Rays of sunshine

A group of people standing next to a person holding a fish - Fishing
Yvonne, Bridget, Mike and Kent Loftus enjoyed fantastic day aboard The Best Bet with some sizable catches of King mackerel, an amberjack and a red grouper.
Yvonne, Bridget, Mike and Kent Loftus enjoyed fantastic day aboard The Best Bet with some sizable catches of King mackerel, an amberjack and a red grouper.

This past week has been outstanding as usual (but honestly, even when the fishing’s not red hot, how can you beat a day on the water?).

The Best Bet team continues to thrill anglers from every walk of life.

Out on the reef, our charters have been boating great catches of mangrove and yellowtail snapper with plenty of Kingfish and cero mackerel tossed in the mix to keep anglers on their toes. These toothy speedsters will definitely test your skills as some fish are in excess of 50 pounds.

Offshore, it seems like the dolphin fishing will never note that seasonal tapering – the waters are still teeming with schoolie and gaffer dolphin as well as a plenty of black fin tuna and wahoo.

Let’s not forget the sail fishing has continued to be red hot.

Capt. Mike Nealis released a sailfish aboard The Best Bet.

When you hook one of the Keys most renowned game fish, you better hold on! The blistering 100-yard runs and unbelievable acrobatics are sure to keep your attention for the 20-minute or so fight it takes to affect the release.

Now for the rays of sunshine…

As we settle into light northeasterly breezes in January, a special type of fishing unfolds on the inside edges of the reef and Hawks Channel – sight fishing for cobia. While certain trade secrets simply cannot be revealed, we are looking for large sting rays loaded with cobia this time of year; and indeed, we are finding them.

This is a unique fishery that consumes some time, so patience is a must. But when you find the ray, you can easily catch your limit of these tasty game fish with some fish approaching 70 pounds or more! It is an exciting venue to say the least.

Best Bet for the week ahead: Keep your eyes open for the rays!