Sailfish and Mahi!

Weekly Fishing Report | Don’t Tell Mom Sportfishing Fall fishing is heating up, and this past week delivered some absolutely outstanding action! We had a little bit of everything, from massive Amberjacks and our first Sailfish catches to Wahoo weighing up to 45 pounds, plenty of Mahi-Mahi, and some excellent Blackfin Tuna action. Not every trip was a home run, as you’d expect this time of year, but we had several trips that ranked among the best of the year. One of the biggest changes we’ve seen lately is the amount of baitfish in the water. The large Mullet schools have mostly moved on, although we’re still seeing some along the beaches. In their place, small Bullet-Bonitas and tons of flying fish have started showing up. This is exciting because these baitfish attract larger predators like Mahi-Mahi, Sailfish, Wahoo, and other hard-fighting pelagic species. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from an incredible week on the water! Massive Amberjacks and a Seven-Foot Nurse Shark We kicked off the week with a five-hour trip for a family hoping to catch something big. We headed to a deep wreck in 300 feet of water and dropped down a live Bonita. It didn’t take long before we hooked into a massive Amberjack measuring nearly five feet long! These fish are incredibly powerful fighters, and this one gave our anglers quite a battle. That wasn’t the only highlight of the trip. We also hooked and landed a seven-foot Nurse Shark, along with a smaller Amberjack. While larger Amberjacks can be prone to parasites, the smaller fish can make excellent table fare. We were happy to send the family home with some fresh fish for dinner! A Sailfish, Tuna, and Seven Mahi-Mahi One of the weekend’s five-hour trips was truly special. We had five friends visiting from Ohio who were hoping to catch Sailfish and Mahi-Mahi, and we were fortunate enough to deliver on both! We started by catching a few small Bullet-Bonitas to keep in the live well for later. While trolling for something bigger, our high line started bending and twitching. I reeled into it, and a beautiful Sailfish piled on! John did an outstanding job fighting the fish and bringing it to the boat. We got some great pictures before safely releasing it and watching it swim away. What an incredible first Sailfish experience! After catching a nice Skipjack Tuna, we worked some deep wrecks in more than 400 feet of water and picked up a solid Amberjack. We then spotted signs of life farther out and headed toward 700–750 feet of water, roughly five miles from shore. At first, we weren't seeing much. But as we worked south, we started finding more flying fish and scattered weeds. We adjusted our trolling pattern to work the area in slightly shallower water, around 650 feet, and the action really turned on. We ended up catching seven keeper Mahi-Mahi, most of them good-sized gaffer fish! Earlier in the trip, we had also caught a couple of Barracuda, but the fishing really came together as a weather front moved in and the current lined up beautifully. It was an outstanding day and a great example of how quickly things can change when you find the right conditions. Two Wahoo, Including a 45-Pound Monster! Saturday afternoon brought another trip we won't soon forget. We started by trolling and putting a few fish in the box before heading north toward the wrecks to try our luck with live bait. Then our short planer went off and started screaming! We had a Sea Witch rigged with a Bonito strip, and the result was a beautiful 20-pound Wahoo. We were thrilled to see that fish come aboard. After getting everything squared away, we switched our spread over to live Bonitas. Slow-trolling these baits is one of my favorite ways to fish because you have a real shot at something special. You may not get a bite every time, but when a big predator finds one of these baits, you know you're in for an exciting fight. We worked past a couple of wrecks north of the inlet in about 130 feet of water when a downrigger line suddenly started dumping. The fish put up an incredible fight on light tackle, and after about 20 minutes, we finally brought another Wahoo to the boat. This one was a monster, weighing in at 45 pounds! It was the biggest Wahoo my mate Zach has ever seen. These fish are incredibly fast and elusive, with powerful, torpedo-shaped bodies and razor-sharp teeth designed to slice through their prey. Landing one takes the right equipment, proper rigging, and a crew that knows how to handle them. We were thrilled to get this beautiful fish aboard and straight onto ice. And the day wasn't over yet! After using up our live Bonitas, we switched back to trolling and finished the trip with three Blackfin Tuna and a King Mackerel. What an incredible day of fishing! Rough Weather, Beautiful Blue Water, and Seven More Fish Our final trip of the week was yesterday, and conditions were rough and windy. After checking in with the guests beforehand to make sure they were still comfort

