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Fishing Reports for Local Area - Location |
    
Captain Ron (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 24, 2005 - 1:43 pm: | |
We made it through another Florida summer! It is still warm but the last few days kept to the high 80's. Today was another perfect day on the water. The first bait out on the spinning rod got taken by a large Sailfish. During the hour and a half battle we had 3 others jump on another bait and quickly come up jumping and throw the hook. We were concentrating on the first fish since it had become a personal battle and we finally released it. We did end up shallower that morning and got into a few nice Dolphin that appeared in very close where we usually get Kingfish. Mixed in with a couple of cut off lines and some mystery bites, the anglers went home happy, packing some filets and a camera full of Sailfish photos.
Sea Ya,
Captain Ron Mallet
www.actionsportfishing.com
(954) 423-8700 |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 70
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 16, 2005 - 2:24 pm: | |
September has always been a slow month for me charter fishing wise. This September has been no exception. The few times I've been out, the fishing has been good. It has required a change in fishing tactics to get a good catch. Yes, there have been some sailfish and the kingfishing has been OK for those who like to troll. What we have been doing is fishing wrecks in the 110 to 375 foot range with some very good success. The weather has been very good on the days we've been out and this makes fishing these wrecks enjoyable.
Today for example the wind was from the NNE to NNW @ 2 - 6 knots. This gave us flat calm seas. There was a south current and whether we drifted over the deeper wrecks or anchored on the shallower ones, it didn't require very much compensation for wind or current. The current was light enough so that we could get down with 8 ounces of lead. We started in 240' off Haulover and caught vermillion snapper, yellow jack, and AJ's along with a blue runner that went into the live well for barracuda bait later on. The next wreck was in 230' and turned out to be the most disappointing one of the morning. The 3rd stop in 225' had us catching more of the same varieties. We ended the morning anchoring in 170'. Here we caught gag grouper, lane snapper, mangrove snapper, and vermillion snapper on the bottom. Meanwhile on the flat lines, Georgie and Tom had action with bomber size bonito that we had chummed up around the boat. The surface explosions of the bonito hitting the live chum had everyone excited. About a 100 yards offshore of us, we saw a free jumping sailfish. The chum didn't get its attention, but we were glad to see the fish nonetheless. On the way in, we made one quick stop at Haulover Inlet and put out the live bluerunner to try for a barracuda. We got the hit, unfortunately the Cuda hit the mono portion of the leader while striking the bait and we all know what happens to mono leaders when it comes into contact with sharp teeth.
So as you can see, by changing tactics, we caught a variety of fish and got to bring home some snapper for dinner. Give me a call to schedule a trip and lets get out and get in on the variety.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 69
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, September 02, 2005 - 2:50 pm: | |
With the passing of Katrina, the wind and seas have calmed down so that running anywhere you want is a pleasure. A word of caution though. There is still plenty of debris in the water ranging from coconuts to large pieces of wood and bamboo, so keep an eye out for it. Once you cross the blue/green edge, there have been plenty of dolphin in the area ranging from throw backs to 15 pound fish. Find some of that debris and even if you don't see fish immediately, drop a 1 or 2 ounce T&M pilchard jig down deep. If there are any dolphin in the area, you'll either hook a fish or draw them up to the surface where you can cast jigs or live bait to them.
Thursday (9/1), Adrian Ocampo had two goals in mind. First was to catch a dolphin and second to catch a sailfish. We bought bait from Mike on the Greenline at Haulover and then ran down to the crooked range marker at Government Cut. There, we worked very hard to get two dozen herring before running offshore. At 5 miles, we found a small board and raised some very small dolphin with the pilchard jig. The fish were so small, it wasn't even worth pursuing them. At 8.6 miles, we found a large piece of bamboo and Adrian hook his first dolphin with a 1 ounce jig. Another fish ate a live bait and then a third fish swam up to see what was going on. We landed 2 of the 3 fish we hooked and with the first goal accomplished, it was time to run inshore to try for sailfish. The blue/green edge was in 235' off the Monument Buoy and we slow trolled pilchards and herring into the north current. About five minutes after putting out the baits, a small shark swam up to us followed by a large school of dolphin. We caught and released dolphin with jigs and live bait and also caught and released the shark. We moved south to Fowey Light along the same edge that was in 220' in that area. While putting out the first bait, it got hit and another nice dolphin made it to the fish box. We moved again, this time to south of the Light in 298'. A large weedline caught us and was passing us as we drifted north. It held more dolphin that we caught and released as well as large bluerunners and a bar jack. We were making another run back south when I spotted a free jumping sailfish offshore of us. While we were running toward it, we watched it make at least 8 jumps. Just as I was arriving in the general area, it made its last jump. We quickly put out a herring, however, we didn't connect with the sail. Next, we slow trolled back to and inside of the edge. In 145', the downrigger popped and Adrian caught a bonito. With the day almost over, we stopped to catch and release a 12 pound barracuda at Government Cut. A stop at Haulover had us hooked up with a barracuda again, but this time, the wire on the trailer hook broke and we released the fish prematurely. We didn't catch the sailfish for Adrian this time, however, he was thrilled to get to see the free jumper and is looking forward to his next trip.
Needless to say, with the hot temperatures, make sure you have plenty of liquid refreshments. Also, keep a close eye on the weather as there have been some nasty afternoon thunderstorms. I have openings, so give me call to schedule your fishing trip. If you want to beat the heat, then consider booking a swordfish trip. The seas have been very calm and the fish have been cooperating.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 68
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, August 19, 2005 - 2:22 pm: | |
With the most recent hike in gas prices, the question that must be answered by the dolphin fisherman is "Is it worth the expense of fuel to go out and search for dolphin?" Only you can answer that question. On two of my last three trips offshore the answer for me is YES it has been worth it. The third trip left us disappointed and we saved the day in on the reef bottom fishing.
On the reef, there was one day when there was a flurry of sailfish. Live baiting for kingfish has been OK one day and not so good on others. Those pulling spoons on planers have faired much better as you'll need to cover a lot of ground to find the fish off our area this time of year. Mixed in with the kings have been some bonito, barracuda, and an occasional blackfin tuna. If you like bottom fishing, the mutton snapper have been cooperating.
Sunday (8/14) afternoon, Mike and Jane Johnson wanted to beat the heat some and to catch some fish. We left the dock at Spinnaker Marina at 4:00 PM with some dolphin action in mind. At 4.7 miles out the birds put us on a large floating wooden crate that was loaded with bar jack. After catching about a half dozen fish a piece, we continued on. At 10 miles, two birds put us on the dolphin. The first three fish we caught were pushing 10 pounds each and the fourth fish was about 6 pounds. These were the first dolphin that either Mike or Jane had caught and they were amazed at the beautiful colors and how the fish jumped. We had plenty of fish in the box and the decision was made to release any other dolphin we might catch. Running south, we found the birds again and this time they were over large blue runners. Next we found a large plastic garbage bin and caught more bar jacks with jigs. The action was fast and furious. The next set of birds put us on more dolphin and blue runners. With all the action, both anglers were all smiles. We ran back in and made a stop for barracuda using the blue runners as bait. We got one hit and the cuda got a half meal as it chopped the runner in half right behind the trailer hook.
Tuesday (8/16) afternoon, Mike and Jane were back for a second afternoon of fishing. Our game plan was the same as on Sunday. At 12 miles, I found a barnacle encrusted piece of styrofoam that produced 3 dolphin (2 on jigs and 1 on live bait) that were all released. After that it took a lot of searching, however, we finally found the birds and started catching blue runners. We also found 2 rainbow runners mixed in with the blue runners. Once again, they were all smiles at catching fish, having fun, and enjoying the beautiful weather. We ended the evening trying for a sailfish. We had time enough for two drifts and despite some heavy chumming, we didn't get any strikes or even have a bait get nervous.
