Double Digit Sailfish

We had a group of clients from out of town aboard the L&H to do some Miami Charter Fishing. After catching some live bait in Biscayne Bay it was time to head offshore into the gulf stream and try some kite fishing. Shortly after setting the baits, two sailfish appeared and were both hooked and jumping behind the custom 46' Hatteras, L&H. Both of our anglers did great, making for two successful sailfish releases to start the day! Later on that morning the team added some bonitas and another sailfish to the tally before the current died. With deteriorating conditions the captain headed the boat up the coast toward Key Biscayne. It was looking very promising and as we slowed the boat and set the baits back out. Strong north current and cobalt blue water were the conditions we hoped for and I knew more sails would rise up soon! Over the next hour and a half we caught 2 more double header sails and a single giving us a total of 8 for the day so far. All of the sudden a pack of sails came up behind the boat. In short order we were hooked to a quad! Unfortunately 2 of the fish got away but we managed to catch the other 2 and ended the day with an awesome 10 sailfish releases while charter fishing off of Miami Beach aboard the L&H.

Blue Marlin, Tuna and Mahi..What a Day!!

We had couple from overseas on the L&H to do some Miami Fishing. The weather was beautiful. With flat calm seas and cobalt blue water our custom 46' Hatteras seemed as if it was gliding effortlessly into the gulf stream. Off in the distance I could see birds circling and diving with fish crashing below. "TUNA!!", I yelled to the crew as we approached the feeding gamefish. Without hesitation the lines were set and they were bit immediately! The couple sprang into action and began catching nice size tuna one after another. Doubles and triple headers of the gamefish were the norm rather than the exception and our Bullbuster mono was doing the trick, even with heavy drag. In short order, our team put a dozen nice tuna in the L&H's icy hold. From there there crew reset the spread and we resumed our hunt. From my perch in the tower, high above the surface of the water I spotted a big fish closing in on the right teaser! "BLUE MARLIN!!!", I shouted with enthusiasm. the big blue marlin charged the teaser and lunged after it time and time again with each attempt at the teaser, more aggressive than the previous! With perfect light and crystal clear blue water the now angry blue marlin was completely lit up, giving me (and everyone else on the boat) one of the most incredible sights I have ever seen off of Miami! The fish teased all the way in and continued lunging after the teaser, even after it was hanging from the rigger! The crew presented the pitch bait with precision and accuracy and the hungry blue marlin engulfed it. I put the L&H in reverse and the Cummins engines came to life as we charged backwards after the greyhounding marlin. Our angler did an incredible job as we chased the fish all over the ocean. Finally after several incredible series of jumps and some other maneuvers we had the 300lb marlin at boat side for a clean release. It was truly an incredible catch from start to finish and one I won't soon forget! We continued fishing and before long started catching nice mahi-mahi. The mahi action remained consistent and before days end we added a bunch to the fish box including a couple of 25lb bulls! It was an unforgettable day and just goes to show that you never know what will happen when you step on board the L&H for a day of Miami Charter Fishing!!

Great Morning Trip with The Briestra Family

The Briestra Family has been fishing with us on the L&H for quite some time. We always look forward to seeing them and especially enjoy their oldest boy, Noah. Noah is always very excited to do some Miami fishing and he always sports his L&H t-shirt with pride.
The weather was nice as the L&H cruised into the cobalt blue waters of the gulf stream. Once the fish finder read 1000 feet of water below us, the crew set the lines and we began to search for signs of life. It wasn't long before we found a nice weed edge. Several other boats had found the same edge and were running out in front of us. Ignoring the others, we continued trolling and searching to find the fish. Off in the distance I spotted a single tern circling and diving, a good sign of hungry gamefish below. We followed the bird for a while but as we got close it flew away. We continued toward the spot where the bird last was. Then a single flying fish jumped up off in the distance. I quickly steered the L&H toward the fleeing flyer and looked down into the water to see what had spooked the baitfish. "I got em!" I yelled to the crew, "get ready". It was a big school off nice sized mahi, migrating to the south. I can't believe everyone ran past these, I thought to myself as the team began casting out baits to the big school of fish. It was game on! Before long Ben and his family were all hooked to nice fish. Noah could hardly contain his excitement as he battled fish after fish to the boat and eventually to the L&H's large fishbox. Dad was firing out baits, hooking the fish, and passing the rods off to his family! It was such a pleasure to watch from my perch in the tower. With other boats complaining on the radio about no fish it became obvious we had made the right decision not to race down the edge! We stayed with the school for over and hour. Exhausted, Noah continued to reel in the mahi one after another! Even though he took a couple short breaks, Noah would be the one to put the lions share of fish into the icy hold! When the crew signaled to me that we were close to the limit,  it was time to let the rest of the fish keep going and head the L&H toward shore. Ben and his crew retired to our air-conditioned cabin to cool off for the smooth ride back to the dock. Upon arrival at the marina we took some pictures of the catch and filleted up a bunch of mahi for Ben and his awesome family to enjoy! It was another awesome day of Miami Charter Fishing with our friends the Briestra Family aboard the L&H!

