January 30, 2015 Report

Today found me in the Everglades with Jorge Sr. and his son Jorge Jr. We had an absolutely gorgeous day today with light winds for a big part of the day. Low tide greeted us with large exposed flats and hundreds of white ibis' feeding on the exposed flats creating an incredible contrast against the dark bottom. The bird activity was awesome with pink flamingos, white pelicans, ibis' and osprey's with fish in their grasps. At almost every spot we had dolphins playing and swimming by the boat, an incredible sight no doubt. But back to fishing. We had a nice day catching: black drum sea trout sheepshead jacks snapper and mackerel

These guys are always great when they jump aboard on my skiff and I look forward to fishing with them again. By the way, Jorge Sr. is an astro photographer (takes pictures of the heavens) and emailed me a few pictures he has taken from his backyard in SW Miami. They are incredible!

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 29, 2015 Report

Todd from Wisconsin was in Miami to enjoy the warmth, spend time with his daughter and do some fishing. Turns out the morning temperatures were in the mid 50's when we met up at 8am and it was breezy making it feel even colder. Tarpon and shark were on Todd's list so we spent a couple of hours looking for tarpon to no avail so we spent the balance of the trip shark fishing on the flats. We certainly had to work for the sharks as the first several flats we worked were void of sharks. Odd! On the 3rd flat we staked out and not long after a shark here and a shark there started to appear but were being picky. A few dark shadows were moving in and a school of big bonefish were coming in and from the platform a took a shot at the school, the angle was perfect, they were coming in just right and when I made the cast the shrimp flies off the hook. Oh no! That never happens!!!!!! Urgh. Not long after a big shark moves in, picks up the bait and Todd is tied to a big 6' shark peeling 150 yards of line in seconds. A while later we got it to the boat and he was off to fight another day.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 25, 2015 Report

Steve and Joel from North Dakota were in town briefly for a cruise and wanted to get some fishing in for a few hours so off we went. Today was cold and windy, the wind limiting the places we could fish. We spent the 4 hours hiding from the wind catching a number of species including missing the bite of several trout. There were a number of places I wanted to take them to have them experience more of Biscayne Bay and of of course, as we ended the trip the wind laid down and it got much calmer. Go figure! Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 24, 2015 Report

Mike from N.Y. had a choice to make, go fishing or stay in the hotel while his wife was attending a conference. Yeah, no brainer there. With a old front moving through today conditions were definitely tough. There were about 6 spots in all of Biscayne Bay where we could spend our 8 hours fishing and get some relief from the wind blowing a steady 20 mph gusting around 30 mph. In spite of the brutal wind, stormy skies and the occasional shower, Mike hung in there and we caught fish at almost every spot. Using artificial lures we landed a number of trout and hooked dozens more that either spit the hook or came off close to the boat. There were a couple of trout that were BIG but came off early on in the fight. At the end of the day we had accumulated a number of different species and had some laughs.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 23, 2015 Report

In Miami for a conference, John, Mike and Rick joined me for a morning trip for some flats fishing. It was a bit breezy but not bad at all so we had plenty of options. The first spot had the rods bent, at times all three simultaneously, for a little while until it was time to move on. With still no tarpon around, the flats was our next stop. After a long run we set up in 3' of water and began to fish for shark. Not long after one of the rods goes off and the reel is smoking! John has the rod and we are off chasing the fish but after about 10 minutes it cut us off on the coral heads that are scattered along the bottom. We ended the day fishing for trout where we released some and a nice run back.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 22, 2015 Report

German, Andres and Derrick from Peru jumped aboard and it was all over from there. These guys were hilarious! The fishing started with non-stop action as we hit a school of jacks and the rods were bent seconds after hitting the water. We moved on and began fishing for sea trout with artificial lures. Although not red hot, they did catch a few trout before hitting the finger channels. Once at the finger channels, the snapper and grouper that have been consistent were a no show. Not long after noticing the slow fishing I realized why. There was a 4' barracuda sitting behind the boat waiting for any fish to make a move and become lunch. We finished the day close to the marina with another session of hot fishing. The highlight was when one of the guys was catching trout on one lure while the other guy wasn't catching anything on another type of lure. They decided to trade and the guy catching trout kept catching trout on the different lure while the other guy still couldn't. As any good long time friend would do, the teasing was relentless.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 17, 2015 Report

