Sunny Side Up

South Florida is certainly no secret destination, yet its treasure trove of offshore bounties continue to attract visiting anglers by the millions.

Few places around the globe, and certainly none in North America, provide as many offshore angling possibilities as Florida’s southeast coast.

With natural reef formations paralleling the coast’s pristine beaches and the nutrient-rich Gulf Stream flowing just a few miles from shore, famous locales such as Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Palm Beach have solidified world-renowned recognition for yielding spectacular catches – not only in quantity and quality, but on a year-round basis. The moniker that South Florida is “The Fishing Capital of the World,” simply couldn’t be truer.

At the start of each calendar year, local near-shore waters teem with huge numbers of acrobatic Atlantic sailfish. The energetic mini-marlin as they are often called, invade our waters in hordes, hot on the tail of bazillions of migrating ballyhoo, a local primary forage fish. Enthusiastic anglers from all over the globe anxiously anticipate South Florida’s wintertime sailfish bite and for very good reasons. These fish are fun, aggressive and often extremely cooperative with 10 or more releases in a single day quite common. Highlighting this fishery is its accessibility. The vast majority of thrilling encounters unfold no more than a mile or two from shore, and always within sight of land. Plus, unlike bruiser blue marlin, finicky white marlin and seriously strong swordfish, Atlantic sailfish are one of the only billfish species requiring relatively light tackle, not to mention that they are easily coerced and subdued by anglers of all ages and all skill levels.

As January turns to February and then March, the local sailfishery only intensifies with hardcore crews competing in high-dollar prestigious tournaments targeting roaming pods of hungry fish heading south on their annual migration. While trolling an array of natural and artificial offerings entices plenty of spine-tingling strikes, kite-fishing with live baits is the preferred method of approach. Skilled teams of four to six anglers fly specialized fishing kites from which they dangle one, two, and even three live goggle-eyes or blue-runners directly on the ocean’s surface. The helpless bait’s frantic behavior attracts savage strikes from feeding sailfish averaging 40 to 60-pounds. Once a taker grabs the bait, the line frees itself from the kite clip and the fight is on highlighted by spectacular leaps and drag-screaming runs. Thanks to conservation efforts and the use of non-damaging circle-hooks, South Florida’s sailfishery continues to be strictly catch and release with nothing but a promising future in sight.

By late spring, most blue water crews have shifted gears and now focus the majority of their offshore efforts on dolphin. No, not the Flipper variety, but rather dolphinfish, otherwise known as mahi-mahi or dorado. These bright neon-colored ocean-going predators are undoubtedly the most plentiful of all of Florida’s pelagic predators. Dolphin, too, can be captured year-round, though May through August marks peak season for these cannibalistic fast growing fish which are capable of reaching three-feet in length in a single year. Live-baiting with four to six-inch pilchards and threadfin herring, popular local baits, along the same near-shore current edges that attract sailfish produce impressive catches, however most crews ‘in the know’ choose the run & gun approach, running up to 20-miles offshore at a high rate of speed and deploying baits or lures only when promising territories are identified.

Dolphin range in size from ‘peanuts’ averaging only a pound or two, to ‘schoolies’ averaging four to eight pounds, all the way up to ‘gaffers’ reaching 50-plus pounds. All are notorious for hanging under floating debris such as well-formed weedlines, wooden pallets, tree branches or any other form of shade-producing flotsam. Combine the presence of soaring gannets and scattering flying-fish, and dolphin will surely be found in the vicinity where they can easily be taken on a variety of tackle ranging from light spinning gear to heavy trolling tackle to limber fly-fishing outfits.

Wahoo, another spectacular blue-water species, are a bit more elusive. These super-fast, torpedo-shaped predators are well-equipped with camouflaged skin and a powerful set of serrated jaws capable of slicing a grown tuna in half. Wahoo are highly-migratory, high-speed aquatic killers reaching 75-pounds or more. Structure-oriented, they too are encountered during every month of the year. An absolute culinary delight, wahoo surprise anglers both near-shore along the local reef system and offshore in the azure depths.

Not to be outdone, chunky blackfin tuna in the 20 to 30-pound range take center stage during the spring and are lured using the very same live bait presentations as sailfish and dolphin. These powerful predators prefer low light conditions and therefore are most active in the early morning or late in the afternoon when the sun is low in the sky. Not quite the first-rate quality of sushi-grade bluefin or bigeye tuna, blackfin are still delicious and make a mean tuna salad.

For real adventure seekers, the Sunshine State’s southeast coast has blossomed into the number one broadbill swordfish destination on the globe. Nowhere else in any ocean do visiting anglers stand such a solid chance of connecting with a monster gladiator of the deep. Day or night, large rigged squid and live tinker mackerel fished in the deep Gulf Stream currents with the added attraction of chemical or battery-operated lights attract broadbills up to an astonishing 500 pounds – surely a trophy catch for even the most seasoned salts.