ROUGH seas & bad JU-JU!

WOW! We have been spoiled by all the calmer days we’ve fished so far during this Sailfish season. Sunday, was a horse of a different color! The winds were recorded at 20-23 knots dead out of the East. The seas were every bit of 6 feet for the entire day. It was the kind of day that keeps me pretty much pinned to the helm and Devon working his rear off in the pit!

We met Ethan and Lael Shapiro at the dock, quickly exchanged pleasantries, and then unleashed The BEAST. We caught about 2 dozen Hardtails quickly then headed for the Ballyhoo patch. As we were traversing the Bay, they told us of their last year’s trip in Islamorada where they fished 10’ seas for a whole day and only caught 1 short Mutton Snapper. Ethan and Lael expressed that they wanted to bring home some Kingfish for their Mother for dinner. Devon was quick to comment that The BEAST has good karma with Mother Ocean and getting a few Kingfish at the least, should not be a problem at all. Be careful of what you speak, grasshopper!

We arrived at the bait patch and the ‘hoo came up plentiful and quick. We caught about 4 dozen “hookers” and put them in a separate live well. I tossed the Calusa net twice and topped off the other well with the Blue Runners. I’d love to say we blasted out to the “edge” but the waters inshore were capping and rough so we took our time motoring out at about 20 mph. We arrived on the “edge” to find a 3-5’ washing machine chop with 6’+ ground swells and a strong north current. This was going to be “Sporty” to say the least. These conditions meant we will be working in the ditch for a good part of the day! Thankfully, my WorldCat 330TE provides a stable fishing deck, that makes this type of fishing possible.

We put out 3 top lines and one down line. Shortly thereafter, we had a taker on the d/rigger but it came unpinned. Devon reset the d/r and once again we had a bite. The line took a short run and then this fish too, shook the hook. OK! It’s going to be like this, huh? Devon pulled out a Horse ‘Hoo from the “hooker” well and sent it down to 80 feet. I idled this spread around for about 20 minutes in the area where we got the last 2 strikes. The Horse entices a strong bite. This one is hooked and hooked solid. Ethan jumps on the rod and quickly realizes this is going to be a fight. He is on the rod for almost 10 minutes when he passes it off to his brother, Lael. We razzed him about the switch off. Another 5 minutes and we can see some color but not make out what it is or even the shape of the fish, only seeing flashes of it about 75 feet down. The fish begins to take drag again and we are now chasing him. The whole crew was distracted with this fish when suddenly, Devon notices the right rigger has popped and the line is paying out. With half of the spool spent, he quickly begins retrieving it. Sailfish on! Ethan grabs this rod since he has never caught a Sailfish. A long belly in the line and the fish airs out! We had to convince Ethan to keep reeling until he came tight on the fish. We were using circle hooks and when he finally came tight on the fish, it went acrobatic again. This fish was huge, the largest Sailfish we’ve hooked this year.

Now the dilemma begins. It is really, GAME ON!!!! Both fish are heading SW and taking drag so I bump up the throttles. This scenario is going too well at this point and I guess the Sailfish realized this and changes course to the NE. Isn’t this a peach?!? We have both anglers, fighting BIG fish, and each taking line 180 degrees from the other. I put the boat in neutral as there is little I can do to help either angler at this point. The “Mystery fish” is on 50 pound braid so I tell Devon to put the heat (drag) on that fish. It isn’t working and the line is melting off both reels. Meanwhile I have to contend with 2 boats that begin crowding me. They aren’t listening to the radio so I yell to the one that I have a very large fish strung out right behind his boat, and thankfully, he heard me and powered out of our way. The saga gets hairy right about now! As the 300 yards of braid is almost gone on the “Mystery fish” and the Sailfish has taken ¾ of the line on the 20# spinner, we have to make a choice. We are guessing the “Mystery fish” is a shark, since it is acting as if we are hooked to a submarine. We chose Ethan’s first ever Sailfish! Lael begins to add thumb pressure to try and stop his fish as the braid continues to leave the spool and we are now on the mono backing. Before anyone comments that we should have put a float on one of the rods and tossed it over, I will tell you that we don’t throw $400 worth of equipment over the side, on The BEAST!!!!

Down to the nitty gritty, I turn the boat slightly toward the Sailfish and begin gaining line, one painful rod pull at a time. The Mystery fish is steadily taking line and then it ends with Lael almost falling onto the deck as the line parts with about 30 yards of mono left on the spool. Crap! We tried everything, but we just couldn’t stop him! Dejectedly, I start tracking toward Ethan’s Sailfish and bump up the throttles again to recover some line and notice the second boat is real close and about to cross my strung out fishing line. As I motioned to him, to give me room it is too late and he crosses our line only 50 yards from our boat. I grabbed Ethan and told him to stick the rod completely under the water, straight down as far as he could. Thank the Lord, it worked as the line passes the other boat cleanly. That was too close for comfort! The rest of the fight was down and dirty and after 35 minutes, we finally have his fish to the boat for a tag and release. We estimated this fish to be about 75 pounds and about 72” LJFT length. She was tired and in marginal condition due to the lengthy fight, so we revived her for over 5 minutes until she regained her mobility and swam away! The topic of conversation for the next hour was that of the lost “Mystery fish” which, unfortunately, overshadowed the event filled fight and incredible size of Ethan’s monster Sail.

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Later, we tried for some Muttons and were marking the fish on the recorder but they wouldn’t eat. We did catch a big Caribbean Spotted Mackerel, aka Barracuda, while dropping the bottom. As the day wears on, we managed to catch 3 Bonito on speed jigs, and a small sub-legal (1 inch short) Kingfish on a hair jig / bally combo. The witching hour arrives and we are still working hard when Ethan says he saw something near the left rigger bait. The line pops out of the line clip, Lael takes the rod and is into a Sailfish. This time it was a routine catch and we had the fish to the boat in 10 minutes. We finished the day with another strong bite on the d/r which pulled the hooks after a few minutes.

We tried everything we could to get them a meat fish. Devon and I were flabbergasted! The rougher the day the better the fishing, usually, but it was sort of slow for us! Bummer! A cloud of bad Ju-Ju was definitely hanging over the Shapiro brothers!!! Lael and Ethan reassured us that they had a great time and that is just their luck on almost every fishing trip!

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

S. Florida is off the hook!

This past Sunday I took out a group of brothers, Scott, Ben, Sterling, Billy and their Dad, Wayne. We all met at the dock at 7 AM, Devon stowed their gear, food, and drinks. We pulled the strings on The BEAST and motored out into the Bay under placid conditions. Very little wind and very calm water is usually a sign of good boating and crap fishing. I throttled up the 600 ponies and we were off. We coursed the Bay and into the patch reefs to find the exact same conditions there. Oh well, we’ll try to make the best of it.

We arrived at our favorite bait patch and deployed the chum and within minutes we started seeing bait. We put 3 guys on the bait rods and started catching our days bait. About 15 minutes into it and the tide is starting to go toward slack. Oh boy?!? The bait started to get finicky and confused, moving in and out trying to lock in on the chum scent. I threw the net, but the mirror-like water let them see it coming. Each and every one of them successfully dodged the 10’ net. We had to work them with the rods some more. We finally had enough bait for the day and as we were securing the rods the bait came in to the chum, feeling secure. I loaded the net again and thanks to my old duck hunting days, I led the school just right with the net toss. Now we are definitely good to go!

We pulled off the edge and put out our customary spread. About 15 minutes into the day and the d/rigger went off. Billy brings an average Kingfish to the boat. Several minutes later and Ben has one on. After boating that fish it was Wayne’s turn.

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With 3 Kingfish in the box within the first 30 minutes, the current really starts ripping to the north. Things are looking up. Shortly after the strong current began we had the right rigger pop off. Scott is hooked up to a Sailfish. Several nice jumps and a down and dirty fight for 15 minutes and the fish is led to a swift tag and release. This was his first completed Sailfish catch. Not a bad start for conditions on the ocean that more resembled the water of a secluded pond. The fishing is much better than we anticipated. As we’re BS’ing a bit, I caught something out of the corner of my eye and yelled, “Left rigger!” Before anyone could get to the rod the fish goes skyward, ejecting the bait . Too slow on the reaction time there, boys.