Blue Marlin and Limit of Mahi with Lucky Noel

Noel has been fishing with us for a while and always seems to have good luck and today would be no different. After a quick stop at the bait spot and loading up with fresh baits the L&H headed into the gulf stream to do some Miami Charter Fishing. After a short run, the crew set the spread and we began searching for offshore gamefish. Suddenly I spotted several mahi swimming below the cobalt blue water of the gulf stream. "Throw out here!" I ordered as the crew cast live baits with pin point accuracy and without hesitation. Noel and his crew sprang into action and began working on the fish. Like a well oiled machine, our team fished the school and before long had over twenty-five mahis in the box. As we resumed the hunt out anglers cooled off in the L&H's air conditioned salon as the others scanned the beautiful South Florida waters for more signs of fish. By mid morning we had enjoyed consistent action with more dolphin both trolling as well as sight fishing. Just before noon, I spotted a truly large school of mahi and just like before the gang sprang into action. All of the sudden a big bull dolphin swam up looking for something to eat. We delivered a perfect cast to the big fish and we hooked up immediately. By now several other boats were close and trying to get in on our school. I decided to chase after the bull and let the school swim off. After a tough battle, the angler boated the big bull dolphin as well as the three more we needed for a six man limit. With sore arms for everyone and a limit of mahi in our icy hold, it was time to head inshore and try some wreck fishing. When we arrived at the spot a live blue runner was sent down tho the bottom in 210' near an old shipwreck. Somehow the bait got hung up and the crew broke it free. From my perch in the tower high above the waters surface, I could see a big black shape follow the bait up to the surface. BLUE MARLIN! I quickly yelled as the crew quickly cut the lead off. The marlin did a half circle and engulfed the hapless blue runner right in front of our eyes! I leaned hard on the throttles and raced the L&H in reverse to get the leader and a quick release on the jumping blue marlin. The leader hit the tip and everyone went crazy as the lit up fish swam away to fight another day. We had just released a blue marlin while wreck fishing off Miami! What a day!! A blue marlin and limit of mahi to 35lbs for Noel and his group! It was another great day of Miami Charter Fishing!!

What a Day

With winds out of the north, our plans for the day were to take a look offshore and then hit the edge in the afternoon. Our clients for the day were eager to do some Miami charter fishing so it was off to the gulf stream. Once the L&H reached 1000 ft of water off of Key Biscayne I spotted a lone frigate bird off in the distance. As we got closer, the blueish color of a nice mahi caught my eye. Quickly I instructed baits to be presented as more and more fish began showing up. For the next twenty minutes the team worked together to put 25 nice mahimahi in our icy hold. Once we got going again the left rigger took off screaming. Our angler did a great job and after a good battle we added a nice wahoo to our catch. Now it was time to turn our attention to the edge. The conditions were perfect for tailing sailfish and it wasn't long before we started seeing them. For the next few hours we rode around looking for sailfish and casting baits when we found them. Multiple hookups were the norm rather than the exception and by 4:00pm we had released 12 sailfish. Time was running out on out day so we decided to put the kites up for a little bit. Kite fishing proved to be the right decision! In short order we caught two nice blackfin tuna and 3 more sailfish. What a day of charter fishing on the L&H! Dolphin (mahi), wahoo, tuna AND 15 sailfish!! #springfishing

Back to it!!

We have been off the blog for quite some time, but we are back to it now!

Everything is well the the David Family and the L&H.
The fishing has been very good as of late and the summer in general has been good for the dolphin. There have been some nice wahoos and the occasional tuna on the reef as well. The sailfish have started to begin making their presence known and we have been catching them trolling natural baits. We are looking forward to the fall season of Miami Fishing Charters where we see bigger mahi and wahoo and the sailfishing will be improving all the time!
Stay tuned for more posts on our blog and don't forget to follow us on instagram! @landh_sportfishing

20 for 20

The fishing had been very good and with brisk north winds there was no reason for it to slow down! After catching bait, we decided to look for tailing sailfish right off the bat. Within minutes we spotted a pair of sails and Mike presented two baits with pinpoint accuracy. Both fish raced over and engulfed the frisky live baits. The brilliantly colored billfish put up a tough battle, but were released quickly to fight another day. We resumed our hunt and just like before, we found two more hungry sailfish that were quickly released. For much of the morning our team continued sight fishing the sails until the wind switched out of the east. It was time to put the kites up. Before Mike could get all the kite baits out, we hooked a triple header of sails! I was in awe of how smooth everything was going and how easy Mike made it look. Over the next hour our anglers for the day caught 8 more sails and a couple nice dolphin. By now everyone was tired and relaxing in the air conditioned salon of the L&H. I asked if we could put the baits out one more time and they agreed. Minutes before it was time to go, two feisty sails came to the kite baits. As we had done so many times that day, we hooked both fish and Mike coached our anglers so they were able to release both fish successfully!! This made an incredible 20 sailfish releases out of 20 sailfish bites. It was truly an amazing day and one we will not soon forget!

