01-01-2006, 11:17 PM
I've got just enough time before I do my last trip of the 2005 year this afternoon to get in a fishing report.
In general, the sailfishing has been a lot of hunting and some luck. There are some fish caught each day, but not in the numbers we've come to expect for this time of year. The clean blue water with lots of good north current has been missing for a long time. If you find a dirty green to clean green edge with a little north current, stick with it and with some luck, you'll get your reward. While waiting for the sail bites, there have been some dolphin mixed in.
Kingfishing has been OK and they have ranged in size from throw backs to 10 pound fish. In the Haulover area, the fish are being found in as shallow as 40 feet. Off Government Cut, we're finding them in the 100 to 120 foot range. Most of the fish are cooperating when using the downrigger and the deep rig. Friday was the first time I got any surface action with kings on the flat line rigs.
Monday (12/26) evening, Rob Gold, his son Adam, daughter Avery, and his Dad, Sandy spent some good quality family time together while tarpon fishing. The evening started slow and well after dark the action got hot. Sandy and Adam tag teamed the first fish. Avery fought her tarpon from start to finish. We missed one before catching a bluefish. And finally, Rob got the
big fish (100 pounds) of the evening that we fought from a dead boat.
Tuesday (12/27) evening it was Michael Oshry's turn to pull on some tarpon. We had high hopes of another good evening of tarpon fish. The fish had another idea in mind. We saw shrimp in the water. We watched the tarpon exploding on the surface. We even had two fish explode on baits right where our lines were. We worked the entire length of the tarpon hole and try as we might, we couldn't get a fish to eat our baits. It was a very disappointing evening.
Wednesday (12/28) morning, Oscar Marrero, his friend Richard, and Richard's son, Danny were out for a 6 hour fishing trip. We couldn't have asked for a better day weather wise. Catching bait was a blast and before long, we had a blacked out livewell full of pilchards and some herring. The plan was to bend a rod on anything. We started off the north side of the Cuban Hole. The downrigger and deep rod got hit at the same time and Danny and Richard caught a kingfish and bluerunner. The remaining action of the day all came on the deep rod in the form of a mutton snapper and yellowtail snapper.
Wednesday (12/28) evening was tarpon time again with Tom and Sandy Churchwell, their daughter Arley and son-in-law John. The shrimp trickled
out for a very short period of time. Just long enough to get one tarpon to cooperate and give Tom his chance to do battle with a silver beauty. It wasn't a big fish, however, size didn't matter to Tom. The tarpon did everything one could ask for and then some. The jumps, runs, and stamina of the fish was fantastic. That was our only shot for the evening and we made the most of it.
Thursday (12/29) Courtland Conover and his cousin, Collin from Seattle wanted some sailfish action. We were presented with wind from the SSW/SW @ 19 - 27 MPH. Our first drift started in 100 feet and ended in 300 feet in dirty green water with no baits even getting nervous. While running back south, we found a clean green edge in 230 feet off the north end of Key Biscayne. The location just felt right. I was still putting out baits when the short kite bait got hit. We missed the hook up on that bait. Next a sailfish came up jumping and running from the bow to stern on the down wind side. The long kite bait got hit and we figured out that the jumping sail was on the bow flatline. We got tight on that fish and then on the long kite and we had a double header on. Both fish put on a spectacular show with their lightning fast runs and aerial antics. We released both fish. The good crisp edge disappeared and we had our action for the day.
Friday (12/30) morning, Fabio and Molly Nick from N Miami Beach were finally able to take some time off from there business and get in some much needed fishing and relaxation. After catching bait, we started off the north end
of Key Biscayne. The light NNW wind pushed us very slowly off shore and we were able to fly the extra light kite for about 30 minutes before the wind died almost completely. The action was absent, so we moved north to about a 1/2 mile south of the Cuban Hole. We started slow trolling in 105 feet and got almost instant action on the downrigger and then the flatlines. We worked our way north and had steady action on kingfish. They were on the
small side and we kept 2 keeper size fish and released the rest. The further north we worked, the slower the action got. We ran back south and set up a drift in 105 feet. The small fish were chopping our baits in half and the deep rod didn't set in the holder for more than 30 seconds before it got hit. The wind switched to the NE and then the action stopped.
As you can see, the action has been up and down. If you're willing to change tactics and not be focused on catching only one particular species, then you'll open up more opportunity for success. The tarpon action slowed down drastically in the Haulover area and this will only be a temporary condition. I expect it to pick right back up as soon as we get past this
new moon phase.