We hit a bit of a lull for about an hour or maybe a bit more. We all had enough downtime to eat some lunch. Devon and the other guys began pounding the water with speed jigs and jig/bally’s. They managed to pull out 3 Bonito and a Blackfin to stay busy.

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As the afternoon moves along and the sun is up on the calm water I noticed fish marking deep and it looked like balls of bait. We dropped the d/rigger to 75’ but nothing happened. We checked the bait and Devon said let’s go to 80’ or so. I dropped it to 100 feet. 5-6 minutes later and we have a bite on the d/r. The fish is coming up! Yahoo, another Sailfish! As the fish moves to the right, the left rigger goes off. He brought a friend… Double! The right rigger goes off and yet another friend… Triple!!! No wait, fish #2 spits the hook so we are down to a double. Fish # 1 goes airborne and lands on the line of #2 and snap, we are down to one. That doesn’t happen too often! We brought the fish to the boat, removed the hook and placed a tag. Release #2.

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Devon gets the cockpit back in shape and sets out another spread. Yup, d/r to 100 again. It worked last time, maybe it will again. No more than 5-10 minutes elapsed and the d/r goes off. The fish is coming up! NO WAY?!? Yes way, another Sailfish and he brought a friend that eats the right rigger. Double! The fish are heading right at another boat, so I hailed them on the radio, and they politely gave me room. Thanks guys! The second fish is a monster. He clears the water twice and then #1 begins to jump and catches the line of #2 in his mouth as fish #2 is coming down. Can you believe this. Fish # 1 has jumped up into the line of fish #1 and pop, it’s a done deal. We are down to one fish and once again they bring it boatside for the tag & release. I am dumbfounded that this oddity happened, not only once, but twice in one trip. Un-flippin‘-believable!

OK, we regain our composure and set up another identical spread. As we pass some underwater structure the d/r once again pops off and Devon and I look at each other, totally stunned, as the fish is coming up to the surface. You’re kidding me? We realized there would we no third time when the fish stopped about halfway and then worked Billy hard. Maybe a nice Blackie? Nope. Instead we see color and realize it’s a Jack of some kind. As Billy works it almost to the surface we can see it is a 10# Horse Eye Jack. We boat him for a quick photo and release.

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With time running out, we packed it in and pointed The BEAST for the corral. There were plenty of smiles to go all the way around the deck. We managed to go 3 for 7 on Sailfish, 3 Kingfish, 3 Bonito, a Blackfin Tuna, and a Horse eye Jack. Devon and I kept the entire crew busy, most of the day. Not too shabby for a ¾ day trip. The fishing is off the hook… in S. Florida.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a prosperous New Year, to everyone!

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

Fishing and the birds!

On Monday my brother-in-law, Michael, called to see if I was available to fish on Wednesday. He wanted to take 3 of his employees fishing for the day. I was open and we did go fishing, sort of.

Michael, Mike, Robert, and Rolando arrived an hour late so Devon and I quickly, untied the snarling BEAST and made our way to the bait patch. The bait came up quick but they were skittish and to add to that, it was nearing slack tide. Everyone, with some coaching, got on the ball and began putting bait in the livewell. We lost Mike to that queasy feeling about 15 minutes into the process. I managed to coax the bait close enough to get 2 throws with the cast net and we were set for the day.

The seas were fairly good size, a solid 3-4’, and the winds were steady out of the East at 13-15 knots. We made our way to the edge and put out our usual spread. In very short order we had a small, sushi size, Blackfin Tuna on the speed jig. Anticipation was high as the fish tend to feed much better in the slop. But that’s not what was happening. We picked a sub-legal Kingfish. There seems to be an abundance of these small kingfish this year. Then the fishing seemed to shut down. Oh boy! I checked the celestial predictions for the day and surmised we would have to wait until about 1 PM to get into a good bite again. The wind and seas began to rise, reaching 18-20 knots and the seas were 5’ now. One by one we were losing our crew! Mike was out for the count and Rolando was next, followed by Robert. Rolando and Robert were taking turns leaning over the rail as Mike slept. Michael was the only remaining angler.

Around 1:30 the dinner bell rang and we began getting one bite after another. Robert would pop up to catch a fish but most of the time it was Bro-in-law, Michael, working the rods. The next 2 hours or more was non stop action, unfortunately, it wasn’t all fish. The sky was full of hungry Frigate’s, Terns, and Gannets. We were lucky enough to avoid the Gannets as that is usually and instant hook up, Normally, the Frigate birds aren’t fooled by hooked baits but they were on this day! The terns were relentless and poor Devon was getting a workout! We had lines picked up by the birds, only to drop them across the other 3 or 4 lines. If it wasn’t the birds, it was the wind. We even fouled the starboard prop twice, had to clear it, and hung the d/rigger ball in one of those deepwater lobster pot buoys. We pulled in the 4th line, only running 3 now, to keep the tangles to a minimum. But during all of this the fish kept coming. Michael was working a jig/ballyhoo combo and getting bit often. Meanwhile the d/rigger was going off. The surface baits were silent. Finally we had a good fish come on one of the top baits and we suspected a nice tuna. As we were nearing a visual on it, the fish screamed under the boat. It must’ve pulled the line into the running gear and it was gone. By 3:30 or so the fishing went slack and the birds left the area, for the most part. We had gone through a bunch of bait. As the witching hour began, we put the last of the lively baits out. Once again, we were screaming at a hungry Frigate that was hell bent on eating the left rigger bait. Suddenly the right rigger goes off and Michael is into a Sailfish. Yes sir! He worked it like a champ and brought it to leader twice for a legal catch. As I was attempting to stick a tag in him, I saw him turn his head towards the underside of the boat and he was off to the races and the line parted as we tried to regain our position on him. No tag, but it was Michael’s first Sailfish catch, none-the-less!

We packed it up and pointed The BEAST westerly, towards home. While running in we recounted the day. Although we never had time to get the camera out, we discussed the catch for our memories. A bunch of Kingfish, a couple of Cobia, a Blackfin, a Bonito, a Mutton Snapper, a Red Grouper, and a Sailfish. We had numerous mangled baits and the teeth marks held the explanation. Small fish! For some odd reason, many of our fish were not legal size that day. All were released except 5 Kingfish and the B/F Tuna. Hey, it was still fishing and catching, just not much eating! Just for giggles, we took a picture of Robert with some Kings for the smoker and the small sashimi Tuna.

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Mike said he would never set foot on a boat again, and Rolando was nodding his head. Robert who actually fought off the sickness for a good portion of the afternoon, during the melee’, actually wants a repeat trip. All in all they were a great bunch of guys with a good sense of humor. Oh yeah… that little Tuna never made it past the filet table!

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

The 3 F's... Family, Friends, and Fishing!

Friday… I took my bud, Trollin’ Tom out for a day of live bait fishing. We met at the dock about 10:30 AM and shoved off. Our intent was to get some more Kingfish for the smokers. We coursed the Bay and climbed onto the patch reefs to find seas looking like a we were on a lake. After a short run to our favorite Ballyhoo patch we pulled up and started bait fishing. They were thick as fleas on a hound dog. We hook and lined a bunch and then I went for the net. Crap, I forgot to put it onboard, today! Not a big deal, we simply spent a few more minutes with the rods and we were set.

We ventured off the edge in the glass like water and set out our spread. The fishing was a bit slow but we pecked away at them. The fish were not on a blitzkrieg feed, that’s for sure, but their size was above average. We managed to catch a 6, 12, 15, and 22 pound Kingfish and a small football Blackfin Tuna. We never saw a Sailfish or Dolphin and as the sun began to set, we called it a day. Tom and I always have a good time, fish or not!