Thursday (8/18), Oscar Marrero and Ray Cruz had two goals in mind. The first was to catch a few dolphin and the second was to end the day doing some bottom fishing around the wrecks. Today was the day when dolphin fishing was to be disappointing. We ran out as far as 25 miles and only found 1 styrofoam ball and 1 coconut. Every bird we found was flying back inshore. Once we got beyond 5 miles, the weed disappeared except for some very scattered lines that were about 100 yards long. We worked the lines and any scattered grass areas we found with no results. Goal one was a disappointment, so we moved on to wreck fishing. It started slow and when I threatened to move, we caught our first mutton snapper. Then several sharks moved in and we landed and released 1 of 3 fish (mono leaders) that we hooked up. At the second wreck, I didn't like our position as there wasn't as much current in shallower. After resetting the anchor, we caught our second mutton and lost a barracuda (mono leader again) to a cut off. That's how the 3/4 day ended and goal two was accomplished.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 67
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 15, 2005 - 5:13 pm: | |
To say the air temperatures have been HOT would be an understatement. It has been down right brutal on some days. The gentle breeze from the E/SE has helped some, however after a dolphin attack, the best bet is to get the boat moving and create your own wind. Make sure you have plenty of liquid refreshment on board and start replacing the lost fluid from your body even
if you don't feel thirsty.
Fishing in on the reef has been hit and miss. This is the time of year when trolling spoons down deep on either a planer or downrigger will out produce live baiting on most days. I've stuck with the live bait in the Haulover area with very limited results. The water has been a pea soup green on the days when I've been out and there has been minimal current. Meanwhile
offshore, the search for dolphin has been just that, a search. The good news, however, is that when you find them, they've been very good sized
fish. We've only had to throw back about a dozen fish and the rest have been up to 15 pounds.
Wednesday (8/10), Oscar Marrero and Ray Cruz wanted some dolphin action. We started finding good weedlines in 700' and more each 1 to 1.5 miles out from there. Then the lines became groups of large patches of grass. We worked
from patch to patch with the live bait with no results and continued to work offshore. At 17 miles, we came across about a half dozen more large patches and a 5 gallon bucket. When we reached the north most patch, we got our
reward. A school of good size dolphin in the 8 - 15 pound class moved in on our baits and the action began. The fish stayed with us for at least a half hour. Oscar and Ray were constantly hooked up using live bait and with 1
ounce T&M pilchard jigs as well as the 1/4 ounce Kaplan jig. We all needed a break when the fish moved on. It was 10:30 in the morning and their visions of dolphin fillets had turned into a reality. We moved offshore a bit more and found nothing. It was time to turn back inshore and work some of the other weedlines we had seen on the way out. Once again when we got back to
17 miles, we found more large patches a bit further to the south and put out the live baits. Ray spotted some commotion on several patches to our north. We saw a free jumping sailfish and then several large boils in the water. We moved quickly to the area, where another very large school of dolphin surrounded
the boat. Ray used live bait and Oscar used jigs. We started catching and releasing fish as fast as we got lines in the water. These fish were smaller and we kept a few in the 22 to 24 inch class. Each time the school left us, we went back to the same patch and there they were. We did this three times before the 3/4 day trip was over and it was time to head back to
Spinnaker Marina a clean fish. At this last location, we easily released a minimum of 20 fish and I'm being very conserative. Now, here is the good part. All morning long, both Oscar and Ray kept replenishing their sunscreen. If you look closely at the attached picture, you'll see that it is the Banana Boat brand. So for all of you who are superstitious about
bananas on board being bad luck, I say I'll take this kind of bad luck any day.
Thursday (8/11), what a difference 24 hours makes. We paid our dues today in our dolphin search. Out to 20 miles, we found only cattered weed. Moving south and angling back in, we found large patches of grass and worked them all. Even the birds were doing no better. To sum up the day quickly, we caught and released two undersized dolphin and one bar jack. For those who say that this was a delayed banana thing, I say you're looking for excuses.
Friday (8/12), Jay Hardel from Atlanta, Georgia and his sons Derek and Andrew wanted to experience a half day of fishing on a charter. The goal was to catch a few eating fish. We started with a drift and some slow trolling straight out from Haulover with kingfish being the target. There was no action. We headed offshore with word that there was a weedline at 13 miles with birds working it. As we were running out, flying fish were taking off and this was a treat for everyone as they'd never seen them before. Jay always seemed to be looking in the wrong direction when one took off on its flight. There was also a lot more bird activity than yesterday and this gave me a good feeling. At 10 miles, I spotted the telltale signs of birds working over fish and ran to the area. Out went the live baits and we had almost instant action. All three anglers were hooked
up in less than 30 seconds and there were more fish swimming around the boat. I looked off to the left and then I spotted the large piece of 2 X 4 floating in the water. Out went the Mark's Marker so we could find the board again once we drifted away from it. Having never seen action and fish of this size before, everyone was amazed every time a dolphin made a huge
jump trying to shake the hook. Somewhere along the line, a video and digital camera came out and pictures were taken. When the fish stopped
biting, we found the marker by the board and picked up a few more fish. After a quick clean up and drinking plenty of water, we started our search again. The breeze felt good and this is when Jay saw his first flying fish. We found a nice rip with no fish. Then another weedline with birds on it that also had no fish. Heading back in, we found a 5 gallon bucket with the
usual assortment of triggerfish, filefish, and barjacks, but no dolphin. We took more pictures and then headed in to clean fish. Jay and his sons decided that the 3 largest fish were more than enough for them, so the remaining 5 fish were filleted and given to several of the employees at Spinnaker Marina. Everyone sends their THANKS to you all for your kind generosity.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Ron Mallet (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 15, 2005 - 3:05 pm: | |
We are in the middle of our summer pattern. The Kingfish are cooperating most days with a good mix of big Bonita's too. One day you go through all the bait and the next day you return with extra. The Dolphin (Mahi-Mahi) are still scattered and not too dependable. Because of the high risk and high cost of fuel, I haven't had any takers lately. The ones I know that are going aren't coming back with many good reports. We did get a few surprises this week while fishing for Barracuda in the inlet. The Tarpon jumped on the Cuda baits and put on a great show for the victim that grabbed the rod. Lots of air time and a rough workout in the heat of the day, but worth every minute of it.
I just had a video copy sent to me of the TV show we did back in May. It looks pretty good. Some nice Sailfish action, which came as good luck with cameras onboard, and being a but out of Sailfish season. If you have The Outdoor Channel HD, watch for it. It will air the week of August 5. The series is titled "The Professional's" and it is based on captains and guides inviting each other out to experience a different type of fishing as seen from a clients view.
Sea Ya,
Captain Ron
www.actionsportfishing.com |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 66
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, July 27, 2005 - 2:55 pm: | |
The heat of summer is definitely upon us. Make sure you have plenty of fluid on board to replace what you'll be perspiring away. For those who like to troll, get a #3 1/2 drone spoon down deep and you'll get your reward with kingfish and bonito. They've been anywhere from 100' out to over 200'. Drifting live bait will get you hits also if you find the area where the fish are concentrated. Early in the morning, there has been a very light NW wind for the past several days and a south current.
Running offshore for dolphin has been OK if you can deal with all the undersized fish that you should be throwing back. There has been lots of weed and debris and the birds continue to help with finding the schools. When you start finding the large grass patches, in past years you'd start licking your chops and tasting dolphin fillets. This year, you'll have to work hard running from patch to patch until you find the right one. Don't waste to much time at any one patch. If you don't get a bite quickly, drop a jig down deep. If this still gets no action, then move on to the next one.
