It is an exciting time of year for fishermen down here in South Florida. There has been no shortage of trophy catches during our recent fishing charters in the Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Boynton Beach areas. The best bet during deep sea fishing trips has been targeting sailfish with live baits or trolling for wahoo. This is typically the case this time of year as cold fronts trigger baitfish migrations through our area. As long as the cold fronts keep moving through, we will continue to catch these two prized gamefish in offshore waters during our fishing charters. When the ocean is too rough to get out deep sea fishing, we have been having lots of action on light tackle spinning rods during our inshore trips.
The best inshore fishing has been live baiting for snook during higher tides or casting and trolling swimming plugs for bluefish and jacks. Other interesting species we have been catching around Delray Beach and Boynton Beach have been Southern Sennet, barracuda, and the occasional tarpon. The water temps are pushing 70 degrees, which means we are settled in nicely to our Winter/early Spring fishing patterns. Expect the kingfish, wahoo, snook, and tarpon action to remain steady over the next month or two until water temps increase and new species start to show up.
As cold fronts move through South Florida we are catching good numbers of Sailfish, Mahi Mahi, and Kingfish about a mile offshore of Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, and Boca Raton. Inshore, along the Intracoastal Waterway, we have been catching bluefish, jacks, ladyfish, spanish mackerel, and the occasional snook or shark. Our most action has come from trolling, but anglers looking for light tackle action on spinning rods have been able to hook sailfish and snook using live bait while drifting. As we move deeper into December/January, I expect the sailfish fishing to get even better after every cold front, with North and Northeast winds also pushing in plenty of mahi mahi. The inshore fishing will be best in between cold fronts when South winds warm things up a bit. Call or text me to book a trip!
Hi this is Captain Chris Agardy with the Palm Beach County saltwater fishing forecast for April/May 2018. This time of year is the peak of our offshore/inshore fishing season due to massive schools of bait migrating along our deep sea dropoffs and intracoastal waterways. These schools of baitfish attract hungry predators such as mahi mahi, kingfish, blackfin tuna, cobia, snook, and tarpon. The 1 mile drop off will be our prime hunting grounds for offshore species, and we will be targeting them by trolling or kite fishing with live bait. Trolling typically catches greater numbers of fish, but live bait fishing is the way to go for anglers looking to catch bigger fish more consistently. Inshore, snook and tarpon are beginning to gather in great numbers along the beaches near Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, and Palm Beach inlets. We will target these predators by seeking out pods of sardines along the beach and intracoastal waterway. Live bait is very important for these two species, although savvy anglers can fool them with a fly rod or casting plugs/jigs. We have a couple cold fronts in the forecast that may delay Spring migrations until the end of April, but we have already started to see an improvement in fishing. If you are looking to get out there, give me a call and we can discuss planning your adventure!
Now that the seas have subsided we are excited about the potential fishing opportunities along our coast and in the Gulfstream. There should be plenty of floating debris offshore to attract schools of mahi mahi, but boaters should take caution when venturing through post-hurricane waters. Closer to shore, Mutton snapper and red grouper will be found in higher concentrations than normal around reefs from depths of 20-300ft. Live or dead Sardines will be the best bait for exploring post Hurricane Irma waters. Inshore, we can expect the beginning of the mullet run with plenty of jacks, snook, tarpon, and lady fish in tow. If you would like to book a trip with me I have 3 boats available to take you out. This is the perfect time to relieve the stress from Hurticane Irma with a little fishing. Call or email me, thanks!
