the smaller of the baits and put them in the starboard live well, while Devon grabbed a dip net to scoop the bulk of the larger fish back overboard. Mullet slime everywhere! The next 5 minutes were spent cleaning up the boat deck and ourselves.
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We had about 50 nice baits in the well already, so I powered up the horses and headed for one of our Hardtail spots. I figured we would top that well off with a few prime Runner baits. We put about 8 Hardtails in the well with the mullet and, once again, I powered up the 300 Zukes and made our way for our favorite Ballyhoo (worm) patch. Arriving there about 20 minutes later we remarked about how it was actually rougher in the Bay than it was outside. Devon put out the chum and cut some bait as the ’hoo slowly gathered. We quickly put about 2 dozen “hooker” worms into the port live well. The worms kept slithering closer toward the boat and the chum bag, growing less wary as they fed. I wanted to end this last bait gathering process quickly so I grabbed the 10‘ Calusa net and loaded it for a toss. With the cockpit clear, I waited a few minutes until the bally’s gathered tight and then let the net rip. I tossed a pancake that crushed ’em! Devon and I pulled the net aboard and quickly loaded the worms into the well. Let’s get out of here and go fishing, Boys!
Arriving on the edge, Devon quickly set out a 4 top side spread with 1 line down. We had no sooner settled down and remarked about all the Frigates and Terns working the water, when the 2 outrigger lines got smashed. Ed grabbed one rod and Bruce the other. Nice! A bull Dolphin and his cow! The guys played them well and we boated, boxed, and iced them down.
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As we set out our next spread, the weather front was approaching us and we were having some light rain and the winds were beginning to get up. We hooked up a couple more chubby Dolphin and boxed them as well. This time of year the fish migrating south from their northern summer waters are fat and sassy. I refer to them as “Carolina Dolphin“. Even the well fed “schoolie” sized fish are keepers, making a good meal rather than a sandwich.
The frontal line crept over us but the rain was light to moderate at best. It only lasted, off and on, for about an hour. The winds, however, were getting stronger and turned out of the NE as the front passed us. The 20 knot winds were building the seas to 5’ and the current was running strong into the wind. I had to keep jogging the boat to the NE to keep the lines tight. Bada Bing! The shortest flat line takes off and we are on a fish. Circling deep, we figured we had a Tuna. Sure enough. As the fish made it’s way to the boat we see we have a decent Skipjack Tuna, which we bled out, and iced down immediately.
The d/rigger produced a couple of Kingfish. They were not very lengthy but they were fat and I do mean fat. A couple more dolphin bites and then the downrigger line starts screaming. Papi was waiting for this one. The fish was a good one as Papi takes a light touch approach. Oops! That didn’t work as shortly into the fight the fish is gone. Get ‘em next time Papi! That didn’t take long as the deep rod once again pops off. As the fish came closer to the boat it looked like a nice Cobia, at first. Nope! When it came close enough to get a good look at it, we realized we had a small Sharpnose Shark on instead. Can’t win them all.
As the afternoon wound down towards evening the winds were getting stronger and the seas were building to 6 and 7 feet. The BEAST was stable and safe, providing a good fishing platform even under these increasingly adverse conditions. Devon worked a speed jig in an area that we know holds Muttons from time to time. I’m marking fish, Devo! Bam! Fish on! Each of the guys managed to bring aboard a Mutton Snapper, only one of which was better than legal. The other 2 fish were borderline so Devon vented them and sent them back home.
We called it a day since the box was heavy with fish for Gimpy’s squad. They were satisfied, darkness would soon be upon us, and Mother Nature was not going to slack off. I turned The BEAST towards home and she dug in her claws, showing her forte’ to everyone aboard. Running rough water!
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Gimpy and his group were supposed to fish with us again on Saturday but the winds were relentless. NOAA was calling for 30 knot winds and 8-10’ seas with a small craft advisory in effect. Considering our “safety first” attitude, the only option for Saturday would’ve been to anchor on the lee side of the islands and fish for sharks. Not exactly what we wanted to do so Ed and I mutually decided to cancel the outing. It’s better to fold than play the hand we were dealt!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Alan Sherman (Shermana)
New member
Username: Shermana
Post Number: 16
Registered: 10-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 30, 2009 - 6:52 am: | |
October is nearly over and the great fishing that I have been talking about for the past three weeks hasn’t really materialized as I had described it. This is due to the unusually hot conditions that we are experiencing this Fall. Because of the very hot conditions it looks good that we will see a Fall fishing pattern that could reach way into December. Finally this past week signs of the Fall Migration getting under way in South Florida have been apparent. My last five charters took place in North Biscayne Bay, South Biscayne Bay and Flamingo in Everglades National Park and provided all of my clients with a lot of action from a wide variety of marine species. These last clients are the fortunate ones, the ones that have benefitted by the extra action that a migration of baitfish and predators can provide this time of year.
Fishing in North Biscayne Bay has provided my anglers with action from tarpon, large jack crevalles, sea trout of all sizes, large mangrove snappers for the bay, barracudas, sharks, bluerunners and Spanish mackerel. Large schools of pilchards and Spanish sardines have been holding in the Bay attracting these gamefish.
South Biscayne Bay has been active with Spanish mackerel to six and a half pounds, bluerunners, jacks and some nice gag groupers. The snappers, groupers, bluefish, ladyfish and pompano have yet to move into the Finger Channels but that will change as soon as water temperatures get below 80 degrees.
Flamingo has had great action from tarpon, snook, redfish, sea trout, pompano, snapper, jacks, ladyfish, sharks, tripletail, Spanish mackerel, pompano and permit in Florida Bay and the Gulf and in the back country of Whitewater Bay snook, redfish, sea trout that are golden in color, ladyfish, jacks, snapper and goliath groupers have been eating our Gulp baits hooked to a Hook Up lure along with Rapala Twitchin Raps and X Raps.
Offshore fishing is producing Spanish mackerel and bluefish, jacks and ladyfish along the beaches and kingfish, dolphins, skip jack tuna, sailfish and snappers outside the reef.
Here’s the nice thing as of this writing we have had just one significant cold front come through South Florida and water temperatures are still holding in the 80’s. It will take at least three or four strong fronts to get the baitfish schools that are holding north of us to make the run south. Looks like that will start to happen real soon.
There is still plenty of time to take advantage of what looks like a great season of Fall and early Winter here off of Miami in South Florida.
On a sad note I must take a moment and let all of my loyal readers and listeners of the Florida Sportsman Magazine Live Radio Show in South Florida know that my last radio show was last week and Florida Sportsman magazine Radio Live will air its last radio show here in Miami on October 31st. I have been involved with the radio show for the last eight years, the show was on the air for 12 years and only because of a lack of advertising is this show and three others being discontinued as of Oct. 31st. I want to thank all of our listeners for being there for us each and every Saturday morning at first when we were on WAXY at 8 to 9 AM and then from 6 to 7 AM and then when we left WAXY to go to WKAT at 7 to 8 AM and finally to WMCU from 7 to 8 AM. I want to thank all of our Action Spotters and Advertisers that helped make the radio show number one when were on WAXY 790. I for one am not happy about the show being canceled but the truth of the matter is if there is no income being generated by the show then the show cannot go on. If anyone out there is interested in being a featured advertiser at the cost of $250 a show each week then we can bring the show back on the air. I have been offered a spot at a very good sports minded radio station that is willing to give us an hour on Saturday mornings and for that $250 ad that person would get there name or company’s name mentioned as the feature advertiser at the beginning of the show, after each break and at the end of the show. They would also have their name or company’s name mentioned on at least one of this radio stations sister station plus the one we were aired on and possibly on a third one as well during week day and weekend programming.
That catches us up for now!
Check out my new web site and see your monthly catches and pictures.
www.getemsportfishing.com
Check out my report in the Miami Herald's Sports section under Fishing Updates each Thursday, the Florida Sportsman Magazines South Florida Internet Fishing Report
(www.floridaspotsman.com), my monthly Action Spotter Fishing Report for the South Region in the Florida Sportsman Magazine each month.
I have recently been wearing a lot of Columbia Sports Wear on my fishing charters and the new Blood & Guts shirts are amazing. I have had mackerel, cobia and snook just splatter me with blood and one good washing and the shirts are as good as new. Check out their web site at www.columbia.com
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, Capt. Hank Brown's Hook Up Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Saltwater Assassins, Key Largo Rods, Lee Fisher Cast Nets, Smartshield, Master Repair in Stuart Florida, Power Pole, Stow Master Nets, superfishlight.com, Columbia Wear, Tempress Seating |
Capt. Alan Sherman (Shermana)
New member
Username: Shermana
Post Number: 15
Registered: 10-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 30, 2009 - 6:50 am: | |
October is nearly over and the great fishing that I have been talking about for the past three weeks hasn’t really materialized as I had described it. This is due to the unusually hot conditions that we are experiencing this Fall. Because of the very hot conditions it looks good that we will see a Fall fishing pattern that could reach way into December. Finally this past week signs of the Fall Migration getting under way in South Florida have been apparent. My last five charters took place in North Biscayne Bay, South Biscayne Bay and Flamingo in Everglades National Park and provided all of my clients with a lot of action from a wide variety of marine species. These last clients are the fortunate ones, the ones that have benefitted by the extra action that a migration of baitfish and predators can provide this time of year.
Fishing in North Biscayne Bay has provided my anglers with action from tarpon, large jack crevalles, sea trout of all sizes, large mangrove snappers for the bay, barracudas, sharks, bluerunners and Spanish mackerel. Large schools of pilchards and Spanish sardines have been holding in the Bay attracting these gamefish.
South Biscayne Bay has been active with Spanish mackerel to six and a half pounds, bluerunners, jacks and some nice gag groupers. The snappers, groupers, bluefish, ladyfish and pompano have yet to move into the Finger Channels but that will change as soon as water temperatures get below 80 degrees.
Flamingo has had great action from tarpon, snook, redfish, sea trout, pompano, snapper, jacks, ladyfish, sharks, tripletail, Spanish mackerel, pompano and permit in Florida Bay and the Gulf and in the back country of Whitewater Bay snook, redfish, sea trout that are golden in color, ladyfish, jacks, snapper and goliath groupers have been eating our Gulp baits hooked to a Hook Up lure along with Rapala Twitchin Raps and X Raps.
Offshore fishing is producing Spanish mackerel and bluefish, jacks and ladyfish along the beaches and kingfish, dolphins, skip jack tuna, sailfish and snappers outside the reef.
Here’s the nice thing as of this writing we have had just one significant cold front come through South Florida and water temperatures are still holding in the 80’s. It will take at least three or four strong fronts to get the baitfish schools that are holding north of us to make the run south. Looks like that will start to happen real soon.
There is still plenty of time to take advantage of what looks like a great season of Fall and early Winter here off of Miami in South Florida.
On a sad note I must take a moment and let all of my loyal readers and listeners of the Florida Sportsman Magazine Live Radio Show in South Florida know that my last radio show was last week and Florida Sportsman magazine Radio Live will air its last radio show here in Miami on October 31st. I have been involved with the radio show for the last eight years, the show was on the air for 12 years and only because of a lack of advertising is this show and three others being discontinued as of Oct. 31st. I want to thank all of our listeners for being there for us each and every Saturday morning at first when we were on WAXY at 8 to 9 AM and then from 6 to 7 AM and then when we left WAXY to go to WKAT at 7 to 8 AM and finally to WMCU from 7 to 8 AM. I want to thank all of our Action Spotters and Advertisers that helped make the radio show number one when were on WAXY 790. I for one am not happy about the show being canceled but the truth of the matter is if there is no income being generated by the show then the show cannot go on. If anyone out there is interested in being a featured advertiser at the cost of $250 a show each week then we can bring the show back on the air. I have been offered a spot at a very good sports minded radio station that is willing to give us an hour on Saturday mornings and for that $250 ad that person would get there name or company’s name mentioned as the feature advertiser at the beginning of the show, after each break and at the end of the show. They would also have their name or company’s name mentioned on at least one of this radio stations sister station plus the one we were aired on and possibly on a third one as well during week day and weekend programming.
That catches us up for now!
Check out my new web site and see your monthly catches and pictures.
www.getemsportfishing.com
Check out my report in the Miami Herald's Sports section under Fishing Updates each Thursday, the Florida Sportsman Magazines South Florida Internet Fishing Report
(www.floridaspotsman.com), my monthly Action Spotter Fishing Report for the South Region in the Florida Sportsman Magazine each month.
I have recently been wearing a lot of Columbia Sports Wear on my fishing charters and the new Blood & Guts shirts are amazing. I have had mackerel, cobia and snook just splatter me with blood and one good washing and the shirts are as good as new. Check out their web site at www.columbia.com
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, Capt. Hank Brown's Hook Up Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Saltwater Assassins, Key Largo Rods, Lee Fisher Cast Nets, Smartshield, Master Repair in Stuart Florida, Power Pole, Stow Master Nets, superfishlight.com, Columbia Wear, Tempress Seating |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 91
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 29, 2009 - 12:23 pm: | |
Devon called me on Friday and asked if he/we could take his Uncle, Al Godding, out on Saturday for his 56th birthday. Sure, no problem, Uncle Al is always welcome as long as he brings me a pouch of his dehydrated mangos. Al retired from the Fire Dept. about a year ago and has become a full fledged fishing maniac who is now a permanent member of the “fun trip“ team on The BEAST.
We didn’t want to leave real early, or too late, so we agreed to meet at the dock at 7 AM. After leisurely loading the boat, we finally untied the anxious BEAST. Our first stop was one of our bait spots. We caught a few Hardtails but they weren’t there as good as usual so we pushed on to Spot #2. There we found a few more and had enough in the livewell to satisfy us. OK boys and girls, let’s go see if we can fill the starboard well with some worms! I slowly pushed the throttles down and climbed to cruise speed. We were off like a herd of turtles.
We ran the patch reef waters to one of our favorite spots, only to find a couple of guys diving. NO flag on the boat and only one small dive flag in tow behind one of the guys, that kept turning upside down in the water. Smooth move, Exlax! That‘s a good way to get yourself killed! We idled out of the area and pushed on to another patch.
Arriving at our “dink ‘hoo” spot we set out the chum bag and after a very short while we started to get the bait up. The dinks were there and we caught several on hook and line, then I got out my 10’ Calusa net and whacked ‘em! We topped of the tank with a few more hookers and went on our way. The forecast was for S winds at 5-10 with a 30% chance of rain. Yeah right! So far we have spent the entire morning in light, drizzling rain with winds out of the ENE at 10-15. Occasionally, we could peel off our jackets for a few minutes. The only thing in the forecast that was correct was the seas at 2’ or less. Meteorologists are the only people I know of, that can be wrong 75% of the time and still keep their job!
We deployed our first baits at 10 AM to start our day. I don’t think it was 15 minutes and Bada Bing, we had our first customers. A pair of Dolphin came in and busted up the spread. Al was hooked up to a bull and Amy had the cow on her line. They were not that big but very respectable none the less. After several minutes of playing over/under with the rods the fish came to the boat. This duo fell side by side into our fish box. The bull weighed in at 15 pounds and the cow was 9 pounds. The dinner bell was already ringing and the day had just begun.
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We restored the spread with fresh bait and Al broke out those dried Mangos. Man, they are good! We started talking about what we wanted to catch and someone mentioned Cobia. Well, let’s not get carried away with our wish list. As if on cue, the down rigger blows off and the line makes a short fast run. Amy was almost duped into believing the fish had gotten loose when the line came tight on the surface. What the heck! As if it were summoned, a Cobia comes into view. No way! We were just talking about that! Amy boats the Cobia and although it was a few inches short of legal it was a Cobia on the boards. Uncle Al held the fish overboard for about 5 minutes until it regained its composure and then he let it swim off! Nice job Amy, and pretty work on the release Al.
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The downrigger was reset and began to get a workout. We caught a couple of “Snake” Kingfish and then a Cero Mackerel too. The Kings were all in the 5-6 pound category but that’ll work! We managed to grab a Caribbean Spotted Mackerel (Cuda) during this spree as well. During all of this, Al had broken out a speed jig and managed to jig up a Red Grouper!
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BAM! The downrigger gets rocked and the line is screaming! Alright. What do we have now? Amy grabs the rod and gets a short fast run again, then it suddenly gets that heavy, sluggish feeling. Sharked? She tells us that the line is heavy, but no telltale movement. When the leader arrives at the surface we see a portion of a nice Kingfish. Look at that! Of course the nicest King gets nailed by a Cuda! A dog eat dog world out there, I tell ya! The remaining front end still weighed 10 pounds.
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Once more a bait gets hammered by a nice Dolphin and Devon works the fish. The fish appears to be larger than the other 2 we have in the box. Things are going well and Devon is doing his thing when suddenly, for some unknown reason, the fish comes unpinned and gains his freedom. Tough luck Bro! We can’t catch them all. Right?
After this short but sweet feeding spree, we fell into a lull and continued searching for the mysterious 70% of sunshine as predicted by our mistaken forecasters. So far we had only found that 30% chance of rain. Trying to spark up a bite, we dropped the downrigger much deeper. I noticed a bite, but it didn’t trip the clip. Devon picked up the rod to check it, popped the clip, and said there was something on it. When it came to the surface we were surprise to see that a decent Yellowtail had eaten the ‘dink’ ballyhoo. The slow period continued which triggers Devon and Uncle Al to, once again, begin working the speed jigs. A strike here and there and Al manages to catch a couple of Mutton Snapper, almost back to back. Mmmm Mmm! Al is smelling that crab stuffing as he puts the larger Mutton in the fish box. Nothing goes to waste with Devon and Al. They will eat fresh fish 4 times a week, when available to them!
