The Gulf Stream has been sitting tighter to the reef than we’ve seen in weeks, and it’s turned the fishing off Islamorada into a full-blown circus. We’re talking clean blue water inside of 8 miles off Alligator Light — that’s practically in our backyard.
Early this week we ran out to the color change in 100 to 300 feet of water and found exactly what you want to see in March: a hard edge where the dirty green water loaded with ballyhoo meets that warm blue push from the stream. Water temperatures jumped from the mid-70s to 79 degrees in a matter of yards. That temperature wall is stacking bait against the reef, and the sailfish are right there behind them.
We’ve been flying kites along the edge with live goggle-eyes and ballyhoo, and the sail bite has been legit. The east wind has been cooperating — 10 to 15 knots most of the week — which keeps the kites up and the baits in the zone. When the current pins bait against the reef like this and you’ve got sails cruising that edge looking for an easy meal, it doesn’t take long to come tight.
The kingfish have been smoking along the same reef edges. Slow-trolling live baits or bumping ballyhoo in this chop has been getting it done. We’ve also been picking at wahoo deeper toward the hump on high-speed trolls along the wall. Blackfin tuna have been mixed in around the humps on the tide changes.
The bottom bite has been strong too. I rode along with fish captain Conan Yates on the Just Cuz recently and we crushed it deep dropping the Islamorada Hump — boxed a six-man limit of yellow eye and vermillion snapper plus a pile of banded rudderfish before we even got to the sword grounds. Little to no current on the Hump that day and the bait was sitting right in the zone. Every drop was getting bit. After we filled the fish box on snappers, we ran out to the sword ledge and went two-for-two on keeper swords in ripping current with 12 pounds of lead. The deep water is producing top to bottom right now.
The deep water has been producing too. A couple weeks back I jumped on the Miss Penny for a daytime swordfish trip, and we went 6 for 15 — six swordfish released out of 15 bites, with multiple doubles making the cockpit look like a rodeo. Every fish went back. We were dropping in about 1,600 feet of water and the bite turned on like a switch once we found the zone. The daytime sword bite off Islamorada has been as hot as I’ve seen it, and that kind of action tells you the deep water ecosystem is dialed in right now from top to bottom.
Spring sailfish season is firing on all cylinders. Flat to moderate seas, warm water tight to the reef, bait everywhere and swords eating in the deep — this is the setup we wait for all year. If you’ve been sitting on the fence about booking a trip, the water’s telling you it’s time.
FISH FACT
Sailfish are the fastest fish in the ocean, capable of bursts up to 68 mph. During Islamorada’s peak sailfish season (December through April), the Gulf Stream’s proximity to the reef creates a natural funnel that concentrates both baitfish and predators along the reef edge.
FISH TIP
When kite fishing for sailfish, resist the urge to set the hook on the first crash. Let the sail turn with the bait and load up on the rod before you come tight. A rushed hook set is the fastest way to turn a bite into a miss.