If you just want to bend a rod, then save a bluerunner or two in your livewell and if you slow troll them in the right places, then you shouldn't have much trouble getting a large barracuda to inhale it. For the best fight, don't forget to us lighter tackle. Their jumps and runs can be amazing.
Saturday (7/23), Glen Tischner, his daughters Arista and Hope, and grandson Chris spent a day together fishing as a family. We started with running and gunning for dolphin. Once again birds and networking with other boats were the key to finding some fish. The first group of fish were all in the 15 to 19 1/2 inch range. Everyone got in on the action and enjoyed the pulling, tugging, and jumping of these beautifully colored fish. Every fish was released. The next group of fish was a carbon copy of the first. It was a shame to see some of the other boats that were on the school keeping every fish they caught. We worked our way out to 31 miles in search of larger fish. A boat out at 38 miles reported that they were also on throw back size fish. Moving back in a bit, we started finding all kinds of floating lumber inside of 20 miles. Of the six items we found, only the wooden cable spool held fish and you guessed it, they were all under size. Arista and Hope were catching fish as fast as they could put baits in the water. They were amazed at how visual the fishing was. Glen and Chris worked together as a team to release numerous fish and then Chris wanted to be the bait catcher. Every time some needed a bait, he scooped up a net full from the livewell and kept everyone supplied. We kept working our way back in with the intention of finishing the day on the reef. The first drift on the reef resulted in the mono leader getting chopped off by a toothy critter. The next drift had Arista fighting a kingfish that took a downrigger bait and Hope battling with a feisty bonito on a surface bait. Chris was helping me with the chumming process. Despite some heavy chumming, the last two drifts drew a blank and the day came to an end all to quickly. Final tally for the day was at least 24 dolphin caught and released, 1 kingfish, and 1 bonito.
Monday (7/25) Jose Sarraga and his friend Julio wanted a relaxing half day of fishing. Species of fish wasn't important, they just wanted some action and to listen to the sound of a protesting reel drag. We started off Haulover and with no current and little wind, slow trolling was in order. Julio grabbed the rod when the first fish hit and held on tight as a bonito dumped about half the reel before stopping. After a couple of more tacks in and out with no hits, we ran down to the Cuban Hole off Government Cut. This time Jose did battle with the next bonito. Neither angler had caught a bonito before and both were thrilled with how hard the fish fought. Next, we ran offshore and 7.5 miles out from the Sea Buoy, we fought a large grass patch that had dolphin and bluerunners on it. Once again the dolphin were of the throw back size. After catching and releasing 8 dolphin and 6 bluerunners, we moved further out in search of more action. We saw a free jumping sailfish that we were able to throw a bait at, however, it wasn't interested in feeding. Heading back in, we found another large grass patch. This time we watched as a small dolphin swim up to our live pilchards and then ignore them. The question is where are all the decent schoolie and gaffer size dolphin? Maybe we'll find them tomorrow. I'll let you know.
Tuesday (7/26) Eileen Clark, her brother Stephen, his son Matthew, and Matthew's friend Joey were looking forward to a day of fishing off the Miami coast. Like yesterday, species wasn't important. They just wanted any kind of action. Straight out from Haulover, we found a very light NW wind with a south current. The bonito action was good and both boys had their hands full pulling on the hard fighting bonito. After 7 fish, we headed offshore in search of dolphin. At 5 miles out, we found a weedline and a single tern put us on some fish. Everyone got in on the action using either live pilchards or a jig. After catching and releasing a dozen fish, we moved on with our search. We found lots of weedlines, scattered grass lines, and large patches of grass. At the 10 mile mark an exceptionally large patch had us in the fish again. Moving on, we came upon a school of porpoise and neither Matthew or Joey had seen them in the wild before. We spent some time with the porpoise cruising in our bow wake and pictures and video being taken. Along the way, we also caught a remora, a large houndfish, and 2 bluerunners. With the runners in the livewell, and with 24 dolphin caught and released, it was time to try for a barracuda. The first location had the bait getting nervous several times, but no strikes. At the second location, Joey did battle with a large barracuda that tested his stamina. After releasing the fish, it was time to head back to Spinnaker Marina and reflect on the days catch.
Wednesday (7/27) I had Alan Luchnick, his business associate Ben and Ben's two sons Mike and Nathan out for a half day of fishing. Once again we just wanted some action for the young boys and then some larger fish for the adults. Neither Mike or Nathan had been fishing before, so any action was great for them. We started with bonito straight out from Haulover. After catching 4 bonito and a remora, we headed offshore in search of some dolphin action. Between 5 and 9 miles, we found loads and loads of grass in large patches. We moved from patch to patch and finally found some large bluerunners under several of them. We kept two for some barracuda fishing later in the morning. After about the 25th patch, we found the largest one of the day and it had the dolphin under it. Ben, Mike, and Nathan were very excited at all the fish around the boat and how pretty the fish were. Alan had seen this type of action before and caught his share of fish. Meanwhile, Mike and Nathan wanted to keep catching and releasing fish, their Dad was having fun taking pictures, enjoying watching his children catching fish, and catching a few himself. As has been the pattern for the past week, every fish was a throw back. We had enough time left in the morning to try for some barracuda with the bluerunners. They didn't disappoint us and very quickly Alan had his hands full pulling on a 15# cuda. After pictures and releasing the fish, it was Ben's turn next. As the incoming tide pushed us through the Inlet, we got our reward once again and Ben did battle with a 20# barracuda. More pictures and the released fish swam away in a flash.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 65
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 17, 2005 - 1:48 pm: | |
Dolphin fishing in the Haulover area for the past several days has had its ups and downs. There has been a general lack of structure to fish to and the best bet has been finding birds working over a school of fish. In past years, finding some type of large object floating would almost always produce plenty of dolphin. This year, it has been the exact opposite. I have found my fair share of floating objects, however, only 1 out of 15 has produced fish. It hasn't mattered whether I've found these objects during the week or the weekend. On the brighter side, there have been fewer undersized fish.
On Thursday (7/14), Brian Hallmark and friends Mark and Shawn all from Tennessee, took some time off from their convention to get in some dolphin fishing. The run and gun technique of fishing emphasized the run portion all morning long. A wooden pallet had nothing but triggerfish, filefish, and bar jacks on it. We found lots of weed patches in the 24 - 28 mile range and only 1 patch produced one fish. We ran back south and when we were 23.9 miles east of Haulover Inlet, I spotted another slick worth investigating. As I approached, we all saw the frigate bird working lower. Next it was the 2 terns that put us on the school of fish and the gun part of the technique finally came into play. Everyone caught multiple fish and when the school moved on, we had plenty of fish for the fish fry that evening.
Friday (7/15) the wind picked up and made the run offshore a bumpy one. Bob Meyers along with Seth, John, and Nora helped spot lots of birds. The birds were searching just like we were. Frigate birds circled and then flew off. Terns flew NE as they covered lots of territory. There was only a patch of grass here and there. The decision was made to run back in to the reef area and get in some type of action. It turned out to be a good move. On 4 consecutive drifts, when we hit 180', we got action on either the flat lines or down bait. Bonito, barracuda, and triggerfish kept everyone busy and turned what started as a very bleak day into an OK one.