26 Sails

With west winds out of the north and clear skies everyone was excited about what the day aboard the L&H might bring! We left the dock eager with anticipation and as we crossed over the edge the conditions looked promising. As soon as the baits went out they were bit immediately. First, the right short, then right middle and just like that our team was hooked up to a double header sailfish! Both fish danced across the surface of the water as the morning sun peered over the horizon. Our anglers successfully released both ends of the double header sailfish and the action would remain hot for most of the morning. Singles, doubles and triple header sailfish were the norm rather than the exception and the crew stayed busy releasing fish and resetting the lines. Around midday the action slowed and we moved up the line a few miles. Once again the kites were set out and the sailfish came up to feed! With several multiple hookups, we had released 10 sailfish before the wind completely died. Two helium balloons were used to help keep the kites aloft. I decided to run back to where we started in the morning in hopes of catching sailfish number 20. It was the right move! In the last half hour of the day, our crew successfully released 7 sails to bring the total to 26 sailfish releases for the day! It was an outstanding day of sailfishing aboard the L&H and a day our clients will not soon forget!

Mahi And Tuna Action For The Thomasoz Family

We had the Thomasoz family aboard the L&H for a full day of Miami charter fishing. Our plan was to catch a few live baits then get out to the edge and see what the day had in store. Bait came easily and in no time we crossed the edge and were greeted with good conditions. Without hesitation, the crew deployed the baits as the L&H slid comfortably over the clear, blue waters just offshore of Miami.  Minutes later both long outrigger baits were inhaled by a pair of nice mahi mahi. After a short battle, both fish were boated and we resumed our search. As soon as everything was set back out, a pack of ravenous mahis crashed the party and reels screamed and more nice fish took to the air! This time four fish were hooked up and all anglers were busy doing battle. More fish began showing up and the talented crew wasted no time hooking them! For nearly twenty minutes, everyone stayed busy with nonstop mahi action. For most of the morning, the Thomasoz family enjoyed good success with nice sized mahi mahi, much to the delight of everyone on board! Around lunch time the skies grew darker as the weather began to deteriorate with the presence of an approaching front. Finally after putting thirty good sized mahis into our icy hold, they shut off. There was still plenty of time left in the trip and the crew continued to work hard and try and find more fish for the Thomasoz family. After switching up a few things and changing our methods just a little bit, we began getting bites once again! This time it was blackfin tuna that started coming in with consistency! Multiple hook ups were the norm rather than the exception and once again all four family members stayed busy fighting these strong fish with light tackle!  As the afternoon wore on, the weather continued to get nastier. Storm after storm rolled through as the L&H continued fishing. It was in the middle of one of these rain storms that a sailfish charged in and ate one of the long outrigger baits. Unfortunately after a few jumps the fish spit the hook. By late afternoon the tunas were biting very good and it was just about one after the other! As soon as the lines were set, they were bit! Everyone was having so much fun that we all but forgot about the weather.  The tuna fishing was as good as we had seen in a while so we hated to leave. Finally our team pulled the last fish over the rail and headed for the dock! It was a great day of fishing with mahi mahi and tuna action that had everyone sore from reeling, but very happy with coolers filled with tasty fillets for all to enjoy!

Amy Catches One Bigger Than Her

We were on a big convention trip with anglers from all over the country. Most of them had never been fishing before and were happy to just be out on the boat. One angler, Amy, had different aspirations and was admit about catching something bigger than she was. There had been some sailfish around, so that seemed like the best shot at something big. Immediately upon reaching the edge, we found a nice size mahi. The fish traveled to the south at a high rate of speed as I followed it from my perch in the tower. Our crew readied a live bait and threw it in front of the traveling mahi. Moments after the frisky live bait hit the water, the hungry mahi raced over and devoured our offering. We were off to a good start. From there it was time to set up the fishing kites and wait for a big sailfish. Unfortunately that is exactly what  we did, waited and waited and waited! Trying as hard as we possibly could, luck was not on our side and the team could not buy a bite. It looked as if Amy was not going to get her wish. Time was running out on us. Finally I spotted a sailfish on the surface and maneuvered the L&H to the spot.  Seconds later, the right kite bait got very nervous, a sure sign that a hungry predator was close by.  Then the dark inky color of a big sail deep below the waters surface appeared. Right middle I shouted as the fish pounced on the bait. Somehow the fish ate the bait off the hook. Watch the other baits I ordered, as I knew the fish did not feel the sting of the hook and we could very well get another shot.  Seconds later the big sail reappeared on another bait and this time everything went our way! White water flew as the big angry sailfish tore up the surface of the cobalt blue water. Amy battled the fish relentlessly as I did everything in my power to get the L&H close to her quarry. After a long hard fight, the exhausted fish was alongside the boat. Amy had done it! Being around five foot tall she was dwarfed by the seven and a half foot sailfish! Exactly what she wanted, a fish bigger than her!  Everyone was happy for her and it was another great day of charter fishing aboard the L&H!