Sunday… My wife Sharon and I met Devon, Amy (the newlyweds) and Uncle Al at the dock about 8:15 in the morning. Our agenda was a leisurely day of family fun fishing with some pictures and videos if possible. We unleashed The BEAST and the day began. First order to fill was catching our bait. Our bait patch was not quite as productive as on Friday but there were plenty of them all the same. Today I remembered my cast net. We collected more than enough baits so we left the patch and sauntered out into the blue water. I was not real optimistic as we were on a pre/post condition as a front was due sometime around noon. I were hopeful that things would turn on at some point, most likely later that afternoon.

Once again the water and winds were calm with bluebird skies. We put 4 baits out on top and 1 down. A short time into it as we see the small front line coming, and we have a Sailfish up on the long rigger bait. Sharon gets on the rod as the fish eats the bait and it is “Game on”! This fish was an acrobat and unfortunately we missed a bunch of video due to a malfunction of the camcorder. We broke out my camcorder for the remainder of the day. Sharon expertly worked her fish to a tag and release even though she hasn’t been fishing in almost 18 months.

The next 3 fish to feed were some average sized Kingfish and we took turns catching them. Then the small frontal line pushed through us with a slight drizzly rain for a few minutes.

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The skies cleared, the temps dropped, and the wind and seas picked up a bit. So did the fishing! The action became fast and furious for the last 3 hours or so, of the day. We caught another Kingfish and Cero Mackerel.

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We had a pleasant surprise when a 10# Mutton Snapper crashed a bait fished at 75’ in 125’ of water. This happens from time to time but not too often.

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Uncle Al and Devon were working speed jigs and Al got hooked up to a couple of Blackfin. Al wasn’t much of a believer, but the last 2 trips have sold him on those speed jigs!

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We also caught a pair of Cobia on the down rod and each time a group of them would follow the hooked fish but they were all undersized, not by much, and returned to the water to grow up.

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We had a Blackfin crash the long flat line and I took the rod. A few seconds later and Uncle Al hooks up to a Sail on the long rigger. We quickly boated my Blackie so I could post up on the helm to keep Al on his Sailfish. It was a very large fish, much bigger than average. Al has only caught one Sailfish before and jumped one off on a recent trip with us, so we were hell bent on getting him this Sail. He did a fine job and after 25 minutes on the 20# spinning rod, he led his fish to a perfect tag and release.

As the sun set we turned The BEAST towards the barn. We were in a holiday mood but instead of “visions of sugar plums…” we had “visions of Sailfish dancing in our heads“!!!

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You can also see condensed footage of the trip through the videos! 1st link is condensed of the trip, or if you prefer, the second link is only the Sailfish action with all the acrobatics!





This year we are experiencing an above average Sailfish season. I think the continuous back to back fronts are the main reason, but whatever the case, I am loving it. We have reduced our rates to reflect the decrease in fuel costs. So… Give us a call and come join in on the action this winter while the expectations are high and the fuel prices are low.

The crew of The BEAST wants to wish each and every one, Happy Holidays!

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

OMG! What a day!

Well the wedding saga continues! Devon and Amy decided they wanted more fish for their reception dinner. So… dang it, we have to go fishing again and you ought to know by now how much I dislike fishing! Right? Wednesday was a blow out so we planned on going Thursday morning, no matter what. NOAA called for 2-4’ seas with the winds blowing 10-15 out of the north. No problem for a 33‘ WorldCat, she can handle that and much more. I’ll try to keep this report less detailed to curtail its length.

Devon brought his Uncle Al this morning and met me at the dock at 7:15. Al and I have fished together several times before on Cubera and Swordfish trips. I was glad to see him coming along as we would have more angler power on deck. We unleashed The BEAST and were off like a herd of turtles. We started off jigging up about 2 dozen Blue Runners and then headed for the “dink” Ballyhoo patch. Our game plan was to see if we could catch another mess of Dolphin like we did on Tuesday. Arriving at the bait spot we hook and lined a bunch, then cast netted some more, and in short order we had both live wells teaming with baits. Off we go to try and duplicate Tuesday’s trip.

We arrived on the edge to find that NOAA was way off on their sea predictions. The water was 2-3’ at most, with some small white caps from the winds. The sea clarity was a dingy blue/green. As we were setting out our first baits we hooked up a single school Dolphin and into the box it went. The Dolphin have all been a decent size so far this week, unlike the anemic looking fish in the spring. Next bite was a nice fish on the down rod which engulfed all the wire trace and managed to cut the mono leader. We managed to capture a Kingfish on the down rod shortly thereafter. For the next 2 hours we were in a lull. I grabbed my VHF mic and hailed a couple of my Captain friends out there. They were'nt doing anything either but, I wasn’t worried. I told Devon and Al that the conditions were going to come together about 1:15. Al worked a small speed jig here and there and caught a few Bonito. We ate lunch and BS’d while waiting for “the bite“.

Shortly after 1PM, the seas calmed, conditions got right, and the stuff hit the fan. We caught 4 Dolphin and reset the baits. Minutes later we had a triple header on Sailfish, up in the baits. One was a window shopper and one ate! While Devon was working the hooked up fish, the third Sailfish chased the bait he was after, into the rigger line and it got tangled. As Al and I were trying to shake the bait free, this fish was intent on eating it. His entire head and mouth were clearing the water as the bait dangled about 6” off the surface. He finally gave up and swam off. Devon brought his Sail to the boat for a clean tag & release.

For the next 2 hours we added 13 more Dolphin to the fish box, released several more Bonito, a small Amberjack, and raised 2 more singles on Sailfish, hooking and jumping off one of them. Tough luck Al. That stuff happens to everyone, from time to time. The last hour of the day slowed down again but we managed another Bonito and a Blackfin Tuna on the speed jig which Al didn’t think worked very well, until today! The last fish of the day, a beefy Yellow Jack, came once again on a speed jig.

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We called it a day and headed for the barn with a nice box full of fish. The total catch for the day was 5 Sails raised but only 1 caught, 17 Dolphin to 15 pounds, 6-8 Bonito, 1 each of Kingfish, Blackfin Tuna, Amberjack, and a nice Yellow Jack. Devon and Amy should be set for fish now at their wedding reception. I just hate when I have 2 trips, a day apart, like we had this week. Right? It sucks to be tired from catching so many fish. NOT !!!!!!!

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We will never turn this economy around if we don't start spending some money. Break open your piggy banks and let's go fishing. The experiences of the oceans beauty and bounty are worth more than the money, ten fold!

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Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

Needed another angler!

My mate Devon and my daughter are getting married on Saturday. Coming from a fishing family, they decided they wanted to serve fresh fish at their Keys wedding. The best way to make sure the fish is fresh is to go out and catch it yourself, so that his intention. Problem #1 was that the weather forecast was for less than comfortable winds and seas all week. Devon has a 19’ CudaCraft and the mission was looking bleak. Being the good father/father-in-law that I am, we decided to give the 33’ WorldCat a workout and give it a go on Monday.

Devon and I met at the dock at 8 AM and quickly loaded the boat. We couldn’t find any of our friends or family that could make this Monday morning trip with us. They had trivial nonsense excuses like work or something of that nature, so we decided to go by ourselves. With absolutely no game plan set in stone, we unleashed The BEAST and headed out. My thoughts were to set sights for my Ballyhoo patch that had a majority of “dinks”. I figured it would be much better, to have more versatile small baits to catch anything that we might encounter. The winds were huffing about 18-20 knots but were out of the NW which gave us some smaller seas than anticipated. Arriving at the patch we deployed a chum bag and within minutes the “dinks” were congregated behind the boat. They were ravenous feeders and oblivious to the boat. We caught a few dozen on hook and then I broke out the Calusa cast net. A couple throws with the net and we had plenty of bait for the day. I fired up the Suzuki outboards and headed offshore on our quest. As we were making our way out we heard some chatter on the radio of a few Sails and some Dolphin. Dolphin? Hmmm. Now there’s a thought!

