Thanksgiving was just a few days ago and many of us are still feeling the effects of our Thursday night gorgings as we settle into the marathon that is Christmas and New Years. In similar fashion, our finny friends are not so different. Gone is the fall mullet run and the incredible sights of tarpon and snook free jumping amidst schools of mullet. Now fish settle down and do their winter thing, namely feed and stay warm. If November is any indication, this December should have us back to our normal winter patterns. What does this look like? Glad you asked! Let me take a deep breath, OK here we go: Tarpon in deeper water and around bridges with solid tarpon bites at night, lots of trout and plenty big of ones on the grass flats, mackerel, bluefish, big mangrove and mutton snappers and groupers in the finger channels, big bonefish on the flats, some permit during calm mornings, lots of big sharks on the flats, snook along mainland shorelines, ladyfish devouring lipped plugs and of course, lots of bait! Whew! I love winter in Miami since it’s one of the few places you can fish December in shorts while catching giant tarpon with the skyline right behind. We truly live in a great city.
My best bet for December is twofold depending on our style. For the non-technical angler, mackerel, snapper and grouper is a great way to keep rods bent and drags screaming. The finger channels really shine this month and all you need is a block of chum, good current and a live well full of live shrimp and pilchards. This is a winning recipe that will have you tied to mangrove snappers in the 2-3lb range, muttons well over the legal size, mackerel that move into the slick and grouper in the 20 to 15lb range. Remember there is a grouper closure in the winter so this is a catch and release only fishery for us right now. By the way. this grouper closure seems to be really be working as evidenced by the bigger number of grouper encountered by many reef fishermen. I usually start with 8lb class tackle and work my way up to 10lb or higher as the bigger fish move into the slick.
For the more adventurous angler, tarpon fishing is a great way to catch 100lb fish without having to brave the typically rough seas of December. These fish will be around bridges and other areas of current as they use these highways as feeding stations. Tarpon fishing is definitely more dependent on fish moving patterns and the conditions that alter those patters so this is where an experienced angler or guide will make your day much more productive. The bait of choice in December is definitely big shrimp but they will also eat live crabs, live pilchards and live mullet. This is also a fishery that is awesome to experience during a night trip. Since tarpon tend to feed best during low levels of light, they really come alive at night. Again, bridges and areas of high current work best and a few dozen “hand pick” shrimp (the biggest the bait shop has) is the bait of choice. This is definitely heavier tackle territory as many of these fish are in the 100lb plus range. I use a Quantum Boca 60 spooled with 30lb braid and a 60lb fluorocarbon leader with a circle hook and it has worked very well for me. Along with tarpon don’t be surprised to pick up a snook or two along the way, always a pleasant surprise.
Well everyone, I hope you have a great Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years!
Capt. Mo Estevez
(786) 853-1409
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