May 29, 2014 Report

Day four of fishing with Paul and Neil and the goal continued to be tarpon. Early morning Neil hooks up to about a 100 lb tarpon that cleared the water in a big way! After a 15 minute fight the tarpon comes off after another jump. Later on Paul hooks up to a fish that never jumped but took over 200 yards of line before we could even react and get the boat moving to chase it! After regaining line the tarpon took us around an anchored boat, tried to wrap us around two markers, tried to cut us off on some rocks, sped towards a dock and finally under and through bridge pilings. What a ride! After an hour and 5 minute fight, Paul landed the monster tarpon.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 28, 2014 Report

Day three with Paul and Neil. With poor visibility to fish the flats we committed ourselves to tarpon fishing. The bite was very slow all morning although they were around. In the afternoon after the tide turned that certainly changed. We ended the day hooking five tarpon up to 100 lbs and landing one in the 60lb range. It was a great day as Neil landed his first tarpon ever which was a major reason for this trip. Congrats Neil!

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 27, 2014 Report

Day two with Paul and Neil, this time out of Key Biscayne. Much less boat traffic today, whew what a relief! We had nice conditions today as well and started off tarpon fishing but although they were rolling, no bites. We moved to the flats and had numerous shots at bonefish, including a big 12+lb bonefish that chased Paul's bait but lost it in the grass. We also had shots at migrating tarpon on the flats but all we could manage was one fish break off the school to follow Paul's bait. We thought a hook up was assured but he lost interest at the last minute. Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 26, 2014 Report

It's Memorial Day and a big thank you to all our service members who have fought and serve our country to defend and protect us and our way of life. Paul and Neil from Maryland were aboard braving the crowds for some flats fishing south Biscayne Bay. We had shots a bonefish, permit and tarpon but no hook ups. All in all it was a slow day today. We did see several strings of migrating tarpon on the flats. Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 23, 2014 Report

Dean from Texas fished with me back in December and we had played hide and seek from a relentless wind but ended catching a bunch of trout and other species. Today was different. With the calm winds of May finally arriving, tarpon was on my mind and Dean wanted another shot at a brief encounter with tarpon last time. We started fishing a school of rolling tarpon and were hooked up by 7:00AM to a nice 80+lb tarpon that gave us one big jump then stayed deep the rest of the time. Dean fought the fish for 20 exciting minutes as the fish tried almost every trick in the book to break us off on jetties, points and rocks. Having survived his efforts we were confident he was in the bag, just a matter of time. Twenty minutes into the fight with the fish right under the boat he spits the hook! Bad tarpon! We got a second hit but no hook up. With boat traffic increasing we left the area and fished the beaches where there were lots of tarpon rolling but no hook ups. We finished off the day catching Dean's first shark on the flats and having some shots at big barracudas.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 22, 2014 Report

Day two with Greg and today we fished out of Key Biscayne much further north than yesterday. The goal was to get him on tarpon in order for him to the experience the silver range at the end of the line. While the action started slow, it got better by 7AM when he hooked a monster 100+lb tarpon. Three huge jumps later and the tarpon was off to the races. He was out over 150 yards before we knew it. As the fight settled we kept it on a short leash close to the boat and laughed as he dragged my skiff around. However, 15 minutes into the fight the tarpon made a dash for a series of bouys where he eventually broke us off. Heart broken we redrifted the area and got a second bite but the fish came off instantly. We ended the day fishing for sharks.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 21, 2014 Report

While his wife was speaking at a conference, Greg from Canada took full advantage of his down time and spent two days with me on the flats. Today we fished south Biscayne Bay for a wilder experience than the more developed area around Miami. We started fishing for snappers in the deeper channels but the action was slower than expected. With a few live baits in the live well we tucked into 2 1/2' to 3' deep flats for sharks. We ended the day hooking 7 sharks and landing 4, most in the 5'-6' range. Greg was started to mention how he would wake up sore the following day and of course, that always brings a smile to my face.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 19, 2014 AM & PM Report

AM It's May yet the April winds have continued and today was no exception. Joe and Chip from Sanibel climbed aboard and we sped off to some trout flats. Although the fishing was slow overall we did hook some nice trout including a monster trout that came off during the fight. Chip did keep this one for dinner.

