Florida is often regarded as the Sports Fishing Capital of the world. This unofficial name given to Florida is not without good reason as it is home to some of the most promising saltwater fisheries in the world. Miami is the best place to go for some winter time fishing action.
Anglers from all over the country flock in droves towards the Miami area every winter season in pursuit of the saltwater fish available in the waters surrounding Florida but the most popular fish for them to hunt is the Atlantic sailfish which is found off the coast of Miami. It is even the state’s official saltwater fish!
The Atlantic sailfish provides good sport for anglers of all ages and is the most popular fish for the locals and tourists to look for in their expeditions. The sailfish is found close off the shore of Southern Florida. They are able to put up a good fight, making them really challenging to catch. Also, the sailfish is also one of the most beautiful fishes to catch.
Sailfishing Season
The sailfish can be found off the coast of Florida all year round but the peak season for fishing these beautiful sea creatures starts off in November and continues through to the month of April. That means that the sailfishing season is around for a considerable amount of time. That being said, the fish can be caught all year round but in the winter months, a few factors suddenly just come into play making the chances of getting a bite from one of these fishes a better likelihood to happen.
Where Are They Biting?
The best record of bites ever recorded was back in 2005 in the annual Sailfish Kickoff where participants managed to rack up a total of 400 sailfish in a single day. That means that all in all, a sailfish was caught after every minute and ten seconds that day.
When you are looking for the best places to catch the Atlantic sailfish, you do not even have to travel particularly far off the coast when you are heading out of Miami’s Government Cut in order to find the fish. Most of the captains tend to fish in sight of land in the reefs and ledges with the water depth in those regions ranging from 150 to 300 feet. You will also see an odd sight if you are going sailfishing for the first time, the boats that are floating off the reefs and water ledges have kites flying high. This is because they are fishing with live baits and the kites are attached to them.
This is actually a very effective means of getting the sailfish to take a bite on your line. The anglers hook a live bait to a line and toss it into the water and attach the line with the bait attached to the kite. The clip will push the fishing line out towards the kite. This allows you to have a wider range to spread your bait away from the boat and when you get a bite, the line will pull out of the clip. It works like a charm.
With catching a good number of sailfish, it is more about being at the right place at the right time. When it comes to winter time fishing, there are few other places in the world that can beat Miami for the top sailfishing spot and that too conveniently not too far off the coast.
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