Busy Afternoon Half Day

It was a windy, fall, afternoon half day and our trip was only four hours. With some frisky live baits swimming happily in the large circulating bait well, I decided to head straight to the edge and get right to it. As the boat slowed down just past the edge of the reef, the baits went out and we were fishing in no time! Our guests for the afternoon were from the mid-west and were happy to catch anything.  Suddenly a decent sized mahi charged in and ate out long rigger bait. I made a turn to go back through the area and another good sized mahi mahi came racing in on my bridge rod. The fish swam behind the skipping bait for a few seconds before committing to it and we were on again. Happy with our quick start, we continued to work the area. This time when the rod bent over it was from the pull of a good sized kingfish. Customers, crew and captain alike were enjoying the immediate success as the L&H pounded the spot. Suddenly I saw a sailfish closing in on my bait dragging from the one rod I was fishing from the fly bridge. The fish tried the bait, but missed. Not to be deterred, the hungry sail came from behind with even more determination. When the sailfish grabbed the rigged, natural bait I dropped back for several seconds to make sure the feeding billfish had time to swallow the bait. Upon feeling the sting of our sharp hook, the beautiful sail took to the air and raced for the horizon. Everyone grabbed a rod and began clearing lines as fast as possible so we could begin to chase the fleeing billfish that was now several hundred yards away! After a tough battle we had the fish along side the boat for a few quick pictures and a healthy release. Quickly the lines were set back out and the hunt for gamefish resumed. Out in the deep, a frigate bird swooped down to the waters surface, a sure sign that a feeding gamefish was not far behind. When we reached the spot where the frigate was diving, I could see a couple sailfish chasing bait only a few feet below the waters surface. Maneuvering the L&H into position, and presenting a live bait was just what the doctor ordered and one of the hungry sailfish casually swam up and engulfed the hapless live bait. By now everyone knew the drill and quickly cleared the other lines so we could chase the fish down. Shortly thereafter we had our second sail of the day alongside the L&H for a quick release. With only a little time left, it was time to start working our way back in. Just before taking the lines out of the water and heading for the marina, I spotted yet another sailfish chasing bait on the surface. For the third time in only a few hours, we were hooked up to a brilliantly colored, majestic sailfish! This fish determined to get away, greyhounded at a feverish pace across the clear, blue water! The L&H performed that familiar reverse rumble as we backed down in hot pursuit. Finally after covering a lot of ground we caught up to the now exhausted sail and made another successful release. On the way home our home, our clients enjoyed the air conditioned salon as they reflected on another great day of sport fishing off Miami aboard the L&H!

The Cruz Family Comes From Orlando To Fish On The L&H

Our friends from the Cruz family have been following us on Instagram  (@LANDH_SPORTFISHING) and decided to come fish with us for the day! Driving down from Orlando, the family and friends passed hundreds of other charter boats so we wanted to do everything in our power to make sure the trip was worth it for them! Looking for action on the edge of the reef to start the day was the first order of business. Moments after the first lines were set, they were bit. Only minutes after getting started, the Cruz crew boated a nice kingfish. Continuing to work the area, bites kept coming and the family and friends enjoyed good action most of the morning with nice sized kings and smaller bonitos. Suddenly a frigate bird swooped down to the surface of the calm blue water. Up in the tower I could see the dark color of a feeding sailfish underneath the whirling frigate. Quickly, James presented a bait, but unfortunately the sail was not interested in what we had to offer and slowly sunk out. By now the action on the reef edge had slowed and it was time to head further offshore and begin our search for pelagic gamefish in the vast gulf stream. After a while, I spotted a big piece of floating debris off in the distance and was very optimistic about what might be lurking below! Much to our dismay, the possible "fish haven" was completely barren, void of any life, bait or gamefish. Seeing that, it was time to switch gears and try a different technique. Not far from an area where our crew had enjoyed some successful deep dropping, that seemed like a good spot to start. Conditions were fair as our baited hooks plummeted to the ocean floor far below. Bites came rather quickly, but we were having trouble hanging on to them. Finally the stout rod warped over and bounced violently from the tug of a nice sized fish over thirteen hundred feet below. The team worked the fish to the surface and much to the delight of even-one aboard it was a nice barrel fish! Things were looking up as we ran back to the spot to hopefully find another. This time as we waited for a bite on the bottom, the surface bait went off. One of the Cruz group set the hook and a beautiful mahi mahi took to the air! I quickly ascended the tower to get a better view of the situation, hoping to spot another fish! "More Fish!" I shouted down to the cockpit, and no sooner had the words left my mouth, more baits were presented!   All of the sudden we had a few nice mahis hooked up and our team worked together to avoid tangles and get the fish to the boat. Everything worked out the way we hoped and all of the colorful, tasty mahi mahi made their way to our variety filled fish box. With all the attention to the surface action the bottom rod was getting good bites, seemingly unnoticed! It was time to take it up and find out what was on there this time. From the strain on the reel it was obvious that we were tied into something good. This time a variety of great big rose fish and barrel fish. We made a couple more drops and added a couple more barrels for good measure before starting to fish our way home. By now the wind had really picked up and the seas were building. On the way back the Cruz's boated a couple small tunas for good measure. Even though we were faced with some adverse conditions, our friends made the best of it and ended up with a great variety of good eating fish. Back at the dock after a long day at sea, we took some pictures of the catch and filled the cooler with bags of fillets for the family to enjoy back home in Orlando!