We hit the edge and found 4’ seas, the winds were solid, and the weeds were scattered along the edge to the 130’ depths. I shut down to an idle and we immediately put out 4 surface baits and 1 down rod. The seas, current, and wind, made me keep a fistful of steering wheel to keep the boat in position. About a dozen Frigate’s were circling around the area. Within a few minutes our first visitors came into our spread. A couple of fat school Dolphin which we quickly dispatched into the fish box. By noon, the winds were laying back a bit and the seas were slacking off. Devon and I had pulled the hooks on 2 mystery fish on the down rod and boated 8 Dolphin. Then a Sail came tailing towards the right rigger and ate the bait. Devon worked the rod quickly and in 10 minutes we had a good tag & release. Less than 5 minutes after setting the lines out again and we had another Sailfish up and eating the short flat line. I jumped on this one and approximately 15 minutes later the fish came boatside. We noticed it had a tag in it, and another line had become severely tangled around the bill and pec fins of the fish. I reached over the side and freed the fish of all the line and we clipped off the tag. I retagged it with one of mine and Devon held the fish boatside as I idled along to insure it was in good condition before we released it. Dang! I never thought I would NOT want to catch Sailfish but this was a grocery type meat day for us.

After the 2 Sailfish catches, we caught 2 Sharks (ugh) and the Dolphin continued to be relentless. We had doubles, triples, quads, and even had 2 of them eat baits 50-75’ down on the down rod. Several times we had fish pinned in the rod holders while we were working another rod. The cockpit was a mess and lines were everywhere, more times than I care to count. I believe we lost as many fish as we had caught. We had to stop several times to clear the cockpit, cleanup a bit, and recount our catch. Now it’s 2 PM and we have a boat limit (20) of nice fat Dolphin. It sure would’ve been nice to have had at least one more angler! We could’ve easily limited out with 4 anglers!

Rather than continuing to work the top, just to release fish, Devon stored away the spinning rods as I set my sights for a favored bottom wreck. Arriving there I checked the drift, rapidly to the north, and reset for our first drift. Whoop there it is! Up comes a nice Mutton snapper! We’re thinking we could spend the next hour or so, working this spot for a few more Muttons. Not to be! The next drift I hooked up and the line got very heavy, then it went slack. My Mutton just got eaten and the leader was bit off clean. WOW! It didn’t take long for the sharks to home in and take advantage of the free meal. We made 4 more drifts and each time we would get the tug, only to have the fish pulled loose of the hooks. Devon managed to catch a very large Spotted Caribbean Mackerel (aka. Barracuda) that ate his bait as he was bringing it up. We gave up and called it a day.

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As we were making our way across the Bay, we remarked of the fact that we would be in before dark, for a change! We remarked that we might try to get out one more time, weather permitting, while the Dolphin are still here. I told Devon that he already had a good mess of fish, to clean and pack, for the wedding reception. He looked at me smiling and said, “ Yep! Thank God my father-in-law is a charter captain!”

Smokin' Smokers

Fun fishing days are fewer and farther between these days. Due to the welcomed drop in fuel prices lately, Tom and I made plans to go have a nice afternoon on the water. My friend Tom, a.k.a. “Trolling Tom”, occasionally likes to take a break from his trolling regiment and do some live bait fishing. We both decided we would target some Kingfish for the smoker.

Since this was a “fun day” we met at the dock and were on our way out the channel at the crack of noon. We throttled up the 600 restless ponies on the back of The BEAST and made our way offshore while discussing our game plan, election results, and generally anything else that came to mind. These type of days are quite enjoyable for the both of us and any time on the water is appreciated now, especially with all the worries of today’s economy.

We busted out from the islands into the open water of the patch reefs and immediately had a good laugh at the supposed NOAA prediction of 3-4’ seas for the day. The conditions were beautiful with seas of 1-2’. The skies were starting to show signs of Hurricane Paloma as a line of high overcast clouds were building in. No worries. I put us on a heading to my preferred bait patch and upon arrival realized that not a single anchor ball was there. What happens to these mooring balls, anyway? Oh well, let’s head to spot #2 a couple of miles away. We arrived there in a few minutes and moved in one of the shallower areas. The chum bag is in place but nothing was happening. The tide was lessening toward slack high tide so after about 15 minutes Tom and I pulled the plug on that spot and moved to another. Ah, that’s better. The bait started coming up and the Ballyhoo, although they were “dinks” were plentiful enough. We caught a little over a dozen on hooks. When they started bunching up behind the boat, I broke out the 10’ Calusa net and topped off the well. We had enough bait for the afternoon since it was already after 2 o‘clock.

We made the short run to the edge and pulled into the area with, surprising to us, another 8-10 boats. A nice turnout for a Friday. As soon as we settled in we set out 4 baits on top, 2 of my spinners on the port side and the starboard side had 2 of Tom’s rods. We do that because Tom uses spinning reels with the handle on the wrong side of the reel. We laugh about that all the time because we both feel retarded when we try to use the others gear. I’m not sure why that is, because a conventional reel has the handle on the right side and I feel totally fine with them. After all these years, I have yet to feel comfortable with a spinning reel with the handle on the right. Weird, huh?

I pulled out the downrigger and set a bait down to the magic depth for our targeted Kingfish. We didn’t have to wait long as I hugged right up against the edge. The down rod went off and I got after it. Minutes later we had a small, barely legal, 25” King in the boat. The skunk is off the boat. I moved in even closer but we started to have a problem with an Ocean Tally shadowing our baits and taking just enough nips to kill them. As I turned to make my way back over the drop-off, the left flat line (Tom’s side) went off and a nice Cero Mackerel came aboard to keep the little King company in the fish box.

We bumped around for a time moving out deeper in hopes for a Dolphin or Blackfin bite. The sky was dotted with Frigate birds, almost everywhere we looked, from the edge and deeper. Several times we thought we were going to get into something as the birds would drop down on the deck, but nothing materialized. As I moved back in towards the edge, the down rod once again, gets the nod. The TLD 30 drag is telling us that this is a good one! You just have to love the sound of that clicker screaming! Tom takes his turn on the rod and putting good pressure on the fish, he turns his head back toward the boat. Tom yells, “He’s coming to the boat, FAST!” I put the other motor in gear and powered up to help get pressure back on the line for Tom. OK, we are back in control of the fish again. The fish is tiring and we get it up on the Port side to see that it is a nice King Mack. Mr. Mack decides he doesn’t like the port side of my boat and immediately heads for the stern. Tom does a great job of keeping the fish out of the motors and away from the props. The fish resurfaces on the starboard side now. I grabbed the leader and readied the gaff for a head shot but the fish says, “I don’t think so.” and makes us do some fancy dancing. Tom keeps the fish under control and brings it back to gaff range and I swiftly strike it with the gaff. It wasn’t a head shot but at this point, I wanted the fish in the boat. I was done playing with him and given more time, with those razor sharp teeth, would’ve only ended in a lost fish. Dragging the fish over the gunwale and onto the deck with a thud, we realize we have a nice “smoker” for the smoker.

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Some more time passes, and we managed to catch another Kingfish on the down rod. After eyeballing it, we figured it was another marginal fish about the size of the small King earlier, I released it to grow up. A few minutes later we had another taker on the downrigger. The TLD is steadily screaming as the fish takes a long initial run, trying his best to dump the spool. The fish takes a few seconds break and is off on another run. Tom and I agree that we have the BIG brother to that nice Kingfish chilling in the fish box, or quite possibly Mr. Wahoo. Tom keeps the rod bent on the fish as I leave one motor in gear to keep maximum pressure on the fish, and it stops him once again. The mystery fish takes a couple more bursts and it is obvious that we are gaining as the fish tires. Tom gets the fish turned toward the boat and seconds later I hear those sickening words, “Oh no… he’s gone.” muttering from Tom’s lips. “No way!”, I answer back. Yes way, folks, the fish was gone. Tom reeled in the line to discover it was cleanly bitten through the leader, most likely when he turned towards the boat. Wow, that had to be a big fish, because I had about 6” of wire on the stinger hook and 8-9” of wire between the leader and the main hook. That would have been a Kodak fish for sure, but instead it was the one that got away!