Saturday (7/16) I had the pleasure of fishing with Ray Mahalick, his wife Karen, and daughter Jennie. The goal was dolphin and blackfin tuna. Once again, the wind was up and made it bumpy running offshore. It was beginning to look like a carbon copy of yesterday's trip. Running south and working with Larry and Bruce on Lady Lo, we found the right flock of birds and put a couple of decent dolphin in the box and released some under sized ones also. Continuing south, we found more birds that were over a school of small tuna that moved fast and wouldn't feed. Moving south again, we found 3 birds that put us on some more undersized fish that we had fun catching and releasing. The large tree that we came upon next provided us with fun catching bar jacks. Even stopping for lunch didn't bring any more dolphin our way. Working back north showed us nothing but pretty blue clear water, so once again like yesterday, we decided to run in to the reef area. We had a 3 mph north current and started just south of the Government Cut Sea Buoy. The first drift produced two baits chopped in half at the mid body and one triggerfish on the downrigger. The next several drifts were fishless. We were on the last drift of the day and I had just reeled in the bow flatline, when the middle flatline took off. Jennie picked up the rod and the fish was dumping line from the 20# spinning outfit in a hurry. She was holding on tight and doing a great job of chasing the fish around the boat. It was a back and forth battle and soon, the fish was getting to be too much for Jennie to handle. She asked her Dad to take over and sat down amazed at how hard the fish was pulling. Meanwhile, Karen was capturing the battle on film and Ray had his hands full with a very stubborn fish. It was back and forth for about ten minutes before he started to win the battle. In another 10 minutes, we saw color and a large blackfin tuna. The tired fish came right to the boat and it was gaffed and put in the fish box. The team effort of daughter, father, and moral support from mom ended the day on a very high note. After being bled and iced, the fish later weighed in at 25 pounds.
Once again, we're up to date. The fishing remains quite good and persistence has paid off most of the time. Give me a call to schedule your trip.
See you out in the Stream.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 64
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, July 12, 2005 - 2:12 pm: | |
Lets get caught up, so it's straight to the daily reports.
The first report is a bit old as it was before the blustery weather of Hurricane Dennis came through this weekend.
Monday (7/4) Bill Quain, Joel, Ben, and Jackie were looking to catch some dolphin. The birds put us on the first action at 14.5 miles out from Haulover. We found several fish that were over the 20" minimum length and several that were under. The next group of fish were at 16 miles and all except for 2 were undersize. We kept searching further offshore and once again the birds put us on fish at 18 miles out. By this time, the current had pushed us north of Haulover Inlet. Once again, lots of fish and almost everyone was a throw back. Next, we found a fishy looking board with nothing on it. A large plastic barrel also produced nothing. A call from Mike on the Silver King had us running further to the NE as they were into fish at 22 miles out. Once again, the fish were mostly throw backs. We were having a ball catching and releasing them and soon they became very uncooperative. The fish were feeding under pods of grass, however, they ignored our live bait, cut bait, and jig offerings. There were three boats (Knot Nancy, Silver King, and Barely Rigged) trying everything to get them to feed with only a fish occasionally taking a bait. We kept leap frogging one another and followed the fish as they moved north. With about 15 minutes to go in the charter, my group was ready to pack it in. I told then we still had time to find a decent fish and had them change their baits. We saw the school of dolphin shower and both Bill and Joel threw out their fresh lively pilchard. First Bill said he was hooked up, and then Joel echoed the same. A large, very unhappy dolphin broke the surface and took off before making several more jumps. It soon became very apparent that they were both hooked to the same fish. One was using 12# line and the other 20#, so we were fighting it on 32# line. Not an IGFA line class, nor would it count in a tournament, however, when you're fun fishing, you'll take them any way you can. The tag team made quick work of getting the fish boat side and everyone gave out a big yell when I put the fish in the boat. It weighed in at 26 pounds and ended the morning with a big bang. It just goes to show that you never know when it could happen, so keep the faith.
Monday (7/11) evening, Cy Mager and his brother-in-law Jerry wanted some tarpon action. Prior to Hurricane Dennis, there was still decent tarpon action if you could get an evening with a little wind and no storms. This evening, you couldn't have asked for better weather. We started on the south side of Government Cut and after about 5 drifts with no action, it was time to try the north side. On the third drift, the action started. The fish dumped about 3/4's of the spool before we began to gain line back. First it ran offshore, then it reversed its field and ran toward the beach. Next it ran toward the jetties and turned offshore again. Jerry was winding like crazy trying to keep up with the fish. It settled down briefly before heading for the deep water of the main channel. We crossed the edge just as a large freighter went past us heading out bound. The fish surfaced and we got a brief shot at the leader before it dove deep again. It headed south across the channel and then went slack. After about 20 minutes of intense fighting, the hook pulled. Two drifts later, Jerry was hooked up again. The fish pulled the reverse field tactic again and Jerry thought he had lost the fish. The line came tight and it was headed to the beach. It spent a lot of time almost at the shoreline before heading out again. By now, Jerry had the fish under control and we soon released the spunky 50# fish.
I've got several dolphin trips scheduled for this Thursday through Saturday, so look for another dolphin report from the Haulover area shortly thereafter.
See you out there.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Ron Mallet (Unregistered Guest)
Unregistered guest
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, July 08, 2005 - 1:36 pm: | |
Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Boca Raton fishing report
Here we are getting ready for our first taste of this years hurricane season. Dennis the menace is passing just south of us today. It looks like we will be lucky this time and just get some winds and rain. The fish bit real well this morning. I snuck out to wet a few lines until my anglers decided to go in early. It wasn't all that bad (2-4 footers) but they landed a Sailfish on the first drift and decided they wanted to quit before they saw thier breafast. The rest of the boats were getting similar action, Sails, Blackfin Tuna and a few Shark and Kingfish were filling thier bellies before the weather came. Hopefully this will pass fast and we can carry on as usual.
Sea Ya,
Captain Ron Mallet
www.actionsportfishing.com |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
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Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 63
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, July 03, 2005 - 2:27 pm: | |
Dolphin continue to make a strong showing. One day you find some decent size fish and the next they are almost all throw backs. The unfortunate thing that I am seeing is that way to many boats are keeping under size fish and lots of them. Distance offshore doesn't seem to matter much as to what size fish you will find. I have talked with anglers who fished out as far as 31 miles and they were catching the same under size fish that we were finding at 10 - 15 miles out. Others are finding birds working over schools of fish that turn out to be under size. The main thing is to catch and release a few, have some fun with light tackle, and then move on and try to find some larger fish.
Friday (7/1), Tino and Ruben finally were able to get their schedules to match so they could get out and spend some time fishing together. The weather was beautiful all day and the fish were very cooperative. At 9.8 miles, slow trolling live pilchards got our first two fish on a very weak weedline. The good news was that the fish were in the 5 - 7 pound range. Our next action came at 13.5 miles under several birds. Once again, the fish were mostly in the 5 - 7 pound class with a few throw backs mixed in. It took some searching to find the third group of fish, however, the search was well worth it as we hit the mother load. Up till this time, there have been no dolphin on any of the floaters that I have found. That changed today with the pallet we found. As they say, we hit the mother load. The big fish of the day was a 12# fish that took it's time about wanting to eat our bait. Many of the fish that Tino caught were on jigs and 8# line. This added to the challenge, fun, and excitement. After we left the pallet, the ocean seemed to dry up and Ruben caught the final fish (a throw back) of the day on a weedline that was 6 miles out.