Max Gets A Shot At A Big Mako

We had our friend Max out one sunny afternoon for a half day of charter fishing. The weather was gorgeous so the plan was to head offshore and see what we could find. About seven miles offshore, we had a double strike! Two rods bent over and started screaming! Moments later two big dolphin erupted from the calm, blue water of the gulf stream. Max had his hands full as he battled the first fish to gaff.  With the first end of our double header secure in the icy hold it was time to turn our attention to the second fish! Unfortunately, after long battle, the scrappy mahi shook its head and spit the hook just a few feet from the boat. Nevertheless we had secured dinner for Max and resumed our search. With promising conditions, I suggested we try some deep dropping. Arriving at a spot chosen some thirteen hundred feet above the ocean floor, the rig was sent to the bottom. The team  did not have to wait long for a bite! The rod bent over sharply from the pull of a nice fish almost a quarter mile below and the fight was on. One of the coolest things about deep dropping is the fact that one can never be sure what kind of fish will come up! As everyone peered down into the calm, clear, cobalt blue waters of the gulf stream there was something extremely large at the bottom of our rig. When it got closer, the shape all of us were looking at was a big mako shark eating the fish that was originally hooked. Without hesitation, we pulled what was left of the mangled bottom fish quickly into the boat. The angry mako circled around the boat looking for the rest of his meal. Immediately, the remainder of the fish went back over the side, except this time it was attached to a heavy duty shark rig! The brilliant blue, short fin mako shark circled the bait relentlessly, but refused to eat it. It seemed as if Mr. Mako could tell something was not right with the rest of its meal. For several minutes, we watched as the mako circled its prey, a truly amazing sight! It would go out and come back in then go out and come back in over and over again. Finally, the pointy nose mako shark could not help himself any more and swam casually over and engulfed what was left of the deep water bottom dweller. Line slowly came off the reel as Max free spooled to give the shark plenty of time to swallow the bait. When he engaged the reel to strike the fish, the big strong hooks dug in and the speedy, streamlined mako shark was off to the races! Line came off the reel at a blistering rate as the shark raced for the depths. The crew and I readied gaffs, a harpoon, and tail ropes fully aware that we could possibly be in for a boat side battle! Much to the dismay of everyone onboard, the clever shark rolled itself up in the leader and parted it off. Just like that the fish was gone. It was a tough break, but we were thankful to have seen the fish in its natural habitat. After regrouping, we ran back to the spot and caught several nice barrel fish. We managed several more nice mahi on the way home to finish out another exciting day of sport fishing on the L&H!

Ronnie And Richie Have A Great Day

Our friends Ronnie and Richie have been fishing with us several times in the past few months.  We really appreciate the fact that they keep coming back to fish with us so we wanted to do everything in our power to insure they had a great time!  The day before the trip, our crew caught bait and worked on all the gear to make sure everything was in good order. The L&H got an early start and headed straight to the fishing grounds. Lines were set as the sun was coming up, but unfortunately no early bite today.  After pounding the edge for a while it was time to work our way farther offshore. Finally we got a good bite on the long rigger and Ronnie went to work. From the way the fish was acting I was pretty sure it was a tuna. Not long after, Ronnie had a nice blackfin tuna to gaff! Continuing offshore, it wasn't long before I spotted a big weed line on the horizon! The area looked great as the crew began to pick away at smaller size mahi. Traveling south and into the current the conditions kept getting better and better. Birds, bait and game fish all cruised the weed line and it wasn't long before bigger and bigger mahi began to show up. Richie and Ronnie battled the hungry mahi and the action was nonstop!  The fish were all ten to twenty pounds and these scrappy fish put up a great fight on light spinning gear! For a couple hours, the team was having a mahi mahi free for all! It was so much fun, everyone was having a ball! I knew we were getting close to the limit so I had everyone take a break and cool off in the air conditioned salon! A final count revealed we were one fish shy of the limit! Ronnie quickly added another fish to our tally and it was time to try something else. We headed back inshore to try some deep dropping! Conditions were less than favorable, as the current was very strong! Nevertheless we decided to give it a try anyway. It was nearly impossible to fish, but somehow we were still rewarded with a few rosefish for our efforts. By now it was early afternoon and with a box full of fish everyone agreed it was a good day to head in a little bit early. The guys relaxed inside the cabin on the way home after another great day of Miami charter fishing on the L&H!

