Stuart Florida has been labeled the "Sailfish Capital of the World" Fishing for Sailfish out of Stuart Florida from November through May provides an ample opportunity for you and your guests to encounter a thrilling fight and hot sailfish bite. Sailfish are the fastest fish in the ocean reaching speeds in excess of 70mph. Combine that with incredible aerial acrobatics and you have a recipe making sailfish one the most sought after sport fish in the world. South Florida Sailfish average 7ft in length and weigh between 35-40lbs. It is not uncommon however to catch sails over 50lbs. Early in the season a common technique used for sailfish is trolling dead ballyhoo on circle hooks. We use 20lb conventional tackle and depending on condition will fish between 4 and 6 rods with circle hooks. Two teasers are deployed without hooks when trolling for sailfish. We pull a teaser called a dredge. A dredge is a subsurface teaser which has as little as 18 baits to as many as 40 baits on it without hooks. The purpose of the dredge is to mimic a school of bait fish. Bait commonly travels in ball shapes when moving around offshore. The bait does this to survive and sails and dolphin thrive on these "bait balls." It is not uncommon in the heat of the sailfish migration to have 2,3, or 4 sailfish attacking your teaser. Peak sailfish season traditionally runs December through January but can vary depending on the strength of the Winter. During the heart of the season it is not uncommon to capture double digit numbers of sailfish in one day. During December 2011 and January 2012 we had many days with releases between 5-10 fish a day. Are biggest days were 14, 16, and 18 releases. If you are booking a sailfish charter ask your Captain if they pull a dredge.
Capt. Price has made a living fishing and placing in Dead Bait Sailfish Tournaments from St. Augustine Florida to Cancun Mexico. You can view the tournament history under the Captain Profile page. He has learned techniques from three of the best Captains the East coast offers and has taken the skills he learned as a mate and polished them into his own methods. With time techniques change and the guy who fishes the most has the best chance of keeping on top of these changes.
Mahi-Mahi, Bonito, Kingfish, Wahoo, Blackfin Tuna and Sharks are all common by-catch when charter fishing for sailfish with dead bait.
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