The Golden Slob November 11, 2021

 Mike was back at it again but this time we had less than ideal conditions so I decided to fish out of Key Biscayne where we would have some cover from the unusually high winds.  Sticking to fly fishing we were limited in where we could fish and the first spot didn't produce any snook, jacks or snappers.  We were fishing a floating line and I decided to switch reels and use a sinking line.  Well, that didn't last long.  Just a few casts in with the expensive sinking line a black tip shark exploded on a school of mullet and ate Mike's fly.  Cool right? No, not cool because in seconds the shark turned around and bit off the fly line taking with him the crucial sinking tip part of the fly line.  Dang, there went $75.00!  Back to using a floating line but now with a heavier fly.  We bounced around to different spots where Mike caught his first mackerel (several of them) and then jacks, blue runners and then it happened.  At our last stop I had this nagging feeling something was going to happen and after putting a few jacks in the boat, something devoured his fly and make a long run.  Mike tells me "yeah, I'm over my head with this one", hilarious!  Mike did a great job of fighting what would end of being his first snook and a slob at that.  Wow Mike!  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

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This didn't take long November 10, 2021

Mike fishes with me several times a year for three days each time and Mike is a really laid back and cool guy and today we got a hot start.  We began by taking advantage of the calm conditions and looked for bonefish on fly.  Not long after Mike gets a bite but missed it.  Then a few minutes later he sweet talked a bonefish into eating and got his first of the day.  Nice!  From there we moved to to snook which were MIA, on fly anyway, and finished the morning loading the livewell with live pilchards.  The plan was to fish structure and live chum so Mike could get a mutton on fly but the wrecks were slow.  However, the last wreck we fished paid off and as I lived chummed Mike kept tossing the fly and caught snapper, yellow jacks, trigger fish (yes trigger fish on fly!) small amberjack, bluefish and blue runners.  In the process he had a huge barracuda try to eat one of his hooked fish and then a big black tip shark also tried the same thing a while later.  We wrapped it up and headed back.  What a fun day with a great guy!   

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

This didn't start well... November 7, 2021

 Remember my last report about my back?  Turns out I went to the gym after my last trip and while doing weights I pulled my lower back, incline bench press at that!  Now I'm in pain, can hardly walk and I had today's trip on the books.  Todays trips was with Kevin and last time we fished it was this May and he got his first bonefish and his son Noah got a massive barracuda.  Today was different as he was with his friend Ryan and Ryan had never caught bonefish.  Oh, and my back is out, it's 59 degrees and the wind is howling at 20-25 MPH.  I almost had to cancel the trip and Kevin was game so we went for it.  It wasn't easy with few places to hide from the wind and my back killing me with the slightest movement but I worked through it.  Having to fish a bit deeper water as the flats we inaccessible the guys caught snappers but no bonefish.  I made a move and there they were as we went 3-4 on bonefish with Ryan and Kevin both got 9 pounders.  Way to go guys and now it's time for me to heal up.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

It was a dark and stormy... November 6, 2021

I hadn't fished with Ethan in a few years as he's in college now and busy but guess who his cousin is, David from last Sunday!  This means that David was back on board today with Ethan and we had to pick our plan carefully due to the coming cold front and nasty weather.  Well, after going 0-4 on snook I loaded up the live well with live pilchards and off we went to fish some shallow wrecks.  It wasn't long until the boys were hooking up but boy we got rained on for a good while as the winds increased.  The highlight was Ethan hooking and landing a massive mutton snapper on a light bonefish rod but there was steady action on smaller muttons and big mangrove snappers as well.  Nice!  I have to tell you the run back to the marina was no fun but we got back.  However, on the run back I felt a weird something in my lower back.  More on that in my next report! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Mixed bag of insanity October 31, 2021

Back from my honeymoon I hit the water with regular client David and father and in law Elliott.  David always wants to fish for sharks but I suggested we change things up this time and he was cool with it.  It was a packed house as every spot I went to for snook had at least two boats on it but not snook fishing.  Whatever.  I went to another spot that has been holding bait and IT WAS HOLDING BAIT, by the thousands!  I cast netted tons of pilchards filling the live well to the brim and off we went.  I had to fish a channel I like because all the other spots had boats on them.  Wow, Sunday fishing! Once in the channel I started to live chum and things got good quick with mutton snappers and yellow jacks destroying the baits and Elliott outfishing David, but....  While having a blast with fish on every cast two big lemon sharks move in and David got all excited so I tossed out a piece of frozen yellow jack I brought and within moments David was on to a 200lb lemon.  After an hour fight and coming to the boat several times the big beast broke us off.  Ouch!   

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Two great trips in 4 hours? October 14, 2021

I had Lenny today who was celebrating his birthday with his family but there was a catch.  He has two daughters with two boyfriends and I can't fit 5 people so we came up with a solution.  Take him and two for two hours then come back, drop off the first couple and pick up the second couple to fish for two hours. I have to tell you, these folks were great, amazing, sweet people and an absolute pleasure to spend time with.  Anyway, I didn't have much time to work and I started stressing because the first two spots were dead but Lenny caught a bonefish so I felt better and well, I love bonefish.  It took spot three and there Lenny proved that he is "lucky Lenny" when he caught his first permit.  Wow!  Alexa and Jason tore it up as well catching jacks and snappers on every cast as well.  After dropping them off and picking up Dana and Jake I went back to the same spot where Jake, who has never fished, caught a permit.  What!  It's time to retire from fishing Jake!  They also caught some snappers and some jacks with Lenny closing out the trip landing a cool and fast running bonnet head shark.  Wow, what two trips in four hours!  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Best day ever? October 13, 2021

 I've had the pleasure of fishing with Alec for years now and we always have a great time and have had some really great days fishing.  However, we were trying to determine if today was the best day ever.  He wanted snook and mutton snappers so that we did.  First stop was a creek I like for snook and he hooked a nice 15lb tarpon on a lure that gave him three great jumps and a nice fight before coming off, ouch!  Then a bit later a big snook crushes the same lure and gives him a great fight only to spit the lure as well.  Ok, what's going on?  Changing it up I found a huge school of pilchards and absolutely filled the livewell to the brim and off we went trying to atone for our amateur hour at first light.  We fished three spots and all three were great but the last two were incredible.  I didn't have time to record video but it went like this: I throw a handful of live bait, the water explodes, Alec tosses a top water lure into the explosion, twitch, twitch, explosion, he's on, drag screams and another fish to the boat.  What did he catch?  More mutton snappers than I have ever caught in a day, yellow jacks galore, mangrove snappers, grouper and barracuda.  A few times Alec tried to rest but I would throw a lure or the rare live bait and I would hook up within seconds and hand him the rod.  Exhausted of catching fish?  It happens in the fall down here.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing