Double Threat Charters

Kite Fishing in Miami

2014-03-27

Springtime Fishing Report

Hands down the most effective way to present multiple live baits for offshore big game fish in South Florida is by using a fishing kite. Kite Fishing in Miami is a surefire method of attracting the attention of virtually every predatory species down here. Sailfish, Blackfin Tuna, Dolphin (mahi mahi), Kingfish, Wahoo, Cobia, Grouper, Snapper, and many more all go bananas for the distressed vibrations of bait fish presented right on the surface. By using two properly weighted and tuned kites, fisherman are capable of presenting 6 frisky live baits on the surface, with 8 not out of the question (if you're brave enough).

Deep Sea Fishing Aboard the Blue Yonder

Kite Fishing Tackle

When presented properly very little terminal tackle is visible in the water, meaning anglers can use whatever tackle they desire. Our approach (as is standard in the industry) is to use 6 high speed conventional reels backed with 500 yards of Bullbuster Braid, and then filled to the brim with 20lb Kitevis monofilament. These reels are affixed to 20-40lb class 6'6" rods, making for an incredibly strong yet light tackle setup that is capable of beating even the largest sailfish and marlin up to 350lbs that do eat baits at this time of the year.

Catching Sailfish in Miami

In the last few weeks there has been a serious amount of action in Miami's deeper waters. Bait has been extremely thick with big schools of pilchards, threadfin herring, cigar minnows, and blue runners at all the local bait spots. Spring is definitely here, meaning that any given day could be that once in a lifetime fishing experience. Sailfish have been pouring through the last week or so, with an average of 2-4 fish caught per trip. That's not to say there aren't more though--- just last week we released 13 sailfish during an afternoon half day trip. It was a busy day to say the least.

Catching Other Pelagic Species

Sailfish aren't the only species that spring brings to our area. March and April are prime times to catch big dolphin right on the edge of the gulf stream in the same areas we are likely to catch sailfish. 30 and 40lbers are not uncommon, with bigger fish not out of the question. Kingfish and Wahoo are starting to show up, and are all potential catches as long as they eat baits rigged with a length of wire (or the circle hook catches in the very corner of their mouths). Big Cobia, Tuna, Sharks, and many more species are all making sure our anglers are on their toes while they wait for the bite.

Wreck Fishing in Miami

When conditions aren't favorable to fish for pelagic species, spring time also brings a mess of other bottom dwellers to the reefs and wrecks along the coast. Big Amberjack, Almaco Jacks, African Pompano, Barracudas, Grouper (have to be released until the season opens May 1st), and more can all be targeted by dropping lively baits to different areas around wrecks, rocks, and structure lying on the bottom. Heavier tackle is used here to help pull the angry fish away from the safety of the structure. If anglers are feeling up to it we'll use stand up harnesses to get strapped in and pull against the powerful bottom fish.

Fishing in Biscayne Bay

Now that cold fronts should be fewer and farther in between, the Bay will begin to warm up. Bait is shoaling in multiple areas around the bay, attracting jack crevalle, mackerel, trout, snapper, snook, tarpon, sharks and more. For anglers looking for lighter tackle fun, inshore charters are a great opportunity for 1-2 anglers to get hooked up to a variety of different species. Snook will start making their way to the inlets as they fatten up in preparation for their spawning rituals later in the summer. Bull sharks, Spinner sharks, Lemon sharks, and Hammerheads are all prowling the bay waiting to find their next meals. Tarpon have begun to show up in the passes and bridges as they make their annual migration. For the diehard anglers and purists looking to tackle the most difficult angling accomplishments Miami has to offer, bonefish and permit are both showing up on the shallow ocean side flats looking for their next shrimp or crab meal.

Recent Fishing Catches

It has been a busy spring season so far and we have had the pleasure of fishing as many days as possible both inshore and offshore. With so many species to choose from this time of year, we really can sample every fishing technique and species that Miami has to offer. Full day fishing charters are definitely your best bet to compensate for constantly changing conditions and the different bites that occur through out the day, but for those individuals with time constraints we still have had plenty of fish catching opportunities.