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Time has run out! We needed to quit fishing and head in between 3 and 4 o’clock so Al could get cleaned up for his B’day dinner that night. With plenty of edibles in the box, we pulled lines, stowed gear, and made tracks for the barn. As we harnessed the BEAST to her lair, we recounted the trip. We had a V-8! A variety of fish equaling 8 different species, not counting bait types. We always seem to enjoy our casual, laid back, ‘fun trips’. More often than not, the outcome is catching, not fishing!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 90
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 19, 2009 - 1:31 am: | |
One of my good customers, Jon, called me early in the week and said he needed a mental health day. This means he wanted to go fishing by himself with no clients to entertain. He asked if I was available in 2 days, I was, so we reserved the date. He wanted another shot at some Swordfish because his freezer was empty. The last 2 times he came down for the same purpose, we failed to fill his grocery cart. He told me he was packing one of the many coolers he had bought previously to carry fish home, when his wife stopped him. In her wisdom, she told Jon that every time he comes prepared, we fall short of our mark. If he had to buy another cooler, she would pay for it!
Jon arrived with a severe case of business flight jet lag. Countless hours in airports and on flights throughout the weeks had taken its toll. He arrived with a 6 pack of 20 oz. diet Coke, a 4 pack of Red Bull, and an Italian Sub. When I asked him about that he said he was going to need everything possible to stay awake. Devon wasn’t joining us since he was a bit under the weather. Jon has about 50 or more trips with me in the past 10 years, so I felt he knew the drill and could assist me if need be.
I loaded the boat and Jon iced down our drinks and sandwiches. 5:30 PM and I untied The BEAST and turned her out. I eased the throttles up to cruise and we made way for the Hardtail spots. After collecting 6 big Runners, I eased the throttles up, once again, for a nice leisurely run out to the Sword grounds. We arrived on point just as darkness was beginning to set in. I shut down to neutral and got the floats, baits, and rods, set up as I checked our drift line. OK… 3.5 to the NNE.
I ran back down, passing the drift point to allow more drift time to deploy all the baits. I also adjusted for the drift direction so we would pass over my intended targets. Full darkness has set in and I started putting the baits out at 8:11. First float rod went out with a live Hardtail. Second float bait went out with a Squid. The forward tip rod goes down with another squid. The aft tip rod is going down with a Mackerel and suddenly the forward tip rod begins to walk away. 9 minutes into the drift, not even done setting up, and its FISH ON! Jon grabs the rod as I hurriedly begin to bring the aft tip rod up. Jon says the line is slack but this is not his first rodeo folks. He continues to crank mercilessly as the fish must be rising to the surface. There’s the light about 50’ out! Now the fish is only about 85’ from the boat and it decides to put some pressure on Jon. A meager controlled run to say the least. What do we have? Is it a Sword or one of those Night Sharks? I now have the other tip rod cleared and the fish is trying Jon a bit harder, under the boat. Jon works the fish up and I get the light off, only 25 feet to go until we have the leader! Yeah Boy, it‘s a Sword! Although a bit smaller than I care for, Jon questions its legality. Man, no doubt it’s legal. I leader the fish to boat side and notice that the hook is deeply embedded in the gut. OK, Brother, case closed on this one, he’s going home! Your shopping list is full, and it’s only 8:30. I grabbed the heavy stick gaff and gave him a head shot. The fish came aboard quietly. I broke out the measure and it ruled in at 50” and weighing an estimated 65 pounds. Not a monster by any stretch, but definitely an eater!
SWO10152009FL239
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We dropped the fish in the fish box and iced it down. Then we noticed the float lines were astern. WHAT? Someone in the process of boating or moving that fish to the box had bumped the electronic shifters into gear. Yup! Prop wrap! Just wonderful! That is one thing I don’t like about the electronic shift. Too easy to engage. I spent the next 30 minutes trying to unwrap the braid line and ultimately ended up having to pull the prop! Everything back to status quo we set up for another drift with the purpose of a tag and release on the next fish.
We’re set up again and Jon says he learned something new. What’s that? He said, never drink 3 Red Bulls and eat jalapeno peppers on your sandwich. He was still very tired but now had the worst case of heartburn, ever! Heartburn and all, we continued fishing that drift until 10:15 with no bites. We pulled the gear to make a move to my shallow drift and I noticed that the Mackerel had taken a slash hit which gutted it. Neither of us had the slightest hint that it had happened.
I was about to head towards our next drift point when Jon asked how long the run was to get in. I told him our estimated ETA. Jon apologetically stated that he had a very early morning meeting and was way too tired to go past midnight. He didn’t want to fight the fatigue since he already had a fish. Jon said “Let’s go home!“… “No problem, Jon.“ I pushed the fuel to the Zuke 300’s and pointed The BEAST towards the barn. We enjoyed a short, but sweet, night on the Darkside!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 89
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 11, 2009 - 6:04 pm: | |
It’s been a while since my last report. We had an unusual collapse to the Cubera Snapper season. For some reason they got lockjaw in September and we finally gave up fishing for them around the middle of the month. I had one remaining trip on October 3rd with our return customer, Seth. He called a week before the trip to check in. I explained what was happening out there and suggested we do a trip on the “Darkside” for Swordfish instead. Seth had been following my reports and was appreciative that I was straight up about it. He was “all in” for a Sword trip instead.
Devon and I met Seth and his friends, Dave, Jim, and General at the dock around 5:30 PM. We loaded their gear and blasted off at idle speed through the manatee zone. A typical summer eve with the normal scattered storms over the city.
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We stopped and picked up some Hardtails for live bait on our way out. An easy run offshore and we were at my starting drift point about 7”ish”. Devon had rigged all the baits on the run out and once I checked our drift, we got started. 2 float rods and 2 tip rods with a pitch bait at the ready.
We made a long drift in the deep water and nothing happening. Not a tick or click. No slashed baits. Nothing! Contrary to normal full moon techniques, I decided to try my shallow drift. We headed in to 1000’ and set the baits out again. Nothing! Nada! Zilch! Both drifts were good, although not ideal, at about 1.5 knots with a light easterly breeze. The deep drift had us pushing in and the inside drift had us pushing out. We had time for one more drift and I gave them the option to pick up and try the deep drift again or retry the inside drift. After we discussed the possible adjustments, Seth chose the inside drift. I made the run for a reset on the shallow line. I adjusted by coming way inside of my usual starting point. Seth though I was a bit too shallow but as the drift continued he saw that we actually passed over the good structure. Still not a bite, not even a look! WTH! This is some boring fishing on nights like that. Time was running out, but the moon was overhead, so I extended the trip. The clock ticked away. As we were all looking at each other with that, “It’s not going to happen!”, no one could pull the plug to call the trip. As Devon was beginning to clean things up and put gear away, he walked by the mid depth tip rod. It started to click off, slowly! Devon startled everyone when he screamed, “FISH ON!” I yelled back to feed the fish until Dan got on the rod. OK, push the drag up. Dan feels the fish for a minute then the line goes slack. Gone? NO… The fish broke water at the back of the boat, on the other side. The light is right there! REEL! The line starts to come tight as the fish circles passed us at the edge of our boat lights. Nice fish, no doubt about being legal length. Now the line is dragged around the motor skeg as Dan and Devon work the rod around the bow to the other side. I shut down the port motor and tilted it out of the water to free the line. It worked. REEL! Get all that slack line reeled up, Dan! The fish once again comes to the boat, having no idea that it has eaten a bait with a hook, yet. He passes so close as he goes under the side of the boat towards the bow. A good 100# fish. Jim says “Gaff ‘em!” No way, Bud, that fish is so green we would be fighting him in the boat! The line is finally tight and the drag is running now. SNAFU! Less than a minute and the fish turns and pulls the hook. Dang! If it weren’t for bad luck we wouldn’t have had any luck at all. That’s fishing!
We packed it in and made the run home as everyone was getting very tired! I guess you can’t win them all.
Friday, my best friends and I decided to head out for a fishing trip. Trollin’ Tom, Uncle Al, and Harry, met me at the dock at the crack of 9. We headed out for a fun day of simply trolling for whatever would bite. I unleashed The BEAST and we made our way out of the channel and blasted off to get some live bait, just in case. With a dozen good sized baits in the well, I powered up the 600 ponies and made the run outside. The winds were up compared to the last week or so. Seas were about 3’ or so as we made our way across the sloppy water on the edge. We ran offshore and the water was clean until we hit about 400’ where there was some scattered weeds. I shut down to trolling speed and we put out the baits. We put down 2 planers rods for Wahoo or whatever, along with 4 surface rods. We trolled and talked, ate sandwiches and talked, and then we talked and trolled, reversing the cycle. The day was slow, so far.
I made it out to 600’ when I decided to bring it back in towards the edge. If nothing else we could end the day live baiting for some Kingfish. Our first fish was one of those dreaded Caribbean Spotted Mackerels, Ol’ Snagglepuss, that nailed a planer bait. Releasing the Cuda, we continued on. Next up was a football sized Blackfin! No release here, that one is going home. I love eating them. As we were bleeding him out I got too close to a lobster marker. Crap. We hung up both deep rods and as we were trying to clear them we had a cluster beginning with the surface rods. All 6 lines in a mess. Systematically, we cleared and recovered them all. OK… let’s not do that again! We exchanged 2 of the baits for some of Trollin’ Toms, handmade daisy rigs. Good choice here! We caught a couple of micro Bonito that Harry boxed to use for Sword bait. It seemed like this was going to be a day of smaller sized fish. BAM! Suddenly the rigger line gets crushed. Harry jumps on the rod and a nice Dolphin takes to the air! Wow… that’s better! On the second jump we get a better look at this fish and it’s a Bull that had grown considerably since the first jump. Al, Tom and I clear lines as Harry works the rod on this drag pulling fish. When we finished clearing the deck, I grabbed the 30# spinner and pinned a Hardtail on it and pitched it out the back as far as I could. Bump! Here Uncle Al, I think we have another. Al takes the rod as I make my way back to the helm. Nope, nothing there! NOW there is! As line peels off the free spool. Al, slams the bail shut and we have a DOUBLE! A decent Cow comes out of the water. Game on Boys! Harry worked his fish to the boat and I got the bigger gaff out. I lined up for a head shot and as I was pulling the gaff, this Bull makes a turn under the boat, to dodge it. Not today! I swiftly sunk the gaff in whatever it hit. The gaff found home about midway in the Bull and I hoisted it over the side, head down. The fish whacked me, upside the head, as I lowered it over the gunnel. I takes more than that to knock out this 250# Salt, and I laughed as I dumped it into the fish box. Let’s get Uncle Al‘s fish now. She comes boat side and Harry wants to show me how to gaff a fish. Go for it. He gets a head shot on this fish that just laid in position waiting to get stuck. Nice job, Harry! We let the Cow join her mate in the fish box. Pretty work, guys! We just scored a pair of nice Dolphin, the Bull weighed 30#’s and the Cow was a respectable 19#‘er. Now we’re all smiles. We opened the box to dump ice on the fish when we saw the beautiful blue color of the Bull. Quick, get a picture of that!
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We added another football Blackfin and 2 more micro Bonito to our list of caught fish. At 5 PM we packed it up and pointed the bow toward the west for the ride home. A good day was had by all, with some really good eating thrown in for good measure!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 88
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, September 03, 2009 - 10:32 am: | |
Last weekend was a busy one. We had tough conditions while fishing for an even tougher opponent.
Friday we met up with John and Ben Cotrone for their long anticipated Cubera Snapper hunt. These brothers have wanted to catch one of these critters for a long while now and so far have been unsuccessful.
We met at the usual start time and turned The BEAST out! They wanted to do some jigging too, so they brought 4 of their high tech 5’ Chinese, unlimited rating, jigging rods, with Stella, Saltiga, Accurate, and Torsa reels. They also brought along a bag full of the pretty and expensive jigs. I pointed the bow toward the cricket farm and we were off like a herd of turtles. Arriving on Spot 1, we tossed Devon into the water. As we drifted along he collected 4 bugs in short order and we pulled him aboard because the depths were reaching his effective limits. On the next dive, Devon worked his magic and caught 9 more. Dang he’s good! With enough baits for the evening, I headed out for the warm up wreck to test the fancy gear that John and Ben had brought along.
The wreck was active with some very large AJ’s. Each drift resulted in some massive strikes, with 4 fish coming aboard that weighed in the upper 30’s. We had 2 or 3 other fish that freight trained us into the wreck. These fish were totally unstoppable even with the drags maxed out on these strong little bruiser reels. Unbelievable! Time to go after the Nasties!
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Arriving in the area a bit early, we tried some jigging, but no strikes. The drift was humping at almost 4 knots. Not good! Darkness fell and the Nasty’s slowly started to show. Drift #1 was extremely fast but we did have a small fish bite, but no hook up. I had to make some serious adjustments. We had to get down and dirty, only fishing 1 rod per drift. Drift 2... KaBoom! A massive strike on our cricket and Ben is doubled over. After several minutes of tug o’ war a 50# fish thuds on the deck.
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Drift #3 had John at the rod. We weren’t marking a bunch of fish but we did get a nice bite and John scored with a 25#’er.
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I fired back up to the drift point and Ben was up again. The Red Devils were loading up in areas now and Ben gets the nod. BaBoom! He is hooked fast to another good’un! Once again the scenario plays out and a 40# fish comes aboard.
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As quickly as it began, it shut off. We went through a lull for about an hour, when just as quickly as it shut off, they started another feeding binge. Bada Bing! John works a 38# fish to the boat. These brothers are in heaven!
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Each successive drift resulted in a crushing bite. Wham! Bam! Whomp! Catch one, miss one, the story goes. A 38, then the fish of the night, a 55#‘er, and a smaller 20# fish. We even straightened out a hook on a Snapzilla!
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The guys had enough! They threw in the towel and tapped out! We went 6 for 11 and quit in the middle of this heated bite! It was a good night. We kept the 25# fish and a 40# fish that we couldn’t get a good release on. The other 4 fish were vented and released to do their thing. I do believe that John and Ben had a great time.
Saturday was with Paul Storti and his friends, Luis, Brenden, and Craig. A good group of guys who fished with us last year. Of course, we did the usual formalities and took off. We loaded one well with Hardtails and did the lobster thing. Devon was awesome once again and we jerked him out of the water when he had caught enough for the night.
We ran to our favorite jigging wreck and the current was again moving out to the North. A few drifts before sunset resulted in a 41 and a 50 pound Amberjack and a small Almaco Jack. The AJ’s were vented and released.
As the sun set, I headed The BEAST for our intended target. Conditions were less than favorable with a westerly wind and a 3.5 knot current. I tried everything possible to work my drifts, to no avail. With each adjustment, the boat would just get out of shape. Fishing in this was extremely tough, almost impossible. We joked around a lot but as time passed the mood got a bit somber. So far we had managed to lose 3 rigs without a bite. Then one of the live wells went down. Great! With 1 crowded live well, I kept hunting for better conditions and willing fish. Finally! A small bunch of fish that would bite in an area that had slightly better conditions. We missed the first bite and then several drifts later, Craig got hooked up on a nice 29 pound fish.
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A few more passes and another missed bite. Another drift or two and Brenden gets the hook up! Good deal! After several minutes of grunting, we boat a decent 34 pounder!
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The wind turned out of the North and the bite, if you want to call it that, turned off again. We worked overtime trying to get Paul and Luis a fish. It just wasn’t going to happen so we finally packed it in for the night. 2 for 4, we tucked our tails and headed for home. You can’t win them all and that’s why Paul had scheduled another trip.
Sunday, Devon and I met with Seth Ebel and his group, Randy, Chris, and General. Yes, that’s really his name, General! And yes, jokes were just too easy! All were attempting to get their first Cubera except General who had caught one years ago. The same scenario played out at the bait shops. We caught our Runners and Crickets in a little over an hour. Devon is good!
The guys wanted to do some Yellowtail fishing before dark. We went to a wreck and did a few drifts for some speed jigging first. It was a bit slow, but they managed to catch a small Almaco, a Bonito, and a large Barracuda. Enough of this, let’s go ‘Tailing. The current on the edge was “ripping”! I put out the chum bag, and chummed out a half a bag of old Silversides. These guys were Head Boat Yellowtail Pros! 3 at the stern drifting bait back and one on the gunnel bottom fishing. The best bottom bite was a small Coney Grouper and Blue Parrotfish. Man, it is beautiful but what a standout freak of nature. What was the Lord thinking when he made that one?
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DUCK! WATCH OUT! General and Seth had some exaggerated hook sets for Yellowtail, even running halfway up the deck while doing so. They said it was necessary in that current. I had no argument there as they pulled in 20 nice ’Tails. Yeah, Randy caught a few too with more normalcy in his fishing. We almost had to pry their hands of the light rods when darkness arrived. I pulled anchor and headed out for the evening “Nasty” hunt.
Arriving, in the area, we found conditions a slight bit better than the last 2 trips. The current was still moving along at 3 mph but the winds were lazy and following the current. This should be more workable. The bite was a bit slow in coming but when it did, Kaboom, it was game on. We missed 2 bites on the crickets and then Randy gets the first hook up. He manages to bring his to the boat and we are on the boards with a respectable 35 pound fish.