Saturday (7/2), John Perkins, his dad, Bob, brother Kree, and friend John were looking forward to day of dolphin fishing. The action started on a large patch at 10.5 miles. Every fish we caught was a throw back. Many of the boats around us were keeping every fish they caught. We moved out to another large patch at 14.5 miles and found the same action. We kept having fun catching them on live pilchards, cut bait, and jigs. We finally caught 1 legal fish for the box. Boats out as far as 31 miles were catching the same size fish. Almost everyone was in the 18 - 19.5 inch range. At one point, I saw a frigate bird dive to an explosion on the surface about 100 yards from us. We moved to the area quickly and tossed out a live bait on a 12# spinning outfit. We got our reward when a 25# cow broke the surface and headed east away from us. John (friend) wasn't going to let the fish get away and fought it like a pro. During the course of the fight, the fish made 8 - 10 great leaps that had me holding my breath with each one. In the end, the fish came aboard and joined it's smaller relative in the fish box. After some celebrating and pictures, we moved to another patch and continued catching and releasing the smaller fish. With a quickly dwindling bait supply and continued small fish, we decided to call it a day and enjoyed our long ride back to Spinnaker Marina.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
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Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 62
Registered: 8-2003
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Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 28, 2005 - 1:12 pm: | |
The offshore word is dolphin (mahi-mahi) and lots of them. The only problem is that they have been mostly peanut size with plenty of under sized fish that need to be released. I am seeing way to many anglers bringing in lots of fish under the minimum size 20" fork length. The vast majority of action in the Government Cut to Haulover Inlet area has been in the 6 - 12 mile range. Beyond that, the ocean clears up and finding birds and floaters is your only hope for success. So far this season, I have found a large range and size of floaters and have yet to find any dolphin under them. Within the 6 - 12 mile range there has been plenty of weedlines, large grass patches, and plenty of birds.
Saturday (6/25) morning, Brad Coren and friends Jesse and Jose finally got to go dolphin fishing after having to reschedule twice due to bad weather. The third time was their lucky charm. We found decent size schoolies and one gaffer under several flocks of birds in the 10.5 - 13 mile range. If you were the first to find the birds, you got several fish before the school either shut off or moved on. There were also many under sized peanuts mixed in. Jose got the big fish of the day (15#'s) and cane poled it into to the boat and proceeded to throw his body across the fish to keep it from flopping around. He had us all laughing like crazy as he fought the fish both in the water and in the boat. We ended the morning with 10 keeper fish and many throw backs.
Sunday (6/26) morning Stephan Louvere and his friends Erik, Jim, and John were back for round two of dolphin fishing. Their first trip was in May when the dolphin fishing left a bit to be desired. This time, they got to see what dolphin fishing and dolphin fever is all about. The fish were in the 6.5 to 7.5 mile range and we had to work hard to find keeper size fish. We had constant action with fish in the 18 to 19.5 inch range and it seemed like we caught 2 to 3 undersized fish for every keeper. Around 11 AM we decided to run out and see if we could find some larger fish. Beyond 10 miles, the ocean got very clean. At 14.5 miles, we found a swim buoy with only a barracuda around it. We followed numerous birds who were searching just like we were. Working our way back in, we found very different conditions. The weedlines and large patches had been broken up by the change in wind direction and increase in wind speed. We had 12 keepers in the fish box and must have released at least that many and probably more. It's hard to keep track when the action is coming fast and furious.
Monday (6/27) was an afternoon/evening trip that I donated to the MET Fishing Tournament. We caught herring at the bent range marker and worked our way offshore to dolphin fish. We had 9 - 14 knot winds, so the seas were up a bit and sloppy. Our first bait got hit as I was putting it out and Tom caught a nice 10# barracuda that put on a great aerial show with numerous jumps. Next, frigate birds had us working our way out a bit further to the 6 mile range and once again like the last 2 days, we found only peanut size fish. We had a blast catching and releasing these fish. Another frigate bird put us on more schools of peanut sized fish. We lost track of how many, but most of the time all of us were hooked up. We finally put 1 legal size fish in the box and decided to head back in to try for some tarpon. Inshore, the seas were much calmer. So calm in fact that we caught the bottom with our bait due to such a slow drift. We all saw tarpon rolling and were waiting patiently for the sundown period. It wasn't to be as some very fierce thunderstorms moved in and we decided to error on the side of safety and call it a night. As we made the run back to Spinnaker Marina, we watched the storms developing all around us. About 10 minutes into my cleaning the boat, the skies opened up and I knew for sure that we had made the right decision.
As you can see, there are plenty of dolphin offshore. Finding decent size fish has been very hit and miss. There have been a few around, however, most anglers have been having to wade through lots of smaller ones to get a few to take home. Yes, you'll hear about someone catching a 20 or 30 pound fish, but when you talk with them, that's all they got that trip. They missed out on all the fun of catching and releasing lots of fish and getting to keep a few in the process. Who knows, the bigger fish could move in on your next trip. That's what makes fishing so challenging and interesting.
Remember the size limit (20" from lower jaw to the fork in the tail) and bag limit (10 per person) and have fun.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 61
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 20, 2005 - 1:23 pm: | |
As I'm sitting here writing this report, we are having another weather system passing through our area resulting in an all day rain with plenty of lighting and thunder. For the past several days, the mornings have been beautiful. Then as is typical of this time of year, the storm clouds build and keeping an eye on the weather is a must if you don't want to get caught out in some very violent weather. There have been some waterspouts sighted off Miami Beach.
Now on the brighter side, the dolphin fishing has been excellent. For the most part, the fish have been schoolie size and smaller with some fish up to 10 - 15 pounds mixed in. In the Haulover area, the reef fishing has been on the very slow side mainly due to a lack of any current. Tarpon fishing remains excellent as long as there is enough wind to drift with. Without a drift, the baits sink to the bottom and often times snag some structure. Also, remember to bring plenty of mosquito repellent as they have been out in force once it gets dark.
Friday (6/17) morning, Richard Finder treated his grand daughter Brittany and her friends Jade and Diego to some dolphin fishing. Our first action came on a weedline at 6.8 miles out from Haulover. Next it was 14 miles and the largest school of the day was found at 17 miles. All the fish were on weedlines and large weed patches. We caught them trolling dolphin juniors, casting 1/4 ounce Kaplan jigs, slow trolling live pilchards, and finally on chunks of pilchards. The action was so fast and furious that most of the time all four anglers were hooked up at once. The seas were almost flat calm and this made running and gunning a pleasure. Back at the dock, Brittany, Jade, and Diego pitched right in with the cleaning of the fish and were looking forward to a dolphin fillet dinner.
Saturday (6/18) morning, Emilio Martinez and family members Mike, Ernie, and Ernie Junior were out for a day of dolphin fishing. Like yesterday, we found our first fish at 6.5 miles out. It hit a dolphin junior and jumped off at the boat. A live bait enticed it back and it got released as it was under the 20" size limit. Back to the large patch of grass and this time we got a keeper size fish to the boat. Moving on, we worked numerous patches and lines out to 12 miles. From that point out to 14 miles, we found nothing and moved back toward the more likely looking areas. We found a 14' long piece of bamboo with no fish. Several small pieces of wood also had no fish. As we trolled toward a large patch of grass at 10.5 miles, both Ernie Junior and I spotted the jumping dolphin at the same time. It didn't want the juniors, however, it couldn't resist a live pilchard and he had plenty of buddies. All four anglers were hooked up and as I brought each fish on board, they'd throw back out and get hooked up again. We moved on to another area and once again we saw the fish swim by the boat as we were trolling. Out of gear and out with the livies and the action began again. We called it quits about noon and made it back to Spinnaker Marina just before the rains started. All three family members went home with plenty of fish for the fish fry that evening.
Saturday (6/18) evening was a tarpon trip with Bill Cullen and business associates Jason, Fred, and Luis. The tarpon were rolling on the south side at Government Cut and the closer we came to the dusk period, the slower the wind blew. We hooked up one fish that thrilled us all with its two great leaps before it threw the hook. When it got dark, the wind died almost completely. The drift was so slow that we hooked the bottom several times. Then the mosquitoes attacked us and we spent the remainder of the evening swatting them.
