[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here are a lot of things to be thankful for this year, and fortunately we don’t need to wait until November 26th to recognize them. I’m thankful mostly, for the health and wellness of my family. I’m sure we’re all thankful that fuel is 33-percent less than it was a year ago and I’m sure that if you have them, Cannon Electric Downriggers, dredges, kites and electric kite reels are all things you’re thankful for too.
November has always been considered the official kickoff of the sailfish season off the Treasure Coast. While sailfish may be our main target, late fall and early winter also provide excellent dolphin, blackfin tuna, king fish, wahoo and too much bonito action. It may not take all of the pricey equipment above to achieve a successful day of fishing, but it will make the day much easier, and usually more productive. With the potential of nonstop action and multiple hook ups this time year, having electric, instead of manual, along with good dredge teasers does increase your efficiency, odds of success and also takes tedious work out of the day thus making it more enjoyable. While trolling dead bait for sailfish and all the other pelagics this time year, I always use Canyon Gear Dredge Heads on the inside of my dredges to add color. I’m thankful that they make it easy to swap colors out depending on time of day and what seems to be working the best. They are light too and don’t fold up my dredges, so that’s huge. Blue and black, red and white, and green and white are three of my favorites. I also like one of them, or a ‘hoo machine following my squid chain too.
Over the last 20 years, dredges have almost become a must this time year. Whether you’re trolling or live baiting you need something out there emulating a school of bait. Before we started using electric downrigger’s and electric teaser reels, I remember my hands would be so swollen at the end of the day of deadbeat trolling with heavy mullet or ballyhoo dredges that I could hardly close them. By using the Cannon 10 TS, not only are my hands not sore at the end of the day, but I can actually have my dredge prospected automatically all day long. This provokes lazy fish into biting, and also allows me to see what’s following behind my teasers more easily. After hooking a fish, the electric downrigger’s also allow you to clear your teasers with the push of a button and have them hanging out of the way, tangle, and trouble-free.
Over the last 10 or so years, strip teasers have really become popular. We can all be extremely thankful for them, especially while we’re live baiting, as they definitely DO work. Clip one onto your downrigger with a six-ounce lead in front of it while you’re drifting, hit the auto button and send it to work. Everything is attracted to those things, including your bait, so make sure while you’re fishing your flat lines don’t swim up into your teasers. I normally fish two-to-four lines off that side of the boat which is the upwind side. Send a kite or two up off the other side of the boat and watch your spread not only triple in size, but in productivity as well. The most important thing to producing bites while kite fishing this time year is current and bait. If you can find an edge with some north current and a little bit of bait in it, set out, and they’ll come to you. As with the electric dredge reels, we
didn’t always have electric kite reels either. But after making the switch, it’s almost impossible to go back. I definitely recommend a pair of them if you’re going to delegate anytime to kite fishing.
Keep an eye out for northwest winds, as usually that is the start of a really good stretch of fishing this time a year. When the temperature drops and the swell pushes down the beach, it’s not uncommon to see sails and dolphin surfing the waves south. Keep your Costa’s clean, because when they start to tail, it can pay off big. Give me a call if you’d like to get out there for more of a hands-on approach, looking forward to fishing with you soon. I hope your fishing outings and your Thanksgiving are Off the Chain.
