Sailfishing in February was uncharacteristically slow, but should pick up in March. When targeting sailfish, concentrate your drifts in 60 to 200 feet and be sure to circle or drift over the deep wrecks. Look for any type of current or color changes. Free lining a live goggle eye has always been the best bet for landing your first sailfish on a kayak. Once you are tight, be sure to let the fish drag you instead of peddling with the fish. This way the fight is shorter and your fish wont get sharked.
The kingfish bite will be decent this month in 80 to 160 feet. It wouldn’t be a shock to see a smoker sized king caught around a deep wreck. In Pompano, I’ve always done well straight out from the Pompano Beach Pier and drift north to the inlet. Once the drift is over, repeat. Make sure to zigzag in and out of the depths mentioned above.
Wahoo fishing continues to be on fire. Many of the kayak charters are still doing very well around the moons, in front of the inlets on an outgoing tide. Fish the color changes and always use a stinger rig. Just about all of the wahoo I’ve caught on the kayak have only been hooked by the stinger. Be sure to leave enough slack in the stinger so your bait swims naturally.
The dolphin bite has been pretty slow, but it should pick up after we get a few days with a strong east wind. The east wind will usually blow the fish in closer so us kayakers.
Believe it or not, targeting tilefish has become the new fad for offshore kayak fisherman. It’s still very new, but more and more anglers are giving it a go with slow pitch gear. If you think you can get out to around 500 feet, you’ll have a good shot. Slow pitch jigging has been a great tactic for kayak anglers.
The 2021 Exotic Bass Roundup is scheduled for April 10th at Lake Ida Park. For more on this new, one of a kind exotic only tournament go to extremekayakfishing.com.
Joe Hector
954-895-4527
Extreme Kayak Fishing Inc.
www.extremekayakfishing.com