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A couple more drifts and we locate another biter and Seth gets the nod. This fish comes aboard a little bit easier, not that easy, and Seth gets a 25 pound notch on his belt. We were going to release this fish until we saw one of its gills was broken loose from the throat latch. We weren’t sure whether this was a previous injury that had healed (not bleeding) but we didn’t want to turn this fish out to die and go to waste!
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We worked a bit more and hooked up again, to a Barracuda! That‘s a bit unusual. Things slowed down a little when finally Chris gets the nod! Fish on… and it’s a good one! Chris has a bad elbow and a bad finger (severed and reattached) and the Blue Runners had already whooped his butt! This fish was doing a number on him. He finally gets it boatside and Devon pulls it over the side. Chris admits he almost handed the rod off several times after successive runs by this fish. NICE! A 56 pound fish lays on the deck as we hurry to get the pics, authenticate the weight, and vent it for a good release. Hold up! Not so fast! The fish refuses to sound so we back down on it and bring it aboard again and reinsert the venting tool. Eliminating all the air completely, Devon puts the fish on the lipper and we tow it around for several minutes until it gives us the tail stroke signal that it’s ready to go home. Devon opens the lipper and he/she beats a hasty retreat to the depths. A few hoots and hollers filled the air as well as some high 5’s for a job well done!
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The night slowed to a crawl with General missing 1 or 2 bites. We are way past time now, it’s getting late, real late, and their 36 beverages are gone! General didn’t get his fish but he was good with that. I pointed the bow for the barn and hauled butt. I was flushing engines and cleaning gear while Devon was cleaning fish. The guys broke out another 1 ½ cases of beer left behind in the cooler. You see, they had a method to their madness. Devon and I had a couple of beers with the guys as they showed us the true meaning of “Pounding Brewski’s”! We finally had to almost run them out of there at 6 AM so we could finish our work and go home to bed. WOW! What a crew this was! We all had a really good time catching pounds of eating fish and having tons of fun! Yes, they are welcomed back on The BEAST, anytime!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 87
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 24, 2009 - 6:54 pm: | |
This past weekend we had Cubera Snapper trips on Friday and Saturday night. The weather was beautiful and warm with light winds and calm seas.
We met up with David Auerbach and his buds, Ed, Dave, and Jared. There was excitement in the air as everyone arrived on time. Devon unleashed The BEAST and we made our way out through the channel. We took some time to catch some Hardtails and tossed 9 of them in the live well. Although nothing compares to live bugs, it’s always good to have a backup. I set the big cat’s throttles on “purr“, and we made our way out to the patches for some real nasty bait. Visibility was good and we tossed Devon overboard. It took a bit longer and a couple of stops but he managed to put his hands on 13 bugs. Let’s get out of here and go fishing!
The guys opted to do some speed jigging and had brought along some of their specialized jigging rods. The first wreck we hit had produced several fish. Bonitos, Bar Jacks, etc. were setting the mood for the night. The second stop was another session of jigging as the sun is getting close to the water. This stop warmed the guys up for the night, catching a big HorseEye Jack, Amberjack, and an Almaco or two if my recollection is correct.
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As the sun goes out of sight we made the run to Cubera town. We arrived at our destination and several boats were already working. I made a few passes around to get an idea of what was going on down below and then stopped to check my drift line and speed. WOW! A very light current at about ½-1 mph. I repositioned for drift 1 and Devon fired 2 crickets down. Nothing happened. We continued making drifts but all we could muster was losing 3 rigs and baits to the bottom. The fish were not in the mood. One hour passes, the second hour passes, hmm, the fish are there but it still wasn’t happening. A couple more drifts and a major adjustment when suddenly it all breaks loose. Bam, Boom, for the next hour it was helter skelter and we managed to catch fish from 18# up to 50#’s.
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This chaotic fish fest had everyone fired up. It was past quitting time and we had gone through all our bugs and some of the fish baits. I decide to keep on fishing and take advantage of this melee’, using up the few remaining baits.
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When we finally called it quits, we had used up all 22 baits. The group was fired up and said that the trip was well worth it and exceeded all expectations. We kept saying we caught 7 for 15 hooked up but when I reviewed the pictures the next day, we had actually caught 8 fish. A slow start but a phenomenal finish!
Saturday night Jorge Marquez a repeat customer from last year, arrived with his friends, Santi, and Carlos. Carlos was the guy that caught the 76¼ monster, last year. We made a few comments about going for an 80# fish this time. Same as usual, we untied The BEAST and made our way out. Once again the weather was cooperating beautifully. We caught a few fish baits before making our way out to the cricket farm. Once we arrived at one of our bug bait spots, we let Devon start doing his thing, collecting them. Oh Boy! Things were slow, real slow! Only 2 lobster in the well at the first spot. We pulled him aboard and headed for spot 2. After some time in the water, we only had 4 bugs in total and Devon came aboard. He said there were many shorts and even more “eggers”. That’s just great! OK, let’s try an old spot of mine from many years ago. We got there and in the next 20 minutes Devon grabbed 9 more. Whew! Man… it was getting late and I was sweating the bait situation! The guys were itching to go jigging, too.
We hit the first wreck and Devon and I gave the guys some tips on how to work these speed jigs to get consistent bites. We caught 2 really nice Yellow Jacks, 1½ Bonito and a Caribbean Spotted Mackerel (Cuda).
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The second wreck produced 3 fat Almaco’s and the sun was fading fast. We packed up the jigging gear and made our way to the main destination.
Approaching the area we see 3 other boats already there and I began my normal routine. The fish were spread out and thin. The current was ripping at 2½ - 3 mph. This is not good guys, it’s going to be very hard to correctly present the baits. The guys brought there own gear, so we put the rigs on them and began our night. We struggled drift after drift, trying to keep the baits in the strike zone. 4 times we had gotten hung up and lost everything. I made adjustment after adjustment and couldn’t even draw a half hearted bite. The fish were there! They just had lockjaw. Monotony is setting in as we continued to make one blow-by drift after another. The current was so strong that each drift lasted only a few minutes, no matter what we did to counteract it. My plotter was turning black with so many track lines from the numerous drifts. Most of the other boats have left the area and I can’t say that I blame them because it appeared they were doing a lot of standing around in the cockpits too! It’s past quitting time, I’m miffed and I am not leaving until I get one! I made a wide return swing and found a group of fish that were closer to the bottom and hopefully feeding. As I set up for that drift I noticed the wind has now shifted, coming from the SW. The current slowed to a light 1 mph and we got a bite! The rod bent over, but only for a second. He came unpinned! Dang it! This scenario played out 3 more times with the same results. 0 for 4, it’s after 1 AM and I am dejected. A couple more drifts and it’s apparent that the only thing biting now were a few mosquitoes that arrived 5 miles offshore with this westerly wind. That’s just wonderful… just flipping great!
Jorge called the trip because he knew I would’ve stayed out there. He said “It was very obvious that we did all that we could do…It’s fishing!“ I was still upset with myself and second guessing everything. Devon calmed me down by reminding me, once again, that sometimes, no matter what we do, it just isn’t meant to be. I knew that this night was coming! We were on a great run and it came crashing down. How can 2 successive days be so utterly and completely different? I have had some time to reflect, while eating my “Humble Pie”. It doesn’t taste good and I don’t like it! The next trip will be a mission of revenge and vindication. Look out, El Nasty, I’m coming!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Alan Sherman (Shermana)
New member
Username: Shermana
Post Number: 12
Registered: 10-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 19, 2009 - 10:49 am: | |
This is the summer and as summers go business is normally off due to the high heat and families taking a well deserved vacation. This summer is no different than others so the fishing reports have been on the thin side.
The best bet for me recently has been fishing in Flamingo in Everglades National Park. In my last report I stated that fishing in Flamingo was off and as of last week where I had opportunity to fish Flamingo three times I found the fishing to be just the opposite.
On My first trip last week with Jack and his friend Lucy we fished around some of the Keys and missed a nice snook on a Hook Up lure tipped with a Gulp shrimp and released a few small trout before moving to an area that holds lots of bait this time of year. After a few quick casts we had all of the pinfish and ballyhoo that we needed and headed offshore where we anchored in a few interesting spots and caught a nice mangrove snapper and a lane snapper plus a bunch of jacks and a couple of bluefish and a bunch of sharks including an 80 pound nurse shark caught on 10 pound spin by Lucy before the action slowed down. On the way to the next spot we saw a few nice tripletail free floating but could not hook up. We headed to a small creek where we released two small snook and then a school of tarpon moved in and started feeding on a school of menhaden. As hard as we tried we could not catch one of those tarpon. We had a ten pound tripletail swim right to us but ignored every offering before it went on its way. On to the next spot but before we got to it we spotted a number of free floating tripletail and ended up catching two keeps out of five that we saw. Lucy caught a nice tripletail on a ¼ ounce Hook Up lure tipped with a Gulp shrimp and Jack caught one on a Cajun Thunder and a live pilchard. We saw a cruising cobia that followed our Hook Up lure but split the scene before we could throw a pinfish to it. At our last spot Jack released a 26 inch snook caught on a pinfish and then both Lucy and Jack caught 22 inch redfish on pinfish before we call it a day.
Today I have Lucy and Jack again and the weather is horrible. A big storm is sitting over Florida Bay and ends up staying there all day. We ran out, caught bait and headed north to get away from the weather. At our first spot we released three small snook before Jack hooked up with a nice 25 inch snook and then Lucy hooked a good fish that turned into being a Goliath of about 10 pounds. A great fight on light tackle. Lucy hooked up again and this fish turned into a big sawfish that we were able to get to boat side but not o the surface. The fish was on 10 pound line and just would not let us see more than its tail and fins before breaking the line. The storm started to threaten us again so we headed further north and ended up in Whitewater Bay. Jack hooked a nice snook on a Cajun Thunder and a live finger mullet. That snook was 28 inches and 9 pounds. We released trout, jacks, snappers, ladyfish and had shots at six free swimming redfish before calling it a day.
Wednesday and Thursday I participated in the Lobster Mini Season and we ended up with a total of 55 tails for the two days.
On Saturday I was back in Flamingo with Paul, Bob and Ethan. Our first spot was a hot with the guys catching six redfish to 27.5 inches and released over 10 snook all caught on Hook Up lures tipped with a Gulp shrimp and Rapala X Raps. We caught and released quite a few snappers plus ladyfish and jacks. At one time we had a school of over 200 redfish swimming all around us. Unfortunately after each angler had hooked up the fish spooked and left the scene. The rest of the day we were running from storms but did have many shots at tripletail that were free floating and managed to land a nice 10 pounder caught on a Cajun Thunder and a live pinfish.
Today I have Manuel, his son Manny and Manny's buddy Carlos and we are in Flamingo again. After heading out into Florida Bay we immediatley are faced with a huge rain squall that is slowly pushing to the north. We take a few minutes and catch a well full of pinfish, ballyhoo and a few pilchards before heading north. The storm is still in our way so we stop on a grass flat and cast some Hook Up lures tipped with a Gulp shrimp. In no time the guys are catching sea trout, snapper, gag, grouper, ladyfish and jacks literraly on every cast. After an hour or more of hot action the tide runs out and its time to move on. The storm is still around and in our way and again we decide to fish short of my origional destination. As we approach our new spot I see a tripletail and we catch a nice six pounder and then we see another four or five more before they dissapear. The area I had intended to fish was still in the rain squall that looked like it would stay in that area all day and did. We headed closer to the marina to see if we could find the snook and redfish that we had had action from a few days before. The action was slow for over an hour and we kept moving around and then just before laeving the area we tried one more spot and bang we were into the fish. For the next hour or so the guys had a big redfish, snook or jack on their line till it was time to go in. These fish were eating a dead ballyhoo or live pinfish attached to a Hook Up lure.
Well that catches us up for now!
Give me a call and let's go fishing!
786-436-2064
Check out my new web site and see your monthly catches and pictures.
www.getemsportfishing.com
Check out my report in the Miami Herald's Sports section under Fishing Updates each Thursday, the Florida Sportsman Magazines South Florida Internet Fishing Report (www.floridaspotsman.com), my monthly Action Spotter Fishing Report for the South Region in the Florida Sportsman Magazine each month or tune into the Florida Sportsman Magazines Live Radio Show on 1080 WMCU on the AM dial or listen on the internet at www.1080wmcu.com every Saturday morning from 7 to 8 AM and here the up to the minute fishing forecasts from some of the top Capt.'s in South Florida like Capt. Jimbo Thomas on the Thomas Flyer, Capt. Bouncer Smith on Bouncers Dusky, Capt Skip Bradeen on the Blue Chips Too out of Whale Harbor Marina, Capt. Wayne Conn on The Reward Fleet, and more.
I have recently been wearing a lot of Columbia Sports Wear on my fishing charters and the new Blood & Guts shirts are amazing. I have had mackerel, cobia and snook just splatter me with blood and one good washing and the shirts are as good as new. Check out their web site at www.columbia.com
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, Capt. Hank Brown's Hook Up Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Saltwater Assassins, Key Largo Rods, Lee Fisher Cast Nets, Smartshield, Master Repair in Stuart Florida, Power Pole, Stow Master Nets, superfishlight.com, Columbia Wear
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
www.getemsportfishing.com
Host of Florida Sportsman Radio Live/South
1080 WMCU AM Saturdays from 7 to 8 AM
786-436-2064
Miami Fishing Forecast:
Fish early and get the best results and remember our fishing in South Florida can and will change at the drop of a hat.
Target Species:
Snook, Tarpon, Redfish, Cobia, Kingfish, Dolphins, Permit, Sharks |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 86
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - 4:07 pm: | |
Joerg Jager, from Germany, booked us for 2 days of Sword fishing. He decided to split them, taking a day off between. We met at the dock at 6 PM and blasted off a few minutes later. The seas were running about 2-3’ and we had a nice cruise out to the deeper water. Arriving at my favorite drift site, I quickly checked the drift and the line looked very good. The drift was a bit fast at a little over 3 knots and the easterly breeze was pushing us in a little.
Devon and I readied the lines and I motored us back upstream to the starting point. We set out our spread. Everything is looking great as we drift by all the good spots of previous trips. We drifted for a good while and the sonar was showing that we had moved well into a non-productive area. Pull ‘em up! Our short float line came in, slashed in half. We never saw any indication of a bite! I powered up The BEAST and made our way south for another drift. This time I set my drift a little deeper to start, trying to prolong the drift over more productive bottom.
Once again, we set out the baits and began the monotony of drift fishing for Swordfish. Nothing much to do but wait, have a little conversation, listen to some reggae, and crank the tip rods up and down. I noticed during the first drift that Joerg was very quiet. During the second drift we was even more quiet and was nodding off to sleep. Nothing is happening and complete boredom has set in now. Suddenly Joerg bolts to the gunnel and starts yelling for “Ralph”. Oh Boy! It might be a short night. Devon and I started discussing the matter, trying to decipher what is going on and what we could change, to up our odds. Joerg is still bent over the rail. We had drifted this line twice for almost 2 hours with only one slashed bait. Strike that! We pulled our lines and found that the deep tip rod had gotten whacked but never once was there any indication of it either.
The game plan gets changed since Joerg is refusing to give it up, I moved to my “go to” drift. Three of the lines already deployed and the deep rod is going down. About 50 feet from its destination I feel the bite. Joerg takes the rod and the fish is swimming to the boat! Reel, Joerg, reel! The line gets tight. He’s feeling the fish’s weight. Suddenly the line goes limp and the fish is gone. Crap! SNAFU! What happened? The bait is intact, just a bit worse for the wear! “Quick, drop it back down, Devon!” Again 50 feet from our desired depth, Devon says, “He ate it!” OK… Feed him! Feed him! Devon let the fish have it until Joerg was ready and then pushed the drag up. FISH ON! Joerg danced one full lap around The BEAST. Well, it looked similar to dancing because he left his sea legs back at the dock! Other than a few quick power runs, the fish seemed content to come to the boat. Devon puts the steel to the fish and we muscle the fish over the rail. Thud! Joerg is all smiles for the moment. Whoops! There he goes again, calling for his imaginary friend, Ralph!
A nice, thick, 60”, 70 pound fish (SWO08/10/2009FL194) is subdued, readied for some photos and then secured for the ride home.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/8-9-2009-01.jpg
Having a successful Day 1, we took the next day off to ready for Round 2. Day 2 arrives and it is a beautiful evening. Joerg met up with us at the usual 6 PM start time and off we went. The seas were calm, the winds were calm, and the skies were clear. We never had to drop RPM as we made our way into open water to our waypoint, arriving in plenty of time to set up our spread before dusk.
We’re set up and the waiting game begins. Shortly after nightfall we have a hit on the deep rod. That was it! Just a hit. No runs, 1 hit, no errors! We pulled the bait up to see that it was bit in two. The culprit was, most likely, a small night shark judging by the bite marks. We rebaited and sent it down again. No more than 5 minutes passes and we get bit on our other tip rod. Once again we retrieve half of the bait and the donor of the bite was obviously a slightly larger shark. Looks like this drift is going to be a PITA. We drifted this line until we got into unproductive waters. Pull ‘em Devon! The deeper of the float lines came in all busted up, with teeth marks. It appears we are experiencing a shark night.
