Fishing Reports
Mahis Are Here
Report Date: July 20, 2012
Since the last report I was on vacation for a week and then fished a few days here in Miami. Usually May and June are the best month for mahis, but this May and June the mahi fishing was relatively slow. Last year was the same but it got very good in August and September. This year the mahis have finally arrived and it looks like a great July and August for dorado fishing in Miami. This past week there were a lot of very small mahis offshore, but as always, there were quite a few big bulls and cows as well. We fished a small dolphin tournament and although we only managed a few fish and all of them small, the winners of the tournament had some very impressive mahis. I didn’t get an exact weight but the winning fish was easily in the 40 to 50 pound range and that same boat had a few 30 to 40 pounders as well. Congrats to them as it was a bit sporty out in the Gulfstream and the bigger fish were definitely harder to find. The mahis we have been finding have all been under birds, mostly frigates and terns, and they have been anywhere from 8 to 20 miles out. Yesterday we did find a few fish under a floater (small piece of wood) but most of the action we saw was under birds.
While looking for mahis yesterday we made it out to the sword grounds and decided to make a drop. I had everything rigged and ready and made our drop. Within 10 minutes we were getting a bite and after a few taps we got tight. After a 45 minute battle we had a 67 inch (LJFL) next to the boat on soon on the deck. I haven’t had many swordfish trips yet this month so I was excited to get out and hopefully catch one. Luckily we made it out, dropped down and caught a nice swordfish within 10 minutes of hitting bottom. My customer still had plenty of swordfish from one our past trips so after this fish, we decided to hed back in and look for mahis on the way. We did find a big school of skipjack tunas, but not any more mahis. We got back in early and steaked up the swordfish and got the boat cleaned up. It was a great day on the water with good weather, good fishing and a great client!
We are entering the end of July and next week I am booked everyday but Monday and Wednesday. After that I am booked 6 days in a row, but have plenty of open dates after that. As I mentioned earlier, I think August is going to be a great month for mahis and also a great month for swordfish. Besides the daytime swordfish, it’s been a while since we have done a night sword trip and from years past August was always a great month. Besides mahis and swords in the Gulfstream, the action in the Bahamas will also be good. Just recently the yellowfin tuna bite in NW channel really heated up and I know a few boats that got over 10 tunas per day. The snapper bite has also improved on the reefs. So, whatever you would like to target, give me a call and let’s set up those trips. Mention this fishing report and get $100 discount on your next sword trip or trip to Bimini.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Dean Panos