We are now in the summer season and mahi fishing and swordfishing have been the focus. As many already know, there is a tremendous amount of sargasso weed in Florida. That is both good and bad for fishing. When the grass is concentrated in big mats and is spaced apart is what you want for fishing. If the grass is broken up and is everywhere, that makes it difficult to know where the fish are as well as keep you trolling spread clear and free of grass. As of right now its 50/50. Some days are clean and some days the grass is broken up and everywhere. For mahi fishing we have found lures that work well with the sargasso grass and don’t get constantly fouled up. When the sargasso grass is everywhere, it makes daytime swordfishing a lot of work. It’s doable but we are constantly clearing the tip rod of grass. Luckily it has not affected the sword bite and there are still plenty of swordfish being caught.
The one thing I have to mention in this report is the 3 marlin we caught on 3 consecutive trips. Catching marlin is Miami is not unheard of, and we usually catch a marlin once a year or so. This year we caught 3 marlins on 3 consecutive trips! That is unhear of. The first marlin we were trolling when one of our mahi lures got inhaled. The fish sounded and after about 10 minutes started jumping. We could clearly see it was about an 80 lb. blue marlin. Luckly was only 80 pounds because we had hooked it on 20-pound test. We had hooked a 300-pound blue a month earlier, but that fish eventually frayed us off. This time we successfully got to the leader rand some great videos boatside. The next day we headed back offshore trolling for mahis. Looking out in the distance I can see some commotion near sargasso patch. That is usually a blue marlin feeing on mahis. As I approached the weed patch I can see a marlin swimming under the weeds. We trolled by it and no bites. I quickly spun the boat around and Billy fired out a live goggle eye on a 20lb spinning rod. The fish inhaled the bait, and it was game on. After close to an hour, we got the marlin next to the boat and realized it was a hatchet marlin. A hatchet marlin is often mistaken for a white marlin bit its dorsal fin seems to be cut off at the top thus the name Hatchet. There are other subtle differences that this fish also had. A few pictures and videos boatside and that fish was released as well. We then had a few days off, but on our very next trip we were trolling back in from ahi fishing and only had a couple of mahis. On the very same lure as our first blue marlin, we have an explosive hit. I heard the outrigger line snap and looked back and saw a big boil in the water and the side of a big fish. This fish went down again but this time we had her on 30lb trolling gear with a heavier leader. After a few minutes the fish jumped, and it was an estimated 300-pound blue marlin. I was in shock; how can this be the third marlin in just three trips off of Miami. We all settled down and after about an hour we got this marlin boatside for some pictures and another release. Unbelievable is all I can say.
We are now getting into July and although the heat can be unbearing on land, there is always a slight breeze on the water and trolling for mahi is the perfect trip for all types of anglers. From the experienced to that entire families, mahi fishing is a staple in South Florida during the summer. Fow the more adventurous we also provide daytime swordfishing trips and on our very next trip after the third marlin we went daytime swordfishing and caught a decent 125-pound swordfish. Before summer runs out, look at your calendars and let’s book that trip!
Tight Lines,
Capt. Dean Panos
