Palm Beach Live Bait Sails 101

[Deep C]

Jer and Admin have been up my scuppers about tossing this one up. I got some time to kill so lets rock...

Each November the weather starts to cool a bit. At that same time the fishing begins to heat up. Each passing day more and more sailfish migrate into my back yard... People are astounded when they come from up north to see how close the fishing is actually done here. Most days within a mile or two from the inlet is all that is needed. Of course there is always that outside chance that they are on fire say thirty miles either way of us , north or south but the steadiest action usually is pretty close to our inlet.
Lets examine why that is... An inlet isn't just a place for water to rush in and out. Its also the highway for various kinds of migrating baitfish. Close to the inlets jetties one popular baitfish can be caught but its tough pickins to get enough for a whole day of fish beating. The blue runner though is still a good bait.

For all intents and purposes though the bait of choice used here is the Goggle eyed scad, also called Goggle Eyes or GI for short. These baits can be purchased at a premium "swimming gold" price from several local bait guys. People cringe when they hear $100 a dozen for them but that is the going rate and the guys work hard for their money. They need to run as far south as Miami out to 400' of water at night to catch them then race the eighty odd miles backk to Palm Beach by sunrise to sell them.
Sailfish rigs are about as simple as can be. A 5/0-6/0 octopus or circle style is the preferred hook. 40-60 lb mono is attached to them using the "uni knot" which allows a little play and gives the bait a more natural presentation. The leader can be from 8-15 feet depending on your prefference and us either attached by swivel to conventional gear or uni to uni knot for spinning rods.

Rigging the bait is also very simple. On calm days, my usual way is to simply hook the bait directly under a "V" shaped plate at the back of their head. The hook is pased under this notch fairlyshallow to avoid hitting the spine and killing the bait.

If the water is rougher or if I'm using tired baits recycled from earlier in the day . Hooking them through the nostrils works well. Though they don't swim as attractively, pulling them from the front puts less pressure and strain than from behind the head...

The next method takes a little more work but insures the high dollar bait wont simply work the hook til it tears out. Important to go this extra mile when the bite is hot and every bait counts... This is bridling.
First we get a piece of floss.... We form a loop and using your favorite knot (I use double uni's). basically create a circle about 2-3' inches in diameter... Its a good idea to have a load of these made up before a long trip...

Next we use a rigging needle to pull the loop through the eye socket of the gog...

Now...We pull one end of the loop through the other and pull it down tight to the head.

You can do this early and have several ready to go.... To attach to the hook simply wrap the loop a few times around the shank of the hook.


Now we are ready to go find fish...

[bay banger]

great post deep!

[Deep C]

Lets go find some water to fish in. Like I said it should be close to the inlet. Color changes are a good choice or right on the edge where it starts to drop off from 100' on down is the standard place.
Tackle can be conventional or spin. 20lb gear is ideal for the south Florida spindle beaks. There are several methods for deploying them. My most common method is to run two off the riggers (one long + one medium long) then one close on the flat line. The conventionals are fished with the lever up on the free spool button with clicker and just enough drag to keep the baits from just running out.
On spins I double a piece of copper wire and wrap it around the shank below the foot of the reel. From there I bend a "hook" in it. I open the bail and let the taught line sit in this hook. When a fish hits it lets go to let the line drop back to the fish with no hinderence...
Now thats how I like to fish. It allows me to move around more freely than the "other" method,which is kites.
Kites allow the bait to be dangled beneath it. crating a great presentation and keeping the leader out fo sight from the fish.
A typical kite rig consists of a short rod. A reel loaded with say 50lb dacron and two clips. Me I use a pen 49 mariner reel. It has a narrow spool sio I doon't have to worry about spoolong evenly when doing things fast. It also allows youu to disengage the dog and use the handle backwards to achieve desired position.

The rigging of them sounds complex but really isnt. Good kite clips come with different size holes drilled in them a swivel will pass through ones base but not the next one.
I load the reel say 2/3 full. Attach a large swivelp that will eventually carry my #2 clip out... add about 50-60' of line set that # 2 clip on then tie a smaller swivel and another 50-60' where the #1 clip is added. THen a small snap swivel to the kite itself.