Sunday (6/19) morning it was back out dolphin fishing with Kevin McCarthy, his brother, dad, and friend. The seas picked up for the first half of the morning before calming back down. The dolphin were playing hide and seek with us doing a lot of seeking. The conditions looked great with plenty of live looking grass patches and heavy scattered lines. Trolling was near impossible without grassing up your bait. Slow trolling live baits required constant attention to keep the grass off them. We picked away at the dolphin with one here and one there. Several boats that I spoke with who went out as far as 21 miles found grass, floating structure, and some birds, but no fish. We watched the thunderstorms build up inshore and to the north of us and came in at 1 PM. We caught 5 fish in the 5 - 10 pound range and fish fillets were on the menu for that evening.
Monday (6/20), as I mentioned earlier, it has been raining most all day and we rescheduled our afternoon/evening trip for next Monday.
All of the dolphin fishing I have been doing has been in the Haulover area from the Twin Towers to the south and Golden Beach to the north. So, that brings me up to date. I've got dates open, so give me a call and lets go catch some fish.
See you out there.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 60
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 15, 2005 - 7:38 pm: | |
Prior to Arlene paying us a brush by visit, the dolphin fishing was improving day by day. Tarpon inshore are continuing to display a strong showing. Arlene spoiled the plans of most people over the weekend. Only those with the strongest of stomachs dared to venture out.
The seas have calmed down nicely and it's time to get back out and do some fishing. On the one tarpon trip I had last week, Randy and Brad combined to go 4 for 5. Sharon handled the video and digital cameras and did a spectacular job of it. It seemed like the tarpon didn't want their pictures taken because several of the fish jumped and slammed into the side of the boat right where Sharon was standing. This had her diving for cover to protect herself and the cameras. Live crabs were the bait of choice and they are still holding their feeding pattern of waiting till the dusk period before turning on the feed bag.
Captain Dave
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 59
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 30, 2005 - 12:11 pm: | |
YES!! They have finally shown up. I'm talking about dolphin (mahi-mahi). It has taken them a while to get here, but now you can expect to find some when you invest your time and gas to make the run offshore. Once again, as like last year, we are finding them within a reasonable distance offshore. Don't get caught up in the need to run out 20 miles. Most all the fish are in the 7 - 12 mile range. Find some type of structure or working birds and chances are good that you'll find the fish.
In on the reef, it continues to be hit and miss. Go out on a day when there is north current and you'll get your shots. Find no current or south current and it could be a tough day. If you're searching for blackfin tuna, then persistence is the key. Fish the late afternoon up till sunset and you'll get your reward. It could take a trip or two, however, it will happen if you're persistent.
Inshore, the tarpon fishing remains very good. They're feeding on crabs and have been quite reliable about turning on during the dusk period and after dark. Throw in the fact that the BIG fish are around and you've got the combination for a long drawn out battle that could have you pulling them up from the bottom in the deep water of the main channel.
Wednesday (5/25) evening Dennis Duley and his friend David flew into Miami from Upper Marlboro, MD at 5:15 PM. At 7 PM, we pulled away from the dock at Spinnaker Marina to do some tarpon fishing. True to form, when we got in to the late dusk period, Dennis hooked up and the battle started. The fish took the tour of the south side of Government Cut before making its way to the deep water of the main channel. Once in the channel, the fish hugged the bottom as it swam in with the incoming tide. It was a back and forth battle for well over an hour before we released the fish in front of the ferry boat dock on MacArthur Causeway. To say the least, Dennis was tired, exhausted, and extremely impressed with how strong his 120# tarpon was. We made the run back out and put out the lines again. This time it was David's turn, and it didn't take to long. His fish dumped 3/4's of the spool of line on its first run. The fish swam south into the rocky area and we worked hard to get caught up with the fish. Just when we thought we were making progress, the fish would take off on another long run and we started the process of gaining line all over again. The fish finally found a rock pile and wrapped us around it and broke the line.
Saturday (5/28) morning, Jose Sarraga from San Juan, Puerto Rico and his son had dolphin dinner on their minds. At 7 miles out from Haulover, I arrived in the area where friends Larry and Bruce on Lady Lo had found some large turtle grass patches that were holding fish. Nose hooked pilchards that we slow trolled soon had dolphin on our lines and the fun began. We caught 8, kept 6 for dinner, released 2 and had several others throw the hook. With enough dolphin, we ran back in to the reef only to find dirty green water with south current and no fish. We worked 3 different areas from the Cuban Hole north and didn't even have a bait get nervous.
Saturday (5/28) evening, Ed Roy from Michigan took some time off from a business trip/vacation to get in some tarpon fishing. The fish showed us some mercy this evening by sending in their smaller brothers and sisters. Our first fish (80 pounds) was the big fish of the evening. The fish was trying hard to get to the main channel, but Ed worked harder to keep the fish from getting there. We released the fish about 100' before it would have gone over the edge into the deep water. On the next drift, the tarpon jumped almost immediately and threw the hook. The third fish hit just as I started to wind in the bait to set up another drift. This 40 pound fish put on a great jumping show very close to the boat and had us both shouting with excitement. The fourth fish of the evening was a 50 pound fish that put on another wonderful show for us. Final total was 3 for 4 tarpon and one extremely happy angler.
Sunday (5/29) evening, Luis Carmona and his brothers Steven and Jesse were spending some quality time together prior to Steven heading overseas for a year with the Air Force. The tarpon were rolling around all over the area and it would only be a matter of time before the pulling would begin. The first hit came on the first drift. The rod bent over very weakly and as soon as we turned the handle, the hook popped out and the crab was gone. Several drifts later, we watched a big swirl and saw the rod twitch. No hook up and the bait was alive and kicking like crazy. Finally, a tarpon hit in the standard manner and made two huge jumps before starting a slow but steady fight. The south side tour began. Steven soon tired out and Luis took over. He soon tired out and Jesse took his turn. Now the fish made its way to the main channel. It moved offshore with the outgoing tide to just before the second red marker before deciding to head to the north. As each angler got tired, the rod was passed over to the next brother to keep everyone semi fresh. The fish soon tired of the north side and headed back to the main channel. It continued offshore and by the time we released the 100 pound fish, we were almost to the turn in the Government Cut channel and the brothers had taken 4 complete turns on the fish. That was one mean and ornery fish. Sandwiches for everyone and beverage to wash them down and everyone was now ready for round two. On the second drift, the crab that Steven's son Joseph had picked out got hit. This time, Luis started the battle and the fish headed straight south like a freight train. It turned west and we soon found ourselves in the very shallow water of the reef area to the south of Fisher Island. We had the official catch and Jesse now was taking his turn. The 120# fish made a tremendous totally out of the water jump and the threw the hook. It flew straight back at us and luckily it hit no one. Good luck Steven on your overseas assignment and THANKS for helping make our country a safe place to live.
There is still time to get in on the tarpon action so don't miss out on it. The dolphin action is heating up and the fillets are very tasty, so give me a call and lets get out there and do some fishing.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 58
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 22, 2005 - 2:25 pm: | |
Fishing in the Haulover to Government Cut area continued to be on the slow side this past week. The main culprit remains the lack of current. Even when we find blue water, there has been no current. The one bright spot has been that the tarpon have finally turned on the way they should be for the May time frame. They have settled in to feeding on crabs on a consistent basis.
