11-29-2005, 12:18 AM
For the past week, the waters off the Haulover area have been green with no current. If you wanted to find blue water, you had to run out to as far as 9 miles before finding blue/green water. On Saturday afternoon, the wind finally turned back around to an easterly direction and this should help dramatically with pushing the blue water and current back in closer to shore.
Despite these less than ideal conditions, the kingfishing has been OK. All of the kingfish we have been catching have been in the 140 - 200 depth range and on baits that are fished deep. The surface action has been very slow.
Offshore in the blue/green water, there have been large rafts of needle grass that have been holding dolphin. They are migrating south this time of year and don't stick around with their hooked buddies like they do in the spring and summer time. You'll hook a fish or two and the school will continue moving south. We've been finding them under birds and also seeing them milling on the surface like a school of mullet.
Meanwhile, much closer to shore, the spanish mackerel fishing has been on fire. We've been anchoring in 20 feet of water and it hasn't taken to long to get them chummed up.
Jose and Julio were out on Monday (11/21) for a half day. We netted pilchards in the bay and fished from 71st Street back to the Inlet. The NW wind had already pushed the blue water out to 200 feet and inside of that depth it was green with no current. Starting in the normal kingfish fish depths, we were molested with triggerfish stealing out baits. One did manage to hook itself on the downrigger bait. Fishing on the blue/green edge, our first action came on the kite. Neither Jose or Julio had done any kite fishing, so when a nice dolphin of 10 pounds hit the kite bait it definitely got their interest in that style of fishing. A small shark followed the dolphin to the boat and hung around and ignored the bait we offered it. The kite bait got hit again and this time it was the shark. A few pictures and it was released. The next action came on a flat line, and you've probably guessed by now that it was the same shark. It was released for the second time and we moved out of the area so it wouldn't try to get hooked for a third time.
On Friday (11/25), Guy, Marie, Nicole, and Jack were looking forward to a full day of fishing. We bought pilchards and then caught a few dozen herring before starting north of the Cuban Hole area. The SW wind pushed us offshore in the green water with no current. Our only hit came in 140' on a flatline. The kingfish kept making a run everything it saw the boat. On its 4th pass, for whatever reason, the hook pulled. We tried one more drift with no results before deciding to head offshore . Running straight out, we found some decent needle grass patches in the 4 to 5 mile range off the sea buoy. The birds were working over some schools of fish. Throwing out live bait got us no action. I switched over to 1/4 ounce Kaplan jigs and trolled them way back behind the boat. The first large patch we passed had us hooked up to two large schoolie size dolphin. The school came up and we hooked 2 more fish before it moved on. The birds disappeared so we jumped from patch to patch and slow trolled live baits by them. We picked up from 1 to 3 fish off each patch. When the patches disappeared, we saw what looked like a school of milling mullet on the surface that was actually a school of dolphin. Trolling the jigs by them got us hooked up again. We kept moving to the south and picked away at them, till finally the school disappeared. Running out to 10 miles, we found a more pretty blue water, but no fish. The next move was back to 20' and finishing the day spanish mackerel fishing. We had steady action and at days end, we had caught 15 dolphin, kept 11 and also kept 4 mackerel, pulled the hook on a few, and missed the hook up on several more mackerel. The dolphin were in the 4 to 12 pound range with Guy getting the largest one. The mackerel were in the 3 - 4 pound range.
Saturday (11/26) was a half day with Bill, Charles, Robert, and Jim. The wind was from the east and they too had not seen a kite in action. NO current and green water were the conditions. We started our first drift in 200 feet. After putting the deep rig down and describing what would happen and what should be done, I walked to the bait well to get another bait and heard some yelling up on the bow. When I looked up, the rod was bent severely and some hard cranking was taking place. A few minutes later, we put a kingfish in the fish box. At 90', we worked our way slowly back out to 220' with the kite baits still in the water. The second drift was a blank. Moving south to 78th Street and starting in 250', we were still in green no current water. When we got inside of 200', the deep rod got hit and we caught a small shark, then a large bluerunner, and then the downrigger produced a kingfish. Our next drift was started in 300' and once again when we got inside of 200', the action started. We got another kingfish on the deep rod and then got cut off with the next bait we sent down. On the final drift of the morning, the short kite bait got hit by a nice 8 pound dolphin that joined the 3 kingfish in the fishbox. Everyone went home with their share of kingfish steaks and dolphin fillets and the goal of eating fishing was accomplished.
Despite the less than ideal water and current conditions, we managed to get in some decent fishing. Imagine what the fishing will be like when we get the current and blue water back in closer. I've got open dates available, so call to schedule your trip.
