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Fort Lauderdale / North Miami Beach Report
Inshore / Offshore
January 2005
Fort Lauderdale/ North Miami Beach Report
Cool temps, hot fishing!
As I write this today, we are experiencing the coolest day since last winter. As these cold fronts star to come through on the regular basis, water temps will begin to drop rapidly. Don’t be discouraged though, because there are still plenty fish to be caught. You may have to change your strategy a little bit, but here are a couple things I like to do.
One thing I always do with cooler water is slow my retrieves down. As the temperature drops the fishes metabolism begins to slow down. So there not as aggressive, and not as willing to chase after something. Another thing I like to do is fish a little deeper water when I’m fishing the flats in north biscayne bay. Instead of fishing the flats in 2 to 4 feet of water, I’ll work areas of 3 to 6 feet of water or even deeper. Seatrout will be back in season as of January first and snook will be out of season. Tarpon fishing should really begin to heat up as winter progresses. If you want a shot at fish over a hundred pounds, we are entering that time of year. So don’t let that cool weather keep you in that warm bed. Get out there and catch some fish!
Recent Adventures!
Dave Gallup and wife Trish teamed up to catch tons of jack crevalles, trout, and 6 snook up to 27 inches and went 0 for 1 on tarpon in north biscayne bay. Steve Chippendale fishing with his brother and father had a great half day, catching a bunch of mackeral up to 6 pounds, and an awesome 13 pound snook. Stan Pierson fishing with brother in-law Jim had a great night snook fishing, going 13 for 18 with a few keepers and a 14 lb. crevalle. John Deerman caught a couple nice dolphin, groupers, snappers, and missed a sailfish, before boating a huge 55 inch kingfish
February 2005
Fort Lauderdale/ North Miami Beach Report
Firing on all cylinders!
This is the time of year when a little versatility go’s a long, long way. There are several options and many cards to play in February. First, Biscayne bay has been a great place to hide from the wind and catch lot’s of fish while you do. The seatrout, jack crevalle, and occasional snook have been plentiful throughout the bay. I’ll normally favor the leeward flats whenever the wind blows over 15 mph. This time of year they will be more out to bite all through the day. Jig and shrimp combo on the slow side for trout, and fast for the jacks is the way to go.
Between cold fronts when I’ve been able to venture offshore, the fishing has been excellent. The sailfish have been feeding real well from 200 feet of water in to 90 feet of water. Quite a few nice kingfish have been biting around the 90 foot depth. Spanish mackeral have been providing a lot of action right of the beaches. If you can locate the mackeral and you’ve got live pilchards. It’s hard to beat on light tackle.
This is also the time of year when I’ll start to do some bass charters in the everglades. As the water levels fall and the flats begin to drain. All I can say is “ducks in a barrel”. You can really go out there and clobber them. It hasn’t been red hot yet, but as the winter go’s on it will get better and better.
Finally there’s the big show! The big show is 80 plus pound tarpon on 20 pound tackle. That’s what I’ll be doing every morning or evening until June. As long as mother nature allows. I will fish for the big tarpon at some point of every trip for the next 4 months. Evenings are more consistent, but there are still plenty of fish caught the first couple hours of day break. I like to finish my night tarpon trips with bridge snook fishing for good measure. The fly fishing for snook has been awesome of late. So get out there and catch some fish!
Recent Adventures!
Pat Murphy fishing with his brother Fred teamed up to catch 6 or 7 nice snook before Pat locked into a beautiful 42 in. 24 pounder. Marty Matiloni caught 8 different species of fish before landing 4 nice snook on fly. Jim Pascucci and father in-law Robert Pierce teamed up to catch 8 jack crevalle’s between 10 and 15 pounds along with a few seatrout. Adam Weitzman fishing with his dad Peter got his first taste of getting spooled. Adam hooked what we presumed to be a monster kingfish, which preceded to spool 200 yards of 20# test in a couple of seconds. They did manage to land 5 or 6 others. After a slow morning of bass fishing with Alice Belusko and her brother John. We headed out to north biscayne bay where we caught seatrout, jacks, and bluefish.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Gavet
March 2005
Fort Lauderdale/ North Miami Beach Report
Inshore/ Offshore
Elephants eat peanuts!
