Ready For Fall !

Report Date: August 24, 2024

Summer is almost gone, and I can’t wait till fall! Summertime in South Florida used to mean great mahi fishing offshore. The past few years (5) that has not been the case. Last year was the absolute worst and this year was a close second. Whether its climate change, overfishing, etc. it has not been the reliable fishery it used to be. Last year the fishery got a little better later in the season (September and October), but I can honestly say that I will not be doing many, if any, mahi charters until I know the fish are out there. There is no worse feeling for a guide than going after a relatively easy target species and not being able to produce. You have to be upfront and honest with your clients and be able to switch to different fisheries if need be.

The one fishery that was good for us this summer was daytime swordfish. We were successful in all but 2 of our summer trips for daytime swords. The quality of the fish was good to with the largest at 398 pounds and quite a few swordfish between 150 to 225 pounds. This bodes well as we are just entering the prime season for daytime swordfish which is late September through January. Looking through my records October and November were the best months but December and January depending on weather can be very good as well.
Fall fishing is also the beginning of kite fishing for sailfish and the much-anticipated high speed trolling for wahoo. The wahoo fishing is typically much better in the Bahamas and traditionally we did most of our trips for wahoo in Bimini. We will continue to target wahoo in Bimini, but we are also planning on a few trips to Great Harbour. This past summer was my first trip to Great Harbour, and we did phenomenal with the deep dropping there. Talking to others, the wahoo fishing there can be phenomenal there as well.
Sailfishing is our bread and butter here in South Florida and fall marks the beginning of it. We fish for them with kites and live baits, and I am so ready to go chase spindlebeaks again. It’s always a rush catching sailfish, but hooking multiples is when it really gets your blood going!
We have invested some time and money keeping the Double D and all our tackle in top notch condition. We recently put a wrap on the boat and just installed new Mercury outboards. We have gone through all our tackle and are ready for a great upcoming season. Give us a call now and let’s set up your next fishing adventure!

Tight Lines,
Capt. Dean Panos

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