I made a move to Wpt. #2 that worked for us on Joerg’s trip 2 nights before. We deployed the baits and began our drift! Crapola! A slightly different drift due to area currents and slackened breeze. I cut the drift short as I realized that we were not going to hang in the area long enough. I ran The BEAST south to my start point and readjusted slightly for the new drift line. This small change kept us in the zone. 1 mile, 2 miles, and boredom has set in. On and on, we were focused on the floats and rod tips. Conversation and music were our salvation from the monotony. Time runs out and I kept giving it 5 more minutes, 5 more minutes, 5 more minutes. Finally, an hour after quitting time, I called it a wrap. As it happens so often, we’re clearing lines when I see the deep tip rod bouncing. Fish! Devon takes command of the rod and begins a free spool drop back. Nothing! Go figure! We engaged the reel and brought up the bait. Definitely a Sword bite! The bait is slashed to shreds and balled up on the hook.
We couldn’t catch a break that night. I powered up and made the run in as Devon and Joerg caught some shuteye time. At the dock, he let us know he was happy! He’s had several trips for specific target species that have come up empty. He considered his trips with us a success. He caught a Swordfish on our 1st night, and on this night he didn’t get sick. The only fish remaining in his Billfish quest now, is the Black Marlin. Good luck Joerg! You’ll get him.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharter@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 85
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 09, 2009 - 12:04 pm: | |
Ricky called me twice on Saturday to confirm our trip and I guess he also needed some reassurance that this trip would be successful. He was excited, but was pessimistic as well. I told him not to worry that we would do everything within our power to insure a successful trip to “Nastyville“.
Ricky, brought his brothers Robert and Ralph, and his Dad, Ralph Sr. We were supposed to meet at the dock at 3 PM. The group arrived at 3:15 and then we ran into another hitch and didn’t get to turn The BEAST out until 4 o’clock. We made the run to a lobster patch and tossed Devon into the water. 30-45 minutes later and we only had 4 or 5 bugs in the live well. Devon climbed aboard and we moved to a better patch and in he went. Nice! He was pulling up legal bugs, one after another, at times he even had one in each hand. That is incredible since he doesn’t use a net, only a tickle stick and his hands. He is something to watch and I swear if you look close enough you will see gill slits behind his ears. The process went along quickly and we have enough bugs on board for the night. I powered up the Suzuki’s and we made a run to a good Yellowtail spot to catch a few of them while we await the fall of darkness.
We arrived at the spot and sent the chum line into the current. This time spent Yellowtail’ing is great as the anticipation builds and we get to answer questions about what is to come, all the while catching some more edibles. The guys put 10 nice Yellowtail in the boat as the sun lowered on the horizon. It’s almost dark and we could see several boats already arriving at Nastyville. We packed up our light gear, broke out the Nasty rods, and made the short run out to the assembly of boats.
As we arrived there were 6 or 7 boats drifting the area. Everything seemed courteous and orderly, so we joined them. I made a short drift so I could get my drift line and then motored up for our first set. Drop ‘em now, Devon! The guys elected to hold the rods rather than using Rodney, the rod holder. Twenty seconds into the first drift and the stern rod gets a strike. Bump Bump! BAM! Robert has his hands full as my short custom built Cubera rod doubles over to the water. OMG! Robert can’t believe the strength of El Nasty as it pins him to the gunnel a few times. As we see color in the lights, the size of this fish draws a reaction from the group. It is a Pig! Devon reaches over and with a thud, 55 pounds of toothy snapper hit’s the deck. First fish, and they elect to put it in the box.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/8-8-2009-01.jpg
This started off our evening with a bang. We will be selective now as the limit on Cubera is only 2 fish per boat over 30”. Robert is on the boards with a score, we set up again and dropped lines. Ba Boom! Ralph is hooked up and into another good fish. This fish is put on the deck and after a short photo op and weighing, Devon vents the 45 # red devil and slips it back in the water to continue on.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/8-8-2009-02.jpg
Set up again, dropped the lines and Bada Bing! Ricky gets the nod and is wrestling his “bucket list” fish. Once again we bring the fish to boatside for the customary photos, weighing, venting, and release.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/8-8-2009-03.jpg
I wasn’t quite sure why most of the boats were fishing where they were, but I guess they had there reasons. The majority of the boats left after an hour and we were there with only 2 others. Our scenario played out over and over again with single and double strikes coming on each and every drift. Robert caught a 25# and Ralph Sr. finally gets a fish that he can handle. A scrappy 22#, also released.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/8-8-2009-04.jpg
Ricky gets a 48 # fish and Ralph catches a small 20# fish. We’ve been on the Nasties now for about 2 hours and the winds were picking up and the seas too. 11:15 and we decide to do one more drift as the action is slowing down. Ricky gets another big bite and it’s game on again. This fish comes into the light and it is another El Grande’ Nasty. This fish weighed in at 46 pounds and we can’t get a good release on it. We tried but the fish was done so we boxed it for our boat limit.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/8-8-2009-05.jpg
We had 4 tired and satisfied anglers so we wrapped it up. We caught 8 fish out of 13 bites. We had fish hooked up on every drift, some singles some doubles, some wrecked us and broke off. We ended up the night losing plenty of terminal gear. That is totally irrelevant when you fish with a good group of guys and get to see them all, smiling from ear to ear. They must’ve been very happy with their trip as they were extremely generous, above and beyond the norm. They vowed to return 1 or 2 more times this season. We look forward to fishing with them again!
Our Cubera season has begun with a bang! It sure beats bobber fishing for Bluegills! What do you think?
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 84
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 01, 2009 - 10:55 pm: | |
Lobster mini season was a success for our crew of regulars. Wednesday, Devon, Amy and Al took to the waters and caught their limits in a little over an hour. Afterwards they did some spear fishing and got 2 nice Red Grouper. The trip ended early and they were back to the house by 2 PM. They wanted to save up their strength for day 2.
Day 2 of mini season and Devon, Amy, Al, Tom, and I met at the dock at 1 PM. A late start was good since we wanted to catch some more crawfish and then do some speed jigging or yellowtail fishing, followed by a try for some Cubera Snapper, again. The marina was slack and we passed several boats coming in as we were making our way out. When we reached the patch reefs they were empty. Only 1 or 2 boats off in the distance in either direction, north or south. We hit several patches first off and only managed a few bugs, but did get 2 nice Hog Snapper. Now, we get bug serious! We headed to a patch that had good visibility and within an hour we had 26 bugs. We put up the dive gear and headed out for some fishing.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa56/beastcharters/10497-N-Mini-Sea son7-09.jpg
Our first stop, we decided to speed jig. WOW! The area was alive with birds and fish working the surface. My sonar was lit up with mid water activity as well. Bing! Bam! Boom! Non-stop action on the jigs. Several bites were cut off so we knew we had the attention of those dreaded Caribbean Spotted Mackerel, a.k.a. Cuda’s. The first fish to make it to the boat was a huge Bonehead. Out of nowhere comes an ominous shadow that takes the tail half, in one bite. “Look at that shar…“ That’s not a shark! That is the biggest Barracuda I’ve ever seen. He took about 15# of Bonito in one bite! We played with him for several minutes until it got too risky. It was too close to the boat for comfort as they have no problem charging into the air as you lift a fish aboard. I unhooked the head half of the Bonito and dropped it over. 5’, 10’ and Ol’ Snaggletooth leisurely swims up and takes it in his mouth, swimming slowly into the depths. We were mesmerized by its size! What a show! We continued working the jigs, catching a nice Yellow Jack and many more of those mega sized Bonito, until we decided we had enough.
No one wanted to do any Yellowtail fishing so we headed out for “Nastyville”. This time we have their preferred snacks… BUGS! The sun set and the current was all over the place. Getting a good drift once we located the fish, was going to be a mission. Nothing much was marking on the sonar. We did a few test drifts and I realized I had my work cut out for me, if we were going to get a shot at El Nasty! The darkness fell into place. I motored around the area looking for our target when, suddenly, the sonar looked like a Christmas tree. There they are, boys and girls! After a few drifts we realized that they were moving around and not staging on anything or anywhere! OK! I have a plan. Next drift we lowered one of our prize bugs and we missed the school of fish. A few minutes of locating them again and another adjustment. Drop ‘em! Down went a crawdad and a Hardtail, but I missed the mark again! Who said this was easy? OK, I’ll get them this time! I motored The BEAST into position again and the lines went down. Closer, closer, get ready guys, you’re in ‘em. Bam! The bug gets hit and the rod bows over. Missed him! We didn’t get a solid hook up and he stole the bait too! Our excitement is growing as there isn’t much down there that will readily feed on a legal sized cricket. We tried a few more techniques and each crawdad drew a bite, but we didn’t get a solid hook up. We cranked up the line after our last bite and the grasshopper was still pinned on the hook. We checked him out and found definitive bite marks on the carapace. There is no mistaking the fang punctures of El Nasty! “YES!”, I yelled as I was doing the Cubera dance in the cockpit. The crew looked at me like I was crazy. Even though we went 0 for 3, I considered this mission a success! We used 3 different techniques and produced 3 good bites in an hour.
We called it quits so we could get in by the 12 midnight, mini season curfew and get home early. Although the season is a couple weeks late this year, the waiting is over. The weather is good and the seas are calm. We are pumped up and ready. For anyone interested in catching a Cubera and to those of you that have already been in contact with me… Are you ready to rumble??? Let’s get it on!!!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Alan Sherman (Shermana)
New member
Username: Shermana
Post Number: 11
Registered: 10-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 - 10:41 am: | |
Time for a Summer Doldrums fishing report! Yes things are getting hot here in South Florida and maybe a little earlier than normal. Water temperatures are reaching the low 90’s and in areas where water depths are less than four feet that can be a bit uncomfortable for the fish. Unfortunately much of North Biscayne Bay is four feet or less and Flamingo very similar except that Flamingo does have deeper water in channels and in open water where fish can go to beat the heat. Off shore with deeper water fishing has been more consistent but a fish that normally is very prevalent in July has been nowhere to be found. That fish is the dolphin or Mahi Mahi. At this point you are probably thinking why bother fishing? The answer to that question is simple. We are fishermen and fishermen fish! It doesn’t matter where your fishing adventure takes you if your mind is in the right place every angler has the chance to get something positive out of each fishing adventure.
In North Biscayne Bay early mornings has produced the best fishing with small tarpon feeding over some of the grass flats in the bay, snook looking to ambush a live bait fished along a shoreline, sea trout, snappers and barracudas feeding over the grass flats. At first light water temperatures maybe as low as 82 degrees but by 10 AM closer to 90. The fish know this so they spend those short few hours stocking up on easy prey before settling down in deeper water or under some shade till things cool off. Late afternoons have been disappointing but there have been some big tarpon that recently attacked some of our large threadfin herring but did not eat the bait on a recent late afternoon early evening charter. On that charter my clients were able to release a few small barracudas, jacks, trout, snappers and small tarpon. The highlight was that 80 pound tarpon killing our bait but not eating it. We did see some snook and other tarpon at lights during the night but the small jacks ate the baits before the snook did. On this trip three generations of one family spent four hours having fun on the boat.
Ocean fishing has been decent with kingfish and lots of bonitos hitting live baits. Dolphins were targeted on these trips but never found. Some bottom fishing produced some keeper sized mutton snappers that made their way into the fish box plus a few amberjacks, sharks, bluerunners and trigger fish that were released. On one charter we had a 100 pound hammerhead shark circle the boat for ten minutes but refused our offerings. Calm conditions made those offshore ventures possible in my 22’ Pathfinder Bay boat powered by my quite and fuel efficient Yamaha F 225 outboard engine. During all of these trips offshore we had numerous cut offs by kingfish and had other baits crushed and killed to add to the excitement. On almost every trip we saw fee jumping sailfish, sharks and sea turtles.
Flamingo has been a disappointment to me mainly because I like to fish the Park during the summer. Yes it is hot and this year there have been mosquitoes at the boat ramp and some horseflies to deal with but if you wear the right clothing and have some insect repellent on hand the bugs are not a problem. Normally the fishing for snook, redfish, tripletail, sharks, cobia and others is very good during the summer months. This year maybe because of lots of west winds and stormy conditions things have not been the same. I have not had a lot of charters in the Park this summer but I was there yesterday with some repeat clients from up north and had mediocre results. We mostly targeted the waters of Florida Bay and avoided the shorelines where snook and redfish have been active. My clients wanted action and some fish to take home. The weather was nice with a light breeze from the east and plenty of small ballyhoo and pinfish were netted in our bait spot. Off to the first spot where the anglers caught a few keeper trout, ladyfish a shark and a few catfish before the tide ran out and off to the next spot. We were casting Cajun Thunders with either a ballyhoo or pinfish attached to the 1/0 Mustad hook. Next up I thought we might get a bit more serious and try our luck at some small tarpon, snook and redfish but besides seeing an American crocodile, a few rosette spoonbills all we caught was a few catfish and a couple of missed strikes. Off to the next spot where we found a free floating tripletail and caught and released him on a Hook Up lure tipped with a Gulp shrimp. From this spot we hit some more flats and landed a three pound trout a half dozen snappers, some large ladyfish and more catfish before a storm and a passenger that felt ill sent us back to the boat ramp. We did see a large pod of bottlenose dolphins playing a manatee and a few turtles plus countless numbers of birds before the day ended. I am scheduled to fish Flamingo a handful of times during the next seven days and hopefully with more normal weather conditions I will see the fishing get back to the way I expect it.
Well that catches us up for now!
Give me a call and let's go fishing!
786-436-2064
Check out my new web site and see your monthly catches and pictures.
www.getemsportfishing.com
Check out my report in the Miami Herald's Sports section under Fishing Updates each Thursday, the Florida Sportsman Magazines South Florida Internet Fishing Report (www.floridaspotsman.com), my monthly Action Spotter Fishing Report for the South Region in the Florida Sportsman Magazine each month or tune into the Florida Sportsman Magazines Live Radio Show on 1080 WMCU on the AM dial or listen on the internet at www.1080wmcu.com every Saturday morning from 7 to 8 AM and here the up to the minute fishing forecasts from some of the top Capt.'s in South Florida like Capt. Jimbo Thomas on the Thomas Flyer, Capt. Bouncer Smith on Bouncers Dusky, Capt Skip Bradeen on the Blue Chips Too out of Whale Harbor Marina, Capt. Wayne Conn on The Reward Fleet, and more.
I have recently been wearing a lot of Columbia Sports Wear on my fishing charters and the new Blood & Guts shirts are amazing. I have had mackerel, cobia and snook just splatter me with blood and one good washing and the shirts are as good as new. Check out their web site at www.columbia.com
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, Capt. Hank Brown's Hook Up Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Saltwater Assassins, Key Largo Rods, Lee Fisher Cast Nets, Smartshield, Master Repair in Stuart Florida, Power Pole, Stow Master Nets, superfishlight.com, Columbia Wear
Miami Fishing Forecast:
Action in North Biscayne Bay will be best during morning charters and Ocean and Flamingo charters will see action throughout the day.
Target Species:
Snook, Tarpon, Redfish, Cobia, Kingfish, Dolphins, Permit, Sharks
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
www.getemsportfishing.com
Host of Florida Sportsman Radio Live/South
1080 WMCU AM Saturdays from 7 to 8 AM
786-436-2064 |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 83
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, July 16, 2009 - 1:17 pm: | |
Daytime fishing has been a bit slow since the water temperatures have reached the 88 degree mark. The majority of the Dolphin fishing and other surface feeding fish, has been localized to the morning hours. The day can still be productive if you incorporate some wreck or bottom fishing into the mix. Of course, here in S. Florida we do have a great night time fishery also. I’ll make this report short and sweet since pictures and video, speak a 1000 words.
Amy, Devon, his Uncle Al, and I decided to do a late afternoon and evening trip, with the emphasis on finding our Cubera’s later that night. We met up at the dock around 2 PM and loaded up. We turned The BEAST out and took a heading for some bait. Bait spot #2 produced enough Hardtails to make the trip and we broke out for the offshore waters. Our first stop was to kill some time working speed jigs over a wreck. We had some fun, straining our muscles on Almaco Jacks, Amberjacks, Barracuda, and Bonito.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny-P0rv5RFI
After an hour of speed jigging, we decided to do some Yellowtail fishing. I pointed the bow south toward our favored spot. The fishing was slow at first. When the current picked up, the chum line lengthened and we began catching fish. We caught a potpourri of reef dwellers. Yellowtails around 2 pounds, Mutton Snappers, Black Grouper, Remora, Spotted Moray, Nurse Shark, Porcupine Puffer, Cero Mackerels, and a Gray Trigger. The variety of the catch kept us on our toes as daylight faded. As the sun was setting we packed it in to venture out on our Cubera hunt.
We arrived in our Cubera area and began searching for the schools. We found several packs of fish marking on the bottom machine and set up our drifts. No bites! Devon added a light stick to one of the baits and the bites began immediately. The only problem was that these lumps of fish on the sonar screen, weren’t our target fish. It turns out that they were “Night Donkeys”. Devon, Al, and Amy took turns wrestling these fish, in hopes that one would be our intended target, the Cubera Snapper.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT2t3UFIsio
“El Nasty” never graced us with their presence. It seems this year that the seasons are all running about 2-3 weeks late. Although we didn’t catch our intended quarry, we did catch 13 different species of fish. We called this Cubera recon trip around 11 PM. With tired, tested muscles, everyone finally relaxed as I pointed The BEAST’s nose toward the barn. “El Nasty” will only elude us for so long! We’ll get ‘em… it’s only a matter of time!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 82
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, July 06, 2009 - 6:23 am: | |
The last couple of trips we did were ½ days. Half day trips are cool, but you really don’t have the time to do everything or shift gears to compensate if the fishing is slow. Unfortunately some people don’t know how their stomachs will react to a full day at sea and others just have time constraints and a half day is all that they can squeeze in. Either way, we try and make the most of the allotted time.
