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We are very fortunate to have such a great fishery for Sailfish in South Florida. The large migration of Sailfish begins in January and continues through May, we still do catch Sailfish through out the end of the year, but large numbers come through in early spring. So for a third of the year, there is an excellent chance when targeting Sailfish you will catch one or more fish.
The Sailfish bite can be as good as double digits a day or as low as one, the amount of fish that are migrating through the area really depends on how many shots we may see in a day of fishing. Just as the season changes, the North East will push Nor Easters down South. This cold weather and pressure drop is what triggers the Sailfish to head South, even as far as the Caribbean waters.
There are two methods used for catching Sailfish. One method is using fresh spread of 6 trolling Ballyhoo which are dead baits that are rigged to swim almost representing a live fish. We use 60 pound leader and use either a 4/0 or 5/0 hooks and have two long baits, two short and two deep. Also we put down teaser baits that do not have hoods and this teaser will help attract the fish. When fishing off Fort Lauderdale, the best time to troll with the dead Ballyhoos is typically on calmer weather, light winds and calm seas. The speed of trolling is around 5 to 6 mph.
This will allow the captain of the charter boat to navigate and fish off the Ft Lauderdale wreck, rock piles, reef area and structure. The best depth off Fort Lauderdale and even in South Florida is around 100’ to 200’. We are fortunate to have the continental shelf drop off quickly which is called the reef so when in 200’ of water, we are only 2 to 3 miles offshore deep sea fishing. When the sailfish comes up to feed, the charter or angle will grab the rod, put the reel in light free spool with some pressure. The average feeding time is around 5 seconds (all depends if the Sailfish feeds on long bait or short bait. Then push the drag up to 5 to 6 pounds and set the hook.
The second method is called kite fishing for Sailfish. The ideal conditions off Ft. Lauderdale is when the wind is blowing 10 to 15 mph and the seas are a bit rougher. Unlike trolling where the boat is moving, when kite fishing, the boat is not moving. We fly two kites in the air. Attached to the kite line, there are release clips and that release clips allows the line to come free off the kite line. Again same as the trolling depths and area off Fort Lauderdale, we are deep sea fishing 2 to 3 miles offshore in reef structure, wrecks and bait pods.
If the charter captain or fishermen see a group of bait for example flying fish coming out of the water, that is always a good indication of bait and where to start to fishing for Sails. The typical tackle used to fish for Sailfish is similar to trolling, we use 60 pound line test and a 5/0 or 6/0 hook. We fish two live baits from each kite, totaling 4 live baits on the surface and one or two down deep. The idea of the live bait on the surface, is when a Sailfish sees the baits, the fish thinks that it is a school of fish and that is what attracts then fish.
Similar to the trolling, the fishermen feed the fish for about 5 seconds and come tight. The nice part about both trolling off Fort Lauderdale and kite fishing off Ft. Lauderdale is that when using live baits, you also have the opportunity to catch Black Fin Tuna, King Mackerel, Cobia, Mahi-Mahi and other predatory species.
Fishing out of Ft. Lauderdale and most of South Florida, most of the recreational as well as charter boats release the Sailfish. We practice catch and release so we can catch the fish the next year and the fish has time to reproduce more baby Sailfish. We do and have kept Sailfish in the past and only if the charter wants to keep the Sailfish meat to have smoked, which does make a great dip. Tight lines and good luck, see you out there or book our charter boat the “Happy Day Today” 46’ Hatteras, call Capt. Zsak at (954) 439-8106 |
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