The remaining hour of the day was uneventful with only a few bites and lost baits. As the sun set on the horizon we called it a day and pointed the bow toward the barn. Tom and I recapped the day with the mystery fish being the hot topic. The possible weight of the nice Kingfish was in the discussion too, of course. When we leashed The BEAST to the dock I broke out the digital scale and weighed our big fish. It settled in at exactly 30 pounds. Not too shabby! Both, Tom and I, will be firing up our smokers this weekend. I can already taste my smoked fish dip as I type. My belly is growling!

Capt. JimThe BEAST305-233-9996beastcharters@aol.comwww.beastcharters.com

Swordfish on the Darkside

Matt, Jim, and Frank, flew into Miami from Philly Pa., with one purpose in mind. They wanted to catch Swordfish. Matt & Jim had fished 2 nights with me almost 2 years ago and to recap, the first night we caught 1 and the second night we went 2 for 6 in the first hour and half and went home. Each had caught their first Swords. The weather was horrible and the weekend forecast was atrocious. They arrived Friday morning, called me immediately, and we discussed the upcoming trip for Saturday night. I was on the computer watching the forecasts, NOAA updates, radar images, and buoy data, throughout the night. We awoke Saturday morning to torrential downpours and the radar images showed no promise. Thunderboomers and lightning strikes, along with strong wind and seas, were the factors which couldn’t be denied. Around 11 AM I pulled the plug on the trip for the safety of my crew. As it turned out it was a very good choice! Foreseeing this possibility, Matt and I had already blocked out Sunday for them. Sunday morning the phone rang and Matt and I discussed our possibilities. The only thing that wasn’t going right were the wind and seas. Forecasted winds were East at 15 knots with seas at 2-3 feet building to 4-5 feet. Having fished on my WorldCat before, Matt and his crew knew it’s capabilities and were good to go!

We met at the dock at 5 PM and unleashed The BEAST. I punched my route into the GPS and brought the Suzuki 300’s up to cruise speed. As we crossed the Bay and into the patch reefs, Devon was rigging new leaders and baits for the night. We hit the blue water, well ahead of schedule and I slowed our speed down, turning to Devon. He was a step ahead of me. He had already put out a rod for some high speed trolling. Nothing doing in the Wahoo department, this evening. We reached my drift point, and immediately began checking my drift speed and direction. A leisurely drift of 1 ½ mph. NICE! That will keep us in the strike zones longer. As the sun set, we deployed 2 float rods and 2 tip rods. As I passed a flag (waypoint) on the GPS, of a previous trips catch, nothing happened. A quarter mile later the deep tip rod starts thumping. Matt puts on the Brute Buster harness to “do work”. Get’em Mattie! The fish is obviously not a tackle tester. The fish is coming in easily as if he read a “Be caught with Less Stress” book. We only had to pull the other tip line and no boat maneuvering was needed. Devon made short work of the leader job. We quickly took pictures and dispatched this 42” fish. “The skunk is off the boat, Boys!”

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We lowered the 2 tip rods once again, continuing on in the drift. As my crew finally settle down from the recent catch, the deep tip gets the nod, again. Thunk, thunk… thunk! I ran to the rod and cranked the handle, coming tight on the fish. Frank immediately takes over and keeps the line tight as they strap the harness on him. As he lifts the rod out of Rodney Rodholder, I noticed the tip abruptly straighten. Frank says “It’s gone. Crap, it‘s gone!” We reeled the line in to check the bait. A little worse for the wear but still in good shape, I lowered it again. About half way down, the line goes slack as something picks up the bait. Hmmm, nothing there! Drop a bit more, nothing there. After another 15 minutes I decided to pull them up and get back on the good drift line as we had been pushed inside onto the flat. What the heck? I was drifting a Berkley Gulp Squid on the deep float line and it was gone, not the hook, only the bait. Now anyone who has ever fished a Gulp product knows that you almost have to cut them off to remove them from the hook. I never had that happen before. I still can’t get over that one.

We ran back to point A and moved offshore a bit more. Once again we put out the same setup. Time is passing slowly but the stories and sarcasm are flying. We pass the first bite area and nothing happens. Suddenly we see the deep float rod fall over but the line is limp. Devon rapidly cranks the handle but nothing is there. When I say nothing, I mean nothing! As the float comes in we unhook it and realize shortly thereafter that something had cut off our whole terminal rig. No weight, no light, no leader, nothing. We re-rig and get the rod back out again. As we near the point of our last bite on the previous drift, the deep tip, once again gets the nod. Hooked up solid! Frank gets the harness on and begins working the fish. Not feeling to well as the Pringles are rolling in his belly, he stays the course and works this fish. Better than the last, but not as big as we’d like, he brings the fish to boat side. The drill on The BEAST is to get the fish in, get the hook out, a few quick photos, then get him back in the water. We executed this drill and the 48” fish swam away quickly. 2 down, 1 to go.

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We continued our drift a while longer until the other tip rod has the clicker make a few clicks and this time the line is cut off once again but about 125 feet from the terminal gear. Devon is confused by this but I told him of a time I had a small shark cruise through the light and watched as he swam into my line and inadvertently caught it in his teeth cutting off 400’ of braid and all terminal gear. Same thing this night, but hey, they are having a dance down on the bottom, disco lights and all. Once again we had been pushed to far onto the flat to suit me so we pulled all the lines and made our way back to the drift start. One more time, Gentlemen. Devon rigs a new setup on the tip line and has to replace 2 baits that were whacked and hacked with no indication to us above. We set them out and the waiting was long this time. The night was drawing to a close and the shallower of the 2 tip rods makes a few clicks but nothing is there. We thought it was just the 5’ waves taking a bit of line. Everyone is getting tired and the boat grows increasingly quiet as a few of the crew start dozing off. I look at Jim and tell him it looks like his night will be uneventful but he reminds me that he caught 2 on the last trip, so it was not a big deal. I informed everyone that the fat lady was going to sing in 10 minutes. We reached the uneventful end of the last drift and I called for all lines in. First up, the tip rods. Well there ya go. That tip rod clicked because a fish had slashed the mustard out of that bait. The deep float rod came up slashed as well. As Frank is reeling in the shallow float line (longest from the boat) he tells Matt “It feels heavy.” Matt makes a few cranks and says, “I think something is on here!” Jim grabs the rod and it is game on for #3! Just as the fat lady was finishing her chorus, we come tight on the last line out, and we are on a better fish. This one required a bit more finesse and a little boat work but after about 15 minutes, Jim has it boat side. Legal fish and they want to keep it. I grab the leader and get the fish almost to the gaff and it gets a short second wind. A couple minutes later and I grab the leader and Devon stones him with the 5” straight gaff. We hoist the fish into the boat. Frank remarked how laid back and relaxed we were, never getting nervous or excited in the process.

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Yes sir! A decent keeper fish, 52” LJFT, for the table. The BEAST pulled the rabbit out of the hat, for Jim! As the cheers and picture taking resides, I pointed the bow toward the barn and throttled up. Matt, Jim, and Frank, although tired, expressed their satisfaction to Devon and I. They gave us the best compliment we have ever had, when they remarked, “You are a great team that really loves what you do, and it shows.” Thanks guys, and see you next year!

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
http://www.beastcharters.com/

El Nastyville!

We fished for the Cubera’s again this past Sunday night, finally getting Paul Storti and his friends, Luis, Brendon and Mike out after several weather cancellations. Everything went well on the lobster patches and Devon quickly collected our 12 bugs needed for the night. We made our way to the Yellowtail area and found that there was no current and the chum was slowly dropping straight down off the transom. We did manage to wrangle a few legal Yellowtail though. As darkness fell over us, we pulled the hook and made our way out to El Nastyville!
As we approached the area I began searching for the big Snappas! Oh yeah! They’re still here! I located a nice school of them and one of Devon’s good friends came out to meet us. We were the only 2 boats out there. He shadowed us the entire night and we fished within shouting distance of each other all evening. It’s cool. There is no secret as to the general area that we fish. Besides, he tossed me a pack of smokes, since I had left mine at the dock. Thanks again, Smitty!
No current, only a wind drift, so I set up a drift track and we dropped a pair of bugs. Our first drift was off by a considerable distance. No bites and only a few fish being marked on the bottom machine, so we curtailed this drift and I headed back to the start point and readjusted. We dropped the bugs again and we were on the money this time. “I’m marking fish, get ready!” I told Paul and Luis, the first anglers on the rods. Whoop, There it is! Luis’ rod doubles over and we are on. I never get tired of the bewildered look these anglers have as they feel the raw power of El Nasty. Luis worked hard and brought the fish up, Devon did his signature gill grab and put the fish on the deck. The 45 pounds of Cubera Snapper landed with a resounding thud and the 4 guys were excited and exchanging high fives.

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With the cockpit buzzing in amazement, we pulled the other line and motored up for another drop. Paul and Mike are on the rods as we dropped another pair of lobster. We noticed Paul’s rod twitch and BAM. Game on! Within seconds Mikes rod doubles over as well. DOUBLE! Not for long though, as Mike’s fish comes unpinned. Paul gets his fish to the gunnel and we pull it aboard for a photo op. A beautiful 20 pound specimen that we quickly released and with a few kicks of his tail, he was gone.

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2 for 3 bites and we are on a roll. Well, not really. The next several drifts and Brendon and Mike are on the rods. They are snake bit. Mike must have had some bad JuJu on him this night. He went through 5 or 6 baits, getting bites and losing fish. Meanwhile, we are working a speed jig and Paul hooks up a 15# Horse Eye Jack. Got to love it! It’s fishing right?
Once again, Mikey has a miss. Mike was getting really frustrated now. We dropped the partially crushed lobster down again and Bada bing, Mikey gets hooked up. This fish is on solid. His enthusiasm and determination kicks in and makes him oblivious to the fact that he has pulled the rod from the rod holder and stuck the butt under the handrail. He thinks this fish is a monster because he can’t lift the rod tip. I saw what was happening and tried to help him. He wouldn’t relinquish the pressure to ease the rod out but rather pryed the rod butt out, along with 2 grooves of the gel coat. I thought he was going to bend the dang aluminum butt. Oh well, the fish is still there and Mikey finally wipes the bad JuJu off of himself as a small fish comes aboard. A 16# fish, the smallest we’ve caught this season, but for Mike, it was a trophy Cubera. Sort of!

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Brendon’ luck wasn’t much better than Mike’s. He was having trouble too. For some reason his baits had been ignored all this time. Not a bite, not even a tap. Finally, he makes the grade and gets hooked up on a fish and completes the task. Thud… a 30 pounder hits the deck.

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We missed a few more fish as we ran out of Lobster bait. Smitty called us to let us know he was bagging it for the night and relayed that the stats for him were Cubera 3 - Smitty 0. WOW! We fished a couple more drifts with some finfish baits but the Nasty’s didn’t want to play the game, with these inferior baits. Selective feeding for sure. We packed it in with our 2 fish/boat limit and headed for the barn. 12 lobster baits scored 13 bites, so our tally was 4 for 13. Once again, we lost 2 massive fish that we just couldn’t stop. I don’t believe we are fishing anything that was decidedly different than Smitty was doing that night, but our results were definitely better. Hmmmm?!?…Unless it was that extra gallon of MoJo we put in the bottom paint on The BEAST.
Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

Miami Monster Cubera

The weather was rougher than NOAA had forecasted this weekend, but Devon and I managed to get 2 trips out anyway. As we were preparing the boat on Saturday afternoon, one of our Dock neighbors asked if we were going out. “Yes, for Cubera, why?” I asked. He said “It is not good out there!” I wasn’t worried, after all, fishing in lumpy seas is the main reason why I bought my 33’ WorldCat.
Our trip Saturday was a repeat customer from the Saturday before. Yes siree, George is hooked, but this time he brought Mike and Carlos instead of Santi. They arrived a bit late and we unleashed The BEAST. The winds were brisk and the seas a bit bigger than we had hoped for. At our lobster spots, we found cloudy water and visibility was less that 10 feet. That makes for tough buggin‘! Devon is an excellent free diver and collecting crawfish is usually easy for him, but not on this day. 90 minutes and 3 locations later, we only had 4 lobster. They just weren’t there! Great, wonderful… crap! We did manage to catch a half dozen Bar Jacks while Devon was in the water.
We bagged that part of our bait collection and headed for the Yellowtail spot. We had the winds pushing against the current. The Tails were not willing to play into our game plan either but the Speedos came up thick. Mike and Carlos worked on Speedos and Devon and George kept trying for the Y-tails. I dropped a rig to the bottom and, BAM, up comes a 27 inch Black Grouper that ate a dead Silverside. I tossed it in the fish box. The sun setting now, we decided to go with what we had, 4 bugs, 3 legal Y-tails, 6 Bar Jacks, and a butt load of Speedos.
We made the run to the Cubera and began hunting them down. We located them deeper than the week before. I motored into position for the first drift and we dropped our baits. Carlos and George were up first. In less than 2 minutes, KABOOM, Carlos’ rod doubles over! He is in the fight of his life. At first he was pumped up, but his fish was giving him BIG trouble. Carlos got a second wind and yelled “You’re coming up!” I think I heard a muffled Cubera voice from down below say “Yeah right, like hell I am!” This tug of war went on for longer than most other Cubera battles and at least twice, Carlos was about ready to give up. We knew for sure that this had to be a good fish and Carlos was finally gaining on it. At last, we got the lead to the boat and Devon grabbed the leader. The fish went under the boat and around the lower unit. Devon scrambled back to the dive platform and grabbed it. Devon let’s out a yell, “Oh my God!” He’s straining as he gets the fish out of the water and up and over the transom. THUD! All types of words and phrases were being uttered. I remember distinctly, George blurting out “Holy Jesus… Mother of Pearls! Whatever that means? This wasn’t a good fish, my friends, this was a Miami MONSTER. Comments were buzzing around the cockpit, as well as guesses on the weight. We realized that the Boga Grip only goes to 60 pounds. Wait! I have a digital scale that I use to weigh fish during tournaments and it has good accuracy. We hooked it up and Devon and George teamed up to lift it off the deck. The scale settles at 74.5 pound. Holy Jesus… Mother of Pearls! Devon and I have been trying to break our 50# boat record but we never expected to best that mark by almost 25 pounds. See, it just goes to show you it’s not a fairy tale, there are sea monsters. Pretty work, Carlos!

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The rest of the trip is an adrenaline blur. The Cubera’s were snappin’. They were hitting everything we put down, on every drift. We went on to catch 7 more, fish between 25 and 35 pounds, releasing all but the monster and one other floater. George has the hang of it, catching 4 himself. At 10:30 PM, the bite shut down as if someone had flipped a switch. We packed it in after 2 more fruitless drifts. I pointed The BEAST to the west and headed home. At the dock we were buzzing again and George said he was going to call me early this week, to possibly book again this week. He’s hooked… a Cuberoin addict!

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As I am writing this I just got a call from George. He said that they took the fish by Crook & Crook on US1 and weighed it on their IGFA scales. It weighed a touch under 76 ¼ pounds on their scales.

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Sunday night, Dave came, solo, to fish with us. He’s an English transplant who loves to fish speed jigs. He brought 3 of his nice jigging rods and a bag full of speed jigs of all types. His goal was to catch a Cubera on a speed jig… at night.
We turned The BEAST loose and we headed out for bait. What a difference a day can make. The seas were better than Saturday and the visibility on the reef was excellent. We were very relieved as the bugs had returned to our favorite spot and we grabbed our 12 Lobster in short order. As we headed south to fish for Yellowtail, we were comfortably calm in knowing that we had enough ’primo’ baits, regardless of the baitfish bite. The Y-tails were non-compliant once again, but the Speedos came. I quickly caught a dozen of them and Dave and Devon teamed up to boat 3 Cero Mackerel and a large Bonito. We pulled the hook early, not waiting for dark, since Dave could fill the time, jigging.
We arrived on the Cubera spot and I checked things out. The fish were in the same vicinity as the night before. Dave worked his jig and quickly caught a Horse Eye Jack. The game plan this night was to drop one live bait and let Dave work his jigs. 35 seconds into the first drift and the bug gets crushed. Fish on Dave! He jumps on the rod and brings up a head. Sharked! A huge bite mark and the fish is gone behind the gills.

