Incredible Sailfishing in the Florida Keys

Sailfishing starts in the Florida keys after the first cold fronts of the fall push through and end, in the early spring.They can be observed,as close as,  the reef line 8 miles off the lower Keys during and after a cold front.

The Atlantic Sailfish(Istiophoris albicons) live in the warmer sections of the Atlantic and through the Caribbean.They have a erectile dorsal fin,which is known as a sail and stretches the entire length of the back.They also have an elongated bill like a swordfish or  marlin.They are categorized as a billfish in sport fishing.

Sailfish are fast growers and can reach lengths of 5 ft in a year.Feeding at mid-depths to the surface, mostly on squid and pelagic bait fish.Sailfish are one of the fastest fish in the ocean and have been clocked at speeds up to 70 mph.Although they are fast growers they rarely grow more than 10 ft in length or weigh over 200lb.

Sailfish swim with their sail down ,but raise the sail to herd bait or when they are excited or  threatened.You can sometimes observe them at the reef  line, spraying and herding bait.They work as a team herding bait and keep the school of bait packed together, then individuals take turns swooping in and eating.

Sailfish are known as one of the top game fish in the world,their incredible jumps and tail walking antics are sought after by all sport fisherman.Incredibly colorful when excited turning electric blue with stripes,they confuse their prey with the change of color and signal other sailfish on what is happening.

If you observe sails feeding at the reef , it's just a matter of presenting a live bait in a natural manner to entice a strike.When in a feeding mode they can be somewhat easy to bait,if not you will have to set-up a trolling pattern.

Here is some basics on trolling; Use a 10 ft piece of #5 stainless steel wire,and a 7/0 mustad hook for ballyhoo and a 9/0 size hook for mullet.You can use a little weight in front of the mullet to drop it below the surface and to stabilize the bait.Baits to use are a deboned double or single hooked ballyhoo or a deboned single or double rigged mullet.To spice it up a bit you can slide a plastic skirt in front of the baits,red,pink and white,blue and white are good colors for sails.

If you like pulling artificials , start with a large lure (7 to 10 ")in size.Colors for artificials are the same as the skirt colors but green and yellow seems to work as well.Trolling techniques start with running a teaser lure out about 30 ft off the stern(teasers usually do not have hooks,they are put out to get the sails interested in the baits you are pulling).Drop your baits over the side and feed out line till they are around 100ft behind the boat(at least the second or third wake of the boat).The humm of the engine and the teaser will attract the sails attention.

Once the fish picks up your bait count to five and set the hook.Get ready for the most beautiful series of jumps you have ever seen.These things literally walk on their tails,but you must remember to give the line slack when he is up and jumping(Bow to him),so he doesn't land on the line when he comes down  and also ,when he is head shaking he doesn't pull the hook.

If you time it right you can be sailfishing less than 10 miles from your dock in the lower keys,to me thats...... Incredible Sailfishing in the Florida Keys.