An L&H Type Of Day For Gus And His Guys

Gus and a couple friends booked the L&H for a full day of Miami charter fishing!  The South Florida weather was beautiful as we steamed offshore at sunrise.  Our plan was to try the edge first then work our way from there later in the day. As soon as the L&H crossed over the edge, the lines were set and they got bit immediately! This was a great start to the day as the sun was barely up over the horizon and our anglers were tied into hard fighting fish. The first fish to come in were feisty bonita. The action continued as the morning wore on much to the delight of the captain and crew! When the dust settled, the quick stop on the reef, netted us several bonitos and a few nice sized kingfish! Now it was time to head offshore to the gulf stream and try our luck further out. Only a few miles from the reef edge, the left short went off and we were once again hooked up! This time a nice wahoo was at the end of the line and after a nice fight, the fish was gaffed and put in the fish box!  Time to get going again and see what else the day had to offer. From my perch in the tuna tower I could see a big weed line off in the distance! Excitement and anticipation were the feelings I had as we headed for the weed line! It looked so good, there had to be some hungry mahi in our near future. All the conditions were right and it did not take long to spot the first mahi! A frisky live bait was presented to the colorful mahi as it cruised under the sea weed looking for an easy meal. The mahi raced over and engulfed the hapless bait fish and we were once again hooked up! Then up from the depths more and more fish started showing up.  Soon Gus and the gang were all busy hooking, fighting and eventually landing nice sized mahi mahi!  The weed line was full of fish and we had it all to ourselves! I slowly cruised the L&H down the line finding fish almost at will! All of the fish we were seeing were nice sized and every once in a while a big fish would come into the mix! The crew was working together like a well oiled machine! With perfect conditions for sight fishing it was almost too easy! After a couple hours I was sure we were close to the limit and decided to stop the boat and count the fish to make sure we did not have too many! We pulled all of the mahi out of our icy hold and just as we expected we had our limit of ten fish per person! Now it was time to try for something else! Since we were in twelve hundred feet of water, some deep dropping was the perfect tactic to try next! The crew quickly shifted gears and got out our deep drop rigs. By the time everything was set up we reached the first spot! As our anglers relaxed in the air conditioned cabin, the lines were sent down. Today was one of those days where everything that we tried seemed to work and the deep water bottom fishing proved to be no different. Immediately after the baits it the bottom we started getting bites. This time it would be the brightly colored rose fish that would fall victim to our baited hooks. Several drops were made and in short order the team added nearly fifty rosies to our nearly full fish box! By now it was starting to get late and time to head home.  As I steered towards home, a big school of blackjacks caught my eye. Why not have some fun with light tackle, I thought to myself, as I maneuvered into position. The guys broke out the little rods and artificial lures and put a hurting on the scrappy fish. We use these fish for a variety of things and even though we caught a bunch of them very quickly, none would go to waste! With the box full and our anglers exhausted it was yet another awesome day of charter fishing off Miami aboard the L&H!

