How to fish it
Free-line cigar minnows up-current of the marks for blackfin; troll the edges for mahi and wahoo. Deep-drop the slopes for vermilion and queen snapper on the way home.
See today's tides and currents on the conditions page, or open this spot on the map.
What you can catch here
Blackfin tuna
No minimum size; 2 per person or 10 per boat per day, whichever is greater; open year-round. No federal HMS permit is needed for blackfin in state or federal waters.- Bait
- Live pilchards or threadfin herring free-lined in a live-bait chum slick; chunks of bonito or sardine in a chunk line
- Tackle
- 7 ft rod with a 6000–8000 spinning reel or a 20–30 lb conventional, 30–50 lb braid
- Rig
- 8–10 ft of 25–40 lb fluorocarbon (blackfin are leader-shy); small 2/0–4/0 circle or live-bait hook
Mahi-mahi (dolphin)
20" fork length minimum; 5 per person or 30 per private boat per day, whichever is less (charters: 5 per paying customer, none for captain and crew); open year-round.- Bait
- Rigged ballyhoo for trolling; live pilchards or chunks of ballyhoo and squid to hold a school at the boat
- Tackle
- 20–30 lb conventional for trolling; 7 ft medium spinning rod, 4000–5000 reel and 20 lb line to pitch baits
- Rig
- 6–8 ft of 40–60 lb mono or fluorocarbon (80 lb for big bulls); 6/0–7/0 hook on trolled ballyhoo, 3/0–5/0 on pitch baits
Wahoo
No minimum size; 2 per person per day; open year-round. The federal limit is the same (landed with head and fins intact).- Bait
- Rigged ballyhoo behind a planer or under a skirt; live blue runners slow-trolled along the edge
- Tackle
- 50–80 lb class conventional for high-speed trolling; 30 lb class for ballyhoo
- Rig
- 2–3 ft of #9–#12 single-strand wire or cable (their teeth cut mono); 7/0–9/0 hooks; an in-line weight or planer to get the bait down
Sailfish
63" lower-jaw fork length minimum; 1 billfish per person per day; open year-round. Almost always released: a fish you mean to release stays in the water in federal waters, and any landed billfish must be reported to NOAA within 24 hours.- Bait
- Live goggle-eyes, pilchards, threadfin herring or ballyhoo, fished from a kite or slow-trolled
- Tackle
- 7 ft rod with a 12–20 lb class conventional or 4000–6000 spinning reel, 20 lb mono
- Rig
- 15–20 ft of 40–50 lb fluorocarbon; 4/0–7/0 non-offset circle hook sized to the bait, bridled through the nose
Greater amberjack
28" fork length minimum; 1 per person per day; closed in April; the same in federal waters. Reef fish gear rules apply.- Bait
- Live blue runners, goggle-eyes, pinfish or grunts dropped down to the wreck
- Tackle
- Heavy 50–80 lb conventional or jigging outfit, 65–80 lb braid
- Rig
- 6 ft of 80–100 lb fluorocarbon; 7/0–9/0 non-stainless circle hook with live bait; 8–16 oz sinker
Access
- Fished by
- Charter a boat; Bring your own boat
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Position
- About 24.5975, -80.5910 (Published magazine waypoint (Salt Water Sportsman, 24° 35.853' N, 80° 35.459' W); not an official chart position).
- Federal waters: FWC and NOAA Atlantic rules apply.
- A long run: file a float plan and carry VHF and an EPIRB or PLB.
Not for navigation. Positions are approximate. Use official charts, watch your depth and respect private property and posted signs.