PM My afternoon trip was with local angler Alec and his friend Dave. Both of these guys served in our military and my deep appreciation for their service cannot be communicated sufficiently. We started looking for tarpon in now windier conditions but seeing only one fish roll and no bites after an hour, we decided to chase Biscayne Bay's other big game. Running to a flat in 2-3' of water that has been producing for me we set up and waited. A bit later one of the rods doubles over and the reel starts to scream. In 30 seconds the fish had taken over 150 yards of line with no sign of stopping. After a chase and a 30 minute battle, Dave lands his first Biscayne Bay fish, a nice 5+' lemon shark. With winds increasing now to a steady 25MPH and time running out, we headed back in and called it a day.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 11, 2014 Report

Last year Michelle had booked me as a surprise for her husband Jaime but a tropical storm ended that trip before it got started. This year was different, Jaime and Michelle climbed aboard on Mother's Day ready to have a great time. We targeted tarpon for the first part of the trip but the tarpon bite continues to be slow. Wanting to make sure they tangled with some Biscayne Bay big game we headed to some shallow flats. Chumming in 2 1/1' to 3' of water we hooked two sharks but they broke off and spit the hook. Finally, the third one was the charm and 1 hour later, we boat a big lemon shark. By that time it was time to head in and minimize the amount of hot water I would be in by working on Mother's Day. Jaime and Michelle were great to spend time with and I look forward to fishing with them again soon. Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 10, 2014 AM & PM Report

AM Ken is a regular client of mine and brought Steve and Steve's 5 year old son Christian. We started off looking for tarpon but the bite was slow. We had only one bite but the hook never set. With Christian getting bored we decided to turn the trip into Christian's first fish caught so off we headed to snapper land. Christian ended up catching his first fish and more and ended up forgetting about the smart phone he was using to watch cartoons. Mission accomplished! Hopefully this is the first of many trips for him.

PM Quickly putting my skiff on the trailer I headed out of Key Biscayne just south of South Beach and headed to Homestead for my afternoon trip out of north Key Largo. What I thought was going to be some tough conditions proved to be not so tough. Sure the wind was still howling at 20MPH but the skies cleared and my clients were awesome. Craig and his son Jake are from Jupiter and wanted to spend some time together before Jake heads off to college. We started off taking a number of shots at bonefish in super skinny water but no takers. We moved off a bit and had a blast fishing for sharks. Jake landed a nice lemon and then Craig hooks into a big lemon shark on my 10lb test outfit. Oh no! He fought the fish for 1 hour and as the shark was next to the boat almost ready to be boated, the line snaps. Ouch!

I had a great time today seeing some old friends and making some new ones. Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 9, 2014 Report

Fishing South Biscayne Bay today with Otmean and his wife Nadia, the focus was on snapper and shark. We started off fishing for snapper and although it was slow, Nadia did hook a nice grouper but the grouper got the best of her and she lost it to the rocks below. Moving onto the flats, Otmean ended up landing two sharks and we had two others break off. He released the last shark minutes before we had to head back to the dock. Nice timing!

Cap. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 8, 2014 Report

Brad and Don from Virginia were in town for Brad's son's wedding and planned a morning on the bay today. The last time Brad was in town the tarpon had lockjaw but the trout fishing was good. Today was different. Not long after our initial drift in a stiff breeze Don hooks up to a nice 90-100lb tarpon. With reel screaming and rod doubled over the tarpon gives Don 3-4 big jumps and then spits the hook. A few drifts later we decide to move as the increasing wind and chop shut the fishing down. Don had the hot hand a hooked a few trout but with the wind laying down a bit we decided to spend the last few minutes of the trip looking for tarpon. We didn't hook tarpon but Brad hooked a nice grouper on a jig but lost it to the rocks after a nice run. Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 5, 2014 Night Tarpon Report

Tonight Josh was aboard for some after dark tarpon fishing. With calm conditions we worked an area that has been producing a lot of tarpon for me and it did not disappoint. There were rolling and busting fish around us and finally we hook up and 100lbs of tarpon clears the air. Unfortunately, a few moments into the fight the fish jumps and comes off. URGH! We got several more hook ups but lost each fish for different reasons. Although a frustrating night for me, Josh was able to experience the power of a big tarpon. He'll be back out for more! Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