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The current is mild and the fish are scattered out so the drifts are longer. Bam! Dave’s jig gets hit and he wrestles up another Horse Eye Jack. Next drift and the bug gets taken again and Dave is into a nice fish. Yahoo! A 40 pounder slaps the deck. We put this fish into the box because we couldn’t get a good release on it. We decided at this point that we would release all but possibly one more small one.

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The night went on with non stop action. Dave jigged up a 10# Kingfish and missed or lost several other bumps. I was amazed that these jigs even work well at night. Suddenly, about 9:45 PM he gets hooked up on the jig. “Aw, another Horse Eye” he says! As he gets the fish to where I can barely make it out in the water, the live bait rod doubles over. Now he’s perplexed, being the only angler and 2 fish on. Knowing what eats Lobster out there, he hands me his jigging rod to finish off the Jack and takes the fish on the bait rod. Well looky there! As the fish on the jig makes a circle and comes into the spreader light, and there it is, not a Horse Eye Jack, but instead a 25 # Cubera on a speed jig. Dave works the other Cubera up and it’s a respectable 30# fish. After a few quick photos, we revived and released them. The bigger one takes off quickly but the smaller fish is a floater, so we fish it out of the water and toss it in the fish box. Now, at our boat limit, we decided that anymore caught would be quickly photo’d and dispatched back in the water. Good plan and it worked.

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We ran out of Lobster and the fishes appetites had slowed down only a bit but we called it a night. On the ride back to the barn, Devon and I recapped our weekend and Dave plugged in his ear buds on his I-phone, relaxing to his music on a beautiful moonlit night. He deserved it, after single handedly working over 7 Cubera’s from 25 to 40 pounds, a Cubera head, 2 Horse Eyes, and a Kingfish and working a speed jig for hours. Good job Dave!

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
www.beastcharters.com

Fast and Furious Cubera!

Tropical Storm Hanna… Hurricane Ike… Good grief, give us a break here in South Florida! We have an uncontrollable NEED to go fishing. The weather has definitely put a damper on our ocean outings. We have had very few comfortable fishing days in the last several weeks. With several weather pending Cubera trips on the books, and the window of opportunity for Cubera Snapper closing, I have been glued to the computer and TV looking for favorable updates.

We had trips scheduled but Ike was breathing down our neck. With hurricane preps to take care of, I called the people booked for Saturday and Sunday and we all agreed to bag the trips. However, on Saturday morning I was awakened by a phone call from George, telling me to check the weather and call him back. The weather window for that night showed E winds at 5-10 knots and seas 2’ or less, so I called Devon to make sure he could mate that night. He said “Let’s do it!” so I called George back and we set up to meet at 3PM.

George, Santi, Devon, and I arrived at the dock within minutes of each other, exchanged introductions, and prepared for the evenings outing. We unleashed The BEAST and were off. Hopes were high, and George was very excited and vocal about this night. I throttled up and we were off. As we left the Bay and broke out onto the reefs we were pleased to see flat seas and light winds. We pulled up and let Devon get in the water to dive up some Cubera candy. Apparently the rough seas and weather systems had pushed the Lobster somewhere else because he was in the water for an hour and a half and only caught 5. Oh Boy! Not Good! We pow-wow’d for a few minutes and decided to go get some Yellowtail. We ran to our normal spot and anchored. The current was ripping and we only got a few sub legal ’Tails and tossed them back. I made a move to another spot where we managed to get about 6-8 decent fish. George couldn’t contain his excitement any longer and wanted to go with what we had. I was skeptical of the bait situation.

Darkness upon us, we headed out for the big “Snappa’s”. I located several small, scattered groups of them but nothing like they were. Now I’m thinking, “Really not good!”. We set up a drift to intercept a group of these fish and Devon dropped 2 bugs. George brought along his Penn 80 standup outfit and harness. His bait hit the bottom and Santi’s bait was a second or two behind him. George’s eyes lit up as a Cubera engulfed his bug 3 seconds later and it was Game On, Boys! About 5 seconds later, Santi;s rod bends over. Got a double going!!! Not for long as Santi pulls the hook on his fish. George is in amazement. He’s buckled in, the rod is bent over and he just can’t believe the power of these fish. He worked the fish to the boat and Devon flopped a nice 29# Cube onto the deck.

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We set up for our next drift and once again George got a bug on his line but Santi opted to conserve and use a bait fish. In less than a minute, George is hooked up again but it was short lived. This fish was a monster, taking 30#’s of drag. Unstoppable! In less than a minute this fish was gone. All the terminal tackle was intact except for 5’ of leader and the hooks. The remaining leader told the story. This big fish had rocked him. Some of these fish are big and some are dumb but never will they be both. In their world, it’s hard to get big, if you are dumb!

Needless to say we made another drift through these fish and once again, George had bug bait and Santi got the fish bait. I’m not sure why that kept happening? Once again, a decent fish shows its taste for Lobster. This time George works the fish with the Penn 80 drag hammered down to full. Full drag with a standup harness and he stopped that fish cold this time. He worked the fish to the surface and a respectable 36# fish goes on ice.

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As we make the run back to my drift start point, I swung wide to keep from continuously running over the top of these fish. As I am swinging through the deeper water the bottom machine lights up like a Christmas tree. Holy ----! Everyone stared at the depth finder with gaping eyes! “Let’s work this school.“ I told them. We made 3 drifts and no takers. Hmmm. It was pretty obvious that feeding was not on their minds.

I went back to our feeding fish and interjected that Santi should get the last bug for bait. 2 drifts and Santi’s bug is untouched. I told Santi that we’ve never had a bug make it through 3 drifts. Bada bing! The 3rd drift was a charm. Santi was hooked up, but once again, not for long. George was baited up with the largest bait fish in the well and soon was hooked up to another monster fish. OMG! His drag was hammered down to full and this fish managed to rock him too. These fish had to be larger than our biggest 50# fish this year. You just can’t translate into words, the power of these fish!

The bites were less often now, but they continued to feed. The fish were taking the baits with less vigor and many baits were surfacing, crushed or mangled. Then suddenly the bite turned off. Perfect timing as we only had 1 live bait left and it was time to pack it in. The swells were beginning to roll in. It appeared we timed this trip perfectly, taking advantage of this brief lull. The action was fast and furious for the first 90 minutes, then tapered off rapidly. The tally for the night was 2 Cubera of 29 and 36 pounds, out of 9 bites. George and Santi were spent, but enthusiastically said that they want to go again this weekend if the weather is good, and I have an opening. Not a problem!

Fishing for BIG fish must be akin to smoking crack… try it once and your hooked!

Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
http://www.beastcharters.com/

Junior IGFA record Cubera Snapper

The Cubera Snapper are still here but not quite as concentrated and it was evident to us on a recent trip.

We took a group from Stuart out on a quest for an IGFA Junior record since the wind and seas had laid down. George Sr, George Jr, his daughter Casey, and her friend Dusty joined us for the trip. Casey already holds several IGFA Junior records and has her sights set next year on setting records in the women’s division.

We sidled out of the Marina heading for our lobster grounds and Devon quickly rounded up 10 bugs. We already had other finfish in the second live well so we headed off to do some Yellowtail fishing. The ‘Tails were a bit on the slow side and Dusty, Casey and Gorge Jr picked at them. In the beginning we were catching the 13-14” fish but as time progressed we also got a couple of nice Mango’s, a Strawberry Grouper, a Porgy, a small Kingfish, and a nice Cero Mac. As the sun began to set we started getting some of the nicer Y’tails and 2 that were truly “flags", weighing in at 4 pounds.

