Insanity!!! March 29, 2022

Local long time client Alec was on board with his friend, first time fisherman Mark.  The morning started snook fishing and missing a couple of bites on lures.  Switching off to bonefish we tried to get Mark a bonefish but things were slow.  I'm starting to get worried.  I took them to three more spots that usually produce and they were slow.  Oh, oh!  Hmmm, it's spring......

I ran across the bay keeping a close eye out and I found what I was looking for, a giant mullet mud.  In the spring mullet migrate back north and in the process they flood the center of the bay creating giant plumes of mud and attracting all sorts of predators.  I set up with the trolling motor, had the guys cast lures and it was insanity as the guys were catching bluefish, ladyfish, big blue runners and jacks on almost every cast with a few black tip sharks rushing in to eat our fish.  I was working like crazy and then Alec tells me we've be at it for two solid hours of non stop catching.  Wow!  The last ten minutes before we headed back was literally fish on every cast.  Pure insanity!  

Capt. Mo Estevez

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786-853-1409

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Beginners March 28, 2022

Paul hadn't fished in over 20 years and 10 year old Will had never fished before and Paul wanted Will to try fishing.  Very cool!  I took them to a spot that usually holds all kinds of easy fish to catch and taught them how to cast a spinning rod.  Paul was on it but Will took some time until he got the hang of it and Will quickly started to rack up the numbers on mangrove snappers.  When he almost had his fill I started to see tarpon rolling so we set up on them, drifted back a live crab and a big shrimp and waited.  But, as I looked at my Raymarine it was showing a bunch of tarpon and other things under the boat so I rigged up a medium rod on a jig and shrimp and had them drop it down.  Seconds later they were catching small red grouper, mutton snappers, big blue runners and lane snappers.  The tarpon baits never got hit but they could care less, they were busy hauling in fish.  Nice! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

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Oh those pesky tarpon March 27, 2022

Paul fly fishes, there are tarpon around, he wanted to catch them.....

That's the start of what could be either a great day or a tough day and today was a tough day.  The tarpon were there but they refused to eat anything including flies.  That's tarpon for you!  It was Sunday so with the boat traffic building we decided to fish a couple of other spots and one was slow and the other covered in swimmers.  Time to go home.  Urgh! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

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It's been a few years.... March 26, 2022

It's been about three years since Alain and his two sons Ethan and Eliel fished together but the reunion was on today.  We used to fish all the time but the boys grew up, went to college and now are getting their lives started so it was good to see them together again.  This was an easy trip that began with shark fishing where we went 2-3 and then moved off to catching dinner for their BBQ and after wearing out the yellow jacks, keeping about 10 (way more than I usually keep) and releasing a bunch more.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Oh the possibilities March 23, 2022

Two trips today with my morning trip being with repeat client Mike and his wife Jane.  We focused on tarpon and hooked two big fish but both came off.  I don't like tarpon sometimes.  

The afternoon trip was with Paul and his son and the goal was to keep his son busy which we did with tons of jacks and snappers.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Tarpon Monday March 21, 2022

Whew, the weekend is over and the bay was so empty today with just a few guides working, what a difference!  Enjoying the calmer ambiance was repeat client Jon and Jack from S.C.  With a stiff breeze coming in from the N.E. I took them to an area that has been holding tarpon and they were there with Jon quickly hooking up after just a few minutes wait.  I was hoping we didn't lose this fish as we have the rest but everything worked out and we got the 120lb tarpon to the boat in a good 20 minutes.  Nice work Jon!  Next we worked an area to get Jack some fish and he did just that with snappers, snook, barracuda and a fe wmore species before the trip was over and we headed back.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

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Tarpon Sunday March 20, 2022

George didn't get to the wrong ramp this morning so he and his two boys Patrick and Evan jumped onto the skiff and off we went.  George and I have bene trying to tarpon fish for years but the boys were small and got bored quickly but now being 9 and 10 we had some hope.  We got to the tarpon spot and they were rolling everywhere so I sent back a live bait and George began working a soft plastic.  Not long into the trip George has a 100lb tarpon eat his soft plastic right next to the boat and we're on!  After a solid fight the big tarpon decided it was time to call it quits and got into a dock in spite of our best efforts and broke us off.  We reset and not long after hooked another one about 140lbs and fought this fish for a bit until he gave us yet another big jump and spit the hook.  The rest of the trip was trying to keep the boys busy on smaller but more consistent species.  