Sunday (5/15), Eileen and Sandy got to go on a trip that we had to be rescheduled due to very windy weather. We fished straight out front of Haulover in the 90 - 200 foot range. Wind from the E/ESE @ 10 - 15 knots gave us a 3 - 5 foot sea condition. The first strike of the morning was a kingfish on the downrigger. Next, a houndfish on a flatline. A 100# hammerhead shark ate a pilchard on the kite and Sandy had her hands full for several minutes until the shark ate through the mono leader. The final action of the morning was a sailfish that came up on the short kite bait and proceeded to knock it off the hook. Then it went to the long kite bait where it got the leader tangled on its bill and came up jumping and never got the bait.
Tuesday (5/17) evening was the night before the tarpon finally turned back on. The fish were rolling throughout the area, however, they weren't in much of a feeding mood. Our first and only shot at a tarpon this evening resulted in a jump and a thrown hook. Our next strike hooked up and turned out to be a bonnethead shark. On Wednesday evening, the tarpon turned on and have remained consistent with their feeding just prior to the dusk period and after dark.
Friday (5/20) morning, the lack of current continued in the Haulover through Government area. Wind from the ENE/E at 6 - 12 knots had two of the anglers dealing with motion sickness. The downrigger once again was the main technique that produced the strikes. The first kingfish was under size and was released. A houndfish on a flatline was also released. The next downrigger strikes was a decent size king. A porpoise decided it liked the fish better than we did and we got the head and gills with the porpoise getting the better part of the deal. After that, we moved south and fished off the Twins were we pulled the hooks on a fish that once again struck the downrigger bait. Moving offshore to 500 feet, we found pretty blue water with no current. The last move of the morning was to the Miami sea buoy. In 106' with dirty green water and no current, we caught a 10 pound dolphin. The final drift of the morning got us a barely legal kingfish on the downrigger.
Saturday (5/21) morning we made our first run offshore looking for dolphin. We found lots of good looking weedlines and large rafts of grass. The first dolphin we found was undersize and couldn't even eat the bait. At 16.5 miles, it was time to start back in. Working numerous weedlines finally gave us 1 schoolie size dolphin. Back in on the reef, we once again were fighting no current ugly green water conditions. After several moves back toward Haulover, we found some blue water with some current. The downrigger bait got hit within minutes of putting it down. The result was another barely legal kingfish. After putting the fish in the box, the blue water had pushed out well beyond our 130' depth and the 3/4 day trip was over.
Saturday (5/21) evening, the father and son team of Mark and Sam got to spend some time together while tarpon fishing. Sam was up first and got the largest fish of the evening. We took the tour of the south side of the jetties and then into the main channel. The 35 minute battle ended with Sam releasing a 120# tarpon. The next fish threw the hook with its first jump. The next drift had Mark hooked up with a very manageable 50# fish that was released. Then the wind died off and a lull in the action came. A move to deep in the tarpon area got Mark hooked up again with a very nasty 110# tarpon. Several times, he thought the hook had pulled only to find out that the tarpon had reversed its field and charged back and under the boat. I had my hands full with countering the tarpons moves. In the end, Mark prevailed and the fish was released. By this time, the wind had died completely and the only way to get any forward drift was to bump the boat forward with the engines. When we came tight on the lines, the rod bent over and Sam caught a bonnethead shark. The evening ended with a 3 for 4 in the tarpon category.
As you can see, the lack of current has made fishing a challenge. Reports from clients and friends who have gone out in the afternoon have been that the current has picked up some and with it so has the kingfish and sailfish action. With this in mind, an afternoon/evening trip for right now will help improve the chances for more action. Give me a call and lets get your trip scheduled.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 57
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, May 13, 2005 - 5:53 am: | |
It has been a while since my last report. We'll get caught up shortly with the daily reports, but first some general comments about both the offshore fishing and inshore tarpon scenes. Depending on which day you fished, the conditions have ranged from green pea soup looking water with no current to beautiful blue water without current and also with current. On the days with no current, it's been a struggle to get a decent catch. With current, the kingfish and sailfish have been very cooperative. Dolphin, however, have been strangely absent in our area. Yes, there have been a few and yes, many of them have been undersize. Remember they have to be 20" from the lower jaw to the fork of the tail.
Meanwhile inshore, the tarpon fishing has been running hot and cold. The shrimp ran for two nights a few days before the new moon and the fishing was excellent. Prior to and after that, they have been feeding on crabs. There have been loads of fish in the area, however, they have mostly been having lockjaw. The sundown and dusk periods have been when we start to get our strikes and then for a few drifts after dark. There has been a tremendous amount of weed throughout the area and it has made keeping the baits weed free very difficult.
Saturday (4/30) afternoon/evening was one of those no current days offshore. In 270' we all watched a sailfish knock baits off of both our flatlines and swim away. Numerous other drifts produced no strikes. I ran to just north of the sea buoy and slow trolled herring to finally catch a decent kingfish on the downrigger. We moved inshore to try for tarpon. Within a minute of putting out the first shrimp, we got a solid hookup from a very large fish. After 56 minutes, we got the pictures my group wanted and the estimated 130 pound fish was released.
Tuesday (5/3) evening we struggled to get a tarpon bite. With very little wind, it made drifting difficult at best. It took going into the Bay to get a fish to cooperate. We hooked it on a D.O.A. glow shrimp and 10# line. We came close to getting the catch a few times only to be denied. The fish then made a move for some pilings and added additional pressure resulted in a broken line.
Wednesday (5/4) was a middle of the day trip. Pea soup looking green water with no current had us in the struggle mode again. Flatlines had no action at all despite live chumming. The downrigger got the action with one tail hooked undersized kingfish that was released. The next fish was a much larger one, however, after dumping about 3/4's of the spool, the hook pulled. The final fish of the day was a dolphin just larger than our bait. Despite a good drop back to the fish, it still threw the bait when it jumped.
Saturday (5/7) evening the shrimp ran as soon as it got dark. Once again light winds had us struggling in the drift department. We watched as a school of tarpon that was blasting shrimp finally moved our way and the strike we were looking for happened. We released the fish and then a hour later after not finding a cooperative snook, we went back to tarpon fishing. By this time, the shrimp run was over and the fish had moved out of the area. We went to the Bay where we caught 1 of 2 fish on 12# spinning outfits. The evening ended with us going 2 for 3 on tarpon.
Sunday (5/8) evening was the night of the new moon. Crabs were the bait of choice this evening. We started with a nice 110 pound fish in the dusk period. This gave Jerry a good work out. The next drift it was Mike's turn and he too got a good work out with a 50# fish that made its way to the main channel. Back out to the south side and another drift and another tarpon for Mike. This time the fish stayed on the south side. We went fishless on several drifts after that and ended the evening at 3 for 3.
Tuesday (5/10) afternoon/evening we struggled to come up with 2 dozen herring. We found beautiful blue water with current. Everything looked perfect except someone forgot to tell the fish. On the first drift we got a kingfish on the downrigger as we crossed the current line in 120'. The next highlight before going in to tarpon fish was watching a free jumping sailfish make 8 jumps. I ran up ahead of the fish and put out baits and got no action. We got our one and only tarpon hit after it got dark. The Eagle Claw P170 8/0 circle hook did its job and we released a nice 60# fish that ate a crab. We had to pick our spots to put out the baits as the grass was covering almost the whole area.
Wednesday (5/11) evening I did a seminar on dolphin fishing at the S.A.I.L. Club in Ft. Lauderdale. They meet at the Downtowner Saloon on Andrews Avenue and the New River. It was a great time with a wonderful group of anglers. They have several teams who will be fishing the Grove Slam Tournament this Saturday (5/14). Good luck S.A.I.L. Club members and get out there and find that BIG dolphin.