Weekly Fishing Report | Don’t Tell Mom Sportfishing It’s been a little while since our last fishing report! We took a short vacation during what can sometimes be a quieter time of year, but we’re back and looking forward to getting out on the water. The good news is that the fishing has actually been really good lately, and we’ve had some great catches to share. Massive Amberjacks on Deep Wrecks The deep wrecks have really come alive! We’ve been dropping live baits down to deeper wrecks and hooking into some massive Amberjacks. These fish put up an incredible fight, making for some serious battles and a great experience for everyone aboard. Sailfish Action and an Exciting First We’ve also had several Sailfish around, and trolling has been producing some exciting opportunities. On one memorable trip, our guest Eric caught his very first Sailfish! Captain Dave was running the boat in my absence when his high line went off and started peeling drag. He handed the rod down to Zach, cleared the other lines, and got ready for an exciting battle. Eric was thrilled to catch his first Sailfish, making it a trip to remember! We also landed a beautiful Wahoo recently, adding another great catch to the mix. King Mackerel Are Showing Up The King Mackerel bite has really picked up, and we’ve been seeing some excellent action. Cero Mackerel and Spanish Mackerel have been active in shallower water, while moving deeper has been producing King Mackerel. One of our most effective techniques has been trolling planer baits rigged with Bonito or Mullet strips. Mullet strips are especially productive this time of year as large schools of Mullet migrate along the beach and out toward the reef. If you spot a big school of Mullet, it’s worth paying attention. Mackerel often follow these baitfish, and finding an active school can lead to some excellent fishing. Mahi-Mahi and Blackfin Tuna Mahi-Mahi have also been around, particularly on days when the wind picks up and conditions get a little choppier. Fall can be a fantastic time for Mahi fishing, so keep an eye out for birds, baitfish, and areas of beautiful water. You don’t always have to run far to find them. In fact, during the fall, Mahi-Mahi, Sailfish, and Mackerel can all be found feeding on Ballyhoo in as little as 30 feet of water. Sometimes, your best bet is to work along the beach, looking for baitfish skipping across the surface, schools of bait getting attacked, or birds diving into the action. The Blackfin Tuna bite has also made a welcome comeback. After being relatively quiet, we’re seeing plenty more Blackfin Tuna, with some Skipjack Tuna mixed in. It’s great news for anglers hoping to bring home fresh Tuna for dinner. The best approach has been using smaller presentations, such as squid spoons and small trolling lures known as dinks. The bite often picks up early in the morning or later in the afternoon, but when the Tuna are feeding aggressively, it’s not uncommon to limit out. For the best action, try depths between 200 and 450 feet. Work the wrecks, and keep an eye out for baitfish, birds, and Tuna feeding on the surface. Bottom Fishing and Live Bait Bottom fishing has slowed slightly, but Snapper are still around, and we expect Mutton Snapper to remain a good option. We’re also seeing fewer of the larger Bonitas, while tons of smaller Bonitas are starting to show up. These make excellent live bait, and our huge live well allows us to keep them healthy and ready to fish. Larger predators love eating these smaller Bonitas, including King Mackerel, Barracuda, Wahoo, and Sailfish. We’re looking forward to doing more slow-trolling with live Bonitas as they become increasingly available. Looking Ahead The weather has been beautiful overall, and the fishing is giving us plenty to be excited about. As we move further into fall, we expect things to continue heating up. While fall can be a quieter time for tourism, it’s one of the best times of year to get out fishing. Whether you’re looking to battle a massive Amberjack on a deep wreck, catch your first Sailfish, or bring home some fresh Mackerel or Tuna, we’d love to have you aboard. Call or text us at **hidden content**, or book online at **hidden content**’s get you out on the water and make some memories! Tight lines, Capt. Will Daley