Fun Morning With The Lee Marks Family

Our friend Lee Marks booked the L&H for a half day of Miami charter fishing.  Lee, his three boys, and his wife came aboard one nice summer morning! We have known the Marks family for a long time and they have always been good to us so it was important to make sure his family was well taken care of! It was a short trip to the bait spot and the Marks boys sprung into action. The boys were obviously accomplished bait fishermen and had plenty of frisky live baits in our circulating bait well in short order. It did not take long for the L&H to reach the gulf stream and start searching for pelagic game fish! As we worked our way further offshore, the conditions continued to improve. "Left rigger!"  Someone shouted as the line came out of the clip and we were hooked up just like that. A nice mahi danced on the end of our Bullbuster fishing line as young Stefano battled the fish to boat side. With dinner in the fish box, we resumed our hunt and soon found another mahi for the boys. The patches of sea weed were teeming with life. Consistent action with good sized mahi kept smiles on every ones faces! A few hours into our trip, Hunter found himself hooked into a big rainbow runner. This fish was a strong fighter, but its excellent table fare would make the fight worth it. With the rainbow and a bunch of nice mahi in our icy hold, it was time to start making our way closer in. Then out of nowhere, I spotted a big mahi on the surface and had the boys get a live bait to the fish. The bait hit the water and immediately raced for cover in a piece of sea weed. Not to be deterred, the big, hungry mahi charged over and crashed into the weed trying to get the hapless bait fish. It was a beautiful sight to watch as the mahi made several attempts at the bait before finally plucking it from the sea weed. As soon as the fish felt hook it went airborne in an attempt to throw the hook. Then another big fish showed up, and was quickly hooked. Just like that, we had two big fish on and the both went in separate directions. The two boys battled the fish and after a little while, Hunter had his fish almost to gaff range. Just feet from gaff,  the big mahi made one last jump and threw the hook. Unfortunately after a tough fight, the other mahi got away as well. Thats fishing, you win some and you lose some! The boys did not seem to mind and were happy to know that these fish would be waiting for them next time! We had a great ride back to the marina, where our crew took pictures of the catch and cut up a bunch of tasty filets for Lee and his family! It was a fun day and we look forward to fishing with these guys again soon!

Great Day For Leo And His Crew

Our friend Leo chartered us for a full day with some of his friends and we were excited about the possibilities!  Leo likes to get an early start so we were the first boat out!  The weather was beautiful as we ran to the bait spot.  Being the first boat to the bait patch is always nice and in short order we had what we needed for the day.  With a baitwell full of frisky live baits the L&H headed offshore to the gulf stream, armed and dangerous!  Just a couple miles inshore, of the spot we were planning on starting at, I spotted some birds on the horizon!   As we got closer, I could see a frigate and a few terns working over some fish!  "This is convenient" I thought to myself as I climbed the tuna tower to get a better look!  As the boat slowed down, I could see a nice school of hungry mahi swimming on the surface!  The crew sprang into action and soon there were colorful mahi being hooked up left and right!  As more and more fish showed up, it seemed like the perfect time for Leo to try his luck with the fly rod.  Leo made a great cast and within seconds a nice size mahi raced in and devoured the fly!  After some great angling by Leo, and a lot of maneuvering around other hooked fish, he brought his mahi to gaff!  We stayed in the school for a while and boated a bunch of mahi including several on fly!  With most of the other boats still scrambling for bait, we were in the meat and off to a great start!  Our team continued to pick away at mahi all morning as the L&H worked to the south.  Just before noon I spotted a piece of debris off in the distance.  As we got closer, I could see plenty of mahi and a cobia swimming by the floater.  Leo quickly hooked the cobia and shortly thereafter boated a nice triple tail!  Leo and the crew stayed busy with mahi and also caught a bunch of black jacks for good measure!  With a bunch of mahi and black jacks in our icy hold, it was time to switch gears and do some bottom fishing.  The boys got the rigs ready and when we made it to the spot, the lines went out immediately.  As soon as they hit the bottom, we were bit immediately!  Soon, the brilliantly colored rose fish were coming over the rail at a feverish pace!  The crew worked hard to keep the rigs going in and out and in no time at all there were several dozen rosefish in the box!  With a bunch of fish to clean and pictures to take, everyone agreed it would be a good idea to head in a little early!  It was a great day for Leo and his crew aboard the L&H and everyone went home a little sore from catching fish as well as big bags of fillets for dinner!

Max Has a Great Day

We went charter fishing that morning and the conditions were great! Our group from the morning trip managed to release eight sailfish so needless to say, I was chompin at the bit to get back out there! There was still plenty of bait so, the plan was to head strait out and start fishing right away! It wasn’t long at all and we were back to the edge and the kites went out. Before the crew was able to get all the baits out we hooked a triple header sailfish! This was just the start I was hoping for! Max was able to release two of the three sailfish and again the baits went back out. Before all the baits were out, two more sailfish were dancing behind the L&H!
After releasing both ends of the double header, I ran to the south to get back in front of the fish. The wind was starting to die so the kites were barely staying up. Max managed two more sailfish releases before the wind stopped and now we were at six releases for only a couple hours fishing! While the guys were working on a helium balloon (to keep the kite aloft) I spotted a free jumping sailfish. Seconds later, we were in position and the second the first bait hit the water a sailfish came up and devoured it! Hooked on light line, this sailfish took off greyhounding for the horizon! Although the fleeing sail did its best, it was no match for the L&H! The maneuverable Miami Charter Boat charged back on the suborn billfish and before long, our mate was able to successfully release our seventh sailfish of the afternoon! Now it was time for the helium balloon to do its job! After only minutes of waiting, Max hooked a sail on the kite and was able to catch and release the fish rather quickly. After that, the L&H was still in a good spot and so out went the baits. Again, Max hooked up right away, but this sailfish was much tougher, and it was a long fight. Finally, Max had his ninth sailfish of the afternoon at boatside. Max was very satisfied with his day and at the same time exhausted! I wanted Max to get to double digits, so we raced back to set up one last time. As soon as the first bait went out it was eaten by a hungry sailfish! We backed down quickly on the sail and my good friend Max released his TENTH SAILFISH of the afternoon! I was so very happy and proud of him! It was an amazing accomplishment and an action packed afternoon that none of us will soon forget! 