I'd like to thank everyone who fished with me during the 2005 year. I got to meet many new people and make some lasting memories with everyone who fished with me. I'm looking forward to another great year in 2006 and hope
that it will include a fishing trip with me whether you're local or planning a vacation in the Miami area. HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net
[signature]
In general, the sailfishing has been a lot of hunting and some luck. There are some fish caught each day, but not in the numbers we've come to expect for this time of year. The clean blue water with lots of good north current has been missing for a long time. If you find a dirty green to clean green edge with a little north current, stick with it and with some luck, you'll get your reward. While waiting for the sail bites, there have been some dolphin mixed in.
Kingfishing has been OK and they have ranged in size from throw backs to 10 pound fish. In the Haulover area, the fish are being found in as shallow as 40 feet. Off Government Cut, we're finding them in the 100 to 120 foot range. Most of the fish are cooperating when using the downrigger and the deep rig. Friday was the first time I got any surface action with kings on the flat line rigs.
Monday (12/26) evening, Rob Gold, his son Adam, daughter Avery, and his Dad, Sandy spent some good quality family time together while tarpon fishing. The evening started slow and well after dark the action got hot. Sandy and Adam tag teamed the first fish. Avery fought her tarpon from start to finish. We missed one before catching a bluefish. And finally, Rob got the
big fish (100 pounds) of the evening that we fought from a dead boat.
Tuesday (12/27) evening it was Michael Oshry's turn to pull on some tarpon. We had high hopes of another good evening of tarpon fish. The fish had another idea in mind. We saw shrimp in the water. We watched the tarpon exploding on the surface. We even had two fish explode on baits right where our lines were. We worked the entire length of the tarpon hole and try as we might, we couldn't get a fish to eat our baits. It was a very disappointing evening.
Wednesday (12/28) morning, Oscar Marrero, his friend Richard, and Richard's son, Danny were out for a 6 hour fishing trip. We couldn't have asked for a better day weather wise. Catching bait was a blast and before long, we had a blacked out livewell full of pilchards and some herring. The plan was to bend a rod on anything. We started off the north side of the Cuban Hole. The downrigger and deep rod got hit at the same time and Danny and Richard caught a kingfish and bluerunner. The remaining action of the day all came on the deep rod in the form of a mutton snapper and yellowtail snapper.
Wednesday (12/28) evening was tarpon time again with Tom and Sandy Churchwell, their daughter Arley and son-in-law John. The shrimp trickled
out for a very short period of time. Just long enough to get one tarpon to cooperate and give Tom his chance to do battle with a silver beauty. It wasn't a big fish, however, size didn't matter to Tom. The tarpon did everything one could ask for and then some. The jumps, runs, and stamina of the fish was fantastic. That was our only shot for the evening and we made the most of it.
Thursday (12/29) Courtland Conover and his cousin, Collin from Seattle wanted some sailfish action. We were presented with wind from the SSW/SW @ 19 - 27 MPH. Our first drift started in 100 feet and ended in 300 feet in dirty green water with no baits even getting nervous. While running back south, we found a clean green edge in 230 feet off the north end of Key Biscayne. The location just felt right. I was still putting out baits when the short kite bait got hit. We missed the hook up on that bait. Next a sailfish came up jumping and running from the bow to stern on the down wind side. The long kite bait got hit and we figured out that the jumping sail was on the bow flatline. We got tight on that fish and then on the long kite and we had a double header on. Both fish put on a spectacular show with their lightning fast runs and aerial antics. We released both fish. The good crisp edge disappeared and we had our action for the day.
Friday (12/30) morning, Fabio and Molly Nick from N Miami Beach were finally able to take some time off from there business and get in some much needed fishing and relaxation. After catching bait, we started off the north end
of Key Biscayne. The light NNW wind pushed us very slowly off shore and we were able to fly the extra light kite for about 30 minutes before the wind died almost completely. The action was absent, so we moved north to about a 1/2 mile south of the Cuban Hole. We started slow trolling in 105 feet and got almost instant action on the downrigger and then the flatlines. We worked our way north and had steady action on kingfish. They were on the
small side and we kept 2 keeper size fish and released the rest. The further north we worked, the slower the action got. We ran back south and set up a drift in 105 feet. The small fish were chopping our baits in half and the deep rod didn't set in the holder for more than 30 seconds before it got hit. The wind switched to the NE and then the action stopped.
As you can see, the action has been up and down. If you're willing to change tactics and not be focused on catching only one particular species, then you'll open up more opportunity for success. The tarpon action slowed down drastically in the Haulover area and this will only be a temporary condition. I expect it to pick right back up as soon as we get past this
new moon phase.
I'd like to thank everyone who fished with me during the 2005 year. I got to meet many new people and make some lasting memories with everyone who fished with me. I'm looking forward to another great year in 2006 and hope
that it will include a fishing trip with me whether you're local or planning a vacation in the Miami area. HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 965-9454 Cell
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net
[signature]