Fishing for Sailfish in the Miami and Florida Keys is at its best from the end of October through the end of March.  There are many techniques used to target Sailfish like trolling, sightfishing, chumming, and even kite fishing.  Generally, when captains are fishing blindly they like to slow troll the edge of the reef in 80-150 feet of water using live Ballyhoos.  While they are waiting for a strike they are keeping a sharp eye out for any sign of activity such as free jumpers, bait balls crashing, and even birds circling an area.  When the conditions are right our captains love to put up kites and fish for Sailfish using live Gogel Eyes and Blue Runners.  This form of fishing is very technical and requires the skill of a good mate and captain to be working together to keep the baits dancing on the surface and attractive to cruising Sailfish.  Another way our captains like to target Sailfish is by actually sightfishing for them from the top of their Tuna Towers in 20-60 feet of water.  Standard tackle used to catch Sailfish would be 12-20 light tackel spinning rods with a 30-50 lb leader and a 5/0 - 7/0 circle hook.  This circle hook is used to help prevent foul hooking fish and allow for a healthy release so anglers can catch them for years to come.  During the summer month it is still possible to catch Sailfish but just not as frequent as our Sailfish Season.  Often times while we are out Dolphin / Mahi Mahi Fishing in 400 - 600 feet of water we will see them free jumping.  When this happens we will often quickly motor near where we saw the free jumper and toss out a live bait in hopes it will get a bite.  Our captain's have been targeting Sailfish in South Florida for over 30 years and have even invented techniques that have been adopted by other fisherman around the world.

Sailfish Conservation

Miami Charter Fishing for Sailfish can be unbeliveable. In South Florida Sailfish is always considered a Catch & Release species.  We also incorporate the use of circle hooks to prevent foul hooking Sailfish.  The technique is quickly becoming the standard for offshore sportfishing worldwide.  We also support the Billfish Foundation. The Billfish Foundation (TBF) is the only non-profit organization dedicated solely to conserving and enhancing billfish populations around the world.

Sailfish just love to jump

The Billfish Foundation

Ray Rosher's Boat

Sailfish Jumping