By Darcie Arahill Contributing Writer
Happy Holidays Anglers! During December we will continue to have cooling air and sea temperatures, providing a much needed break from the heat and causing the offshore bite to fire up. Sailfish season will continue to provide anglers plenty of tail walking, drag screaming action. The sailfish use cold fronts to aid their southerly migration, and their numbers will continue to grow this month as they migrate through our waters. This is the time of the year when anglers from all around the world come to “Sailfish Alley” aka South Florida to target sailfish! If you are looking to catch a sailfish, it is important to pay attention to the wind direction and the barometric pressure. Many anglers believe northerly winds get the sailfish feeding but it is also due to high pressure. The offshore bite will be red-hot with stable high pressure conditions. After a couple days of consistent pressure, you have a good chance of catching this “bucket list” fish so plan accordingly! The bite also turns on before approaching cold fronts and rain, so keep this in mind when planning a fishing trip this month. Last month, we hooked quite a few sailfish slow trolling blue runners.
Mahi mahi will also be migrating south from the northern states with the help of cold fronts. The mahi mahi should range from 6-30lbs, with larger fish not uncommon. Blackfin tuna, in the football size range will start to show up as well. Trolling feathers and squid pups between 200-400ft will be your best bet to catch some fresh sushi! The bottom bite should also produce great table fare. During the month mutton snapper, yellowtail snapper, and trigger fish will be the best species to target on the reefs and bottom structures. Live bait or dead sardines will be the bait of choice. Remember, NE winds bring the bait and pelagics closer to shore. Bait will gather at the mouths of inlets and areas with a fast moving current.
Be safe during the holiday’s anglers and until next time, keep on catchin’!
Ask me questions about fishing & see my recent FISHING VIDEOS on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/darcizzleoffshore