Mahi on the move!

March has been good to us. The higher winds the came through midway after a late cold front have paid on dividends. The sea conditions were a little higher but still tolerable yet the mahi were showing up in better numbers and sizes. The last few days have shown a strong number of sailfish coming through as many boats are reporting good numbers on half day trips. Kites, live bait trolling or even dead bait trolling have all been productive and at only 2 miles from shore, you get to the fishing grounds quickly. Reminder, we have a local restaurant that will cook fish for you. Anything that is edible can be harvested (legal size requirements do apply) and you can have it cooked for lunch/dinner! Capt. Matt Fann.

In recent weeks, we've set a new record for low temperatures. Those cold fronts are always the driving force behind all fish migration and if we have enough cold, consistently, the fish end up well into the southern tip of fla and beyond! That being said, conditions have shown a good improvement from January, bait fish are more plentiful and the water temps are more ideal to see pelagic fish staying with us for a while. When trying to decide what type of charter to book, think more in terms of time and less about what type of fish can be caught. More time, offers more opportunities to try various methods (IF NEEDED) and or travel. A 5hr trip would be ideal for experienced anglers looking to catch a sailfish, black fin tuna or mahi and a 3hr charter is still the perfect fit for a novice client looking to dip their toe in the water. Many captains like to use kites with live bait however I prefer the use of live ballyhoo. The live ballyhoo is the only live bait that cannot be purchased and must be caught in person however they are a fantastic bait due to their ability to be "slow trolled" in longer distances. Kite fishing is a lot of fun however when the current slows to a crawl it stops then you'll want to be able to cover territory and various depths of water. Here's to a great Feb! Capt Matt Fann "Fish Advisor"!

In the past few weeks, I have come across something that I consider a very good sign. Small sailfish!!! Over the many years I have been a professional fisherman, seasons that start with a run of smaller sized fish, end up being great seasons. Sailfish are a very fast growing fish, just like mahi. They are known for growing around 4ft in length in their first year! In the weeks gone by, I've caught quite a few smaller sized fish that indicate we've had a large spawn of fish. Now with a few cold fronts to push the bait south and a little current, we could see high numbers indeed! Last week, we tried pulling live ballyhoo around which is one of my favorite methods over kite fishing and we managed to raise over 7 sailfish in an hour. Later that day, during our afternoon trip, we raised a few more, only this time it was on dead bait while trolling! Very exciting stuff! If you're planning a fishing trip, follow the cold front patterns and try to book a trip with a minimum of 4hrs, 6 being optimal. See you soon, Capt Matt.