OTHER FISH WE TARGET
GROUPERS & SNAPPERS
BOTTOM
Other than the most popular game fish we target (sailfish, swordfish, dolphin, tarpon and tuna), there are numerous other fish that can be caught in South Florida waters. Starting with snapper and groupers, these fish can be targeted while we are fishing many of the artificial reefs and wrecks found in South Florida. Again, live bait works well.
We usually will drop a large live bait like a goggle eye or a smaller live bait like a pilchard or herring towards the bottom on a wreck. We may be anchored or drifting over this structure. Tackle is pretty hefty with 80-pound tackle being the norm and 50-pound tackle being on the lighter side.
The reason for the heavier tackle is to get these fish away from the wreck quickly before they have time to cut you off on the sharp structure of the wreck or ledge. Besides snappers and grouper, big bruiser amberjacks stay on top of the wreck and are most eager to eat your live bait.
WAHOO & COBIA
OFFSHORE
We also catch wahoo at various times of the year. Most wahoo are incidental catches caught while live baiting on the reef. Some of these wahoo can be big. Our biggest wahoo while live baiting has been 61 pounds. Wahoo can also be found below schools of dolphin while fishing in the Gulfstream.
Cobia are also fish that we catch on a regular basis, and many are incidental catches while live baiting on the reef. Cobia are also associated with turtles and whales. If we happen to see a turtle while fishing, we almost always toss a live bait towards the turtle. If a cobia is nearby, they will readily eat our bait. Boats with towers also target cobia while sight casting to stingrays in shallower water. Cobia will often be found near or behind a stingray and usually eat crustaceans that the stingray may displace with his fins.
BLUE & WHITE MARLIN
PELAGICS
Marlin, both blues and whites, are also caught with some regularity each year. Nothing can quite beat the thrill of watching a big blue marlin greyhounding with Miami in the background.
As always, there are many other fish that we catch, and you just never know what is going to bite your bait while fishing in South Florida.