The kite is run out the 60 or so feet til the first smaller swivel catches the #1 clip. The line with the bait is set in the clip and both are let out anither 50-60 feet where the second swivel picks up #2 clip and that bait is attached. Then both baits are run out usually long awya from the boat. The baits are worked as the kite raises and lwers with the wind to keep them paddling around on the surface. some guys attach streamers of bright color up the line about 10 feet so they can see where their baits are...
The kites them selves have adjustable bridles to set the height and angle of the kite. Also many manufacturers build specific kites for specific wind conditions. Thouh I have a classic set of lewis kites, SFE makes an all around that will fly great in 5-25 knots sing one kite. They are expensive though +-$130...



Now we have the baits out... The hurry up and wait begins. When you fish gogs long enough you start to learn what they're saying through the rodtips telegraphing their movements. A quick pull down, usually indicates a kingfish is around. Their bite is usually quick. Often involving a sky rocket where they either launch from under with the bait in their teeth or launch and then land on the bait. Mono leader usually but not always ends with a cut off. Wahoo is a similar story. The line going slack often means a cuda has got the bait swimming back at the boat. You gotta watch for this... "Mr. Bait, that propellor is NOT your friend".
Finally we get to them getting increasingly agitated and comming toward the surface. Bingo! That one is telling "Oh shit! A sail is about to eat me."
Time to be in position. Thumb on the spool, clicker off or with the spin, off that "hook" in your finger tips with bail open. You see a purple spot then a bill will start wagging behind the bait. You'll feel a distinct tap and its time to let him eat. A full four or five seconds is plenty. Reel tight, short strokes with "J" hooks or just keep reeling with circle...
The fish will probably launch and start a blistering run. Be careful though that he doesn't turn and run back at you. Be prepared to wind like hell to take up the slack and keep the line tight.
A typical fight will go about 10-30 minutes. A typical fish may be 40-60 lbs and around 7' tip to tip. Some are considerably bigger...
Boat side, get the hook back if you can do it without hurting the fish. Otherwise cut the leader as close to the mouth as you can...

[Proheat]

Deep- just so I'm with you here. When you use the needle and pull the bridle through above the eyes and put the end through the other end and then take the end and wrap it around the shank of the hook, my question is- do you tie the end to the hook before or after you put it through the head or don't it matter? Do you tie it tight to the shaft with no slack so that there is no play when there is a strike or do you leave some slack in it for a lack of better words "A safety harness" or a second chance incase the bait wasn't inhailed the first time?

[JOE_DIRT]

Great info, deep - but I can't believe you admitted to using a Penn on the kite rod!

[Deep C]

Deep- just so I'm with you here. When you use the needle and pull the bridle through above the eyes and put the end through the other end and then take the end and wrap it around the shank of the hook, my question is- do you tie the end to the hook before or after you put it through the head or don't it matter? Do you tie it tight to the shaft with no slack so that there is no play when there is a strike or do you leave some slack in it for a lack of better words "A safety harness" or a second chance incase the bait wasn't inhailed the first time?

The hook goes on after... like I said, you can have a bunch of ones bridled ready to go if you want. I sometimes will "snug" it down but usually I'll leave a hlaf inch "tether" to the bait...

[Deep C]

Great info, deep - but I can't believe you admitted to using a Penn on the kite rod!

Senators and 49's are real work horses. I have no issues with those runs. The gold plated coffee grinders though are a different story. Besides, Shimano doesn't have a reel that will go backwards...
Since I kite fish maybe only once or twice a year I can live with it...

[Deep C]

The bite for sails here builds to a peak in late December / early January. Ten fish days are not uncommon that time of year but can stretch in to March or even April some years.
An inside hint on really enjoying your self would be to book a boat off peak times. When the boat shows are going, a load of people come down and is crowded. Holidays and weekends are also crowded. November and early December can be surprisingly good with good weather and the whole ocean to yourself... If numbers is what you want January or February is the time... But expect bigger crowds, colder weather... Actually Cold weather with a north wind is what you really want...

[Proheat]

I promised my son a trip to Disney this fall. Maybe we can sneak off one day and charter you! I'm sure my son would be thrilled and I'd love to hook one or three myself!

[Logan9581]

Here is a good way to store your floss loops so they will be ready and not blow around in the wind. I tie them then use the rigging needle and put them through the plastic jig. When you need one, just pull it out. You can use the hanger to hang it in a handy place.