Joel Mego, a local from Homestead, and his friend Brian, from Utah, joined us for a late afternoon halfer. As I had said earlier, Joel was not too sure if “Utah” could handle the ocean and that is why they opted for the half day. We set it up to meet at 2 PM and fish during the cooler, late afternoon period. As we idled out of the Marina we discussed the afternoon plans. Simply put, bait first, then we would do the wrecks and sweat them up a bit, then try some live baits later before the sunset.
Our first stop for bait was not very productive and only about a half dozen Hardtails were in the well. I headed for bait spot #2 and they were only a bit more agreeable. We finally managed another 12 or so Runners. That’s enough for the limited amount of fishing time we had. As I ran The BEAST offshore it was plain to see that “Utah” was going to have no problems with the glass-like conditions.
We arrived at the Grunt & Sweat wreck and, as usual, it took a few drifts to get my line and awaken the participants around the structure. We dropped one live bait and worked the speed jigs as well. Bada Bing, Bada Boom! Over and over again Joel and “Utah” got hammered. Joel was doing great with the speed jig and hooking up the Almaco’s while poor Utah was having rods shoved at him, by Joel and Devon on every drift. Joel wanted to see that his bud had a good time.
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After the first Amberjack, “Utah” vowed that he was going to join a gym when he got home. Too funny! We finally pulled the plug on the wreck fishing when the tally reached 4 Almaco’s, 4 AJ’s in the 28-35 pound range, and a nice little football sized Blackfin.
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We moved in to try the rest of the live bait on the “edge“. Nothing much was happening in that arena as we killed the last 30 minutes. About that time, to pull up and head home, when the down rod goes off. Nice fish… but what is it? It makes a good run like a Kingfish or even a Wahoo. Here come the head shakes telegraphing through the rod tip. A Caribbean Spotted Mackerel was our guess. No doubt!
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Joel and Brian were happy and they released most of their catch. We ended the day on that note and headed west into the dark skies. They even made light of the fact that the rain appeared to be waiting for us at the Marina. Almost… we managed to squiggle in under a light drizzle.
The last trip out was a morning trip with Ed Robbins and his son Solon. They keep their 34’ sportfish down at the end of our pier. Ed said his son often saw the fish we catch and has always wanted to go out on The BEAST. So we met up at 7 AM and set out. The seas were mill pond calm, once again.
I bypassed bait spot #1 because of the poor showing the past several times, in its stead, heading straight to #2. Large schools of Hardtails were working the surface and in no time we had enough bait and were making our run offshore.
This morning we decided to work the live baits, first thing, before the sun got high. Once again the surface feeders were not going to come play with us. We missed a shot or two on the down rod and then connected up. Yep, once again it was a Barracuda. Dang! These critters seem to find me whether live baiting or trolling. Solon didn’t seem to mind, not one bit!
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We worked the waters a bit longer and once again the down rod gets bent over and Solon is doing his thing. This time it is a 10# Kingfish. Devon and I tried our best to get him to smile but he is a very quiet, shy type guy
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We headed off for the wreck to give Ed, and young Solon, a workout! Live bait down, speed jigs flying, and non stop action. The first taker was a nice Almaco Jack on Ed’s speed jig!
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The speed jigs kept working their magic! Ed pulled up a 20# Kingfish that was trying its best to stay away from a hungry Barracuda that wanted it for brunch. A couple of large Boneheads (Bonito) joined the party. Devon would pass the speed rods off to Solon but he was having a bit of trouble with the spinning reels, preferring the conventional rods. I’m dialed in on the drift now. The next several passes, we lost several Amberjacks to the wreck. Then Ed hooked up on a live bait. The tussle was on! About 15 minutes later, with Ed sweating profusely, Devon flopped the 45 pounder on the deck. A job well done! Broken lines and a 45 pounder… these fish were bigger than usual. Next drift and the hardtail gets nervous, very nervous! Kaboom! The rod doubles over as if it were hung in the wreck. Solon gets the nod!. This young man was putting all of his 12 year old, 100# body into this fish. Solon came to life and he said more during that fight than he had all morning. This battle lasted for almost 30 minutes when I saw color. That’s a nugget! Devon and I prepared as the AJ blows her air and flounders to the surface. DONKEY KONG! Devon hoisted this fish aboard and we weighed and readied her for a photo. A few quick shutter snaps, a quick venting, and a good release! Donkey Kong tipped the scale at 60#’s, well over half the weight of young Solon! Great job, my man!
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All 4 of us are buzzing about Solon’s catch when I remembered we had a large 3 pound Blue Runner in the well that we caught on a small speed jig, earlier. With a smile, I told Devon to, “Let her rip!” He pinned this large bait to the 10/0 circle hook and fired it down. We drifted back… 100’ to the wreck… 50’… we’re on it… going past… 25’… BAM! The rod gets bunched up and the tip almost touches water! We all looked at each other as Solon grabs the rod again. 10 seconds later and the fish is gone. When the bait comes aboard it is still alive but roughed up from the gills back. A bigger AJ or a Goliath? Who knows! Another drift and nothing doing. The winds had clocked around from the west as thunder boomers built up over land. Several more drifts and this amusement park is closed. We had gone way over time, in our excitement, so we packed it up and headed for the barn. We tied up The BEAST in time for the skies to open up! This drenching lasted throughout the fish cleaning. Ed said that it was really nice to fish with us and not have to clean and unload the boat. He said he might sell his boat and fish with us from now on! Sounds good to me!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 81
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 25, 2009 - 10:57 am: | |
We had trips Friday and Saturday on Father‘s Day weekend. Friday was with our good customer Jon (frequent flyer) and Saturday was with the Muniz group. Both days were extremely hot and the seas were flat.
On Friday Jon and his friend met up with Devon and I, at 6 AM, since he had an early flight home to Atlanta that evening. Jon had orders from his boss (wife) to bring home fish since they had a Father’s Day gathering on Sunday. He wanted Dolphin or Tuna. OK! Hopefully the fish got the memo.
We left the slip and made our way straight to the Ballyhoo patches. We pulled them up in less than 5 minutes but when I say they were finicky, that is an understatement. We collected as many as we could, along with some speedos, without spending the whole morning working for bait. I took a heading for the edge and we set up shop! Not a breath of wind blowing, and the ambient temperature was already uncomfortable. I made my way about the area and absolutely nothing was stirring on this flat sea. I made a choice to run out and look for something interesting to fish. I saw some scattered weeds and dropped some trolling lines. After some long miles and out to 1200’ we found a few Sooty’s working. I closed the gap and got in front of them. BAM! Dolphin on! Jon worked the chubby schoolie to the boat and it was respectable enough to put in the fish box. A single? What’s up with that? We got back on the remaining 2 birds and down goes another rod! Once again we have a schoolie with no followers. Hmmmm! I made a few more passes and realized the birds were working small baitfish under the weeds and not the school sized stragglers hanging around. One more pass and the down rod goes off. Wahoo? Big Dolphin? Nope! Another schoolie takes to the surface and once again he was alone. Good grief, this is some slow fishing. We worked the birds for a while and finally gave up on them. Suddenly I hear Jon ask his friend, “What are you doing?“ He is taking his underwear off! As he cleans up and pulls his shorts on commando style, he tells Jon, “Never trust a fart!“ HE HAD A SHART (fart with leakage)! We laughed until our sides hurt and tears flowed!
With the morning gone and only 3 school Dolphin and a shart, we decided that maybe some Mutton Snapper would oblige us. As we were pulling lines, the down rod trips and we have a small fish on. What the heck? A 3 pound Barracuda comes to the surface and we know for sure now, that we are heading in for some bottom fishing, for sure! I pushed down the throttles and the wind gave us a bit of relief, cooling us down for a few minutes. I pulled the reins on the 600 ponies as we reached out spot. Little current, about 1/4 knot, and things are not looking much better here. We made a few drops and managed to jig up an Almaco Jack which we released. Several more drifts and we get another Caribbean Spotted Mackerel (Cuda) but a much larger specimen this time. We worked the area hard and at last, we got to see pink, as a decent Mutton comes to the top.
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I pulled the plug on the bottom dropping as time was running out. Devon set up the lines to live bait the edge for the remaining time. Devon was working a speed jig, as usual, and I heard the “grunt” as he hands off the rod to Jon. As we see color we realize it is a Blackfin Tuna. Not big, but not a football either, more like a rugby ball. That was the topper for the day as we ran out of time.
As The BEAST headed home we told Jon that coming on a mission for certain species (groceries) usually leads to a slow day and too much Guinness on an empty stomach can also lead to a ventral faux pas. This is a common fact!
Saturday Will Muniz, his wife Heather, her brother Austin and their friend Dustin joined us at the dock at 7 AM and we headed out. They are all Redfish and back country fisherman from Ft. Myers and wanted to try out some offshore fishing. Miami and The BEAST were their choice. We asked them what they would like to do and they told us they had no preference. Good, we’ll put you on fish! Our first stop for some Hardtails was uneventful so we went to spot #2. Ahhhh, much better, as we filled the starboard live well in short order. I turned the power up and headed for some Ballyhoo to round out the port well. Nothing happening at 2 different spots. We couldn’t raise a single one! OK! We’ll play the hand that is dealt to us and go with what we got, plenty of Runners and a half dozen crabs. Our first stop was to see if we could catch a Permit. The seas were calm but a good wind ripple was present and the water clarity was not good at all. We only gave this a fleeting attempt and bagged out for the Grunt & Sweat wreck. I knew these guys would appreciate a big Amberjack. We arrived to find almost no current again as the day before. Oh Boy! We need a magician! After a few drifts and no takers, not even a bite on a speed jig, we contemplated hunting Dolphin. Trouble was there were 2 tournaments going on and everyone out there was hunting Dolphin. One more shot! We headed for a deeper wreck, hoping to find more current. We arrive to find just that and a good drift! OK. Let ’em rip!
We dropped one live bait down and Devon taught Dustin and Will his method for speed jigging. I’ve got to hand it to them, they picked it up quickly. The first takers turned out to be back to back Boneheads (Bonito) but the very large kind. We had hoped they were Blackfins but not quite. We caught 4 in a row with the last fish getting bit in half by a Cuda that followed it right to the boat. We gave him the rest of his meal.
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The next takers were a troop of Almaco Jack on the jigs and the live bait. The Amberjack woke up from all the commotion and finally joined in. Will felt the power of these fish as he hooked one up on the speed jig.
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Heather was hooked up too! I’m not sure who had who the fish or Heather! She is a gamer though. She never gave up, never passed the rod off, and worked her fish to the surface with steady resolve. Kinda! The fish had to put some doubt in her a half dozen times.
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The speed jigs kept ripping and the live bait kept getting eaten, time after time. Will was on a break and Devon was working the jig and bada boom a solid hook as he passes it off to Dustin. The depth of the bite and the give and take of this circular fight, let us know it was another tuna type. Was this another big Bonito? NOT! We finally see color and it’s a Blackie and headed for the cold steel. Whoot there it is! Austin is on the boards with a good 18# Blackfin Tuna.
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A few more drifts and the live bait gets the nod. Austin takes this one after only a short rest. It’s a Donkey for sure! I thought we were going to lose Austin over the side as the fish took his chest to the gunnel several times. Like his sister, he was a gamer with plenty of fight in his slight frame. It took some time but he brought that wreck donkey to the surface and it’s a whopping 50 pounder, almost half of Austin’s weight. That was fun to watch. Yes, the fish is hanging from our T-top rigging… Austin only wishes he could one hand press that much.
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We packed it up at the wreck and headed offshore to look for some Dolphin. We relearned the lesson, don’t leave fish to find fish! After some long, hot, time spent searching and only finding a micro-Cuda, we headed back in to try some Muttons. Nothing happening there, the current was stagnant. I called that attempt a swing and a miss and had Devon pack it up for the run back to the deep wreck as time is slowly closing out on us.
Arriving at the deep wreck we see the only conditions that had changed there was the wind direction. Good current! We went after them again. This time they were not quite as cooperative but we still managed to catch them. Dustin, who was never at a loss for words, announces that he has a lock on the Almaco’s. He sure caught his fair share of them.
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I had Devon pull the lines as the fat lady starts humming and we made one last ditch effort to try for a Permit again. The water was no better that afternoon than it was in the morning so we gave it up and pointed the bow west toward the barn.
I must say that Devon and I cracked on Dustin a lot throughout the day. He was just too easy, if you know what I mean. A great sport, with a great sense of humor, and about 12 or so, Heinekin! I think we all had a good time. We stayed busy most of the day with a total of 4 Bonito, 6-8 Amberjack (30-50#’s) 8-10 Almaco’s (Dustin‘s forte‘), an 18# Blackfin (sashimi), and a micro-Cuda (not worthy). I’ll bet a dollar to a doughnut there were some tired people in Ft. Myers on Fathers Day!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 80
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 15, 2009 - 10:10 pm: | |
Sunday afternoon, our normal fun crew decided to go on a little excursion to try and cash in on some of the good edibles being caught. We were looking for Dolphin and Blackfin Tuna. Amy and Devon (my daughter & son-in-law/mate), Missy (my daughter), Uncle Al (Devon’s uncle/my friend), and myself, all met at the slip at 1:00 PM. Our plan was to do some grocery fishing and then when the sun set, head over and scout out the Cubera’s to see if they were ready yet.
We took our leisurely time loading up and at 1:30 we turned the snarling BEAST out. We made our way to bait stop #1 and loaded up on Hardtails. I reset the throttles once again to cruise and the snarling turned into a purr as The BEAST set into a smooth gallop towards bait stop #2. We arrived and dropped the chum bag and the Speedos, Ballyhoo, and host of others found the slick in short order. The B’hoo were not so easy with the sun directly overhead but we managed to get 2 dozen or so along with some Speedos. With the wells teaming with fresh bait we made our way offshore. I pulled up just off the edge contemplating a start there, for Blackfin. We set out the riggers and I noticed a prominent color break not too far offshore. I powered up and in a minute reached the color line. WOW! It was so distinct it looked like a segment out of Offshore Handbook 101. We set up shop and it didn’t take long.
First up were some “schoolie” Dolphin with the nod going to a rigged squid as it was being put out for the center rigger. That was quick, but a bit too small, though! Well, if we can’t eyeball the fish and need to make sure by measuring it, we consider it too small. Devon and Uncle Al were working some speed jigs during the interim and I hear the telltale, “Ugh“ sound from Devon. Devon works his fish to the boat and, yes sir, it’s a nice 12# Blackie.
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Then my Penn electric downrigger takes a crap for the umpteenth time. Not to be deterred, we put a weighted line down. The action was on again with “schoolie” Dolphin! Suddenly, I noticed the down rod start to bend over and I jumped on it. The big guy scores a 20# cow.
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We continued on, hanging tight to this area. The action was slow enough to allow conversation and laughs, yet fast enough to curtail the offshore boredom that can occur. Uncle Al, Devon, and Amy each jigged up a Blackfin in the football size. Sashimi or seared… they were destined for soy and wasabi on the table.
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The time is passing into late afternoon and the sun is trying to make the horizon. The Dolphin kept sweeping through in waves and a Hardtail on the down rod gets toasted by a big Caribbean Spotted Mackerel (Cuda). Missy was our designated Dolphin catcher.
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Out of Bally’s now, we decided to start the Cubera hunt. I pushed the levers down and made the cruise to our favorites spots. Still a bit early when we arrived so we made a short run to a Mutton spot. Nothing much was happening. Uncle Al put down this lime green/chartreuse monstrosity with a Dolphin belly strip on it, that we named the “green hand grenade“. We ribbed him about that rig, on his beat up old spinning rod, for a drift or two. Third drift and you hear Al muttering “Uh, uh, c’mon… FISH ON!” We laughed until our sides were splitting and imagined a big Black Grouper coming up on the green hand grenade. Not quite, it turns out to be a 20# wreck donkey. I couldn’t resist jumping in the picture and holding up the “bomb”! Al released the Amberjack.
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Getting dark now, we set up, for the Big Snapper’s. The current was strong through the area and the drifts were quick. The darker it got the more the sonar is lighting up. Got to be Cuberas but they aren’t biting anything. Matter of fact, nothing is biting at all, except 2 or 3 more Cuda cut offs. As the night progresses it appears the conditions are just not right and possibly a bit too early. Enough is enough, and we pulled the plug on the trip and pointed The BEAST toward the barn. I guess we’ll have to wait a few more weeks until the fish want to play.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Alan Sherman (Shermana)
New member
Username: Shermana
Post Number: 10
Registered: 10-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 03, 2009 - 2:33 pm: | |
South Florida’s rainy season has finally taken hold and brought us some much needed heavy rain that our lawns and shrubs have needed for months. These rains spark some excellent fishing in North Biscayne Bay and Flamingo. As the freshwater enters the canal systems the salinity dams are opened to keep the canal levels from over flowing and this freshwater as it makes its way to the saltwater side of the dam becomes a feeding station for snook, sharks, snapper, redfish, barracudas, jacks, ladyfish and tarpon. Tiny baitfish and crawfish are flushed through the dams and then become stunned by the saltwater making them easy pretty for the predators. Once the freshwater has flowed into the bay for sometime the predators are pushed out over the grass flats where the brackish water is more to their liking and these fish will stay in these areas and continue to feed for most of the summer. In Flamingo in Everglades National Park the freshwater triggers the snook, redfish, goliath groupers and other predators to flee the extreme waters of the backcountry and that puts them in Whitewater and Oyster Bays where they are easier to target. It also pushes these fish into Florida Bay and the river mouths and creeks again making them easier targets. All of this freshwater set the tone for the whole summer and by far the summer is my most favorite time to fish Flamingo. Last year and years in the past my clients have enjoyed double digit catches of snook and redfish on a single day’s charter fishing Florida Bay and Whitewater and Oyster Bays.
