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!

John Gets His First Sailfish And Then Some

Our friends at Gaffed Up Magazine referred John and his dad to us to try and get the boy his first sailfish! The trip started out a little shaky as we had some battery issues, but the father and son were patient as we worked on the problem.  It wasn't long before we were up and running and headed out to sea.  There had been some fish out front so we didn't have to go very far before putting the baits out.  About forty minutes later a sailfish came to the right long kite bait and John dropped back and hooked the fish.  The sailfish took off for the horizon and bullbuster kite vis mono dumped off our fin-nor reel.  Our young angler took his time and did a great job fighting the fish.  After a while we had the fish at boatside and were able to release the fish unharmed.  I was so excited to get that fish especially after the rough start we had.  Once again the baits went back out and this time we did not have to wait long before another hungry sail came our way.  Just like before, John hooked his own fish and did a great job of fighting it.  With two sailfish already, the father and son team, were on their way to a great trip.  The current was pushing us north and when I saw a free jumping sail, I knew we were going to be in position to get a bite.  Seconds later, a lit up sailfish, came racing in on one of our kite baits.  For the third time today, John dropped back, hooked and released a nice sailfish.  We had a little time left, so I pushed out to a wreck that was near by.  Right away, a big sail came up, but this time John let his dad catch the fish.  Dad must have been watching his son, because he made quick work of the sailfish and we let it go to fight another day.  Just then the deep line bent over and John grabbed the rod and began to fight the fish.  This time it was a big yellow jack that we were hooked up to.  We put the fish in the fishbox and headed for home!  It was a great day of fishing with John and his father and we look forward to seeing them again soon.

Robert Kauffman Has A Great Day

Robert Kauffman, from Greenwich, CT fished with Miami Charter Boat L&H for the first time this week. We wanted to do all that was possible for Robert to have a great day, so me and the boys left at 4:30 am and got a bunch of bait before the sun came up. As we came back to the marina, Robert was just getting there so we loaded him up with all of his gear and off we went. Robert has never caught a sailfish before, although he has seen others catch them, so that was the first priority of the day. We ran to the south and were the first boat to cross the edge. There was a nice edge with beautiful water and good current so that is where we set up. Right away a sailfish came up, but didn't bite. Then we got a sail on the right middle and it started jumping all over, but somehow the line got tangled in the reel and the fish broke off. Not long after that, Robert hooked another sailfish on the left middle and this time everything went according to plan and our angler had successfully released his first ever sailfish! The baits went back out and shortly thereafter, we were hooked up to another feisty sail. After some great runs and jumps, Robert had his second sailfish of the day! We set back up, but this time a passing sailboat nearly took out our entire spread so it was time to try something else. I steered the L&H to a shipwreck, but unfortunately luck was not on our side and we lost a couple nice fish. From there we headed north and all the sudden I spotted something chasing flying fish.  Jim quickly put out a bait and hooked a nice mahi. More and more fish started showing up and before long we had several of them  hooked up and jumping all around. The fish were biting good and we quickly added fifteen mahi mahi to our icy hold! Jim spotted a frigate bird a couple miles away and in no time we were again battling mahis! Although there were not as many in this school, Rob was still able to boat a half dozen more of the mahi mahi! Everyone agreed to spend the rest of the time kite fishing, so back up went the kites and the baits back in the water.  Almost immediately, a big sailfish came and devoured the right middle and once again Rob was hooked up!  Then another sail ate the left middle and at the same time another fish on the left short!  Robert now had three sailfish speeding off in different directions, but with all of the fish he had already caught, I knew he could handle the triple. He took his time with each fish leaving the other rods in the holders. After he released a fish, Rob would just grab another rod and go back to work. Just twenty minutes later, we released the third fish of the sailfish triple header, all by the same angler!!!  It was a tremendous accomplishment and all of us were thrilled! Very quickly the baits went back out and again we got bit right away. This fish was on a flatline with our new fin nor reel loaded with bullbuster tenacity mono.  The fish made a long blistering run and I kept expecting to see it jump, but it never did. I knew it was a nice fish and after a tough battle, Rob had a thirty-five pound kingfish at gaff! Just then, another sailfish grabbed the right middle kite bait and our star angler for the day quickly got to the rod and hooked the fish! Just like she had done many times throughout the day, the L&H performed that familiar reverse rumble as we chased the angry sailfish. After getting the leader and releasing Roberts sixth sailfish of the day it was time to head for home. We were all impressed with what a great job that Rob did today and we had a great time fishing with him! Can't wait to get you back out there, Robert, thanks for a great day!!!!!

Danny And Family Get In On Some Action

Our friend Danny took his brother in law and two nephews out for a full day of charter fishing on our  Miami charter boat the L&H!  With a west wind I was not sure how the fishing was going to be, but   for as long as I have known Danny he has been good to me so I wanted to make sure he had a great day!  The bait was a little slow, but after a while we managed to get enough.  We started out trolling to the south and missed a few fish and finally managed to land a nice tuna.  After that, the plan was to put the kites up and see what would bite.  The conditions were less than desirable, but everyone remained optimistic.  Not long after the baits were out a nice sailfish came to the left middle,  grabbed the helpless baitfish and took off jumping toward the horizon!  Unfortunately during the ariel display, the angry sail managed to break the leader.  The disappointment was short lived, however, as we started getting good action on our deep lines.  First a few small jacks, then one of the boys hooked something much bigger!  Line melted off the fin-nor spinning reel and the young angler held on for all he was worth.  After a tough battle, Danny's nephew hauled in a big kingfish!  We were back on track!  Our crew continued to find steady action with the sub-surface baits including another nice king and a decent cobia that was destined for the dinner table.  Around mid day we got bombarded with a barrage of bites all at the same time!  From the way the fish were acting I could tell they were bonitos, but none the less watching four anglers try and fight seven fish was good fun! All of the sudden one of the bonitos came racing at the boat with a big bull shark right on its tail!  My quick thinking crew rapidly hooked the shark rig up to the ten pound bonita and threw it right back over the side.  Within seconds we were bit and the bullbuster braided line melted off the gold fin-nor reel!  Danny was going to have to fight this beast as it was too large for his young nephews!  After the big shark took off on the initial run, Danny put maximum drag on the fish and was able to get the 350 pound bull to the surface in about a half an hour!  The boys were able to get some great underwater footage of the fish (using an underwater camera on a long pole) before we released it to fight another day!  From there I took us to a shallow reef where the boys had non stop action with barracudas on light tackle!  When the bite slowed on the reef, our plan was to head back offshore and try dropping for golden tilefish.  These fish are excellent eating and we catch them in very deep water.  This is a type of fishing that Danny loves to do and is very good at so I knew he would be excited.  When we arrived at the spot the conditions were good and it didn't take long for us to start hooking up!  As expected, Danny had the hot hand and he caught more than anyone.  In less than an hour we caught our limit of golden tiles to around fifteen pounds and decided to call it a day!  Our guests enjoyed a nice smooth ride back to the marina in the comfort of the air conditioned salon!  Back at the marina we took some photos, had plenty of laughs, and cut up a bunch of fish for Danny and his family to enjoy!  All in all it was another great day of fishing and fun on Miami's Best Charter Boat, the L&H!!!