Charter Catch Log

February 6 - Five Jack Crevalle to 14lbs, 12 Spotted Seatrout, & 9 Ladyfish during a Half Day Inshore Trip February 8 - 2 Kingfish, a Spanish Mackerel, 2 Mutton Snapper, 2 Mangrove Snapper, 6 Blue Runners & a Yellowtail Snapper During a Kids Trip February 15 - 35lb Amberjack, 18lb Almaco Jack, 15lb Barracuda, Limit of Tilefish & a small Gag Grouper February 19 - 1 Sailfish & 3 Dolphin During an Afternoon Half Day Offshore Trip February 19 - Over 30 Trout Releases in a Morning Half Day Inshore Trip February 22 - 40lb Spinner Shark and 30 Pinfish During a Kids Trip February 23 - 1 Sailfish & Countless Almaco Jacks, Blue Runners, Mangrove Snappers, and Houndfish During a Kids Trip February 28 - 1 Sailfish & 2 Bonita March 1 - 40 Trout to 23", Countless Jack Crevalle, Bluefish, & Ladyfish throught out the day March 2 - Two 75lb Blacktip Sharks March 6 - Multiple trout to 23.5", 5 Jack Crevalle & 3 Barracudas March 8 - 40lb Amberjack, 20lb African Pompano, a Mutton Snapper, Limit of Tilefish, and a 15lb Gag Grouper March 9 - 14 Peacock Bass in 2 Hours March 12 - 2 Sailfish & 6 Dolphin to 10lbs March 12 - Over 25 Trout to 23" & a Spanish Mackerel March 13 - 2 Sailfish & a 45lb Amberjack March 14 - A 300lb Pregnant Female Bullshark that we Released March 15 - Morning Half Day - 1 Sailfish, 10lb Kingfish, 2 Bonita, & 2 Sharpnose Sharks March 15 - Afternoon Half Day - 1 Sailfish, a 50lb Cobia, a Kingfish & 7 Bonita March 16 - 2 Sailfish March 17 - 3 Sailfish, 2 Big Dolphin, a Barracuda & 3 Bonita March 20 - 13 Sailfish out of 15 Bites During an Afternoon Half Day Charter March 23 - 3 Sailfish, 2 Amberjack to 50lbs, and a bonita March 25 - 5 Sailfish & 5 Blackfin Tuna March 26 - 20 Spotted Seatrout to 22"

Fishing Trip Availability

As you can see there have been quite a few fish moving through our area. Spring is our favorite time to fish all year, and many people are finding every way possible to get out on the water while the fishing is hot. Dates are booking up so feel free to Contact Us if you have any questions or if you're interested in getting into some action and catching some fish! Tight Lines, Captain Nick & Captain Brent.

Winter Sailfishing off Miami- Epic Bite

2013-02-26

The Winter Sailfishing Has Been Phenomenal

The past week we had a stellar bite off Miami. Sailfish, tarpon, snook, swordfish, and more were caught. The fishing picked up following the first genuinely significant cold front of the year. With a few more cold fronts heading our way, expect it to get even better.

Weather-

There are several cold fronts moving into our area. Temperatures will be dropping into the low 50s at night and the low 70s during the day starting on Thursday night (Feb. 28th) and lasting until at least mid next week. These cold fronts will be accompanied by light to moderate north winds. What does this imply for fishing in Miami for the next few weeks? Perfect weather and lots of fish. Winter sailfishing at its finest.

Offshore Fishing-

The fishing during the past week was phenomenal. The average boat caught 5-10 sailfish per day with dolphin and kingfish mixed in (we caught 6 sailfish, 2 kingfish, and 10 dolphin on Wednesday). We even heard a few reports of up to 20 sailfish being caught in one day. With the cold fronts moving through this week, the bite this weekend might be even better! We can expect a lot of sailfish to be caught on the edge. A conservative estimate would be double digit shots if you are in the right place with the right bait. Fortunately, the Double Threat crew already has about 1,000 live baits which we have been feeding. Book a charter and we'll put you on the sailfish. In addition we can expect some dolphin on the edge with a few bigger fish thrown in. We might have a shot at a kingfish or wahoo as well.

Inshore Fishing-

The tarpon and snook fishing has been excellent in Biscayne Bay. During our last trip, we caught 4 big snook and a 70 pound tarpon. The snook are in season so expect an awesome meal if you catch one in the slot. There have been many big seatrout during daytime charters in Biscayne Bay. Flamingo has been a little slower on the colder days but we have still managed to catch over 10 redfish per trip with seatrout, black drum, and snook mixed in.

