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!!

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!

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!

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!

Juan Fabini Stays Busy With A Variety Of Fish

Juan Fabini has fished with us on the L&H before and we were excited to have him back out with us!  The fishing had been good lately so we were excited about what the day had to offer.  After catching bait we decided to start out kite fishing, but with very little current we did not get any bites.  Off in the distance I could see some birds so we pulled the kites in and headed toward the flock of diving sea gulls.  As we got closer, everyone watched as nice size tuna tore up the surface of the water.  Within seconds we were hooked up and line melted off our fin-nor reels!  These fish fought hard and the crew worked together to put several nice fish in our icy hold.  It wasn't long before we found another hungry tuna school and as we fished the school it seemed as of more and more fish started showing up.  Our lines were getting bit as soon as they hit the water and it didn't seem to matter what we put out, the fish would eat it.  Before long the two couples fishing with us that day had landed almost thirty of the mixed sized tunas.  Out of nowhere, we caught a nice mahi mahi and added that to our collection of fish.  With a light current, it seemed like a good time to try some deep water bottom fishing.  We trolled out to a spot in over one-thousand feet of water and sent down several circle hooks with a large lead baited with cut bait.  We started getting bites almost as soon as we hit the bottom, and Juan and his guests started catching rosefish one after the other.  Although we did not get any big bites our team landed almost forty of the colorful rosefish in short order!  It was time to start heading back in, but I stayed in the tuna tower and continued to search hoping to find something on the way home.  Just north of the inlet I spotted a pack of four sailfish swimming on the surface.  The fish were hungry, but unfortunately luck was not on our side!  We hooked all four sails, but were only able to get one of them alongside the L&H for a successful release!  The other three sailfish got away for a variety of reasons.  Nonetheless, Juan was very happy with the sailfish release as this was the first he had ever seen!  We headed back to the dock and took some photos and cut up some fish for our friends.  It was another fun day on the L&H and we kept Juan and his guests busy with a variety of good eating and strong fighting fish!