South Florida sails

[dqship]

Folks from South Florida...

Was reading an article on the winter sailfish run in South FL and the Keys...thinking about giving it a go next winter with the vacation time.

Is it rough as hell on the cookie-cutter "good fishing day", or can an average Joe with some common sense in a 23 or 24 foot boat have a decent go of it?

[gtrfred]

yeah you can make it out in that size boat. even when it is rough down here in Miami, we are only fishing a mile or so from the beach. Its all about how far North or south you need to go to find good water.

dont get me wrong there are days when it is way too rough for just about anything, but most days it is certainly doable. again the big difference is even if you can only do 8-10 knots its only for 1 mile.

the best days are usually 3-5 ft or 4-6 with winds out of the N - NE 10-20 knots

[squirm88]

The bite seems to be best after a cold front has moved in. Its a short run from Miami to the "edge" (where blue water meets greenish water) so just about any boat can do it on a calmer day. The edge moves everyday but is usually found around 120' of water about 2 miles offshore.

The average Joe will most likely have the hardest time in using the fishing techniques that are most successful in South Florida not in making it to the fishing grounds. The most productive technique used is kite fishing live bait while drifting the edge.

If you really want to increase your chances in catching your first sail I would suggest doing a charter instead of using your boat the first time so you can learn what its all about. The best charter/tournament boats like the Miss Brit fly multiple kites with 3 lines off each kite plus multiple flat lines. Not an easy task for an average joe. The cost in the needed fishing gear that you most likely do not have would be worth it to do a charter if you don't plan on fishing for sails often.

[stingerhook]

ditto on the charter - I used to trailer down and fish .....I spent at least an extra 8 hours of drive time, plus the time to rig everything, catch bait, clean the fish/boat.

Plus the locals catch more fish and have better tackle - even if you are good in your area, its tough to compete with local knowledge

[dqship]

thanks for the input all. a lot of what you said has been echoed by other sources and in print.

yeah, the kite fishing seems a bit of a trick to pick up on. i'd definitely go for the charter the first time or two, but knowing that good fishing can be had both on kite and flatline within a mile or two of the beach makes me a lot more comfortable in the boat i'd be fishing from, especially knowing how that north wind can get kicking (at least up here in north central florida) the day after a front. but all that said, who doesn't wanna land a few sails in their own boat?! gotta at least give it a shot.

cheers and thanks again!