For small, soft baits such as pilchards, you can hook them directly with the circle hook—through the nostrils or up through the lips.
There may be a hot bite reported north of Fort Pierce, while at the same time boats off Key Largo are into action of their own. To locate those flash points where you might catch 10 or more, it pays to keep an eye on Internet reports, such as the Florida Sportsman Forum. Nowadays most anglers agree that a quick end-game is best. The waters off Palm Beach and Jupiter in Florida are known as "Sailfish Alley".
How can you see all this, if you don’t have your own boat?
At the same time, they require lost sleep to catch—or lots of money to procure. Sailfish exhibit amazing aerial abilities, here a “sail” tries frantically to shake a hook. Ever wonder how those tournament boats pile up an incredible number of sailfish? When a fish takes the bait, let him run a few seconds, pick up the rod, get the tip pointed in his direction, then push the lever to strike. At tournament time, these uber baits thrive in a round or oval livewell, and kick like crazy beneath a fishing kite. The northeastern coastline, Jacksonville to Daytona, sees some great days in the fall.
© 2020 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Sailfish are noted for their fighting ability and often spend as much of the battle in the air as in the water. Baits fished right out of the rodtips catch plenty. ch_type = "mpu"; google_ad_width = 728; Equipment.
There’s a reason why sailfish reels hold 300 or 400 yards of line—an unattended fish on a hot run can take it all. Sailfish nearly always hunt straight into the current—which means most days on the Gulf Stream, their long noses are pointed south.
A plastic-handle “safety knife” or other sharp tool can be used to quickly cut the leader close to the fish. Bonnier, MRAA Partner to Promote Certified Dealers, National Marine Electronics Association Announces 2020 Award Winners.
Here! Most anglers fish 20-pound-test monofilament. Generally it’s best to size up from a J-hook—say a 7/0, for baits you might normally use with a 5/0 shortshank J-hook. Disengage the clicker while fighting.
These cost around $26, and are available online at www.hmspermits.gov or by calling (888) 872-8862. Copyright © 2020 Salt Water Sportsman. If you haven’t read the book, and just want to toss out some baits and try your luck, 90 to 200 feet is a good bet.
A Bonnier Corporation Company. I push a 3-inch loop of shock leader (see sidebar) through the sinker, then stop it with a segment of rubber band.
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Ideal scenario, pretty much from Stuart to Key Largo, is northwest wind in the 20-knot range, clocking north, then northeast and settling down to something manageable for the fleet, say 15 knots or so. google_ad_format = "120x600_as"; Whether you’re fishing a pilchard you purchased, a mullet you cast-netted, a ballyhoo you hair-hooked or some other bait, one technique you’ll need to consider is the dropback. Drifting with live bait is the best way to catch a large number of sailfish is one day. For as slow and awkward as they may seem when trying to eat your bait, sailfish are explosive, determined fighters that will challenge tackle, angler and helmsmanship.
For larger baits, it may be best to bridle-rig with either a tiny rubber band or rigging floss. Popular fishing methods for sailfish include pitching live bait, drift fishing with live bait and trolling artificial lures. It’s fun.
Dredge fishing is the standard among elite tournament sailfish and marlin teams around the world. ch_color_site_link = "996600"; Revive by pulling the fish forward just above idle, then release away from the boat. google_color_bg = "FFFFFF"; google_color_url = "000000";
That means they’re the baits fish are likely to see first.
The trick is identifying the scenario that led up to the action, and then watching the weather for a repeat. Usually this takes place in a span of 72 hours following the passage of a front.
Once you have baits to the sailfish, you have to think about getting sailfish to the boat. Some big boys fish right through the 20-knot northers, notching double-digit releases, but for anglers on vessels smaller than 30 feet, that kind of wind on the Gulf Stream kicks up waves challenging and dangerous.
That means getting “on the fish” as quickly as possible. var ch_queries = new Array( );
Depth is a figure widely bantered about, but anglers who insist on finding a specific range may miss out on opportunities. Very difficult to catch - from enticing it to take a bait, to keeping it on the line while its dancing on the surface. Get ready…Get set…Go for Florida’s state saltwater fish! Which brings me back to the bait issue. My current boat sits in a dead-end canal, far from the inlet, and every morning there’s a school of mullet right there. The long shock leader is necessary to protect against line-breakage from that abrasive bill and tail.
The best mullet for sailfishing tend to be 6 to 8 inches in length; much bigger than that, and the fish have a hard time swallowing them.
There are more tips and secrets to catching sailfish.
ch_height = 250; When a sailfish gets his wind, there’s no telling where he’ll go. Terminal Leader: 6 to 15 feet of 40- to 80-pound-test monofilament “shock leader.” Some use fluorocarbon on slow days. Sailfish or billfish are one of the most sought after game fish. Treble hooks, as commonly used in “kingfish rigs,” are prohibited when targeting billfish with natural bait. ch_client = "pakpub";
Two tosses of the castnet, and we’re sailfishing.
You might also chime in on one of the regional groups on the Florida Sportsman Forum. google_ad_height = 600; A good tactic for catching sailfish, therefore, is to drop back after one strikes a trolled bait and free-spool the line so that you can trick the fish into thinking it's stunned the bait. It’s good for the fish because 30-pound is heavy enough to bring the fish in quickly.
google_ad_client = "pub-7376450024744739"; You can anchor up—or tie off to mooring buoys—and start a chumslick with block chum. Volunteering as an unpaid observer at a South Florida tournament is another great way to see all the skills in action.
You can never guess in which direction those antics will take them, and so it’s vital that the angler be prepared to pick up line quickly in the event the fish comes at the boat.
That county also has a 7-foot castnet limit, which may be silly, but it’s the law.
From Stuart north, and Key Largo south, the shallow end may start in 70 feet—some days shallower, depending on the presence of bait pods (sardines to the north, ballyhoo to the south). Now, for flatlines or deep lines, pretty much anything that kicks will do.
google_ad_width = 120; Success here requires either a little bit of luck, or a lot of skill on the part of captain and angler.
} Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. The trouble with the dropback is, too little time means missed hookups; too long, a potential gut-hooking. Ballyhoo, bonito strips and mullet are preferred trolling baits once feeding fish are located.
Tie to your main line by way of: 1) First making a Bimini twist or spider hitch in the fishing line, followed by a low-profile knot such as the “No-Name,” or 2) Tie directly to the line with the strongest knot you can master, such as a back-to-back uni. Out on the reef, packs of spindlebeaks are heading south, black etchings in vivid sapphire seas. For baits that tend to dive, or run beneath your hull (runners and jacks come to mind), peg a foam float in place about four feet up the leader. In the absence of anything too unusual (a pilchard dragging a 5-pound blob of weeds comes to mind), what a sailfish sees, it tends to eat. It also provides a hand-hold at boatside. In the event you wish to keep a sailfish, you must possess a Highly Migratory Species (HMS) vessel permit and report your landings at (800) 894-5528.
Here again, the angler has to keep a tight line. This coincides with a time when the passage of cold fronts settles into a 5- to 7-day rhythm. Blue runners of about 6 inches—not the big monsters—are a close second, followed by larger pilchards and herrings.
google_ad_type = "text"; The sinker falls off at the strike. It’s great for the angler because they’ll enjoy a spirited fight.
Hooked mullet and ballyhoo sometimes aren’t as active as pilchards, goggle-eyes and the like. ch_sid = "Fishing"; Photo credit: Christopher Collins.
It’s a fact that peak Atlantic sailfish season—south of Fort Pierce, at any rate—really doesn’t begin until after the first of the new year. Getting to the sailfish is largely a matter of timing—either timing a good bite, or putting in the time to catch scattered fish.
If you have a sailfish fishing tip you would like to share please email it to sailfish@gofishingtips.com,