Don't forget that Gift Certificates are available for your Holiday shopping. And, finally, remember the Pflueger Day at the Ft. Lauderdale Bass Pro Shops on December 10th.
See you on the water.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net
[signature]
Despite these less than ideal conditions, the kingfishing has been OK. All of the kingfish we have been catching have been in the 140 - 200 depth range and on baits that are fished deep. The surface action has been very slow.
Offshore in the blue/green water, there have been large rafts of needle grass that have been holding dolphin. They are migrating south this time of year and don't stick around with their hooked buddies like they do in the spring and summer time. You'll hook a fish or two and the school will continue moving south. We've been finding them under birds and also seeing them milling on the surface like a school of mullet.
Meanwhile, much closer to shore, the spanish mackerel fishing has been on fire. We've been anchoring in 20 feet of water and it hasn't taken to long to get them chummed up.
Jose and Julio were out on Monday (11/21) for a half day. We netted pilchards in the bay and fished from 71st Street back to the Inlet. The NW wind had already pushed the blue water out to 200 feet and inside of that depth it was green with no current. Starting in the normal kingfish fish depths, we were molested with triggerfish stealing out baits. One did manage to hook itself on the downrigger bait. Fishing on the blue/green edge, our first action came on the kite. Neither Jose or Julio had done any kite fishing, so when a nice dolphin of 10 pounds hit the kite bait it definitely got their interest in that style of fishing. A small shark followed the dolphin to the boat and hung around and ignored the bait we offered it. The kite bait got hit again and this time it was the shark. A few pictures and it was released. The next action came on a flat line, and you've probably guessed by now that it was the same shark. It was released for the second time and we moved out of the area so it wouldn't try to get hooked for a third time.
On Friday (11/25), Guy, Marie, Nicole, and Jack were looking forward to a full day of fishing. We bought pilchards and then caught a few dozen herring before starting north of the Cuban Hole area. The SW wind pushed us offshore in the green water with no current. Our only hit came in 140' on a flatline. The kingfish kept making a run everything it saw the boat. On its 4th pass, for whatever reason, the hook pulled. We tried one more drift with no results before deciding to head offshore . Running straight out, we found some decent needle grass patches in the 4 to 5 mile range off the sea buoy. The birds were working over some schools of fish. Throwing out live bait got us no action. I switched over to 1/4 ounce Kaplan jigs and trolled them way back behind the boat. The first large patch we passed had us hooked up to two large schoolie size dolphin. The school came up and we hooked 2 more fish before it moved on. The birds disappeared so we jumped from patch to patch and slow trolled live baits by them. We picked up from 1 to 3 fish off each patch. When the patches disappeared, we saw what looked like a school of milling mullet on the surface that was actually a school of dolphin. Trolling the jigs by them got us hooked up again. We kept moving to the south and picked away at them, till finally the school disappeared. Running out to 10 miles, we found a more pretty blue water, but no fish. The next move was back to 20' and finishing the day spanish mackerel fishing. We had steady action and at days end, we had caught 15 dolphin, kept 11 and also kept 4 mackerel, pulled the hook on a few, and missed the hook up on several more mackerel. The dolphin were in the 4 to 12 pound range with Guy getting the largest one. The mackerel were in the 3 - 4 pound range.
Saturday (11/26) was a half day with Bill, Charles, Robert, and Jim. The wind was from the east and they too had not seen a kite in action. NO current and green water were the conditions. We started our first drift in 200 feet. After putting the deep rig down and describing what would happen and what should be done, I walked to the bait well to get another bait and heard some yelling up on the bow. When I looked up, the rod was bent severely and some hard cranking was taking place. A few minutes later, we put a kingfish in the fish box. At 90', we worked our way slowly back out to 220' with the kite baits still in the water. The second drift was a blank. Moving south to 78th Street and starting in 250', we were still in green no current water. When we got inside of 200', the deep rod got hit and we caught a small shark, then a large bluerunner, and then the downrigger produced a kingfish. Our next drift was started in 300' and once again when we got inside of 200', the action started. We got another kingfish on the deep rod and then got cut off with the next bait we sent down. On the final drift of the morning, the short kite bait got hit by a nice 8 pound dolphin that joined the 3 kingfish in the fishbox. Everyone went home with their share of kingfish steaks and dolphin fillets and the goal of eating fishing was accomplished.
Despite the less than ideal water and current conditions, we managed to get in some decent fishing. Imagine what the fishing will be like when we get the current and blue water back in closer. I've got open dates available, so call to schedule your trip.
Don't forget that Gift Certificates are available for your Holiday shopping. And, finally, remember the Pflueger Day at the Ft. Lauderdale Bass Pro Shops on December 10th.
See you on the water.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net
[signature]