My afternoon trip was with Mickey his wife Shana and son Evan.  Mickey wanted to make sure Evan stayed busy catching fish and then bonefish of everything went according to plan.  We did just that and along the way Shana got her first permit, a small one but a permit non the elss!  After Evan started to not want to fish anymore we tried a typically good spot for bonefish but there were boats everywhere and a jetski ran right past us and we called it a day.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

De Ja Vu? March 19, 2022

I had two trips scheduled today and my first trip was with Mark and his Kids Maggie and Darryl.  They wanted to target bonefish and we hooked up but something happened as Maggie was fighting the big bonefish that we couldn't figure out but the fish broke off.  We then switched to sharks and went 0-4 on sharks and they were behaving odd, not very aggressive and would barely eat the bait.  As we wound it down it was time to head back but Mark and Maggie really wanted to stay out fishing, but I had the afternoon trip already booked,.  When we got back to the ramp turns out my client was at the wrong marina and it would take him about an hour to get to where I was so we rescheduled for Sunday and off Mark, Maggie and I went back out.  

The second half of the tripw as better with them catching a variety of species in different spots including mangrove snappers, small mutton snappers, trigger fish, yellow jacks, big blue runners and more.  It was a long day but well worth it.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Desolation March 18, 2022

Well this hadn't happened in a while, getting skunked!  Travis was armed with a flyrod and his dad Glenn with a spinning rod and shrimp as we hunted bonefish.  With a 100% moon (full moon) I told them it would be epic or slim pickings since bonefish tend to gorge right until the full moon and then many of them go off and spawn offshore for a few days.  As I poled my favorite flats with the outgoing tides what should have been plenty of schools of mudding bonefish turned into a few schools here and there.  After a long flight from San Francisco that began at 4:30am, Travis told he he cared little if he caught anything and prefer good company.  Glenn was hilarious taking a few shots at bonefish while sitting down seemingly interrupted from his state of relaxation.  These guys were awesome and hilarious and although we didn't get any bonefish, we all had a great time.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Double Thursday March 17, 2022

The days have been merging one into the other with charters coming out of my ears and I lose track of time so I just realized today is St. Patrick's Day. Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

Maria was up first in the morning with fly rod in hand.  Maria and I have been fishing for years and and not only is she deadly with the flyrod but more importantly she is an amazing person that I love to spend time with.  I picked a snook shoreline and tied on a white baitfish pattern fly so Maria could blind cast the shoreline but first we had to blind cast the schools of mullet that were being popped by snook.  With no snook eating our fly we moved on to the shoreline where we had one snook bust on her fly but not get hooked and then another one track it out of the mangroves close to the boat before spooking out.  As we moved on to a shipwreck I noticed a giant mullet mud and tied on a mackerel fly that quickly yielded two bluefish before we moved on.  Once at the wreck Maria caught a few blue runners and ended the day with a small black grouper on fly.  

In the afternoon I had Dan, 12 year old David and 10 year old Harlen and we went straight to shark fishing that was on fire.  Here we hooked about 6 and got three to the boat, two for Davis and one for Dan.  The trip ended on another wreck where the kids figured out how to outsmart the trigger fish and snappers and loaded up cleaning out my livewell of the remaining live shrimp.  Thanks guys! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

When the client is right and I'm wrong March 15, 2022

Alex has been fishing with me for years and we are more friends than client/guide and he had been texting me for days about the weather and the possibility of cancelling today.  The night before I looked at the forecast and told him 20+MPH winds, 50% rain and looks like it'll be a repeat of yesterday, doesn't look good.  While his son Matthew really wanted to go anyway we decided to cut the trip from 8 hours to 4 hours.  When we met at the marina it wasn't 20+ and the skies were clear and the weather only got better as the trip progressed.  Stop one was for tarpon to try and avenge the tarpon for a few years ago that ate Matthews bait and started jumping right at the boat only to spit the hook a few feet from the boat.  The tarpon numbers have definitely been increasing and I located more fish than yesterday.  Using live shrimp we were able to hook two big tarpon in the 100lb range, one for Alex and one for Matthew but unfortunately we lost both after a number of jumps and long runs.  

