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!

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!!!

Great Day For Newman Family

We had our friends, the Newman family, out for a full day of fun filled charter fishing with us on our charter boat, the L&H.  Our good buddy, Trevor, was joined by his father and brothers for what would turn out to be an action packed day of fishing out of Key Biscayne!  With an early start, our team was able to be the first ones to the bait spot and were thus rewarded with excellent bait fishing!  It was just about as good as it gets and in no time there were a couple hundred frisky live baits swimming in the L&H's large circulating bait well.  I pointed the boat south to where the best fishing had been the past few days.  When we reached the area, everyone was excited to see great conditions (beautiful blue water and strong north current).  It did not take long to start getting bites after the kites went out.  First a sailfish then a couple mahis and things were looking good!  As we battled the second sailfish of the day, I saw another fish grab the left short kite bait.  None of us on board were sure what we had, but all of us knew it was a nice fish.  The Newman brothers did great battling the two fish.  When the first end of our double came up, I could see that it was a real nice wahoo!  My son James reached out and gaffed the tasty wahoo and muscled it to the fish box!  Our efforts were then switched to the angry sailfish.  Again we were able to seal the deal and before long released the powerful billfish to fight another day!  After our double, the boys quickly reset and all the baits were back in the water.  From my perch in the tower I could see a frigate bird wheeling and diving several hundred yards offshore.  It was time to get out there and find out what the bird was looking at.  Before long, I had Miami's best charter boat in perfect position to intercept the migrating gamefish!  Seconds later I spotted a nice mahi, then another and another and another.  They were hungry, eating everything, and there were a lot of them!  Like a well oiled machine, our team sprung into action and began firing out more baits on our custom leeward rods and fin-nor spinning reels!  From my view in the tuna tower, high above the action, it was a beautiful sight to behold.  Everyone working together, hooking up and boating the nice size mahis, and repeating the process over and over.  In short order the guys had landed at least twenty fish all of them nice size!  It was not yet lunch time and the days catch was looking very good!  As we drifted north, the Newman family continued to catch fish and stay busy.  More mahi, a couple nice kingfish, a cobia and another sailfish were added to the tally and there were a couple mystery fish, we hooked on the kite that were eaten by the ravenous bull sharks!  By early afternoon, our anglers were tired from reeling in fish and decided to head in a little bit early.  I suggested we give it five more minutes.  Just then another big sailfish grabbed the left short kite bait and we were once again hooked up!  This one was Trevor's fish and he did a great job working the magnificent sail to the boat for a clean, healthy release!  It was a great ending to a great day of fishing with our friends the Newman family!

Good Day With Danny And Daniel Huebsch

Danny had been fishing on the L&H for a very long time.  Today he was joined by his son Daniel and I was very excited about having the next generation along with us.  We got a very early start and were the first ones to leave the marina.  After leaving the marina we went north, but today the bait were very tough to catch and it took a long time to get what we needed.  At first, fishing with the kites, our team started strait out front.  The water was a greenish blue and there was not much current, but it was worth a try.  After a while with no bites and reports of better conditions farther to the south it was time to reel in the lines and make the move.  After running south almost twenty miles it was like we were in a different ocean!  Beautiful blue water was all the way in to the reef and there was a very strong north current.  We put the baits back out and got a few nice mahis right off the bat.  A short time later I saw a sailfish tailing down sea way inshore of us.  I maneuvered the boat close to the sail and it grabbed the first bait he saw and Danny was hooked up.  The sailfish was very strong and full of energy.  As Danny continued to fight the sailfish out in the deep, another fish ate one of the kite baits off the bow and we now had a father and son double header!  Danny and his son did great fighting the sailfish and we were able to release both fish successfully.  After adding a couple more mahis to the fish box, it was time to make another run back south.  As soon as the baits went back out, Daniel hooked a nice fish on the deep line.  After a good battle, our angler hauled up a nice grouper.  It was shaping up to be a good day.  Not long after boating that fish, our guys hooked two more sails on the kite.  Again it was a father and son double header!  As before, the father son duo did great and were able to get both fish to the boat and release each fish unharmed.  Daniel had a flight to catch so the L&H headed back in a little early to make sure he did not miss his plane.  All of us onboard had a great time and we are looking forward to getting back out there with the Huebsch family soon!