Bait-

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Video of the Week-

Double Header on Sailfish- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7arM7RatUk

Sailfishing Charters in Miami

2012-10-21

Catching Sailfish in Miami

Went out for a late afternoon trip from Coconut Grove for one of the first Sailfishing Charters in Miami this year. We hit Bug Light for bait and after a little while we caught enough spanish sardines and cigar minnows for the evening trip offshore. For kitefishing we usually employ baits that are around 5-6". This way they are large enough to make a commotion and attract the attention of nearby predators. Our baits today weren't very big kite baits but they would definitely do... We also netted some ballyhoo and we were off. We had some time constraints so we went straight out front and put up 2 kites with 6 baits. Right off the bat we caught a nice mackerel and a skipjack tuna in 120'. After a decent lull in the action we had drifted north of Key Biscayne. At this point we noticed decent current rip had pushed out with the tide and conditions were improving. We had begun to see signs of bait and bird activity in the area. After a few minutes, a fish hit the right mid. A beautiful sail started greyhounding in circles through the spread and the fight was on. Just after we hooked this fish, the left short went off. This ended up being a small shark which we boated and released in quickly. After a fun fight we released the sailfish as well. This made completed the success of our sailfishing charter.

Using Live Bait for Sailfish

We reset both kites after the action and after a few minutes, the left long and right short got nailed at the same time. We were doubled up! The fish fought like tuna and we brought them to the boat pretty quickly after their initial runs. They were indeed decent sized Fall blackfin, which we happily bled and put in the icey slush inside fish box in short order. We followed up these 2 fish with some more blackfin tuna. We ended up with 4. We called it a day after these fish.

Final Tally- 1 solid sailfish, 4 blackfin, a skipjack tuna, a nice mackerel, and a small shark

Miami Sailfishing Charters

2012-06-18

Kite fishing is the name of the game on every one of our Miami sailfishing charters. By using kites, we are able to suspend 3 baits from one kite line, keeping frisky live baits struggling on the surface. 2 kites, 6 baits, and blue offshore waters make for serious sailfishing conditions, especially when you add wind and North current to the equation. Clear skies and an 18 knot ENE wind made it seem like midwinter in South Florida, not mid June. The weather was perfect for popping the kites up, so after spending some time loading the wells (pilchards were thick 1/4mile off bug) we headed out. Dirty water and sargasso were everywhere out front so we headed south. We finally found a rip in 190 with cleaner water a few miles south of fowey and popped the kites up.

We had a cutoff right off the bat, then a pair of small dolphin came through. One munched the right mid and stole the bait then came to the right short where he found the hook. The other fish found the left mid kite bait and was hooked immediately. Nick and margaux both brought the dolphin in without any issues. After the double the sargasso began to clog our lines so we reset back south. Just after setting all six baits a tuna clobbered the small pilchard on the left short. After another short fight Nick swung the football into the boat.

We reset the short and not long after a Sail came up on the right long. After Brent fed him and hooked up, Alex came down from the bridge and settled in for the fight. The acrobatic sail took only a few minutes to bring to the leader, and we got the release in short order.

With that release we called it a day and headed back towards the marina.

Final Tally--1 sailfish, 2 Dolphin, 1 blackfin tuna, and a small cuda

Sailfishing with the Billfish Foundation

2012-04-28

We left the dock at about 7:00 am and headed off into rough seas and rainy weather excited for the day ahead. Today we were accompanied by Andrew Cox from The Billfish Foundation and 3 of his friends. Needless to say we were excited for a day of sailfishing with the Billfish Foundation. We headed to Bug light where there were mats of pilchards on the sounder. We loaded up with enough bait to fish the whole day and live chum a little bit as well. We headed to the edge and popped the kites up in about 150'. We soaked baits for about 45 minutes without a hit. We were fishing just to the south of another boat who hooked up and slid right offshore. Just after, we scooted behind them and to the north then instantly hooked up in 160'. Andy was on the reel with his first sailfish. The sail put on a show greyhounding in circles but he was eventually subdued. We were now 1/1 on sails.

We moved south and reset in the rain. We had a fairly long drift without much action... Near the can, we hooked up to a second sail in about 140'. Travis was on the reel in an effort to catch his first sail. It was an acrobatic little guy who we made quick work of. We were now 2/2 on sails and after a few minutes we moved south and reset again. 2 of the 3 people who had never caught a billfish caught their first sails by this point. We trolled back south and picked up a small dolphin along the way. We popped the kites up again off Fowey and began another drift. Once again there was a lull in the action but like clockwork, a sail hit the left long. This fish cooperated fairly well and Krystyna got the fish to the boat. We put a tag in the fish and released it. We were now 3/3 on sails and every billfish virgin on board caught a sail.

We reset the spread and started live chumming for tuna. it was already 3 pm and the crew was exhausted so this was the last spread we would deploy. After dumping most of the pilchards, some fish started crushing the freebies and 4 rods went off. 3 of them fought like bonito but one stayed straight up and down and was digging like a nice blackfin. Unfortunately the hook pulled just out of leader reach. We landed and released the rest of the bonito except 1 which Andy kept for bait. By this point everyone was satisfied with the action and we headed in.

Final tally- 3/3 on sails, 3 bonito, and 1 dolphin. All 3 billfish virgins caught their first sails

Sailfishing in Miami

2012-04-24

It was a gorgeous morning to spend the day Sailfishing in Miami. We left the dock at 7:30 with Johnny, Blake, and Steve on board. Winds were blowing about 15 knots out of the north and it was a cool April morning. If north current was present on the edge the late cold front would hopefully get the sails chewing. We headed to bug to catch bait. The pilchards were about an eighth of a mile south of the mark and were moving very fast. We had to move around at 6 knots until we painted them on the sounder and drop sabikis on the bait ball. As soon as you got a few strings, the bait moved and we got to chase them again. After about an hour of bait fishing, we ran to about 130' just south of Fowey. The current was moving north at 2.5 knots and the water color was good, although there wasn't a defined edge.We put the kites up and it didn't take long...

While i was setting the 6th bait, we had a triple of sails destroy the spread. One of them greyhounded toward the boat and never found the hook. The other two were hooked well and the fight began. Blake's came in first and was quickly released. Attention turned to Johnny's fish who was a little more stubborn. After running him down, we boated the fish for a picture.

Johnny's first sail

By this point, we were out in 190' and we pulled the spread, moved south, and reset. We popped up the kites again and had a bit longer lull. A little bit south of the can, we had a single which we made quick work of. With greener water pushing out in front of Key Biscayne we moved back south again. We had caught 3 sails by this point.

After resetting off Fowey again, we began the waiting game. We missed a sail which destroyed the right short and almost jumped in the boat. We also had another sail investigate the spread and decide he was too good for pilchards. Later in the drift we hooked into another fish which we released after a few minutes.

After the 4th sail of the day, the wind died. We only had about 30 more minutes to fish so we started bumping livies out of the riggers instead of putting the kites up with helium which produced a window shopping sail who decided against adding to our tally. We called it a day after a few more minutes. The crew was more than satisfied... Johnny and Blake caught their first sails which was our goal...

Final Tally- 4/6 on sailfish, and remora

Early Season Sailfish

2011-09-11

Early Season Sailfish

Sailfish are always a trip maker. Regardless of the time of year, these fish are always a welcome surprise. Between their long runs and acrobatic displays, sailfish are definitely one of the premier gamefish off of Miami. Below is a story about an early season sailfish bite.

Sailfish on the Troll

Like most trips, we started with a bit of bait fishing. We went out and picked up some hard tails at bug shortly after first light. They aren't our favorite bait but they'll do. After making bait we traveled to the edge and put out a trolling spread.

The spread consisted of six swimming ballyhoo, two of which off planers. We started fishing in 190' on the dirty side of a color change, the shotgunned swimmer doubled over then went slack. Seconds later, the fish came back and this time I was on it for the drop back. I expected a bonehead but a nice sail started greyhounding. We handed the rod off to one of our guests, who'd never caught a billfish. We released her after a short fight. Good start to the morning.

Kite Fishing During September

We trolled for another hour through fields of scattered weed and eventually got fed up. It was blowing about 10 knots and we decided to try and put two kites up on what was now a well defined edge in 120' right off Fowey. I put wire traces on the kite baits and put two livies at staggered depths in the water column. Didn't feel like missing trash fish. Shortly after deploying the spread, a hot sail came on to the short kite bait and one of our guests fought it for a little over 5 minutes. Unfortunately we pulled the hook on a jump right next to the boat. Figured 1 for 2 on sails wasn't bad for early September. We reset and had no action for quite some time. Edge was still very well defined and had pushed out to 150 while we drifted north. As I was thinking about the fact that I still hadn't hooked or caught my bonito or king, another sail came up on the short kite bait. We made quick work of this fish and we were officially 2 for 3. We reset and didn't get any more hits. We were pretty pleased with the early season sailfish action in Miami. The edge moved out past 200 and wasn't nearly as defined. Finished the day after missing a hit on the deep bait. Our final Tally 2/3 on sails 0/0 on boneheads, cudas, houndfish, ramoras, etc.