Switching it up after the schools decided to leave we worked jig and shrimp along structure in another area so Matthew can get his fill of "catching".  After he got that our of his system we turned to bonefishing and we gave it some time.  After missing a bite it was time to head in when suddenly Matthew hooks up and does a great job fighting his first bonefish.  Man what a close call that was, that was like 4th quarter, 2 seconds left and the offense scores on a hail Mary.  I love it!  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

It's not always sunny pictures March 15. 2022

The wind continues to howl since Saturday with today a steady 20 MPH gusting higher and I had two trips today.  The morning trip was with John and his son Dillon and we split the fishing between spin and fly fishing.  I located some tarpon and Dillon threw flies at them while John threw live shrimp but today they wouldn't play.  I was limited as to where we could fish because of the wind and almost constant rain but we ended catching a few jacks on fly before heading in.  

After going through what I did in the morning I warned Matt and Grace of the fishing and weather as they stood on the dock and asked them to think it through.  They thought it through and they we in so I idled out of the marina with only slightly better conditions.  I found some tarpon by a bridge and invested some time but no bites all the while taking waves over the bow in the rough water courtesy of a stiff 20 plus MOH east wind.  With the tide about perfect for bonefish I took them bonefishing and Matt caught his first bonefish.  Whew, I'm starting to feel better!  Then Grace says she wants to catch fish to eat so off we went to the spot that barely had any fish in the morning.  OK, it shouldn't come as a surprise at this point that the spot was really good with them landing a bunch of snappers, jacks, blue runners, big mojarras and small mutton snappers.  When it was time to head back Matt had scored his first bonefish, Grace had her fish to eat and the weather had cleared up significantly.  Wow, what a day.  I've been beat up and pounded by the weather all day.  I'm exhausted!  

 

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Meet Tyson the hero March 14, 2022

I had a two boat trip today where I had Mike and his 6 year old son Tyson aboard.  The trip was really for Tyson so off we went to get Tyson on some fish and keep him busy.  I have to tell you, he was really cute and really smart definitely outfishing dad.  Anyway, it was a cool trip with Tyson catching 11 fish (he kept track) and easily beat his brothers in the other boat.  You rock Tyson! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Oh it started! March 12, 2022

Ha, the forecast was right for once!  Boy that wind, oh my!  Mike and Corey had a half day with me today and when we idled out of the marina the wind wasn't too bad, the water temps were great and we had just about the perfect tide for tarpon and bonefish.  Stop one was the same bridge where I found some tarpon yesterday and the hunt began.  As I scanned the bridge with my Raymarine I could see 2-3 tarpon on every other span but no big numbers like yesterday.  The biggest group we saw was about 6 fish, not enough to keep me there fishing 6 fish plus something in my gut compelled me to go bonefishing instead.  I moved off the bridge, made a run to a bonefish flat and staked off in order to mitigate some of the now 18 MPH winds.  I was happy we were in a bit of a lee and the tide was pouring out so I was feeling like we were where we needed to be.  Thank God I was proven right because just a few minutes in the rod doubles over and Corey quickly tries to react before the rod straightened back up in almost an instant.  Dang it, that was the first bonefish of the morning.  Just a few minutes later the rod doubles over again and this time the fish stayed on leading to Corey's first bonefish a few minutes later.  Yes!  After the release the wind started to increase and the fishing shut down.  The next spot yielded a bunch of snappers for Mike and the last spot was dead except for Mike's nice 5-7lb jack.  By this time the wind was all of 25 plus miles an hour and increasing by the minute.  Whew, we got it done before it got really bad.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

The calm before the storm March 11, 2022

 All hell is supposed to break this weekend starting tomorrow morning with winds in the 30MPH range but the important thing is that it wasn't happening today when John boarded my skiff.  Man John was such a laid back guy and so fun to fish with.  He wanted to target tarpon and bonefish, oh and snook and permit so we targeted the ones that would give us the best shot in our 4 hour trip.  With the outgoing tide I went back to where I had found some tarpon two days ago and they were still there but this time there were a few more.  So, I set up and deployed two baits and not long after John hooked a 50lber that jumped and spit the circle hook.  About 10 minutes later we got hit again but no hook up and then a third time before the action died off.  

