South Florida Offshore Could be Epic

Saltwater Nation: Florida

Let’s face it, fishing South Florida is always great, but the word we are getting from Saltwater Nation anglers all over South Florida is that the bite is unbelievable right now. We’ve been hearing consistent reports of dolphin catches from from Stuart down through the Keys. Anglers are letting us know about schoolies and fish in the plus 30# range. Look for frigates and turns, and of course, debris and weed lines. Dead ballyhoo have been proving effective.

Interestingly, we are also still hearing of an amazing number of sailfish still being taken from Miami down through the Keys, particularly along the outer reef. Look for blue water that has been pushed into areas of 200 feet or less in depth. The Humps have also been productive. Cigar minnows, threadfin herring, and sardines have been effective.

If you decide to fish the outer reef or the Humps, you’re also likely to find a few kings around and some nice amberjacks. Given the numbers of large sharks often taken on the Humps, you may want to be sure you’ve got good wire.

Even though the dolphin, sails, sharks, and kings are keeping anglers busy, the real story in South Florida this week seems to be the blackfin tuna. Look for them in the same areas as the sails. Fortunately, they are also hitting the cigar minnows, threadfin, and sardines, so you can target both species with a single tactic.

If you’ve got a hankering for the inshore bite, the time for tarpon in SF is now, too. From Government Cut to Key West, we’re hearing about great numbers of silver kings all along the coast. Saltwater Nation anglers out of Key West are reporting lots of great sight casting for tarpon along the flats.

It looks like the weather is going to be great this weekend, so it may end up being an epic weekend in South Florida.