May 2, 2014 Night Tarpon Report

With the tarpon bite so red good, tonight was going to be a great night. Or so we thought. Conditions were a bit windy but not unfishable as David boarded for a night time tarpon trip. For the first few hours there were very few signs of tarpon, a roller here, a roller there but no bites. It was little consolation that the other 6-8 boats we saw had zero hook ups either. We moved to another area where David hooked a nice grouper but the it got him in the rocks below. We ended the night fishing one of the bridges that held good current and lots of bait and had several big tarpon bust baits and right next to our baits but no hook ups. Sometimes you just can't explain certain things and this night was one of them. Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

April 30, 2014 Report

There are some trips that hold a special place in your heart and this one was definitely one of them. Local angler Enrique and his son John were aboard to celebrate John's 5th birthday and his last day of chemotherapy. I wanted to make sure John had a great time and caught plenty of fish. I had to be careful though because the wind was pretty stiff and getting worst as the trip progressed. Jon ended up catching quite a few fish from a school that stayed close to the boat the whole trip. he run back was better than expected and he was all smiles. I was so appreciative that Enrique allowed me the honor of being part of John's special day. Happy Birthday John!

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

April 29, 2014 NightTarpon Report

Fishing at night in Biscayne Bay is a very cool experience and tonight Jeff and Ron were aboard to celebrate Jeff's birthday. After a few drifts, Jeff hooks up to a big tarpon and the fight is on! I must admit, I have never fished with two more laid back partiers as these two guys. They were mixing drinks the whole trip and while Jeff is fighting his big tarpon, Ron is providing him with a steady supply of gin and tonic, hilarious! Jeff fought his birthday tarpon for an hour and 15 min but the fish eventually wore through our leader and broke us off. At this point the tide had stopped and the bite stopped in time for us to head back and call it a night. Happy Birthday Jeff!

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

April 29, 2014 Report

Local angler Allan was a board today with his good friend from N.Y. David. These were great guys and film producer David was down in Miami speaking at the University of Miami about his most recent documentary http://mcconkeymovie.com/ on the life of Shane MCconkie. We started off tarpon fishing and Alan immediately hooks up to a nice fish. After several jumps and 15 minutes, the tarpon wraps us up on a pilling and this time I couldn't pull off a magic trick. He cut us off and went home while breaking our hearts. The rest of the trip we caught snapper on the flats and then trout on artificial lures.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

April 28, 2014

Local angler Tom was aboard today for a full day of fishing for more edible species but we were gave in to temptation and fished for tarpon for the first few hours. The tarpon bite was certainly slow so we regained our focus and went fishing for dinner. We found fish most all of the places we fished and ended up losing several really nice fish that we had no hope of landing on the 8lb and 10lb test gear we were using. These were definitely oversized mutton snappers and grouper that should have headed offshore already. With a bag full of fish, Tom certainly had dinner for a few days!

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

April 27, 2014 Report

Yuki, Masao and Hajime from Japan were aboard for a quick trip on the bay. We met at 7:30 am and had to be back by 10:00 am so we had to move quick and get on fish in a hurry. We did just that. Poling into position on a bonefish flat I got us close to structure that produces a number of species and we caught big mangrove snappers, barracudas, big porgies and bar jacks on 8lb test. The snapper definitely tested their skills as they had to do their best from preventing the big snapper from getting back into the structure and cutting them off. They did a great job and we had a blast together catching (pee-ra-nee-a) AKA mangrove snappers! LOL It is incredible how the passion of fishing and the desire to have fun is cross cultural and has no language barrier. These guys have been one of my funnest trips in a while.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com

April 25, 2014 AM & PM Report

The morning found Jack and his friend on the bow in search of tarpon. After a quick run, we found them rolling and busting on the surface. Handing a fly rod to Jack's friend and drifting back a bait on a big spinning rod, we drifted and waited. The waiting didn't take long as the spinning rod doubled over and the reel screaming. The big tarpon stayed deep and for most of the fight and after a few minutes it decides to jump to reveal its massive size, well over 100lbs. As he sounded for the bottom again he spits the hook the we lose him. After a few more drifts and running out of time we make a dash for sea trout and catch trout on soft plastics and on the fly rod. It was a good morning and Jack got to experience the silver rage of a BIG tarpon.

The afternoon had me poling Tucker along the bonefish flats where he had some shots at bones and permit on fly but to hook ups. We ended the afternoon catching trout on fly and soft plastics. We had gorgeous conditions today!

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com