[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he holidays are quickly approaching and ‘tis the season. The season for sailfish, dolphin, wahoo, blackfin tuna, and all the other pelagic species that migrate down Florida’s east coast as the waters north of us cool to temperatures undesirable for our finned friends. For over 60 years, the Stuart Sailfish Club has hosted its annual Light Tackle Sailfish tournament, which takes place in December. It’s no coincidence that this tournament is based out of the “sailfish capital of the world ” and scheduled then. Sailfish may be the target species and 20 fish days are not unheard of. But the fact of the matter is, dolphin, blackfin tuna, wahoo, kingfish and little tunny can be down-right bothersome this time of year. Lock and load action for various species is almost a guarantee during certain days this month, and running out of bait is a definite possibility if you don’t stock the coolers or freezer before you leave the dock. Trolling along current edges, color changes and weed lines in depths from 90 to 180 feet are my favorite places to spend the cold months of December. A spread of four or five ballyhoo rigged on Mustad circle hooks with at least one dredge teaser and a squid chain is a great way to take advantage of what Stuart offers. Experiment with a little bit of color on your teasers. Use Canyon Gear Dredge Heads to quickly change colors without having to re-rig your baits. Using a dredge this time year is virtually a must nowadays, but until you figure out an easy way, it can be a hassle. Pulling it off your Cannon 10 TS downrigger makes it easier and more effective. The auto-stop and deploy along with cycle mode make fishing much easier when you have limited crew to help. For those of you who target meat fish more than billfish, keep your downrigger as a downrigger and use it rather than a planer. The cycle mode will trigger lazy fish to bite and increase your hook up ratio tremendously. The best wahoo fishing this time year is going to be found down from the Loran Tower Reef to Juno pier, from 160 to 220 feet and also around places like the Peanut and the Hill or any other large seamount or reef system in water depths 150 to 600 feet. If you don’t already have a #36 waterproof chart made by Capt. Bill Shuda, swing by Fish Heads, Snook Nook or any of the local shops and pick one up. They’ve got a number of excellent bottom and dive spots along with areas to troll. Early morning and late evening sessions of high-speed trolling at speeds from 10 to 15 knots using Scylla Lures or Canyon Gear’s Hoo-Machines are great ways to get tight. Remember, there’s no better way to spend the holiday season than with your family on the water. If you don’t have a boat, not to worry. Off The Chain, along, with other local charter boats, offer gift certificates for that special someone. They make excellent stocking stuffers too. I hope your year was Off The Chain and looking forward to seeing you in 2016.