Bryan was on board for the 2nd day and the wind was still pretty stiff so we looked for places to fly fish out of the wind. The trout fishing slowed but Bryan did have a big trout take his fly almost right off the surface but didn't get hooked. He did catch a bid houndfish on fly and we ended the day taking shots at sharks and barracudas on fly but they were really skittish.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 16, 2015 AM & PM Report

AM Report Bryan and his girlfriend Amy boarded today for a half day of fly fishing. The last time we fished Bryan hooked a big tarpon on fly and caught a big shark on the flats. Today conditions were a bit different as we had a old front moving through with close to 20MPH winds and higher gusts. Tarpon spot 1 held a few tarpon but no big numbers and they wouldn't eat a fly. A couple of other tarpon spots later didn't produce any so we changed gears. At our next spot two big 300lb bull sharks were swimming close to the boat hunting for what they could find just a few few from my skiff! Nothing in the area was eating so we had to move off. I don't blame those fish. Sea trout is always a nice fish to target on fly and so we did. However, they were eating lures but not flies. Go figure! The day ended with hiding from the wind behind a key and Bryan sight casting flies to barracudas and sharks.

PM Report Steve and his dad Jim were aboard to celebrate Jim's 71st birthday. I sure wish I'll look like Jim at 71! We went back to the same spot where the bull sharks were in the morning and they were gone but everything else there was still MIA. Still hiding from the increasing wind we went fishing for sea trout and landed one, lost a few next to the boat to pulled hooks and missed a number of bites. There was one trout that ate something off the surface and it was huge! Moving off to the shark flats, we set up but no bites after 45 minutes so we moved closer to the marina as the skies were darkening. At our last spot Jim and Steve caught numerous snapper, lost a grouper and we ended the trip on a high note. Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 15, 2015 Report

Tony was in Miami enjoying the warmth of Miami, something absent in his hometown of Canada. It started off with an ominous fog that covered us most of the trip. Giving Tony a tour of the light tackle fishing in Miami he caught a number of species on bait and lures including jacks, a variety of snappers, lost a few groupers and lost a nice big trout that jumped like a tarpon and spit the hook. It was a nice productive day with some good jokes and great company.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 14, 2015 Report

Today I was fishing North Key Largo with Chris and his friend who were staying at the Ocean Reef Club for a conference. Working one of my favorite flats on the incoming tide for bonefish the fishing was certainly slow as we only saw two groups of tailing bonefish too far to reach and then another group of mudding bones moving too quickly for us to reach. There were lots of nie sharks on the flats but we decided to forgo the sharks. Changing species we fished a few different spots and caught snappers including yellow tail and small mutton snappers.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 10, 2015 Report

On board today was Jerry Passaretti, one of the stars of NBC Sports "Shark Hunters", his son Justin and nephew Wyatt. Jerry simply wanted his kids to catch some fish and have a good time. Conditions were a bit limiting thanks to the steady 20 MPH north winds but the rods were bent often. Spot 1, they caught a number of jacks on bait and lures but no tarpon were around. Spot two had no tarpon but spot #3 Justin caught a nice trout, his first. We moved and caught a few more trout. The day ended in the finger channels once the tide changed and they continued to produce. Jerry took a nap on the bow of the boat but as soon as the action started, he joined Justin and Wyatt keeping the rods bent on every cast. They caught porgies, mangrove snappers, yellow tail snappers, small red grouper and black grouper. These guys were a lot of fun and the phrase that sticks with me is Jerry's "motherless fluke!" when he lost a few consecutive trout bites.

Miami really is an incredible place. Here is a picture of an octopus right at the boat ramp after I launched my boat. How wild is that?! Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 4, 2015 Report

All the way from the Dominican Republic came Francisco and his friend Luis. They jumped aboard and while bonefishing was slow, they decided they wanted to catch something to eat. Hitting the finger channels the action continued to be hot. The rods bent the moment they hit the water and up came legal sized yellow tail snapper, big mangrove snappers, grouper, trigger fish, mutton snappers and a few other species. These guys were a ton of fun and they had me doubled over with laughter. The day ended with a number of fish for dinner and a nice run back to the ramp. Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 3, 2015 Report

Casey and Shawn wrapped up their stay in Miami today and they brought Casey's brother Kyle with them. After loading up on live bait we fished a few spots for snook as we tried to avoid a hard east wind. A few snook took our baits but we either lost them to the mangroves or they would swallow the baits but we did catch a big mangrove snapper and several barracudas. Moving on to another spot we lost 2 groupers to the bottom. The last spot was red hot and the rods bent within moments of hitting the water with mangrove snappers, yellowtail snappers, grouper, trigger fish and a few other species.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 2, 2015 Report

