By Capt. Quinlyn Haddon
The sailfish is one of the most commonly caught billfish. Due to its proclivity for shallower coastal waters and frequency of ascension to the surface, the odds of catching one of these beauties can be much greater than for other billfish.
There is little scientific certainty about the mysterious behavior of sailfish. They exhibit a general migratory pattern throughout the year, but they often break their own rules and show up unexpectedly.
Summer sailfish catches are generally more associated with the Gulf of Mexico, yet they do appear on the Atlantic coast this time of year, as well.
Sailfishing in the Florida Keys is usually a late autumn and early spring bite. It can be an absolute catching frenzy. However, in July, following the passage of tropical storm Elsa, sailfish were seen tailing at the surface, cruising the waves along a strong current line off of Marathon Key. It was a bizarre and welcomed phenomenon.
The conditions that followed the storm created a concise current line, with greener nearshore waters touching the blue water, and a milky powder-blue highway running down the center. Sailfish were spotted swimming east to west at the top of the waves, and seemed to dive deeper to circle back. The locals are no strangers to this phenomenon that occurs in the Keys. Though the time of year may be unpredictable, anglers are always ready to make the most of it.
This type of fishing requires polarized sunglasses and a tower boat. Slowly creeping through the powder blue highway, scan the waves for black torpedo shapes or blobs that resemble black garbage bags. Hunt for the opportunity to sight cast live baits.
Without the visual vantage of a tower, trolling lures or bump trolling live bait may be more productive than trying to spot them from deck level.
Sailfish truly are an incredible and unpredictable species. Very few have been successfully tagged, and few have held a tag long enough to transmit much information. Of those tagged for up to a year, their patterns were generally erratic. They seem to be extremely transient, foraging and spawning in many different coastal regions, predictably unpredictable, like majestic aquatic gypsies.
Commonalities in their behavior are that they primarily stay within a water temperature of approximately 80 degrees; they mostly stay near the surface, rarely diving below 300 feet; and they exhibit extremely curious evening routines. All of the transmissions showed sailfish spending the evening within 30 feet of the surface, descending briefly before sunrise and sunset. They were also observed to be active nightly, seemingly unaffected by lunar phases.
Help uncover the mysteries of sailfish by reporting tagged fish or by visiting billfish.org to purchase a tagging kit. Remember to handle sailfish with care and revive them before release when necessary.
Capt. Quinlyn Haddon fishes with Blue Magic Charters out of Marathon, Fla. Check her out her Instagram @CaptainQuinlyn, her website CaptainQuinlyn.com, or call (504) 920-6342.