Thursday (5/12) morning we started straight out from Haulover Inlet. The kingfish were chopping. All the action came in the 110 - 140 foot range with the flatlines catching the majority of the fish. The downrigger, however, caught the largest fish. We had several cutoffs and after putting 5 nice kings in the fishbox, it was time to try for a sailfish. We started in 250' to give ourselves a shot at a dolphin. At 170' the downrigger bait was eaten by a triggerfish. The same happened at 140'. At 115' as we approached the blue/green edge, the long kite bait got the sailfish action. Cliff Goodman from Long Island, NY worked the rod like a pro and was hooked up with his first sailfish. A second sail ate the short kite bait and Craig Kaylor hooked up that fish also. We had a double header going. As we fought the two fish, Neil Goodman was busy taking pictures and got some great action shots. Both fish were released and that's how the morning ended.
Once again we're up to date. Time to go out fishing again. See you out there.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 56
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, April 30, 2005 - 8:10 am: | |
The fishing offshore has run the range from tough to very good over the last week. The good news is that it has mostly been on the very good side. Sailfish has been the main highlight with some dolphin. The spring run of kingfish has finally started and the blackfin tuna are beginning to make a showing.
Inshore, the tarpon broke out of their one per night mode on the night of the full moon. There was a good shrimp run on that night and for the next two nights after that. If watching tarpon blasting shrimp off the surface doesn't get your blood to boiling, then it's time to find another sport.
That's the major highlights, so here are the day by day events.
Friday (4/22) was an afternoon/evening trip. Hank, Darrell, and Dewayne were on vacation. One throw of the castnet and it took two of us to pull the net full of pilchards into the boat. The blue water edge was in close straight out from Government and within 10 minutes of putting out the baits, Hank was fighting a sailfish. The action continued hot and furious and by the time we pulled in our baits to go tarpon fishing, we had another sailfish, a couple of dolphin, a couple of kingfish, a bonito, shark, and spanish mackerel. Inshore, the tarpon continued their 1 shot per night mode. We failed to hook up solid with our 1 shot and got no other strikes that evening.
Saturday (4/23) was the one tough day we've had. Chris and Tonya had two kingfish bites within the first 45 minutes and then the action stopped for the remainder of the day. Once again we had a livewell full of pilchards and with all the chumming we didn't raise a single fish.
Sunday (4/24) Hank, Darrell, and Dewayne were back for another afternoon evening trip. Offshore, we got a sailfish and remora. Inshore, we hooked up with a beast of a tarpon on our first drift. It took us to the Cut and found the rock pile along the deep side of the ledge and cut us off. As soon as it got dark, the shrimp ran and the tarpon started feeding. The wind had died and the drift was extremely slow. We caught a mangrove snapper and finally had the strike we wanted or so we thought. It turned out to be a large blacktip shark. Then the fan turned on and we went from a .3 mph drift to a 1.7 mph drift. We jumped a tarpon and then on the next drift we hooked up solid. Dewayne took the next 56 minutes pull hard on his tarpon before we could get some good pictures of the fish at boat side.
Monday (4/25) evening I had Carlos Senior and Junior and Albert Senior and Junior looking for a fight with a tarpon. As if on queue, the shrimp ran after dark and the tarpon fed. Both Carlos and Albert Junior took turns battling the tarpon. The fish made their way to the Cut, however both anglers pulled hard and got their tarpon boat side for pictures. The anglers were a bit arm weary, however, it was a good feeling after they saw the size of the fish and knew they had won the battle. Final score for the evening was 3 for 3.
Tuesday (4/26) evening it was Pete and Bill's turn to pull on tarpon. The first drift had Bill hooked up. We were making our way to the Cut and after about ten minutes, the hook pulled. We had action with ladyfish and bluerunners before our next tarpon strike. Bill hooked up again and this time we got the catch. They wanted a good picture and the tarpon had other things on its mind. It stayed deep until a sailboat approached us and then it decided to surface and run to the opposite side of the Cut right in front of the sailboat. Needless to say, the keel of the sailboat broke the line, so a mental picture would have to do. Pete hooked the next fish and off to the Cut we went again. He was making progress as a large ship was coming in to port. As I pulled off to one side to get out of the ship's way, the line went slack. After reeling in, we discovered that the tip of the hook had broke off. We went 1 for 3 this evening with two very tired anglers.
Wednesday (4/27) evening the shrimp run slowed down drastically. There fish were still blasting shrimp, however, not as much as on the previous nights. On the first drift we jumped a tarpon and then had to wait until the late dusk period before our next chance. The wind died and it required floats to keep our shrimp away from the bottom critters. Also, the fish were feeding in a come toward the boat manor that required us to reel frantically to get caught up with the fish. Andrew and his guest each caught and released a tarpon and that gave us a 2 for 3 night.
Thursday (4/28) it was back to daytime fishing. We started with a few drifts for tarpon that only had our shrimp eaten by bluerunners. The pilchards were not to be found, however, the threadfins were solid. We started slowly after getting offshore, but picked up momentum by late morning. We chased frigate birds for a while and got our reward of 2 dolphin. Back in to some shallower water and we added a kingfish. Then the sailfish action started. First it was Chris catching his first sailfish. On the next drift it was Lyle getting his first sail. The next drift was the final drift of the day and it was time for Neil to catch his first sailfish. There was the friendly $1.00 bet about who would catch the biggest fish and Neil was the winner.
Thursday (4/28) evening Jim and Rafa started with a gag grouper and mutton snapper. Both were undersize and were released. Next it was a ladyfish. On the final drift of the evening, a tarpon ate our crab bait and we got the tarpon skunk out of the boat.
Friday (4/29) it back to an afternoon/evening trip. We had to work hard for the herring we caught and go to several spots to get bait accomplished. Their was little to no current and the edge was out deep until I moved back to the Cuban Hole area. The downrigger was the hot method this afternoon. Setting the bait at 40' down got us action on every drift. We had 8 strikes from kingfish. We got two to the boat. The first weighed 12 pounds and the second weighed in at 22 pounds. These were the first kingfish that Mike had ever caught. The other strikes resulted in broken line, pulled hooks, and cut offs. The highlight of the afternoon once again came on the final drift. The downrigger line hooked up first with the larger kingfish. Then a flatline got eaten by a sailfish. Mike had to do some fancy foot work while fighting both fish. We concentrated on the sailfish and after getting pictures and releasing the fish, he went to work on the king that was being fought on 12# line. The tarpon portion of the trip required lots of patience before we finally got our hook up. The fish made several jumps and pulled lots of line. The grass in the water was very thick and we picked up a good deal of it on the line. We watched the fish make a third jump and it was the one that won the tarpon its freedom. The evening ended with a 0 for 1 on tarpon. As Mike put it, I caught my first kingfish and catching a tarpon gives me an excuse to come back to Florida again.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net |
Captain Dave Kostyo (Knotnancy)
New member
Username: Knotnancy
Post Number: 55
Registered: 8-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, April 22, 2005 - 8:30 am: | |
From windy to pleasant sea conditions, that's what April has been like for the past two weeks. Spring time is in the air and with it has come the early run of dolphin. The frigate birds will help make it easy to find them and the size has been from throw backs on up. Along with the dolphin, the sailfishing remains very good. When the wind picks up in the afternoon, so does the sailfishing. The kingfish action has been on and off OK.
Meanwhile, inshore the tarpon action has hit a lull. The fish don't stay in a trend to long, but so far they have held the 1 fish a night pattern for three days. I'm hoping that tonight will be the bust out one and they finally start acting right again. I'll keep you posted.
Lets get caught up with the daily fishing activities. The first report is rather old, however, it was the first decent day of kingfishing I had this spring.
Wednesday (4/13), myself and three other boats took out a convention group from Chicago for a half day of offshore fishing. We had a limited t | |