Weekly Fishing Report | Don’t Tell Mom Sportfishing – South Florida We had another action-packed week aboard the Don't Tell Mom, with some excellent fishing as we head into the full moon. The last several days have produced a great variety of fish, including Wahoo, Mahi-Mahi, Barracudas, Bonitas, Snapper, Amberjacks, King Mackerel, Jack Crevalle, and several species of Sharks. Wahoo and Mahi-Mahi Steal the Show The full moon is right around the corner, and as is often the case this time of year, the Wahoo bite has been heating up. We caught two really nice Wahoo this week, including one around 18 pounds and another impressive fish weighing approximately 30 pounds. The 30-pound Wahoo came on a 6-hour morning trip with Sean and his son. We found a beautiful blue-water edge in roughly 400 feet and started trolling the area. After catching a few smaller fish, we put some larger baits deeper in the water on our big planers. It didn't take long before one of those baits was crushed by a big Wahoo. The action didn't stop there. We also caught 10 Mahi-Mahi on that same trip, providing an incredible combination of quality fish and nonstop action. It was a great example of why having enough time to search for productive water can really pay off on longer trips. Barracudas, Bonitas and Live Bait Barracuda action has really started to heat up around the reef, with some very nice fish being caught both trolling and on live bait. We're also beginning to see the first wave of smaller Bonitas showing up. As fall progresses, we typically start seeing larger schools of Bonitas, and these smaller fish make excellent live bait for bigger predators. They're not always easy to keep happy, but with the large live well aboard the Don't Tell Mom, we're able to keep them swimming and put them to work when the opportunity arises. Once we had live bait in the water, we saw some exciting action from Barracudas, King Mackerel, Blackfin Tuna, and even some big Rainbow Runners. We also caught a nice Jack Crevalle, and the reef continues to hold plenty of life. An Incredible Shark Battle Shark fishing was another major highlight this week. We caught a big 8’ Nurse Shark along with a 98” Lemon Shark. The charter we caught the Nurse Shark on was an especially memorable trip because one of our young anglers got the opportunity to battle a big sea monster. The fish picked up a bait after playing with it a few times and then took off on a powerful run. Our 11-year-old angler did an amazing job staying with the fish for over 30 minutes and eventually wore it out and brought it boatside with some help from his dad and coaching from my mate Zach. We were able to measure the Shark, take a few photos, tag it, and safely release it. Watching a young angler successfully battle a big Shark is exactly the kind of moment that reminds us why we love charter fishing. These are the experiences families remember long after the trip is over. Snapper and Wreck Fishing- Bottom fishing has also remained productive. We've been catching Yellowtail Snapper along with some other good Snapper opportunities, and we have started seeing more Amberjacks around the wrecks. As always, we're constantly watching the conditions and changing techniques when necessary. If the troll isn't producing, we'll switch gears and move to live bait, wreck fishing, or bottom fishing. Some of the most productive days this week came from mixing things up and staying flexible. Fall Fishing Is Here Conditions were fairly stable for most of the week, with generally nice mornings, light winds, and some cloud cover. We did have a few days with unusual current, including situations where the surface current and deeper current were moving in different directions, which made things a little more challenging. Rain also played a role on some days. This time of year, we can get substantial afternoon storms, and when fresh rainwater sits on top of the saltwater, fishing can temporarily become more difficult. Fortunately, the water has been clearing up and the overall trend has remained positive. Fall is one of our favorite times of year to fish. The days are getting shorter, water temperatures will gradually begin to cool, and bait movement starts to increase. We're already seeing more Flying Fish and Mullet around, and that migration should continue to bring more predators into the area. Looking ahead, we're excited to see more Mahi-Mahi, increasing numbers of King Mackerel, and more Wahoo opportunities around the full moon. Sailfish should also begin showing up more consistently as we move farther into fall. Whether you're looking for fresh fish for the dinner table, fast-paced action with Bonitas and Mahi-Mahi, or a chance to battle a trophy Wahoo or Shark, there are plenty of great opportunities right now. Fall is one of my favorite times of year to fish, and we'd love to have you aboard the Don't Tell Mom. Don't wait to book your trip. Visit **hidden content** o