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As the sun set we stowed all the light tackle, pulled the chum bag, and hit the switch on the windlass. "OK, let's get after those Snappa's!" As the anchor came aboard, Casey began to get nervous and asked me a lot of questions about what she was in for when we located the Cuberas.

I put The BEAST up on plane and we headed for our Cubera spots. As I arrived I slowed down and began looking for the fish. They were still there but it appeared that the storm had an influence on them. They weren’t in big piles like the week before, but rather, were scattered in small groups everywhere. The current was barely moving at ½ knot and this was not going to be as easy as it was last week. Devon and I brainstormed for a minute or two and came up with a plan.

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We set up for our first drift and dropped a lobster down on Casey’s line and a finfish down on the other. Casey’s nerves were on edge and she was jittery, to say the least. Rightfully so, since she only stood 5’3” and weighed about 90 pounds soaking wet. 30 seconds into the drift and her eyes grew wide as she realized that a BIG Cubera had just dined on her Lobster. She came tight on the fish and the wrestling began. The tussle lasted for almost 5 minutes. At that point, this old bruiser made another lunge for the bottom and succeeded in finding something to cut her leader. Folks, that was a big fish, that in our estimation, would have topped the 50# mark of our biggest fish this year. Oh well, get the next one Casey! Now, her nerves are in check, she’s readjusted her gear, and settled in for the Round 2. A couple of drifts through these fish and we had another taker. This time she worked the fish flawlessly, taking her first Cubera and possible record. We immediately iced the fish, bagged the terminal tackle, and 50’ of the standing line. In the mean time, Casey took rod measurements and filled out the paperwork. She’s going to let us know if it made the books! Way to “do work“, Miss Casey!

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Our next shot took us a little while with some slight adjustments, as we located and fished different pods of fish. They were not on an active feed now and we really had to work them. We missed several suspected bites and Devon decided to try something different. It worked! One of the suspended fish ate the bait and we were on. Dusty grabbed the rod and worked the fish. In minutes the fish gave up and was at the boat. We pulled it aboard, took a few pictures and released the fish.

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Once again we had to locate and work various pods of fish to find some that were willing to eat. It was getting harder with each drift. Bingo, the small Accurate Boss reel setup that Dusty brought, lit up. He was into another fish. That small reel did its job easily against this fish. It took him a bit longer this time but the tackle matched the fish well, and the fish came aboard. Again, we took pictures and released the fish.

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As we hit the midnight hour we did a couple more drifts then called it a night. Casey was extremely happy and Dusty had tested out his new Accurate reel. We packed it in as the winds laid still and we headed for the home forty! All were satisfied as we loaded their cooler with a couple of Lobster, 2 Mangrove Snapper, 12 Yellowtails, a Cero Mackerel, and oh yes, the potential IGFA Junior record, Cubera Snapper.

Hopefully these fish will remain in the area for another 3-4 weeks. They are truly an impressive catch!

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Capt. Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
http://www.beastcharters.com/

Cubera Snapper... El Nasty!

Typical summer weather patterns are on us here in Miami. The morning winds are non existent, the seas are flat, and the temperature climbs quickly with each hour of sunshine. Afternoons begin building colossal thunder boomers and torrential rains. These traits generally have most anglers frustrated as they are usually not conducive to good fishing. So you have 3 choices, brave the heat and rain cells trying to find the elusive August Dolphin, or stay at home. That’s only 2, you say, well the 3rd is to venture out on the Darkside. The night time brings much cooler temperatures. The rains have cooled the air and clouds have blotted out the sun in the latter part of the day.

During the last hours of daylight the Yellowtail fishing blossoms on the deeper patches with excellent catches being pretty easy. Other species will infiltrate your chum line, keeping it interesting. You can combine this with a venture farther offshore for some Swordfish, as more consistent catches are being reported. This is also the time of year for those big “Nasties”, the largest of all snappers, the Cubera. These very large fish are in the middle of their spawning ritual and can be found frequenting ledges, wrecks, and other bottom structure just off the reef line.

We recently did such a trip. Devon and myself were joined by his Uncle Al, our friend Tom, and my daughter Amy, for a friendly afternoon/evening trip. We met at the dock about 3 PM and shoved off shortly thereafter. Since the summer days last until 8PM we had plenty of time to get various baits needed for the evening. We coursed the Bay and headed for some patches to collect some Lobster. These are the preferred bait for the Cubera Snapper. Devon, Al, and Amy donned their snorkel gear and slid overboard as Tom and I drifted some of the shallow 15’ patches. Al and Devon collected up 14 bugs in short order and we were off to our next portion of the afternoons agenda. The next destination was one of our favorite ’tailing areas.

We dropped the hook on our Yellowtail spot and started a chum line. It was a bit slow at first but as the sun was nearing the horizon the Yellowtails became more active. The evening was progressing as planned. The “fatties” were there and chewing the baits until the sun began setting. We also caught a couple of nice Mangrove (Gray) snapper and added them to the live well although they were not intended to be bait. As darkness fell over us, the smaller ‘Tails infiltrated the chum, so we began preparing the big tackle for the evening. The night is now fully upon us and we pulled anchor and headed out in search of our main targets, the Cubera Snapper.

As we crossed over the reef edge we began our search for El Nasty. I found the fish well away from the wreck that most of the boats usually target. This school was massive. Fish were marking from 100’ deep all the way to the bottom. I pulled the boat into neutral so I could get a drift track and the speed of our drift. The light wind along with a good current, had us drifting at 3 knots, so I motored The BEAST up current a good distance and we dropped some lines. We completely missed the school on the first drift. It took 2 more drifts before I pinpointed my starting point and then it was GAME ON! The first angler to hook up was Tom. He made short work of this fish and it was soon to the leader. Devon flopped a nice 36# fish on the deck and we slid this fish into the fish box.

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A few drifts passed with good bites but no hook ups, and then we were on again. This time it was Devon’s rod and he was in a fight. A minute later and Al was hooked up and we had a double header going. Almost as fast as we had a double, Devon’s line went slack as he lost everything, including all the terminal gear. Al remained solidly hooked and we boated a healthy 40 pounder. We decided we were not grocery shopping so we vented this fish and released it to continue on with the life cycle.

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I got hooked up on the next drift and shortly into my fight I lost my fish. Amy got hooked up a short distance later and her fish was pushing her to the limit. A minute or so into the fight she remarked that she had a shark. No one believed her as the line peeled off. Suddenly there was a release and nothing but dead weight to crank up. Sure enough, she knew what she was talking about. Devon lifted a Cubera head over the side and we immediately noticed the broken hook on the stinger. She not only got sharked, she had the shark hooked up and broke the hook off in it. She is tough as nails, my little Mini Beast!

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Devon got hooked up once again and this time his tackle held fast. He worked this fish mano y mano and several times had his knuckles pulled down to the gunnels. This fish fought its heart out and Devon finally won the battle. He hoisted a big 50 pounder into the boat. We wanted to release her but after venting, she just refused to sound. We tried venting again and once again she refused to sound. We let her float for a few minutes hoping she would get her bearings and go, but it was not to be. We tried our best but sadly, it was not to be. Reluctantly, we had to back down and recapture her, loading her into the fish box.

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We made one more drift and I hooked up. I used low gear on the Tiagra to bring the fish up slower. This process worked out well as I had the fish to boat side in a matter of minutes and a 35 pound fish was aboard. We quickly vented the fish and released it, while watching it dive to the depths.

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Since we had our 2 fish boat limit and everyone on board got to catch a Cubera, we called it a night. Only 2 ½ hours of fishing time and we had caught 5 fish out of 10 bites. All aboard were completely satisfied and smiles shined brightly in the spreader lights. We stowed our gear and I pointed The BEAST toward the barn.

It’s not too late! The Cubera should be around their traditional haunts for another couple of weeks. If they are on your agenda of fish to catch, give us a call and book a trip!

Capt Jim
The BEAST
305-233-9996
beastcharters@aol.com
http://www.beastcharters.com/