Whenever I visit the Miami International Boat in South Florida, I make it a point to go fishing. Miami has gorgeous weather year-round, and my visit would not be complete without venturing offshore to do some deep-sea fishing. This year was no different.
Miami’s offshore waters are world-renowned for sportfishing, and I always look forward to tapping into this amazing natural resource. More specifically, I was hoping to catch and release some sailfish. Every year, the boat show is scheduled for mid-February, which is prime sailfish season.
Booking a fishing charter in Miami can be difficult during the boat show as the demand is usually high. Luckily, we were able to book our fishing charter in Miami well in advance of the boat show with Captain Rafael Mayans aboard the Sea Cross. From the first moment we spoke, Capt. Rafael was extremely accommodating and worked hard to fit us into his calendar and work around our busy itinerary.
Capt. Rafael runs a fleet of two offshore fishing boats—a 55’ Hatteras and a 45’ Hatteras—both capable and well-equipped fishing machines with the latest electronics, gear, and tackle.
Sailfishing in Miami
As mentioned, I looked forward to battling a billfish, and Miami always provides an excellent opportunity. The southeast Florida coast likely offers the best sailfishing in the United States. Years of conservation efforts by government agencies and local fishermen have really paid off.
Sailfish have always been a prized catch for saltwater anglers. Beginning in the 1960s, there was a growing awareness that perhaps these majestic fish were being killed at an unsustainable rate. For the first time, area captains began the practice of catch and release. They realized it was not necessary or productive to needlessly kill their catch for a photo opportunity at the dock.
The following decades saw a series of commercial fishing bans that sought to protect sailfish further. Since the turn of the century, sailfish populations have rebounded dramatically, and anglers can expect to catch multiple sailfish on days when the conditions are favorable.
Our Fishing Trip
We were excited and met Capt. Rafeal at the Haulover docks well before our scheduled departure at 8:00 a.m. It was reassuring to see that the crew was already prepared, with carefully rigged baits in the cooler and live baits swimming in the wells. We were excited, and the crew also appeared to be pumped for a productive day on the water.
We pushed away from the docks a little early, eager to get out to the fishing grounds. We soon rounded the corner from the intercoastal waterway into the Haulover cut and made our way oceanside. As soon as we exited the cut, the mate put out a few lines, and immediately, we reeled in a few blue runners that we could use as additional live bait.
We headed out a little further, and within a few short minutes, we were in approximately 100’ of water. The mate and captain worked together to deploy a trolling spread of 6 lines, all rigged and skirted ballyhoo. It must have been 30-45 minutes since leaving the dock, and the captain spotted a piece of plywood floating along a current rip. We trolled past the plywood, and as soon as our baits got near the debris, four of the six rods were hit.
The action for the next few minutes was fast and furious. We struggled to stay out of each other’s way and unsuccessfully tried to keep the lines from crossing. It was chaos for a few exciting moments. After things settled down a bit, it was evident that one of these fish was a lot bigger than the others.
After the initial melee, we parted ways with two of the fish. After a few more minutes, we landed a nice mahi. The remaining fish was a brute. It made a ferocious first and second run and then went deep – the battle was on. The fish put up a fierce fight that lasted about 20 minutes, but I was finally able to pull it up from the depths. The mate gaffed the 25 lb. wahoo and slung it into the boat, followed by a chorus of high-fives! What a beautiful fish.
We continued to troll the area, but there were no more fish willing to take our baits. We continued to troll northward, mirroring the coast. As the morning progressed, we were able to hook up on a few kingfish and bonito, but all thoughts circled back to that epic fight with the wahoo. We saw no sailfish that day, but it didn’t matter. Catching that wahoo will be one of those lifelong memories.