During the summer months I suggest booking half day charters in North Biscayne Bay. I like starting if possible at 7 AM and finishing a charter to 11 AM taking advantage of the time span when the fish are more active and then also fishing from 4 in the afternoon to 8 in the early evening. Another good charter especially if the winds are down which they are a lot in the summer is a charter from 6 to 10 in the evening for some hot catch and release tarpon and snook action. Offshore fishing in Miami can be great as long as the winds stay light for kingfish, dolphins, bonitos and an occasional sailfish. When fishing Flamingo in the summer I still like the 8 hr. charters because Flamingo has so many spots to fish it allows you to be somewhere throughout the day where fish are still in a feeding mood. I also run a charter that requires traveling as much as 40 miles from the Marina to rockpiles and wrecks where permit, cobia, mackerel, large jacks and goliath groupers are available. I charge an extra $50 for this charter to cover the extra fuel but this trip can be quite exciting.
Summer is a great time to take the kids out fishing and the late afternoon or evening charter in North Biscayne Bay is a good charter for the kids.
Regardless of the charter your interested don’t let the summer rains scare you off from having a fishing trip of a lifetime!
Recent Catches:
Today I am fishing Gerald and Paul and we start in North Biscayne Bay. A large school of Spanish sardines has been providing me with plenty of quality baitfish for my recent charters but today they are nowhere to be found. We head over to Haulover Inlet and I spot a lone pelican diving and yes there is bait there. We Sabiki rig enough for a few hours of offshore fishing and head out to 100 feet of water. The first bait in the water gets eaten by a 25 pound sailfish and Gerald makes quick work of the sailfish that was caught on a Daiwa Tierra 3500 reel loaded with a 14 pound Berkley braid and a Key Largo rod. A quick couple of pictures and we release the sail unharmed. Back to fishing and a half dozen missed strikes and a storm forces us to head for cover. We hide for a few minutes under the Haulover Cut Bridge and then quickly catch a few more baits and then try our luck at some snook fishing. Before we head in the guys had release three snook and Paul caught a nice 32 inch 10 pounder that was kept for dinner. Paul’s fish was caught on a live free lined pilchard hooked to a #1 Mustad long shank hook.
Today I am in Flamingo with Carole Neidig and her father Walter. Walter had read a lot about Whitewater Bay but had never fished it before so that is where we would concentrate our efforts today. Casting ¼ ounce Hook Up lures tipped with Gulp shrimp and Pogy’s Carole and her dad caught and released one nice redfish, six snook, two goliath groupers that had to be carefully worked out from under the mangroves, loads of snappers, jacks, ladyfish and barracudas plus at least a dozen sea trout of which six big ones were kept for dinner. Walt lost a nice redfish plus a sight casted goliath grouper and Carole pointed out a Bald eagle sitting on a tree top.
Back in Flamingo today with Mark and his 8 year old son Will. Today we are going to fish Florida Bay! We head to a baitfish flat and quickly catch a bunch of pinfish and ballyhoo and then head for our first spot. Unfortunately another fisherman has beaten us to the spot so we head to spot two. Here we use my Power Pole Anchor to hold us off an island point as we cast live baits on a Hook Up lures, live baits under a Cajun Thunder and Gulp baits on a Hook Up lure. The Cajun Thunders get a few hits but no hook ups when Will gets a big bite and is quick into a monster 10 pound redfish. The tide is running hard and the large red just won’t come to the Stow Master net. I can touch the leader but I can’t get the fish in the Stow Master. Each time I think we have him he runs off again. Will keeps working the fish but you just can’t catch every fish you hook and this one gets away. A touched leader is a legitimate catch so Will has part of a slam under his belt. Mark misses a couple of small snook and we are off to spot three. This is a nice grass flat and there is lots of pinfish and small ballyhoo on this flat. Will is getting a hit on almost every cast using a Cajun Thunder with a live ballyhoo. Mark is casting the Hook Up lure and constantly getting hit. Before we leave this spot we have caught a dozen sea trout with most being in the three pound class plus a Spanish mackerel, lots of snappers and a few catfish and had a giant shark check us out. The next spot is Lake Ingram where Mark catches another nice trout and Will hooks up to a 40 pound tarpon that ate a live pinfish under a Cajun Thunder. The tarpon jumps at least 4 times and makes some great runs and Will is doing a great job on the fish. Will really needs this tarpon because it is the hardest of the Grand Slam fish. The tarpon makes another head shaking jump and the leader parts and the fish is gone. We settle down and get back to fishing and quickly loose a snook and a mystery fish and catch a few catfish before heading to our last spot. Will has fallen asleep but Mark continues to cast the Hook Up lure and Gulp shrimp and catches a few snappers in this spot. We spooked two large snook but no hits so we head back to the ramp. On the way in we have a bunch of bottle nosed dolphins playing in front of the boat.
Well that’s how this past week went and you can clearly see the possibilities that South Florida has to offer fishermen during the summer.
Well that catches us up for now!
Give me a call and let's go fishing!
786-436-2064
Check out my new web site and see your monthly catches and pictures.
www.getemsportfishing.com
Check out my report in the Miami Herald's Sports section under Fishing Updates each Thursday, the Florida Sportsman Magazines South Florida Internet Fishing Report (www.floridaspotsman.com), my monthly Action Spotter Fishing Report for the South Region in the Florida Sportsman Magazine each month or tune into the Florida Sportsman Magazines Live Radio Show on 1080 WMCU on the AM dial or listen on the internet at www.1080wmcu.com every Saturday morning from 7 to 8 AM and here the up to the minute fishing forecasts from some of the top Capt.'s in South Florida like Capt. Jimbo Thomas on the Thomas Flyer, Capt. Bouncer Smith on Bouncers Dusky, Capt Skip Bradeen on the Blue Chips Too out of Whale Harbor Marina, Capt. Wayne Conn on The Reward Fleet, and more.
I have recently been wearing a lot of Columbia Sports Wear on my fishing charters and the new Blood & Guts shirts are amazing. I have had mackerel, cobia and snook just splatter me with blood and one good washing and the shirts are as good as new. Check out their web site at www.columbia.com
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, Capt. Hank Brown's Hook Up Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Saltwater Assassins, Key Largo Rods, Lee Fisher Cast Nets, Smartshield, Master Repair in Stuart Florida, Power Pole, Stow Master Nets, superfishlight.com, Columbia Wear
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
786 436 2064
shermana@bellsouth.net
www.getemsportfishing.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 79
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 01, 2009 - 8:53 pm: | |
This past weekend was something to remember. Ed booked Thursday for Julio Sr. (76) and himself while they awaited the arrival of Julio Jr., Rich, and David, arriving Friday night from New York. They had Saturday and Sunday booked for all of them. Ed had recently been in a very bad auto accident and despite the doctors orders, came to fish, anyway
Ed and Julio Sr.(Papi), were anxious and arrived at the dock before we did on. We loaded the boat, secured all gear, and cast off the lines. We struck out on Hardtails so we proceeded to the bait patch for some Ballyhoo. Arriving to find another boat with a chum line already going, we went to another patch. We struggled there, until we finally got them up close enough to net, then motored offshore. The weather was beautiful, with 2’ seas, and a distinct blue/green edge right on the drop off. This should be a good day!
We no sooner got our baits out and we get bit on the left rigger by a nice cow Dolphin. The smaller bull, struck the long flat line. Ed was on the cow and as Devon was handing the rod to “Papi”, the bull charged under the boat finding the prop edge. The line cut and the arrogant bull spent the next 3-4 minutes jumping around the boat with the leader dangling from his lips as if he were laughing at us. Ed, with a full leg cast from mid thigh to his ankle, did a good job and landed his nice 28# fish.
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Devon reset our spread. Not much later and we had another cow Dolphin invade the spread and “Papi” is hooked up. He did his thing like the seasoned veteran he is. The fish came up to the boat lit up. Several more minutes passed and we boated the nice 20# cow.
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I worked the boat deeper toward the “Grunt & Sweat” wreck and we once again got bit by a pair of chubby school Dolphin. The guys managed to catch 1 of the 2. While working this area Devon dropped a speed jig and put the guys on a couple of AJ’s. “Papi’s” fish weighed in at 25 pounds and Ed’s was a nice 42 pounder.
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We continued to work hard in this area and scored another chubster Dolphin and a large Bonito. The downrigger missed several small Kingfish and then it fired off. Ed brought a 15# Caribbean Spotted Mackerel (Barracuda) to boatside for a release. Since we were running low on bait we decided to see if we could hunt up some Permit. Conditions were not good and the fish were not cooperating. I decided to try trolling some small baits for the remainder of the day. The day finished on a high note with a pair of Blackfin Tuna, 10# and 6# respectively.
I turned The BEAST toward home. Since we were fishing again on Saturday and Sunday, I stopped to try for some Hardtails. They were very cooperative this time and in short order we had about 20 in the live well which we penned up for Saturday.
Saturday started off with nice skies. To the west was a hint of what was to come. Ed, and “Papi” arrived with Julio Jr. (Jules), Rich and David, in tow. Jules and Rich were beaming with this chance to enjoy the weekend, fishing with their old man, and vice versa with “Papi”. We loaded everyone aboard, and secured their essentials in the dry storage. We untied The BEAST and we’re off, as we discussed the game plan for the day. WE picked up a few more Hardtails on the way out and then blasted for the Bally patch. The clouds began building as we made our bait for the day.
I arrived on the color change, not nearly as prominent and farther out. Devon set out our spread. The time ticked away slowly and the fishing equally slow. Fishing the surface was tedious and we were blanking out. The approaching frontal system had the fish in lock jaw mode. I decided to do the wrecks and see if the Jacks would play with us. Well, the skies began getting angry as they approached us. To make things worse, having already done a quick repair job on a spinning reel earlier, our 2 bottom rods stripped the gears in the reels and the drag blew up on one of the speed jig reels. What the H? Devon broke out the bent butt planer rod and also rigged the remaining speed jig rod for bottom fishing. What luck? We did catch smaller 25-30 pound class Amberjack one after another until the squall line got too close. We pulled lines and made a run for a weather window in the radar. OOPS! It closed up quickly and the rains and strong winds came. We slowed and began trolling in the rain with the bow to the wind. Monitoring the radar I found an area to slip through and out of the squalls. The weather tamed down and we once again went back to the wreck. Nothing happening! It had shut down! OK! Let’s go try this obscure wreck I have, and see if they want to play. Yes they did! We caught and lost fish and ground tackle until we only had a dozen big baits left. With overcast skies, Devon tried to talk the guys into doing some more surface live baiting, for the Sails, Dolphin, Tuna, etc. They opted to continue battling the AJ’s.
I lost count of the fish for the day but the guys were happy. With only 3 Hardtails left in the well, we headed for home but opted to NOT fish for tomorrows bait in this crappy weather.
Sunday’s forecast was for better weather. We agreed to leave an hour early and the guys showed up a half hour late. Jules was about to cancel the trip and opt for Plan B as we looked in the horizon to see another weather line stretching up our way from the Keys. The wind had picked up dramatically, preceding the line. The others persuaded him to give it a go. The morning sun should burn off the clouds and if the forecast was correct, we’d have good weather offshore. It was and we did!
We hit the bait patch and the ‘hoo were at the boat before the chum bag went out. We spent about 20 minutes collecting some Speedo’s and then I tossed the Calusa net twice and we had a bunch of baits.
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Offshore the water was blue and the seas had calmed. As Devon was setting out the 3rd line, it got picked up. He flipped the bail and it was FISH ON! Rich grabs the rod and a cow Dolphin catches some air! Several minutes pass by and the fish feels the steel and we have 20#’s of Mahi in the fish box.
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The sun breaks through the haze, and the grins are ear from ear, now. I’m hanging in this area and the downrigger gets the nod. Dave works a “snake” Kingfish to the boat. Funny… the big Dude catches the small fish! We missed several more bites on the down rod.
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Ed (Gimpy) was telling Devon that it would top off his trip if he could catch a Sailfish. The words were only seconds from his lips when Devon sees a Sailfish come up on the 20’ flat line. GAME ON! Gimpy “rod hogs” everyone out of the way. 5, then 10 minutes pass, about a half dozen aerial maneuvers, and this fish is nowhere near ready. 15, then 20 minutes pass, several more acrobatic displays, and some fancy boat maneuvering. 25, then 30 minutes and a 2 more futile attempts to get free, and we have him boatside for the tag & photos. This fish was the strongest and most energetic fish we’ve had this season. Devon lowers the fish into the water and with the utmost respect we tow the fish boatside for over 5 minutes until this warrior is fully revived and kicking his tail to go.
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Devon resets the lines and in 5 minutes we have another Sail up on the rigger line. FISH ON! Wait! There’s one on the flat line too. DOUBLE!! Jules takes the rigger line and Rich is on the flat line but tries, in vain, to get “Papi” to take it. In the interim he allows too much slack and, poof, like magic it is gone. Gotta stay tight on ’em boys! Down to one and this one gives up the fight in about 10 minutes. WOW! Look how beat up this Sail is. He has fought some battles before. His Sail is split in 2 places and they aren‘t fresh.
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As the afternoon progresses, the seas get flat and the sun is bright. The fishing slows down and Devon gets going on the speed jig. A few casts and as he works it up, I hear the normal grunting sounds from Devon, as the speed jig hooks up…Uhhhh! He hands the rod to “Papi” and he works hard on the fish. At 76 years old, his determination outdid his stamina and we put the lip stick in a nice 21 # Gag grouper. As the shutters snap, “Papi” wears a proud face for his boys!
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A little while later and I hear Devon grunt again. Good one! Rich works the rod and remarks that this is as tough as the AJ’s. Devon and I are guessing big Bonito and hoping Blackfin! As we see color the gold hue is evident and “whoop, there it is”, we have a Blackie! 20#’s of Sashimi hit’s the deck.
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A pair of large Cuda, 27# and 20#, end the day and this weekend excursion comes to a close. I point the bow towards the west and head for home. The guys sat up front, discussing the weekend. Plenty of jokes and razzing went on and the guys could dish it out and take it as well. I must say, other than that crazy accent, they’re a good bunch of guys with a great sense of humor. It was like fishing with friends.
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 78
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 18, 2009 - 11:02 pm: | |
This past Thursday, Friday and Saturday the weathermen said we were in for a big blow. I had repeat customers flying in from New York so I filled the fuel tanks on The BEAST so she would sit heavy and stable in the rough waters they had forecasted. We had booked, the Harbor Club again this year, for 3 days. Harbor #1 Charlie, #3 Yalkin and #7 Frank are regulars but this time, with plenty of forewarning, they brought along #6 Wally. Oh Lord, it didn’t take long to see why 1, 3, & 7 warned us! Let me make this short… Have you ever heard Andrew “Dice” Clay?
We met Thursday and the forecast was for 4-6’ seas. We took off and while we were catching some Hardtails, the 3 days of chiding, laughter, and antagonism, had begun. We loaded up one live well with Blue Runners and then powered up to cruise to a bait patch to collect some hoo’s. We arrived on a patch we had wanted to try and the hoo’s came up so thick we didn’t have to use the hook and line. A few throws of the net and the second live well was full.
I made the short jaunt out to the edge and the seas were lumpy. An occasional ground set of 5 footers but mostly a solid 3 foot chop. The winds were brisk out of the East. Devon set out a good spread and we began the day. The first fish came on the down rod and it was a nice 10# Blackfin. We reset and shortly thereafter we were covered up in schoolie Dolphin. We boated 3 out of 4 of these chubby lifters. The long rigger raised a Sailfish that was only window shopping. We missed several bites on the down rod for some reason and caught a small Barracuda. Then things slowed down. I took the guys to the “Grunt & Sweat” wreck, to let them wrestle a few AJ’s during the lull. The first drop was a triple header. 7 Amberjacks later and the guys were spent.
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I saw a Sailfish flopper and minutes later it was surfing the waves off the bow. We pitched a bait in front of the Sailfish but he ignored it. After several attempts to entice it to feed, the Sail sounded into the depths. This prompted us to end the “time filler” fishing and get back in the game. A Sailfish rises to the left rigger and it is game on for Charlie. One jump and the Sail is free. Devon hurriedly reset the lines, a brief minute or 2 passes, and we have another Sailfish on. Wally jumps on the rod and loses the fish on the second jump! WOW! The cloud that hung over his head was incredible, as was the joking and laughing by his group. As the day closed, I saw a school of Tuna passing in the wave face. Devon heaved a small speed jig and got and strike but no hook up.
