Warning! Warning! Banner Fishing Alert! It’s been a long time since I’ve predicted a season like what I expect to see this December off the Treasure Coast. For the last two months, we’ve been hearing of large numbers of sailfish, dolphin, blackfin tuna, wahoo, kingfish, and even blue marlin moving south in search of warmer water and abundant food sources.
Cold northwest winds trigger the bite this time of year. As fish flee the colder waters of the Carolinas, they “tail down sea,” funneling through Sailfish Alley—right off our inlet. When we get that first major cold front, expect a strong push of sails, dolphin and blackfins. If you happen to miss the initial wave, don’t worry…there’s more coming.
We typically focus our efforts in depths between 120 and 220 feet of water. However, the best action can often be found considerably shallower or deeper, depending on the conditions. Covering ground and finding the bait is the name of the game this time of year off the Treasure Coast.
If you’re lucky enough to have an Omni sonar, that makes the search much easier. We have been using an SY 50 on our 39’ Contender for over a year now and have been extremely happy with its performance. I have countless stories about how it has led us right to the action and kept us in the bite.
I primarily look for color changes, weed lines, temperature breaks, and bait when trying to locate where the fish will be. If I can’t find any of those indicators, I then revert to structure like reefs and wrecks.
Small ballyhoo rigged on circle hooks, trolled just behind our dredge teasers, is a pretty standard approach. However, this time of year, I like to incorporate a larger bait rigged on wire for the chance at a blue marlin, a large dolphin, or a wahoo. It’s also always a good idea to secure a few live baits in the morning and bring them with you.
For dredges, natural ballyhoo and mullet usually work best, but there are a number of excellent artificial alternatives. A 50/50 combination of natural bait and Fire Tailz has been working very well for us.
A great standard setup is a 6 1/2-foot circle hook rod made by Blackfin, spooled with 15- to 20-pound line, a 50-pound leader, and a 6/0 circle hook. Be sure to have a spinning rod or two rigged and ready (with dead or live bait) to cast to any fish that follow your spread.
If you have any questions on how to set up your boat, or if you’d like to book a charter, please reach out. I’d love to help you out. Whatever you decide to target on your next fishing trip, I hope it’s “Off The Chain!”
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Capt. Scott Fawcett
Off the Chain Fishing Charters
(772) 285-1055
offthechainfishing.com
fishscottyf@bellsouth.net