Inshore
Well the after a couple of cool weeks water temps look like there starting to rise and the tarpon fishing has been hot. The end of February saw lot’s of day’s with temps in the mid to high 60's, and although you may see lots of tarpon. Getting them to feed is different story. On those days however, we were able to catch spanish mackeral, yellow jacks, blue runners, and a couple permit. Now that the water has warmed a little, the tarpon are really on the feed. As we get near the full moon you will notice the bait shops typically have small shrimp. Remember elephants eat peanuts. Don’t think that a 100 pound tarpon will turn down shrimp, because it’s to small. I’ve caught many fish over 100# on shrimp the size of my pinky. They look a little funny with that 7/0 gamkatsu sticking out of their head. They do get the job done, none the less. If you want to get out there and try it. Stop by tarpon tackle in north miami beach. Get yourself a few dozen hand picked shrimp. Then go hit the inlets, bridges or the beaches. Hang on tight! If you really want to increase your chances. Give me a call.
Offshore
On the trips we’ve run offshore the fishing has been exceptional. The kingfish action has been steady, with a nice mix of sailfish to keep you on your toes. Dolphin have also been crashing a few parties as well. If you really want something to pull on. The wreck fishing has been going off. We’ve had some really nice gag grouper. Between the tug-o wars with the monster amberjacks. I’m starting to book trips for the summer dolphin fishing. June and July should be the time to reserve a spot.
Recent catches
In the photos are Ml with here first tarpon and Paul with 1 of many snook he caught on fly. Eric with a nice snook. Shawn Maloney with a nice gag grouper. Jeff Harris with his biggest tarpon to
Tight lines,
Capt. Gavet
April 2005
Fort Lauderdale/ North Miami Beach Report
Inshore/ Offshore
Elephants eat peanuts!
Inshore
Well the after a couple of cool weeks water temps look like there starting to rise and the tarpon fishing has been hot. The end of February saw lot’s of day’s with temps in the mid to high 60's, and although you may see lots of tarpon. Getting them to feed is different story. On those days however, we were able to catch spanish mackeral, yellow jacks, blue runners, and a couple permit. Now that the water has warmed a little, the tarpon are really on the feed. As we get near the full moon you will notice the bait shops typically have small shrimp. Remember elephants eat peanuts. Don’t think that a 100 pound tarpon will turn down shrimp, because it’s to small. I’ve caught many fish over 100# on shrimp the size of my pinky. They look a little funny with that 7/0 gamkatsu sticking out of their head. They do get the job done, none the less. If you want to get out there and try it. Stop by tarpon tackle in north miami beach. Get yourself a few dozen hand picked shrimp. Then go hit the inlets, bridges or the beaches. Hang on tight! If you really want to increase your chances. Give me a call.
Offshore
On the trips we’ve run offshore the fishing has been exceptional. The kingfish action has been steady, with a nice mix of sailfish to keep you on your toes. Dolphin have also been crashing a few parties as well. If you really want something to pull on. The wreck fishing has been going off. We’ve had some really nice gag grouper. Between the tug-o wars with the monster amberjacks. I’m starting to book trips for the summer dolphin fishing. June and July should be the time to reserve a spot.
Recent catches
In the photos are Ml with here first tarpon and Paul with 1 of many snook he caught on fly. Eric with a nice snook. Shawn Maloney with a nice gag grouper. Jeff Harris with his biggest tarpon to
Tight lines,
Capt. Gavet
May 2005
Fort Lauderdale/ North Miami Beach Report
Inshore/ Offshore
Don’t let the summer time blues catch you!
Inshore
With summer rapidly approaching. The mid day heat will start to take it’s toll on the bay fishing. The best way to counter punch the heat is by, fishing early and fishing late. Fishing the low light conditions will really increase your chances with most of north biscayne bays inshore species. Slick calm mornings can be a great time to work top water plugs like the yo-zuri banana boat over grass flats in the 3-5 foot depths. Another great artificial to use is a gambler twitch’in shad, rigged on a gamakatsu 4/0 wide gap hook. The most likely suspects will be seatrout in the 12 to 20in. range. But, don’t be surprised if a snook or jack crevalle jumps on it. The same thing go’s for the evening bite. After those thunderstorms blow through in the afternoon. It can cool the water temps a little and get those fish chewing before the sun goes down.
