Fishing Report

Date: September 21, 2003

Title: Sardines Provide Sailfish Action

This past week anglers found large schools of sardines heading south about five to six miles offshore. This event occurs every year about this time and you will find sailfish, bonito, and dolphin following these schools of helpless fish. We fished during the middle of the week and caught sailfish and saw many more. One captain and his party caught 10 sailfish in one morning. It’s an exciting thing to see a large school of bait under your boat with five or six sailfish swimming around the perimeter of the school. To find the schools you just need to locate the frigate birds that will be hovering over the schools. At times we saw eight birds over one school. Bonito will chase the school to the surface and the action will begin. Just toss a live bait into the school and hold on.

Speaking of live bait, there is bait just about everywhere you look. I found them at all of the markers, inside Government Cut, and inside the bay. We caught blue runners, goggle eye, threadfin’s, pilchards, sardines, and cigar minnows in one morning at a marker. I’ve had reports of kingfish off Triumph Reef and the whistle buoy off Key Largo. There are still a few dolphin offshore and we caught small muttons and yellowtail while bottom fishing on Wednesday. Things are looking up as we get nearer to our winter time fishing.

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Florida Fishing Charters
with Captain Mark Houghtaling
aboard Magic Fingers
(305) 253-1151
magicfin@aol.com

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