Marc from England hopped aboard for his second trip this week. We fished a few trout spots first while I looked for bait and while Marc caught a few trout, there was no bait around. Moving off to the finger channels Marc caught a number of snapper and small grouper until we decided to do a little bonefishing. On the second flat, a school moved right in, we both made casts and a bonefish peels off the school and eats Marc's shrimp, he pulled up on the rod, the rod bent and then snapped back straight. A bonefish ate but didn't get hooked! Urgh! Not the way I wanted to end the day. That's bonefishing though! We headed back to the ramp and picked up his two girls for an hour of family fishing. They each caught a few fish and then we headed in to end the day on a high note.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

January 1, 2015 AM & PM Reports

AM Report This morning started with Casey and Shawn from Alaska again in my skiff. Although we didn't chase bonefish, we did fish a few wrecks inside the bay where they caught a variety of species both fly fishing and using live bait. PM Report The afternoon had Brad and his daughter Madelyn for a nice afternoon of catching some fish and being on the water. Our first spot was hot with a variety of species that kept Madelyn busier than she thought she would be. Noting the opportunity, Brad broke out my fly rod and caught a few fish on fly. Then a few fish later he began to give Madelyn some fly casting lessons and she was casting 20' in no time. As a result, she landed her fish fish on fly, a hard fighting jack crevalle! Moving onto the bonefish flats we had to pick our spots due to the poor visibility. Staking out near a spot where I had seen a ton of bonefish a few days before, I spotted a school of either permit or big bar jacks. I made a cast for Madelyn and she was one with drag screaming! Brad took a few shots at the school and had them track his fly but wouldn't eat. After a few minutes and some blistering runs, the fish broke Madelyn off as the trip wound down. Ouch!

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

December 31, 2014 Triple Trip Report

AM Report Client and friend David was aboard this morning with his friend Joe to bend some rods and get Joe back on the water. We looked for mackerel just offshore but it was a bit bumpy and we decided to stay shallow. With the right tide for the finger channels it was a no brainer. Setting up on a channel that has been producing for me we dropped back baits and it didn't take long for the show to start. The rods were bent often with a variety of snappers but we lost 3-4 groupers to the bottom, fish we couldn't turn. The bay has been flooded with grouper as is typical this time of year and it's a blast; when they don't break your heart!

PM Report My afternon trip was with Shawn and Casey from Alaska. With calm conditions we headed offshore a bit where there has been a good mackerel bite and we deployed live baits and flies. Although slower than yesterday, it didn't take long for the rod to go off and Shawn lands a small bonito. Casey was working the fly rod and lands another small bonito and a nice mackerel. We could see big mackerels circling under the boat but not being very aggressive. We moved off to take advantage of a nice incoming tide and calm conditions for some afternoon bonefishing and it was stellar. Casey had a number of shots on fly at big single bonefish and several schools. At one point we had a school of about 60 bones waking away from us and a few casts were ignored. Although you always want to hook a bone, this was a great way to end the day!

Late PM Report Whew, off to my 3rd Charter of the day. This afternoon I had Tanya and her two boys for some fish catching fun. The most the boys had caught was a blowfish and I wanted to make sure they remembered today. Setting up in a spot close to the marina I cast the first bait, the rod bent and they were on! Three hours later and about 60 fish later we idled in to the marina having created new memories and having had the pleasure of spending my afternoon with great people. The boys kept bragging how they beat the "record" set by Eton and Eli of 60 fish a few days earlier when Eton and Eli fished with me. I loved the rivalry and the connection to two great families. Happy new years everyone!

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.com 786-853-1409

December 30, 2014 AM and PM Reports

AM Report Local angler Joe and his 7 year old boy Chris were on board this morning and the goal was to get Chris started in his path to saltwater fishing. It was Chris first time on a boat but any trepidation soon vanished as fish after fish started to bend his rod. Towards the end of the trip he was telling us he was "a very good fisherman". I love it! Mission accomplished! Oh, lost in all this, Joe landed a nice 20 gag grouper! Way to go guys!

PM Report In the afternoon I had Griffin and his brother Cooper on board and with slick calm conditions we headed to the beach to look for tarpon. The tarpon were MIA so we took advantage of the conditions and went to a mackerel spot where the bite was on fire. They caught a number of mackerel, lost a few fish, were cut off by a few more and landed a small amberjack that tested the 8lb test line we were using. What a great day on the water today.

Capt. Mo Estevez www.MiamiBoneFishing.om 786-853-1409