08-13-2004, 12:46 AM
Dolphin action offshore has turned into a very hit or miss proposition. The westerly winds of last week have finally taken their toll on the dolphin fishing. There have been some very good weedlines loaded with bait fish. A good number of floaters have been passing through our area. With all this good structure being found, the vast majority of it has not been holding fish. Once the wind settles back into a SE flow, the action should improve. Meanwhile, in on the reef, if the current is flowing strong on the day you fish, the action will be good for kings and bonito. When there is no current, everyone will struggle to put together a decent catch.
Sunday (8/8) was a half day of dolphin fishing starting at 9:00 AM. We were greeted with S/WSW winds @ 8-14 MPH and once we crossed over into the blue water we encountered large swells from the NE. At 7 miles we worked a weedline with no results. At 9 miles another weedline gave us the same results. At 12 miles, we found a very nice weedline with lots of large patches. Slow trolling pilchards did the trick. The fish were spread out and the strikes came one at a time. We had a total of 5 strikes, we hooked 4, kept 2 in the 5-7 pound class, and released 2 that were under size. The encouraging thing about today's fishing was the size and number of weedlines that we found.
Tuesday (8/10) was a pay your dues type of day. ENE to SSE winds @ 3 - 10 MPH gave us smooth seas. Large pilchards were readily available and a few throws of the castnet filled the live well. The first stop was 160' south of the Cuban Hole. The conditions presented us with no current, very light wind, and dirty green water. It was necessary to bump the boat in and out of gear to create a drift. At 142', the downrigger line got hit and we caught a bonito. With no further action, it was time to run offshore in search of some dolphin action. Working three decent weedlines between 5 to 21 miles out gave us a big fat zero. Sitting on a line with live bait still gave us no action. We found lots of birds working an area that was loaded with hundreds of large jellyfish, but no dolphin action. Running back to the reef, we worked the south end of the anchorage area and pulled the hook on an unknown fish on the bottom drifting rod. Moving up to the Twin Towers area, we scored a nice 10 pound kingfish on the downrigger in 115'. The next drift had us hooked up once again on the downrigger and this time it was a pesky remora (still no current). Even live chumming did little to give us any action. As soon as we get some current back into the area, the fishing should pick back up.
It's summer time fishing, and with the heat, comes a few words of caution. Now, more than ever, don't forget the sun screen. Next, make sure you have plenty of fluids to drink. Even if you don't feel thirsty, make sure you drink plenty of water and sports drinks to replace the water you loose from perspiration. And if you want to beat the heat, then fish after the sun goes down.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net
[signature]
Sunday (8/8) was a half day of dolphin fishing starting at 9:00 AM. We were greeted with S/WSW winds @ 8-14 MPH and once we crossed over into the blue water we encountered large swells from the NE. At 7 miles we worked a weedline with no results. At 9 miles another weedline gave us the same results. At 12 miles, we found a very nice weedline with lots of large patches. Slow trolling pilchards did the trick. The fish were spread out and the strikes came one at a time. We had a total of 5 strikes, we hooked 4, kept 2 in the 5-7 pound class, and released 2 that were under size. The encouraging thing about today's fishing was the size and number of weedlines that we found.
Tuesday (8/10) was a pay your dues type of day. ENE to SSE winds @ 3 - 10 MPH gave us smooth seas. Large pilchards were readily available and a few throws of the castnet filled the live well. The first stop was 160' south of the Cuban Hole. The conditions presented us with no current, very light wind, and dirty green water. It was necessary to bump the boat in and out of gear to create a drift. At 142', the downrigger line got hit and we caught a bonito. With no further action, it was time to run offshore in search of some dolphin action. Working three decent weedlines between 5 to 21 miles out gave us a big fat zero. Sitting on a line with live bait still gave us no action. We found lots of birds working an area that was loaded with hundreds of large jellyfish, but no dolphin action. Running back to the reef, we worked the south end of the anchorage area and pulled the hook on an unknown fish on the bottom drifting rod. Moving up to the Twin Towers area, we scored a nice 10 pound kingfish on the downrigger in 115'. The next drift had us hooked up once again on the downrigger and this time it was a pesky remora (still no current). Even live chumming did little to give us any action. As soon as we get some current back into the area, the fishing should pick back up.
It's summer time fishing, and with the heat, comes a few words of caution. Now, more than ever, don't forget the sun screen. Next, make sure you have plenty of fluids to drink. Even if you don't feel thirsty, make sure you drink plenty of water and sports drinks to replace the water you loose from perspiration. And if you want to beat the heat, then fish after the sun goes down.
Captain Dave Kostyo
Knot Nancy Fishing Charters
305 620-5896 Charter
305 732-2628 Beeper
www.knotnancy.com
nkostyo@bellsouth.net
[signature]