A Fun Afternoon With Drew

Drew came along on an afternoon sport fishing adventure aboard Miami's Best Charterboat the L&H!  The weather was beautiful and we took our time catching bait.  There were no other boats out so we had it all to ourselves.  As we ran offshore there was huge amounts of sea weed.  I knew where the fish had been the past few days so the plan was to run strait out and start in the same area we had been fishing.  No sooner had the L&H slowed down and baits started going out, I spotted something floating offshore of us.  It turned out to be a piece of wood with some rope entangled around it.  To get us started we found nice dolphin, a few tripletail, jacks and loads of triggerfish.  The seaweed seemed to go on for miles so we began to ride it to the south.  Right away I began spotting dolphin and when the bait went out the hungry mahi would race over to it.  The fish were all decent size and Drew was enjoying throwing out the bait and hooking the fish himself. A couple hours later we found ourselves in a nice school of keeper dolphin.  All of the sudden like so many times before a big fish swam up while we were busy catching small ones!  Drew was able to quickly hook a bait and throw it in front of the hungry mahi mahi.  The ravenous dolphin raced over and engulfed the happless baitfish much to the delight of every one onboard our successful charter fishing boat.  As usual Drew, our friend and repeat customer was able to battle the stubborn fish to the boat without any issues.  After the big fish was in the fish box our well oiled machine was able continue to work on the school.  Since we were close to our limit I decided to start heading inshore. This turned out to be a good move as I spotted nice size tuna breaking the  surface of the water.  The tuna were moving fast and it was difficult to to get into position.  Adding to the equation was the fact that there was so much sea weed.  Sometimes we would have everything looking right, but just as the fish were about to see the lures we would be covered up with sea weed.  Finally we go what the pass I wanted and hooked a triple header!  Line melted off the fin-nor reels as hooked tuna ran in all directions.  After some fancy footwork and alot of pumping and reeling all three of the tasty tunas found their way into the fish box.  The lines went back out and we caught another double header tunas.  After this Drew was ready to enjoy the air conditioned salon as we made our way comfortably back to Crandon Park Marina in Key Biscayne!  Once again it was another fun and successful day of charter fishing on the Miami Charter Boat L&H!

Richmond Brothers Have A Busy Day

The Richmond brothers have been charter fishing off Key Biscayne before, but never on the L&H!  We were excited to fish with three brothers and got an early start to what would be a great day of sportfishing on Miami's best charter boat.  After loading up with bait we headed out to try the edge first.  In the first hour of fishing the guys landed several bonita and a few kings.  From there we started heading to the south.  A friend on another boat told me he saw a big dolphin and there was a nice weed line so the boys started getting ready for mahi as we motored to the south.  Soon we reached the area where I heard about the mahi, and started to search.  A few minutes later we spotted a big bull dolphin swimming down the weed.  It was very close to where my friend told me he was and it was similar in size to what he said so I was sure it was the same fish.  We backed around chasing the acrobatic bull as our angler gained line at a feverish pace.  Minutes later we gaffed the fish and once again resumed the hunt.  A couple miles further I spotted a couple frigate birds working and this find would vault us into some excellent dolphin fishing.  Before getting even remotely close to the birds we started catching fish.  Within seconds the brothers were all hooked up to dolphin and would stay like that for a while.  More and more fish continued to swim up as the group added more and more mahi to our icy hold.  Around mid day the action started to slow down and we decided to go even farther south.  I was sure the guys had never seen or caught a permit so we pushed inshore to give it a shot.  We reached the area and looked around for a while without seeing anything.  The conditions were not bad, but without seeing any fish I was just about to leave.  Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a truly large fish.  The bait went out and the big, hungry permit raced over and engulfed it!  And just like that we were on!  Bullbuster line melted off the reel as we chased the angry fish in hot pursuit.  As was the norm for the day, our angler did a great job and after an exciting battle had the exhausted fish in the boat!!  We were so happy!!!  The brothers were happy with the permit and and the crew was happy with the great weather and great fishing that we were enjoying!!  By now we were pretty far from the dock and it was starting to get late so we started heading back.  On our way home we added a nice cobia and a few more dolphin to finish up what was a fun and exciting day of fishing on Miami's Best Charter Boat the L&H!!!