Offshore
On the offshore scene. Look for lots of dolphin being found under birds and floating debris. I like to fish over the reef for kingfish, sailfish and bonita first thing in the morning. After the sun gets up a little bit, it makes it a little easier to locate the birds, or find any floating debris. Fishing offshore can get tough in the middle of the day as well. A good way to draw a strike during that middle of the day lull. Try trolling a bait on a down rigger. Getting that bait down deep can make the difference in the summertime conditions.
June 2005
Fort Lauderdale/ North Miami Beach Report
Inshore/ Offshore
Don’t let the summer time blues catch you!
Inshore
With summer rapidly approaching. The mid day heat will start to take it’s toll on the bay fishing. The best way to counter punch the heat is by, fishing early and fishing late. Fishing the low light conditions will really increase your chances with most of north biscayne bays inshore species. Slick calm mornings can be a great time to work top water plugs like the yo-zuri banana boat over grass flats in the 3-5 foot depths. Another great artificial to use is a gambler twitch’in shad, rigged on a gamakatsu 4/0 wide gap hook. The most likely suspects will be seatrout in the 12 to 20in. range. But, don’t be surprised if a snook or jack crevalle jumps on it. The same thing go’s for the evening bite. After those thunderstorms blow through in the afternoon. It can cool the water temps a little and get those fish chewing before the sun goes down.
Offshore
On the offshore scene. Look for lots of dolphin being found under birds and floating debris. I like to fish over the reef for kingfish, sailfish and bonita first thing in the morning. After the sun gets up a little bit, it makes it a little easier to locate the birds, or find any floating debris. Fishing offshore can get tough in the middle of the day as well. A good way to draw a strike during that middle of the day lull. Try trolling a bait on a down rigger. Getting that bait down deep can make the difference in the summertime conditions.
Photo’s Adam and Peter Weitzman with permit, Stan green and Sharon Swan with Dolphin and Jeff Harris with Tarpon.
July 2005
Fort Lauderdale/ North Miami Beach Report
Inshore/ Offshore
Fort Lauderdale/ Miami Report
Lobster time!
Every year around the first week in August lobster season starts. That first week is usually going to be the best. So get your gear ready and hit it hard. Once the lobster traps are out it gets tougher by the day. I would start on the shallow reefs early in the season and work to the deeper reefs later on down the road. The reason for this is because a lot of the lobsters you find out deep in 40 to 90 feet of water will have eggs. Which hopefully everyone knows, you can’t harvest. It’s extremely obvious when they’re carrying eggs. It’s like a bright orange sponge stuck to their belly. In the first part of the season you can find them in little rock pile right off the beach. From John Lloyd to Haulover there are all kinds of nuck and crannies. The best thing to do is go out on a slick calm morning and use your gps to save spots before season starts. As far as catching them, there’s not much to it. It takes a little time to figure it out. My best advise would be to take your time and be as discrete as possible. If there’s more than one in the hole, you want to get him out, without disturbing the others.
August 2005
Fort Lauderdale/ North Miami Beach Report
Inshore/ Offshore
Fort Lauderdale/ Miami Report
Lobster time!
Every year around the first week in August lobster season starts. That first week is usually going to be the best. So get your gear ready and hit it hard. Once the lobster traps are out it gets tougher by the day. I would start on the shallow reefs early in the season and work to the deeper reefs later on down the road. The reason for this is because a lot of the lobsters you find out deep in 40 to 90 feet of water will have eggs. Which hopefully everyone knows, you can’t harvest. It’s extremely obvious when they’re carrying eggs. It’s like a bright orange sponge stuck to their belly. In the first part of the season you can find them in little rock pile right off the beach. From John Lloyd to Haulover there are all kinds of nuck and crannies. The best thing to do is go out on a slick calm morning and use your gps to save spots before season starts. As far as catching them, there’s not much to it. It takes a little time to figure it out. My best advise would be to take your time and be as discrete as possible. If there’s more than one in the hole, you want to get him out, without disturbing the others.
