By Nick Carter
Capt. Scott Fawcett didnât hesitate when asked to make a prediction about sailfish season off Floridaâs Treasure Coast. His outlook is extremely bullish.
âThis is going to be one of the best sailfish seasons weâve had in a long time,â he said. âBy the middle of December, I think weâre going to see the best sailfishing weâve had in the last 10 years.â
Fawcettâs optimism is based on a number of factors heâs followed for more than three decades fishing Floridaâs Atlantic Coast. December and January is the historic peak season from Vero south to Palm Beach, Fla. The bite is heavily influenced by winter fronts and the proximity of the Gulf Stream, and everyone is eagerly awaiting strong northeast winds to usher sailfish south to their wintering grounds and closer to shore.
Closer to shore isnât far out of Stuart, Fla., where Fawcettâs Off the Chain fishing charters is based. In an area known as the âSailfish Capital of the World,â itâs typically a short 8-mile ride in his 32â Contender âOff The Chainâ to reach the color edges and temperature breaks where sailfish hunt.
In November, Fawcettâs attention was tuned to fishing reports some 600 miles to the north off the coast of North Carolina.
âWe had a phenomenal sailfish summer,â he said, speaking of the action that usually goes down from April to June or July most years. âIt seems like that body of fish disappeared offshore for a while and then showed up off Morehead City. Last time that happened, we had a fantastic season. I expect to see good numbers of sailfish in December.â
With the relatively flat bottom out of Stuart, blind trolling to cover water along the temperature breaks, color edges and reef lines is the preferred tactic. Fawcett pulls a dredge, an umbrella rig of some 30 or 40 baits and lures, to locate and draw in fish.
âYouâll see them come up behind the teaser,â Fawcett said. âThen youâll put your hook baits in front of the fish.â
Itâs up to the anglers to manipulate those âhook baitsââusually ballyhoo on a circle hookâin front of the fish.
âOn a good day, expect five or six sailfish bites and the same amount of dolphin bites and then some bonito or a big kingfish mixed in,â Fawcett said. âOccasionally, weâll also get a blackfin or a big wahoo while trolling or kite fishing.â
Kite fishing out of Stuart requires the right conditions. Sometimes when Fawcett finds a good current rip or color change, heâll drop the trolling motor and deploy kites and live baits. Off The Chainâs center console allows 360 degrees of fishability, and when kites are flying, itâs worth dropping baits to the bottom, as well. While waiting on sailfish, anglers can fill the cooler with whateverâs in season. A mixed bag of snapper and grouper species is the norm.
Check out Off the Chain at www.offthechainfishing.com. Call Capt. Scott Fawcett at 772-285-1055.