When the Sailfish come in we are switching to kite fishing

With the first day of Autumn brings our annual migration of schools of Mullets passing Fort Lauderdale FL.  As I travel to the boat each morning down A1A, with the sun just appearing on the horizon to the east, I could see the schools of Mullets migrating to the south off of Fort Lauderdale FL with the Tarpons darting in and out of the bait and grabbing the stragglers left outside of the school.  These Tarpons will range anywhere from 50 lbs up to 100 lbs, and you can see these silver giants come out of the water as the rest of the school of Mullets shower around him.

To catch a Tarpon from the beach is exciting and sporting.  Once the lifeguards come to work and take their positions on the beach, they do not allow fishing to take place from the public beaches in Fort Lauderdale. 

My advice is to go before they begin their shift or after their shifts end.

The schools of Mullets migrating down the beach of Fort Lauderdale FL is the primary food supply for other predators, such as Sharks, Snook, Jacks, Barracudas – just to name a few – all there for the same reason, to feed on the mass quantities of bait fish.  Later this month, the schools of Mullets will be moving out to deeper waters for their migration to the south of Fort Lauderdale FL.  With this taking place, our pelagic species, such as Sailfish, will not be too far behind.  You will see the dorsal fins of Sailfish swimming with the school of Mullets picking away at their meal.  As the season progresses and the Sailfish begin their migration to the South of Fort Lauderdale FL, our technique for fishing changes, as does the season, and kite fishing will begin.  There are three different types of kites depending on the force of the wind; light, medium and heavy.  Flying two kites and putting counter balance weights on each outside corner of the kite will kick the kite off in the direction you want and will spread the kites apart from each other, so that they do not tangle.  One kite will be further away from the boat than the other and the closest live bait should be at least 100 ft from the boat.  You can put from one to three live baits on each kite depending on the wind speed but the live bait should be at least 75 ft. from each other. The purpose of live baiting from kites is to have the flexibility of positioning the bait either right on the surface or deeper in the water – you control how deep.  My preference is very close to the water’s surface, representing a wounded bait fish.  Another reason for kite fishing is that it allows the angler to see the actual bite.  To see the dorsal fin of this magnificent predator, the Sailfish, circling the live bait and swatting the bait with its bill, would make any angler’s heart beat rapidly.  Other predators, such as Sharks, Barracudas, Mahi Mahi, Tunas, are also drawn to the splashing of the live bait on the surface from the kites. 

If you want to experience this type of fishing, contact Captain Zsak of the Happy Day Today Topshot Fishing, and you will have the time of your life www.topshotfishing.com

For your custom fishmounts turn to Gray Taxidermy