Offshore
The dolphin fishing should continue to be excellent. We should start to see some bigger size schoolies passing through. Live bait has been great for the schoolie’s. I’ve been trolling a couple of chao’s pro-jet heads to find the schools. These are great lures cause I can troll them at very high speeds and then slow down when I get back with the birds or whatever it is I’m working. You just can’t do that with ballyhoo, unless you reel them in.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Gavet
September 2005
Fort Lauderdale/ North Miami Beach Report
Inshore/ Offshore
Fort Lauderdale/ Miami Report
Fall Migration
September is a good month to start to prepare for the fall migration of baitfish. As the first cold fronts of the year begin to cool things off, for our neighbors to the north. It also lets the baitfish know it’s time to return to sunny south florida. This typically takes place the latter part of September or into October. Every year is different so just try to keep up with local fishing reports. Once it begins , look for schools of finger moving down the intracoastal. They will be getting harassed by a all types of inshore gamefish. Jack Crevalles, Tarpon, and Snook just to name a few. After the finger mullet, come the bigger mullet. They’ll be cruising the beaches and moving in an out of the inlets. These fish are often surrounded by sharks and other gamefish.
To catch some of these fish. Your gonna need some mullet, and would suggest ordering a castnet now if you don’t have one. I recently got an awesome 12 foot ½ in mesh from Bill at evergladesoutfitter.com and it was at my door the next day, and it was 50 bucks cheaper than I could find anywhere else. If your not used to throwing a castnet I would start off with a smaller net. Like a 8foot 3/8 mesh and work my way up. I would also pick up a video on throwing it. If you how to throw a net already, go with that 12 footer I got. It’s made be Westcoast nets and is the best net for the money I’ve found. Give Capt. Bill Stuerner a call 239-348-2753 and he’ll take care of ya.
For those offshore fishermen. There’s a great new shop in town. Recently, Chaos rods and lures opened a retail shop in pompano beach. I was there a couple of weeks ago and it really came out nice. They’ve got hundreds of custom rods to choose from and every type and color trolling lure you could imagine. There’s a free crimping station. So you can rig your own lure’s or better yet. Make your own daisy chains. There’s a cool little library and video library where you can check out videos for free or bring your old stuff for fellow fishermen to check out. There’s a ton of gear and tackle for all types of fishing. Go see it for yourself at 590 S.W 9th Terrace Pompano Beach, Fl 33069 or call them 954-782-8500 chaosfishing.com
December 2005
Fort Lauderdale/ North Miami Beach Report
Inshore/ Offshore
Cool Changes
Inshore
December can really bring on some interesting weather. Cold fronts should be pouring through with regularity. Keep an eye on the radar, before heading out. These fronts can produce extremely violent weather as they pass. However, once they pass, chamber of commerce weather follows! Cool crisp air, and clear blue skies. In the bay, expect to see good numbers of seatrout, jack crevalles, and spanish mackeral. When the waters a little chilly, I like to work the deeper water off the edges of grass flats in the 4 to 6 foot depth. The standard shrimp under a popping cork or working a jig/grub combo slowly along the bottom, will get you plenty of action. These fronts, will also trigger the start of the shrimp run, and when the shrimp run, so do the tarpon and snook.
Offshore
In December, Spanish mackeral can be an absolute blast, on light tackle! I like to fish some of the shallow reefs from haulover to government cut. These fish can be caught on all types of live and artificial baits. I like to cast a 1/8 oz. Jig head with a medium size shrimp. My typical set up would be. 7ft. 8-17lb. Chaos spin rod, Shimano stradic 4000 with 8 lb yo-zuri hybrid line. 40 lb mono leader. If you get into them thick. Prepare to do a lot of re-rigging. With that set up, you will get the most enjoyment out of each fish you catch. 4 to 8 lb. Mackeral will really make that drag scream. Sailfish will be back on the main stage for next several months. If you want to take a day and target them. This would be an excellent time. Multiple hook-ups aren’t uncommon in December. While you wait for those sailfish bites, there should be plenty of kingfish to keep you on your toes.
Photos
Thats Doug Giles with his largest snook 34in.
Doug and friend with a lemon shark.
After catching almost a dozen dolphin offshore. Jeff Putman caught this tarpon on his first cast.
Steve Chippendale’s first tarpon.
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