The upcoming full moons in August will provide anglers from Stuart south, the great opportunity to catch two of the best tasting fish in the ocean. In the summer full moons mean two things: wahoo and swordfish. Wahoo fishing from Push Button Hill, 11 miles east of Stuart, south to the Jupiter Ledge and beyond is excellent during this time of year. High speed trolling lures is the preferred method to minimize the barracuda attacks. On the DayMaker we pull five rods, four of which are weighted with cigar leads from 36 to 52 ounces. We use a 30 foot 300 pound shock leader to a ball bearing swivel which attaches to our lures rigged on 250 pound cable. The fifth rod we fish is in the shotgun position and is about 150 yards back. This is run just with the lure itself. All rods are shed from the rod tip and set at strike with 15 pounds of drag. Our optimum trolling speed is between 13 and 15 knots.
The best piece of advice I can provide is when you get the bite keep going, and when you do slow to eventually fight the fish maintain a steady forward momentum to prevent lost fish and maintain control. The best time to target the South Florida wahoo are the first few hours in the morning or a after work during Happy Hour. You can fish these two to three hour periods and have the same success that boats have fishing all day.
Also great during the summer months is the weather and opportunity to get out and catch some swordfish. Some of our best nights come during the summer months, August in particular. Seeing that we have two full moons this August, it could be a banner month. Our typical spread consists of four to five rods fished at varying depths from 75 to 300 feet. Best baits are squid, strips and lady fish. We normally set up due east of Palm Beach Inlet and end up a little north of Stuart in the morning. Best bite time seems to occur when the moon clears either the horizon or when it is directly overhead. Remember to do bait checks every couple of hours because baits can get fouled or bit without you knowing it. Last year, our best night in August was seven fish. We are looking to better that this year.
Come and check what South Florida has to offer during the summer months. Great fishing and a true chance for a fish of a lifetime!
FORECAST BY: Capt. Patrick Price
Day Maker Charters
Phone: (772) 405-0091
E-mail: sailfishpat@comcast.net
www.daymakerfishing.com
Where Days are Made!
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