As we made our way home the laughter was flying from gunnel to gunnel. Frank, said it was the banana he ate for breakfast. We told him that we really didn’t believe in that superstitious stuff.
Day 2 and the Harbor Club arrives as usual, at 8:30. Oh My God, the day is starting off with a bang. As I am explaining to Yalkin, that it was going to be sporty because the conditions were going to be rougher than the previous day. I turned my eyes back toward the bow to see the Wally, Frank and Charlie, standing there eating bananas. OK guys… let’s test that superstition!
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Well the bait was easy and the seas were rough. They were easily 6-7’ with recurring ground swells. I took my time getting across the rough, sloppy “edge”. I told Devon to set ’em up! A lone Frigate bird approaches the boat as Devon casts out the first bait. In a New York second, he feels the pick up. FISH ON! Frank, takes the rod, flips the bail and we are off to the races. This is a good fish! About 15 minutes later we see it is a nice Blackie. Yes sir. Devon wields a good gaff shot and Frank has a nice 30# Blackfin in the box.
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We put out the baits and this time we manage to get all 4 surface lines going when a rigger sounds off. Yalkin takes his turn and this fish is a hoss. Time goes by before we see color. This is the big brother to the previous tuna. The fish feels the steel and Yalkin is on the boards with a very respectable 34# Blackfin.
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I stayed in the area for a while but the school had moved on, so I worked deeper in search of some Dorado. We get teased by 2 micro schoolies that just tore up our baits. Just as we get readjusted, the flat line goes down and Frank once again gets the nod. Then the rigger goes down and Wally is at bat. Frank’s fish breaks the water and it’s a nice Cow. That must mean that Wally has the Bull. Yes he does! We landed both and we have a 20# Cow and a 30# Bull joining our Tuna in the fish box.
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During the afternoon, we raised 5 Sailfish and hooked up 2. Charlie’s Sailfish came on the down rod. He fought his fish to the boat for the tag. The release came only a few seconds later when the leader broke. Shortly afterwards, Frank hooked up and he completed his catch for the tag, photo op, and release.
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That pretty much summed up Day 2 with only one question remaining. How did Frank get so many turns on the rod? We laughed the whole day. There is never a lack of humor or conversation, with this crew!
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Day 3, Saturday, and the weather is breezy but the seas laid down a foot or two. The Harbor Club arrives at the crack of 8:30 and start the day off by eating bananas. We did the same bait scenario and are off to the blue water. On all 3 days of fishing the water was clean and blue just off the edge.
First fish of the day came on the down rod and Wally brings up a 4’ Silky shark. We worked the area a bit more and made our way out to the Dolphin zone. 15 minutes in the area and a pair of schoolies come to visit. The fight was short and the fish were boxed. We continued on our hunt. Charlie wants a nice Dolphin to top off his trip, after catching a Sailfish the day before. As if on cue, the rigger goes down and we are on a good fish. Charlie takes the rod and it breaks the surface revealing itself. We think we have another one on when we realize the Dolphin is caught up in the other rigger. I told Devon to cut the line. As Charlie works the fish closer we see that we have cut the wrong line. Holy Crap! The line is tangled and knotted on Charlie’s hook! The fish is on the line we cut! OK. We pulled the hook up, grab the other line and quickly tie it to Charlie’s leader. Thankfully the fish was tired and posed little fight during this process. Charlie cranked the fish in and Devon struck her with the gaff. Charlie has his respectable 22# Cow!
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I worked in towards the edge and then back out, time after time. The down rod goes off and Yalkin is working for several long minutes when we see color. What the heck is it? We are in 140’ and had the bait down to 70’. Yalkin just caught a 10# Mutton Snapper.
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The down rod gets the nod again. This time it is a very strong fish and Wally is up. Several minutes later we’re still in a major battle. Finally, we see color! It’s a 37 pound “Donkey”. Give me a break. Wally is totally spent from fighting the fish and his nerves. Too funny!
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The day continued on as we caught an 8# Skipjack, and the down rod found 3 Kingfish.
I throttled up The BEAST and headed for the barn. The Harbor Club had 3 good days of fishing and trust me when I tell you, there was never a dull moment while fishing with this crew!
I have to finish by saying thank you, to World Cat, for building such a capable, stable, fishing machine. That 3 day trip could’ve been miserable, instead, it will go down in the books as one of our most memorable.
Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
http://www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 77
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - 10:11 pm: | |
On our last 2 trips we saw relatively calm seas, light winds, and warm ambient air temperatures. So far we haven’t been subject to those nasty afternoon thunder boomers but I’m sure it is only a matter of time.
Our trip with Homestead local, Brian Morris, included his business associate and son, Dan and Denver. We met up at the dock at the usual time and cast off our lines. This day we decided to forego the usual bait stop and take our chances with a few Hardtails we had caught on the way out.
I immediately made my way offshore and into the deeper blue water to search for some Dolphin. We found some scattered weeds and Devon dropped our spread and we began to “do work”! We worked the area for a short time as we headed for deeper water. Bonk, Bam, Zing! Lines were ripped out of the riggers and flats! Green and yellow flashes let us know we had found our mark. We were hit by some decent sized school fish. This scenario played out a time or two again and we boxed 6 Dolphin in total. As things settled down and we lost track of the fish, we spotted birds working on the horizon. I made the turn and in a few minutes we were on them. Looks like Skippies to me. We had a long shotgun line out and I made a few wide turns. To my surprise the short flat line takes a hit. Dan worked the fish to the boat and judging by the fight it was definitely a tuna. Yes sir! A nice football Blackfin greets us. Devon snatches it out of the sea and quickly preps it, to preserve the flesh, then dispatches it the ice. We continued to worked the birds for a while and never got another bite. Those Skipjacks can be frustrating, to say the least!
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We packed it in and I took a cruise heading for the wreck. Dan and Denver are from Minnesota. Once again we had someone aboard who was discussing walleye and salmon. OK boys, get a load of these back breakers. We worked the wrecks and gave each one of them a shot at some AJ’s to 40 pounds or so. Done deal. The guys tapped out in the second round!
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I had Devon pull lines and we made our way toward the Permit hole. Permit are not quite the bruisers that our local Amberjack are, but they do take a place on the tough fish list. We worked the area and conditions were not helping us. As the fat lady was warming up her vocals to end the day, we managed to get young Denver hooked up and he boated a 15 pounder.
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Brad Essick has fished with us several times over the years, and he was here in Miami on a business/busman’s holiday. He decided he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to go fishing with us again. He came alone. We met at the dock at 7 and we asked him what fish or type of fishing was his preference. He said, “It doesn’t matter, just keep me busy!“ I made way for an area to catch some Blue Runners and we managed to quickly catch a half dozen or so. Off we go!
Considering the Dolphin bite of yesterday, I decided to head out into the general vicinity of our previous catches. Holy Cow! What a difference a day makes. That area was void of life. No birds, no weeds, no debris, nothing! After the boredom set in on us, I hollered to pull lines and let’s get this guy on some fish. We ran in from our position in the inky blue depths and as we approached the 500’ line we found birds working Skipjacks. Once again I made the wide turns and to my surprise the 2 flats and a rigger get popped. Dolphin! They must’ve been working the fringes of that school of Skipjacks. Brad managed to catch and boat them all. We stayed on the birds and pitched small speed jigs at them and Brad caught 2 Skippies on this 15# spinning setup. A short while later we attracted too much attention and boats began running up into the school, splitting them and sending ‘em down. The schools would pop up a good distance away and it began to get tedious. I left them to the other boats. I put The BEAST on plane and made our way to the AJ’s.
Now you’re going to get busy Brad. Each drift produced a fish and Brad didn’t cry uncle, not once, not even close. He backed his words with a smile on his face. 10 fish later, he had caught them with live bait on heavier bottom tackle as well as speed jigs on 30# spinning tackle. We vent/released all of these wreck donkeys to fight another day!
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He wanted more, so I suggested a try at some Permit also. A smile and a nod and we were off. As we approached the Permit spot, it was as congested as a public boat ramp on Memorial Day. There was a sportfish there and a spotter in his Tuna tower telling his anglers where the fish were. Other boats crowded him to within inches, as if they had no idea how to catch these fish without his direction. That might just be the case. A very short while after we arrived, the big boat pulled out of the area. A few short minutes later and all the other boats were gone too. There were only 2 of us left there! COOL! We worked the fish and Brad went 3 for 4 with the largest fish being 18 pounds. We released the 3 Permits also, to continue the rituals that had brought them there.
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With a half hour or so left, we pulled out from these fish and tried to top off the day with a Sailfish. We put out the last of our live baits. Nothing came of that and I pointed The BEAST for the barn. On the ride in, Devon and I couldn’t believe that Brad had caught 3 Dolphin, 2 Skipjacks, 3 Permit, and last but surely not least, 10 Amberjack, all by himself. He was a fishing animal, a glutton for punishment! However, Brad did confide in us, that his muscles would be feeling it in the morning!
Speaking of muscles! You guys have just enough time to hit the gym and tone up for Cubera Snapper season. That time is fast approaching again and several days have already been reserved.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 76
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, May 07, 2009 - 11:05 am: | |
We finally got a break in the weather as the winds laid back this past weekend. Saturday we met “Walleye Mike“, of Nassau Vision Lenses, who is a Florida transplant from Minnesota. He brought along his friends, Mary and Manny. “Walleye Mike” and crew were all newbie’s to offshore fishing and we wanted to make their day!
We unleashed The BEAST at 7AM and made our way towards the Bay. I throttled up the twin 300 Suzukis and made a quick cruise to the bait patches. Conditions looked good even though we had almost a week of 25-30 knot winds out of the east. The water was clear and clean and the seas were light to moderate. We set out the chum and the bait was slow in coming. When the ballyhoo finally arrived, they were finicky, beyond belief, swimming up to the baited hooks and turning their nose up to it. Now isn’t this a peach? The crew managed to catch about 15 or so and I was about to pull the plug on the deal when a few ‘hoo’s got stupid, passing within the limits of a long toss of the net. I loaded up the 10’ Calusa and heaved it at the passing baits. The timing was right, the net opened perfectly, and I caught a few more as they made a dash to elude the net. Now we had enough bait, considering this is the time of year where we do several types of fishing in a day.
We made the short run to the blue water and set out our spread of live bait. Conditions offshore were beautiful with clean, blue water, all the way into the edge. “Walleye Mike“ had been telling us about his BIG Salmon and how hard it fought. I told him that his Salmon doesn’t hold a candle to our offshore fish. Now, with that being said, I have to make him a believer! Minute after minute rolls by and we have absolutely no action. Not today, guys! Precious time is ticking away. I gave Devon the nod to pull the lines so we could get Mike, Mary, and Manny, the Triple M crew, on some fish.
I took a heading for some Permit. We arrived in the area and immediately marked fish on the sounder but they didn’t want our offerings. Devon and I worked hard but it wasn’t to be. What in the world is going on? I backed out of that area and made a short run to another prime spot for some Amberjack. I have to get these guys on some fish. We dropped a live ’hoo and Devon and I worked 2 speed jigs. Bam, Boom, Bam, we have a triple going! This scenario played out several more times. Mary and Manny were spent! “Walleye Mike” learned quickly, how to use the speed jig and he finessed his fish to the boat as if he was catching those, bad to the bone (ha-ha), walleye. I suggested we try for some Dolphin and Wahoo as it appeared they had enough of these bruisers. We boated 3 fish, and vented/released that many or more. I think “Walleye Mike” has a newfound respect for the fight of our AJ’s and that BIG Salmon of yesteryear, now takes a back seat!
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I pointed the boat offshore and we began a trolling search. Devon had 5 lines up and 2 down as we made our way out to 500+ feet. The water color and clarity was perfect, but there was little in the way of weeds, debris, birds, flying fish, etc. The further out we went the less we saw. It was a liquid desert! I made the turn and headed for the “edge” and our Mutton spot. It’s getting to that time of year for them and they should be hot and heavy. We arrived, pulled our gear, and immediately made a drop. Nothing! We set up several more drifts and all we could muster was a couple of cut offs. Those dreaded “Caribbean Spotted Mackerel” had taken the area. This has been one tough day and the time was gone.
The fat lady was singing and I didn’t want to end the day like this. On this note, I made the run back, for one last ditch attempt to catch a Permit. We arrived and once again, I marked fish. Devon was perched on the bow and could see them deep below, but not in great numbers. After several attempts, I told “Walleye” to keep feeding line because the drift was fast. He would know if he got a bite. Our offshore fish don’t nibble! About 30 seconds later, “Walleye” says he feels the bite and I instructed him to close the bail and come tight on the fish! Game on, boys and girls! “Walleye Mike” hooked this fish well away from any obstruction and once again, worked the rod gingerly. Good thing! After about 10 minutes we got this “garbage can lid” to the boat. To quote Devon, “That’s a nugget!” WOW! Nice fish! “Walleye Mike” just boated a 32 pound Permit and the hook was almost straightened out, looking like a comma. Now THAT is the way to end the day.
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Way over time, I pointed The BEAST for the barn. The Triple M crew, Mike, Mary, and Manny seemed very satisfied with the day and definitely happy with our determination to make it so! Sometimes you have to go that extra mile. Right?
NOTE: Please abide all manatee idle zones! For those who complain about, or don’t obey the law of MANATEE IDLE ZONES in your area! This is why these laws exist! Honestly, isn’t this what it’s really all about folks?!?
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Capt. Jim
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Alan Sherman (Shermana)
New member
Username: Shermana
Post Number: 9
Registered: 10-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, April 23, 2009 - 1:18 pm: | |
April is quickly passing us by and the Spring fishing will be past soon as well! If you haven’t had a chance to experience some of the fine fishing that we have had recently don’t worry because there is still plenty of time before the heat of the summer is on us.
Weather conditions change often in the month of April and this has happened at least once a week recently. With each temperature change and rain storm our fishing has changed as well.
Fishing in North Biscayne Bay has been pretty good recently with enough variety to keep the anglers happy. Lots of sea trout have been available on many of the grass flats and as of now wwwfishreports.net our biggest has been a 4 pounder caught on a live Spanish sardine fished under a Cajun Thunder. Most of our catches have been made on Cajun Thunders and live shrimp or baitfish but Hook Up lures tipped with a Trigger X shrimp or Gulp soft plastics have worked as well. The Rapala Twichin Raps, Skitter Walks and X Raps are seeing plenty of action as well. Many limit catches have been made on many of our charters but most of the fish have been released to spawn and create new populations of sea trout. Large jack crevalles have been roaming the bay and on almost every charter we have hooked and released or just lost at least one large jack and many small ones. Spanish mackerel and small kingfish have been scattered throughout the bay and a few bluefish have made it to our baits as well. Snook have been available and some big ones have given us a thrill but not made it to the boat. I haven’t seen any tarpon recently but that doesn’t mean that the next cast won’t produce one. Lots of barracudas and a few snappers have also been caught on many of our trips in the bay.
Offshore fishing has been good but everyday has been different with the many weather changes we are experiencing each week. Spanish mackerel, kingfish, bluefish, bonitos and dolphins plus some sailfish have thrilled my clients recently.
Fishing in Flamingo has been good but not great due to high winds from the south to northeast. These winds have muddied up the water and then add the sudden drop in temperatures and the fish have been hard to find but feeding when you do find them. The good thing is that warmer conditions and recent rains will keep the fish moving out of the way back waters and put them into areas that produced great catches of snook, redfish, tarpon, sea trout and many other species. This area will be good for many months once we get out of April.
Freshwater fishing has been outstanding with low low water conditions almost every freshwater canal or lake has had loads of bass and panfish competing for the same food. These conditions can mean hook ups or strikes on almost every cast.
Recent Catches:
Gene H and his daughter Ashley and boyfriend Rajeev teamed up to catch snook, trout, snapper, mackerel and bluefish while fishing Biscayne Bay for four hours.
Mel T and wife Mickey scored on two out of three snook and jacks and then went offshore and released bonitos and kingfish and hooked up on a double header of sailfish but both fish were lost on the light tackle we were using.
The Asher family caught loads of sea trout to three pounds plus barracudas, jacks and mackerel in Biscayne Bay .
The Gomez family took home a bunch of sea trout and a mackerel caught in Biscayne Bay during a four hour charter. The family released a bunch of small kingfish, jacks and barracudas.
Evan, Lilia, Vivian and 5 year old Ariel had there hands full catching lots of sea trout in Biscayne Bay .
The Weinstein family caught loads of sea trout to four pounds plus mackerel, jacks and barracudas fishing Biscayne Bay for four hours.
Ralph M., Terry L and I fished up in Ft. Pierce and caught and released snook, trout and jacks in the Indian River and then went offshore and had a field day on Spanish mackerel and bluefish.
Eddie L fished Biscayne Bay and offshore and caught jacks, barracudas and snappers inshore and then offshore lots of Spanish mackerel and bonitos.
Check out my new web site and see your monthly catches and pictures.
Well that catches us up for now.
Give me a call and let's go fishing!
786-436-2064
Check out my report in the Miami Herald's Sports section under Fishing Updates each Thursday, the Florida Sportsman Magazines South Florida Internet Fishing Report (www.floridaspotsman.com), my monthly Action Spotter Fishing Report for the South Region in the Florida Sportsman Magazine each month or tune into the Florida Sportsman Magazines Live Radio Show on 1080 WMCU on the AM dial or listen on the internet at www.1080wmcu.com every Saturday morning from 7 to 8 AM and here the up to the minute fishing forecasts from some of the top Capt.'s in South Florida like Capt. Jimbo Thomas on the Thomas Flyer, Capt. Bouncer Smith on Bouncers Dusky, Capt Skip Bradeen on the Blue Chips Too out of Whale Harbor Marina, Capt. Wayne Conn on The Reward Fleet, and more.