I looked around a few more places for tarpon but there were just a few fast moving schools so we targeted bonefish and John went 1 for 1 landing his first bonefish and a solid 10 pounder.  Wow!  We headed in after a few minutes and enjoyed the glory.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

They're back! March 10, 2022

All the way from frosty Chicago came Jeff and Drew.  This father son duo are so much fun to fish with and Drew is a fishing junkie.  We usually fish several times a year and they were in town for spring break and Drew wanted tarpon.  Drew has wanted tarpon for a long time and it seems every time we fish they are MIA.  And....the streak continued.  Tarpon fishing in Miami so far has been the worst I've ever seen but I found a few for Drew around bridges but they wouldn't eat as tarpon often do or don't.  With the wind blowing harder by the hour I took advantage of the tide and went bonefishing.  Not long after I spotted a couple of bonefish moving in, we made a good cast in front of them and a few minutes alter Drew had his biggest bonefish to date in hand.  Nice!  Not long after Drew hooked an even bigger fish that gave him some incredible runs but spit the hook moments after splashing his tail in the grass.  I think the bonefish probably rubbed the hook out when he tailed.  After it slowed down we ended the day on a high note catching some mangrove snapper dinner for the family to enjoy.  Congrats on the bonefish Drew! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Two great families March 9, 2022

I had two families today and the morning trip was with Mike and his 9 year old son Jackson.  The goal was to keep the rods bend and make sure Jackson caught some fish and he sure did.  He kept busy fighting jacks and snappers and had a blast.  

The afternoon trip was with Aaron, 13 year old Haley and 9 year old Troy.  Man these kids can fish.  Aaron let the kids stay busy and enjoyed watching them compete to see who caught more fish.  They caught mangrove snapper, yellow tail snapper, barracuda, chubs and yellow jacks.  In the end Troy won, 14 fish to 13 fish plus dad caught three for a grand total of 30 fish.  LOL these kids were great!

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

After the wind March 8, 2022

Work came to a halt over the weekend thanks to steady 30 MPH winds but they laid down on Monday so I Alec and I went ahead with our scheduled trip.  We looked for tarpion and found a few resident fish but no go.  In the process Alec caught a few nice mutton snappers that were mixed in with the school of tarpon.  After giving bonefishing a try and missing a bite we hit a channel and had fun catching fish, snappers and jacks.  Alec then wanted to shark fish so we hit the flats and the sharks were on fire swimming around the boat and our baits like crazy.  The problem? They were acting strange as they would eat the baits but not get hooked as they were not being aggressive.  We ended with about 8 or 9 bites, lost three after long runs and had a few more spit the bait.  Hmmm, weird.   

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

More Doubles March 4, 2022

My morning trip was with Owen and David and we started off tarpon fishing finding a few and throwing flies and baits but it was an eco tour.  We switched off to bonefish which was also slow with the highlight was David hooking a stingray.  I wrapped up the morning trip using bait and the guys catch a bunch of fun jacks and it was all going great until.....David caught a remora....that was attached to a big bull shark and well that was the end of that as the bull shark scared the fish and they wouldn't bite.  

The afternoon trip was with Jay and his son Josh from Canada.  I changed it up and went straight to a finger channel and used jig and shrimp to keep the guys busy and they quickly racked up a ton of snappers, yellow jacks, barracudas and other species.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Three Days with Kent and Jeremy March 1-3, 2020

Kent is one of those guys that is a blast to be with and we fish throughout the year and always have a blast.  For these three days he came with his friend Jeremy and the theme of the three days was a sarcastic "watch and learn".  This was due to the mess I was on numerous occasions over the course of the three days but I won't expand on that in order to not humiliate myself.  I blame it on these two crazies and keeping me distracted.  Anyway, over the three days they caught snook, barracudas, sharks, tons of snappers and shots at bonefish on fly.  Man we had a blast and I can't wait for the next round of the Kent and Jeremy show.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing