Wahoos have shown up to crush our kite baits and our Kingfish baits trolled behind planers. The only thing better than the screaming drags and intense fights with Wahoo are how Wahoo taste on your dinner table! King Mackerel are Challenging Sailfish for Dominance! King Mackerel (‘Kingfish”) have also set up shop on and near the reefs to pounce on our unwary kite baits and trolled baits and they have only gotten thicker – and hungrier. Kingfish have teeth that are more like surgical scalpels and they fight hard, which is why we call them “smokers” – they will smoke your drag on scorching runs once they’re hooked. When they’re not crushing our live baits under the kite or slow-trolled, Kingfish have also been responding to our strip baits trolled below the surface on planers along with as Islanders with ballyhoo in both the blue/white and red/black color combinations. We’ve been finding the Kingfish in between 70 and 150 feet of water. Fishing has been so good that we even caught them on our Drift boat the “Lois Ann”.

Here in south Florida, as we anticipate the arrival of our first significant cold front, we have already seen effects of cooler weather. Schools of Mullet fill the canals and with the bait fish moving into our area, so do bigger fish. These days, it is not unusual to see a Sailfish or two while we troll for other species. One of our most sought-after game fish, these sightings and bites will become more frequent. Dragging live Ballyhoo or Bonito bullets can also be very productive. If this is one of your “bucket List” fish, now is an excellent time to come try your luck. Kingfish have been biting well in the reef area. The Bonitos have reduced their numbers giving us a chance at a few kings now. October and early November is also an excellent time of year for Blackfin Tuna and Wahoo. You just never know what will strike when trolling the area with rigged dead baits. Mahi-mahi have also been making appearances. The small ones released just a few months ago are now “keepers”. And as time goes on, the larger fish will be showing up. With the baitfish running close to shore, there is no reason to venture to deeper waters or further from shore. They will be found in close, sometimes less than a mile from shore. On the days that conditions do not give great trolling results; the bottom has been active with snapper and grouper. Our wrecks and reefs have been producing some great fish as of late. And most are great table fare if you are looking for something to eat. With the fish on the move, any day can be the day that fish of a lifetime shows up. Exciting, good eating, biggest ever in your life, it can all happen right now. Come join us, won’t you? Capt. David

Winter Fishing Report While much of the country is experiencing colder temperatures, we here in south Florida are enjoying warm, balmy temperatures. When you live in Florida, you look forward to some cooler days and that cool air helps drive the fish down our coast. Our first true cold front is due in just a few days. Winter fishing is always looked forward to. Many switch from trolling to using live bait to attract some of the bigger game fish. Sailfish are usually predominant in December and January. Fishing with kites is just one way to attract these acrobatic fish to the bait and once hooked, they are a blast to fight and catch. While kite fishing doesn’t have you covering a large area of water, it does more to entice fish to seek your baits. Anything and everything can and will **hidden content** bait. And the best part of fishing this time of year is the fish are usually larger than what we catch in the summer months. Mahi, Tuna, Wahoo, Kingfish and sharks are also drawn to the spread of bait, so you are not limited to what you might catch. But other methods are also used should fishing be somewhat slow. Deep wrecks and reefs can provide some great fishing action. Amberjacks, Cobia, Grouper and Snapper all can be had. Even Barracuda will strike in these areas and can make for some excellent action. No matter the targeted species, winter time fishing can be very exciting. We at Lady Pamela 2 fishing would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year. Hope to see you soon.