I have recently been wearing a lot of Columbia Sports Wear on my fishing charters and the new Blood & Guts shirts are amazing. I have had mackerel, cobia and snook just splatter me with blood and one good washing and the shirts are as good as new. Check out their web site at www.columbia.com
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, Capt. Hank Brown's Hook Up Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Saltwater Assassins, Key Largo Rods, Lee Fisher Cast Nets, Smartshield, Master Repair in Stuart Florida, Power Pole, Stow Master Nets, superfishlight.com, Columbia Wear
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
786 436 2064
shermana@bellsouth.net
www.getemsportfishing.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 75
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, April 16, 2009 - 9:34 am: | |
We met Norm and Logan at the dock for a ¾ day trip. Norm’s mission was to give 9 year old Logan, a S. Florida fishing experience. Devon and I got their gear secured and we cast off the lines. I powered up The BEAST and we made our way out to the bait patches.
On the way, we made an attempt for some Blue Runners which was fruitless. We arrived on the patch and set out a chum slick. The Ballyhoo were slow in coming but they finally showed. Once again, we had a difficult time getting them to feed on our baits and they wouldn’t get in close enough to toss the net on. We pecked away at them until we had a dozen or so. Since we had planned on doing various types of fishing that day, I called it a wrap and we headed offshore.
The seas were solid 3 footers and the water was a nasty blue color. We set out our normal spread and sat back waiting for the story to unfold. The first bite came on the down rod and the hooks pulled. The same scenario with the second bite. Devon worked a small speed jig, got a hooked up, and handed the rod to Logan. Logan worked a small Bonito to the boat. A while later the flying fish began showering inshore of us, and were coming our way. A lone Frigate bird was on the deck just 50 yards from our baits when the short flat line popped off. Drop back… and hooked up. Norm was on the rod this time and after a few minutes a “snooter” came to the surface. We managed to get another jump out of the fish and the hook came loose. Bummer! We reset and had another bite on the down line. This time Logan managed to bring in a healthy Silky Shark. They wanted a picture so Devon grabbed the Silky and brought him aboard. Before we could get in position for the photo the shark twisted his way out of Devon’s hands and was gone. Anyone who has ever tried to handle a shark knows exactly how strong, even the smallest of them, can be. This is why we normally don’t bring any sharks aboard. We had one more bite on the down rod that had the drag screaming, but once again, the hooks pulled during the fight. Hmmm.
I asked Devon to pull the lines as we arrived at a wreck. One drift and I could see the fish on the sonar screen. Second drift and Devon sees the fish well below the surface and presents a bait to them. “He’s eating! He’s on!” Devon yells as he passes the rod to Logan. Logan works the fish, with some help from Dad, and after about 5 minutes we get a beautiful 20# Permit in the boat.
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We made several more drifts but the fish stayed too deep to get a bait to them, effectively. Logan remarked that he wanted a Dolphin, so we packed up the rods and headed offshore.
If I tell you that there were a gazillion flying fish, everywhere we looked that day, it’s no exaggeration. We managed to troll up a small Dolphin and Logan was on the boards with a Mahi-Mahi.
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We continued on our Dorado hunt. I spotted a half dozen “Black Backs” (Sooty Terns) working the water. I bumped up the throttles and made my way over there and we quickly hooked up another Dorado. This scenario played out several times with 2 Frigate birds joining in and we ended up with 3 Dolphin in the 10# range.
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Time has run over and Norm decided to extend the trip to a full day so we could try some bottom fishing on a wreck. Not a problem! I throttled up and we made our way through the now 4-5’ seas to our favorite bottom wreck. When we arrived, Devon was ready to go, bottom rods in place and baited as usual. Sometimes, he amazes me at how he does that in rough conditions while running 22 knots. The current was ripping to the north and a 20 knot wind. We managed a bite on each of several drifts. 2 of the bites were cut off, most likely those dreaded “Caribbean Spotted Mackerel”. Norm caught a nice Amberjack and Logan pulled up a decent Almaco.
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We never got a snapper bite because we just couldn’t hold bottom under these conditions. As the day drew to a close we made our way back to the barn. Although we didn’t have a banner day of catches, under the conditions presented to us, we did 4 fishing techniques and hooked/caught 6 or 7 different species. I believe we gave Norm and Logan the experience they were looking for.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 74
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, April 12, 2009 - 10:05 pm: | |
This report is going to be short and sweet! We decided to have a family day. My 2 son-in-laws, Devon and Charlie, my daughter, Amy, Devon’s uncle Al, and I went out for a day of just pulling on the rods.
We decided to do the wreck thing with a bit of trolling thrown in for good measure. We hit the first wreck mainly for Permit but Devon couldn’t leave the speed jig alone and hooked up to an AJ, first thing. Frankly I don’t have a clue why these fish are given such a bad rap because they are true bruisers on any rod, especially a jig rod. They just lack the glitz and glamour of the other more sought after species, but they are ultimate back breakers. The first stop of the day yielded, 3 for 7 on Permit (23, 18, and 15 pounds) which are no slouches themselves, and 3 AJ’s (47,43 and 28 pounds). We gave up there when the 6th boat moved in and then some guys came into the middle of us, dropped some dive balls onto the wreck and began diving. The fish turned off immediately from all the commotion.
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The next stop we made was at a wreck for some bottom fish and we scored 2 Mutton Snapper, 1 Barracuda, and 1 Almaco Jack (10#’s). After a short while of this we decided to troll for a while in search of some Dolphin. The Dolphin didn’t come out to play but we did get a small Blackfin Tuna and a nice Wahoo of 23 pounds.
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Since we were fishing this trip for the fun of it, I took the opportunity to video some of the action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eankQllCH_U
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Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 73
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, April 09, 2009 - 9:45 am: | |
We met Scott and Skylar Smith, a father and son team, at the dock on our last trip out. We went through the normal introductions and shoved off. Skylar is a member of our armed forces in the US Navy, stationed on the aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan. As a proud veteran myself, I wanted to show him an extra special day if possible.
I throttled up The BEAST and made our way out to our local bait patch. Uh oh! The current was slowly running out and the winds had The BEAST laying 90 degrees to the current. The Bally’s wouldn’t come up! This is not the start I was looking for. After 15 minutes we pulled the lines and motored to another patch. This spot had almost the same conditions but the boat was more inline with the chum line and the ‘Hoos rose to the occasion. Once again we had a wrench in our spokes when they decided to be extremely wary, hanging way back, and not wanting to eat the baits we offered them. I hate when this happens! Slowly we picked off one, then another, until we had just short of a dozen. Devon was working on the Pig Grunts for baits to drop on the wrecks. I was becoming anxious as we were wasting valuable fishing time, but time is useless without good baits. Finally the Ballyhoo got stupid and made a mistake. They got too close to the boat and I loaded the Calusa Cast net and fired out a long toss which opened nicely. The net throw saved our butts as I got enough baits to make the day. We shoved off from that spot and made the short 2 mile run to the edge.
Devon put out the normal spread and we began our hunt for fish. The seas were nice at 2-3‘ and the water was a stained blue color. We worked the edge for a while but nothing much was happening. We missed one bite on the down rod when “Die Hard” called me on the radio. He reported to me that the bite was extremely slow and he had only boated one Sailfish and a couple Dolphin, first thing that morning. He hadn’t had any action since. Great! It’s hard to show someone a good time if the fish won’t cooperate. I stuck it out for about an hour and 45 minutes and then suggested we work some wrecks. Skylar and Scott were all for that! Being from Missouri, the largest fish they had caught was a 40 pound Flathead Catfish, so Devon and I figured we could probably top that.
I powered up the 600 ponies on the stern and headed for one of our favorite wrecks. First drop was a Pig Grunt and Devon worked a speed jig. While working the speed jig he was teaching Scott and Skylar the technique and then gave them each a jig rod. They quickly got the hang of it, which I must say is unusual. Scott felt the crushing strike of a fish as it inhaled his jig and put a severe bend in his rod. He passed it off to Skylar who was working the fish to the boat when the leader cut. Hmmm, must’ve been a ‘Cuda! During that fight Devon was working one of our small jigs on a 15# rod, in the mid depths. Bam! Fish on and Scott took the rod. 15 minutes later and we still don’t see any color. We’re now at the 30 minute mark and we have color. NICE! A 36 pound Amberjack on 15# gear. Scott remarked about the power of saltwater fish in comparison to their freshwater counterparts of equal size.
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We continued to work the wreck with successive drifts. The current and winds were bucking each other and the drifts were very slow and precise. We managed at least one hook up on each of the drifts and several doubles as well. Not one of the live baits drew a bite. We lost 2 more fish to the wreck and caught a couple of small Almaco Jacks.
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At this point Skylar’s luck at feeling the actual strike on the jig, had not happened. Speed jigging can wear you out quick! Skylar made another drop and as he worked the jig upwards, he finally got to experience the smashing strike. He fought this fish on the 40# jigging rod and the fish battled him every inch of the way. There’s color! The big AJ gives up and blows his air. Devon hoisted the fish aboard and Skylar was on the boards with a 47 pounder.
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Alright guys, let’s give something else a try since we have some time left. We pulled lines and motored to another area. Marking the fish on the sonar, I told Devon to get ready. As we drifted the area we tossed 2 baits over. Nothing. One more drift and nothing! Then, as often happens, the fish seem to rise becoming more aggressive and BAM, we are hooked up. PERMIT ON! Skylar and Scott fought fish until we ran out of bait losing 6 fish to the wreck. Scott did manage to get a big one to the boat but it made one more run and pulled the hook. These fish are so powerful. Stopping them from going wherever they want is a tough job for the angler. OK, we’re into overtime, extra innings, and no live bait left. I asked Devon to try one more shot with an imitation that I have been wanting to try for a while now. Usually these fish won’t even take a dead natural bait, but what the heck. My guess is, you’ll never know unless you try. Right? We got into position and BADA BING, we have a hook up! Skylar worked the fish and we got him to the boat. Devon put the net under this 8 pounder and we have the catch. Although a smaller cousin to the previously hooked fish, we ultimately ended the day with a catch!
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The last I heard from Mike aka “Die Hard”, he had caught a couple more Dolphin but never saw anything else. Scott and Skylar were extremely happy with us making the move to wreck fish instead. They were extremely impressed with the power of these wreck “donkeys” and equally astounded by the power of a Permit. I guess the “freshies” that they fish for in Missouri, will have to grow some shoulders to impress them now!
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Jim Barlett (Beast_charters)
New member
Username: Beast_charters
Post Number: 72
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 03, 2009 - 7:10 am: | |
Wednesday, April 1, 2009 turned out to be an April Fool’s day, for sure. No one played a joke on us but circumstances of the day turned out to be anything but normal.
I began the day by getting up late. I hustled to load my bait, gear, and ice, into the truck so I could get my hind parts to the marina on time. Devon and I arrived at the same time and we were finished readying the boat as the crew arrived. Jon, Chuck, and Eddy stowed their gear and we pulled lines. Jon is a regular on The BEAST who loves catching those Sailfish, but it turns out he was on a meat hunt this time. The “weathermen” called for 15-20 knot winds out of the SE with seas of 3-5 feet.
We made the run offshore to our latest bait spot and never had to back off of cruise speed. No big seas yet! We set out a block of good double grind chum and the bait, although slow in coming, finally came up thick! Trouble was they were finicky eaters, so I broke out another flavor of bait and they began eating readily. The 3 guys began pulling in the primo hooker baits and the well was filling nicely. The bait never got into cast net range and this was no surprise. That’s the way this day seems to be headed. Of course, by the end of the season, even the dumbest fish swimming can figure out that the “big white thing” in the water is not their friend. We got enough bait for the day and made the very short run to the edge.
Arriving on the edge we found the blue water was more of a dingy green for a good distance out but the seas were only 2-3‘ with occasional 3 set ground swells of 4 feet. We set out our 4 top lines and sent another one down. We decided to fish north of our usual area to try for the food fish. Our morning was following suit. The fishing was sort of slow and the bites that we did get were robbing the baits but not getting hooked up. I figured the bite to turn on around noon. 11:30 AM and we had a Tuna boil 3 times on a bait and the 4th time he pulled it from the rigger and left an empty hook. 30 minutes later the down rod makes a run and we are finally hooked up. As the fish is being worked by Jon we see the colors of a Dolphin. Sure enough! The fish gets closer and we can see it is a nice cow of about 15 pounds. Devon collects her up and puts her into the fish box.
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Time is passing and we decide to work the wreck to give Chuck and Eddy a shot on the rods. We arrive at the wreck and fire down 2 speed jigs. In short order one of the jigs is inhaled and the battle is on. Chuck is fighting a nice sized “Wreck Donkey” Don’t get me wrong, I use that term affectionately on these Amberjack because they are stubborn as an ass when trying to get them to the boat and Devon and I enjoy eating them, either fresh in the fryer or smoked. Devon grabs the 35 pound AJ and flips him into the boat.
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Second drop and one of the jigs gets eaten again, but Eddy gets schooled as the fish takes everything. Third drop and this time we sent down a 14” Yellowtail for one of those real Donkeys with shoulders. In seconds, the Yellowtail attracts the attention of the previous fishes bigger brother. Eddy is knuckles down on the gunwale with a big fish. After and few more back breaking minutes we put a shoulder harness on Eddy and he has a bit easier time controlling the rod. Finally the fish comes aboard and it is a fine specimen of 50 pounds. We boxed that fish too.
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General consensus was that they had enough on AJ’s in just 2 fish, so we went looking for some Africans or Permit. We had brought some prime baits just in case. Arriving at the next spot, I marked the fish on the sonar and we sent down the bait. Devon was standing on the bow and yelled back that he spotted them below. Nothing doing! On each successive attempt, the fish were marking lower and lower in the water column. Jon made the call to leave it and suggested trying to troll up some Dollies, Blackfin, or Wahoo. We switched up and left the area in search of Dolphin.
A nice spread of baits, as fresh as you can get, and we’re heading out into bluer waters. We sent one down for Wahoo as well. I went out deeper, zigged and zagged, sped up and slowed down, fished open water, weeds, and debris. Nothing was happening. Jon now tells me that he had to get in a bit early to meet up with a friend in Davie. That changed things quickly. I made the decision to go back in and work the edge for the remaining half hour. Once again I zigged and zagged from 120’-200’ and with 10 minutes of time left the 50W down rod starts screaming. Everyone gets excited with the thought of a nice Wahoo, big Blackfin, or smoker Kingfish! The line begins rising and suddenly a “snooter” pokes his head out of the water. This is the first time I ever heard Devon say “Crap! It’s a Sailfish!” Chuck is on the rod and the fish is playing tough, staying deep, then once again makes an attempt to get air and shake the hook. This time we see the size of this fish and our excitement rises to a feverish pitch. Chuck worked the fish to the boat, Devon grabs the leader positioning the fish for me to tag, all without incident . Oh my God! That fish is a PIG. Devon asks if they want a picture and the unanimous vote was… Heck yeah! Devon strains to pull the fish aboard carefully as possible as Chuck slides into frame for the photo op. A few quick seconds pass as the shutters click and Devon lowers the fish back into the water. The huge fish was ready to go, pulling free of Devon’s hands to swim away. I conservatively guestimated that fish at every bit of 80+ pounds. A real SLOB!
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We didn’t get much for Jon’s meat list but the day finished of with a bang! The big bite of the day, surprisingly, turned out to be a Sailfish playing an April Fool’s Day joke on us. Or did he?
Capt Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com |
Capt. Alan Sherman (Shermana)
New member
Username: Shermana
Post Number: 7
Registered: 10-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, April 02, 2009 - 12:05 pm: | |
Spring is definitely in the air and the fishing is starting to reflect just that. One of my favorite places to fish is North Biscayne Bay mainly because it has a great population of sea trout that can reach six pounds and during the month of March, April and May these fish are spawning giving my clients the best chance at their catching one of the biggest sea trout of the year that this Bay has to offer. Because these fish are spawning I suggest releasing the bigger fish to give them a chance to release their millions of eggs to be fertilized by the smaller males. My last three bay charters have produced large numbers of sea trout to just over 4 pounds caught on live shrimp and pilchards under a Cajun Thunder and on Hook Up lures tipped with Gulp soft plastics and Rapala X Raps, Twitchin Raps and Skitter Walks. Along with the trout we have had snook during the daytime, jack crevalles to just over 14 pounds plus lots of barracudas and ladyfish. I expect to see some Spanish mackerel, bluefish, pompano and maybe a cobia to be caught by my anglers in North Biscayne Bay anytime now. Tarpon have been scattered in the Bay but most have been hitting at night.
I am not fishing South Biscayne Bay as much now due to the warmer conditions. The warmer water pushes the groupers out into the ocean and the mackerel, bluefish and pompano are now starting to head north for the summer. During the Spring and Summer I only fish the South part of the Bay to target bonefish, permit, sharks and barracudas for a select few that know my boats capabilities and are OK with fishing the shallow flats from my 22’ Pathfinder Bay Boat.
Flamingo is a destination I like this time of the year. With warming conditions snook, redfish, tarpon, sea trout, co
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