Out with March with a bang! March 16-31, 2026

As we end the month of March we had a cold front to deal with, high winds, no wind, cold and heat, what a crazy month!  Thankfully, fish still have to eat so it has been a good month with a few ups and downs towards the end.  Bonefishing has generally been good, tarpon not so good, permit have been around, shark fishing has been solid and the finger channels kept the clients and me busy.  

On one trip recently with regular client Jake and his two friends Antonio and Nil we started slow and ended on fire.  We were looking for tarpon and there were none to be found, a sadly recurring theme this month as tarpon have been inconsistent, but we ended the trip with the guys releasing 10 bonefish.  Insane!  The last trip of the month I had Jesse and 14 year old Miles who wanted tarpon.  Ha, Miles hooked three monster tarpon but all three came off for different reasons.  A heartbreaker yes but man was it exciting!  

In the finger channels we've been catching tons of look downs (weird but super cool fish), snappers, jacks and barracudas.  The sharks on the flats have been on a tear and showing up in big numbers and along shorelines and small back bays the ladyfish have been super fun on lures and especially on flies.  

April will be another solid month so stick around and watch for mid April's report in a few weeks.  

Capt. Mo Estevez 

786-853-1409

www.MiamiBonefishing.com

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It almost didn't happen January 28, 2022

It's funny how things work out sometimes.  I had two trips scheduled for tomorrow Saturday but Joe, my morning trip, called and asked if we could fish Friday, today, instead.  I guess he saw the weather forecast of temperatures in the 30's and winds upwards of 30 MPH.  So off we went on Friday morning with his friend Vinnie.  The water temps were back at 70 and the morning was extremely foggy to the point we were limited on where we could go so we stayed close to the marina and went bonefishing.  This is where Vinnie when bonefishing for the first time and he got his first bonefish.  Yes!!!!  The rare fog usually burns off in the first hour but not today, it actually got thicker throughout at the morning at times.  During my trip with Joe and Vinnie, Jon calls me asking what time to meet today.  "Huh, I can today but we're scheduled for tomorrow."  Turns out he had his dates mixed up and the trip was supposed to be today.  No problem.  I wrapped up my trip with Joe and Vinnie catching snappers, although small, on every cast.  

As soon as I dropped off Joe and Vinnie, Jon and Stefan jump aboard and we're off with the fog now cleared but the skies overcast.  Jon was on spin and Stefan on fly and we struck out on bonefish but then they told me they would be happy catching anything.  Cool!  I took them to a wreck, set up and watched Jon catch yellow jacks, big blue runners, snappers and a few big mystery fish while the fish ignored Stefan's fly, they don't usually.  Once Stefan picked up a spinning rod it was on as all fish were caught on lures and they took home plenty to eat.  

By the evening and the following day the weather was horrible so the schedule change worked out.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

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The sniper was on my skiff August 10, 2021

 Joe and Ed were in for a full day today of fly fishing for bonefish and permit.  It hasn't been calm in the mornings as is typical of August so we had to do it the hard way.  The first few spots were slow but we did see a few schools of bonefish moving through.  Ed hooked up twice on shrimp but they turned out to be bonnet head sharks as we tried to maximize the time in spite of the nasty storm moving right towards us.  As the storm cell approached I made a run to another flat and there we saw a permit but no real shot at it.  Then I see a school of bonefish moving at 10 o'clock right at us.  I yell out direction and distance to Joe and he makes a great cast to the school and immediately hooks up.  After releasing the first bonefish of the day it got real slow for the remainder of the incoming tide.  When the tide turned we fished a new favorite flat on this tide stage and we found about a half dozen schools of bonefish mudding.  After a number of shots on shrimp Ed wasn't able to hook up but Joe got a quick throw of the fly and hooked a second bonefish that ended up spitting the fly.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Finally!!!! July 31, 2021

Man, after yesterday I really needed redemption and Joseph was on board to try and make that happen.  We fished a few years ago and had to reschedule this try three times due to weather but today was the day.  We literally sat in the same area for four hours taking shots at massive numbers of bonefish until he got one.  Yes!  There were at least four other occasions where he made perfect casts and the bones just ignored it.  But, we got one!!!  We had to work hard for it but we got'em.  Congrats Joseph! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Double the fun today June 15, 2021

Today I had 2 trips out of the ocean reef club in Key Largo. My morning trip started with Andrew who wanted to break in his new flyrod on a tarpon. We had just about perfect tarpon conditions with cloudy skies calm winds and it was hot and muggy. I took him to my 1st spot and sure enough the tarpon were there rolling all over the place and after setting up on a few different schools Andrew finally hooked up . As the fish ran, a part of his butt section broke off and he remembered that he had been meaning to replace it. Ouch that hurt. My afternoon trip was with Tim and Mark and these guys were awesome so we focused on bonefishing. Tim hooked a nice fish and got it to the boat but the fish broke off as it got under the boat and by the trim tab. Then not long after Mark hooked a big bonefish but it came off almost immediately. Finally with almost no time left and us having to head in Tim hooks up again and finally gets his bonefish. Close call!

 

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Drew Crossed This One off the List April 24, 2021

 Local angler Drew wanted to try bonefishing so I was all in.  We started early morning to catch the right tide phase but it was really windy out of the east but we went for it anyway.  Almost right off the bat Drew hooked a massive bonefish that got deep into the spool before it broke off.  Ouch!  After hooking two more bonefish and losing them for different reasons, the fourth fish was the one.  Another big fish hooked later we were able to land this one and cross it off his list.  We wrapped it up later that morning as we couldn't locate permit and very few tarpon.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

www.MiamiBonefishing.com

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

No fooling around on April Fool's Day April 1, 2021

 Two trips today as the high season continues.  My morning was spent with Mike and his son Shane who just wanted to get out and catch some fish.  So we started with catching fun ladyfish and nice pompano.  Once we had some action we targeted tarpon when a slob snook decided to eat the tarpon lure and gave Mike an awesome fight.  At the end of the trip I took them to another spot where they caught a few more species and Shane got a nice bonefish.  Congrats guys! 

In the afternoon I had Michael and his boys again.  The fishing continued solid as they caught dinner and their first snook.  Cool! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

www.MiamiBonefishing.com

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Three Days with Mike March 26, 2021

 Mike is from Maryland and fly fishes with me for three days several times a year.  We always have a good time and mix it up on fly.  The first day we had very unusual conditions for March, a super calm windless morning.  We took the opportunity and fished for bonefish out of Homestead and it was awesome!  The problem is we missed a few eats on fly but we changed it up and ended the day fishing a mullet mud where Mike had a blast catching bluefish, jacks, and more as well as having a black tip shark eat his bluefish next to the boat.  The second day was like the first except the bonefishing was even better and Mike got 8 eats and finally connected on the last one.  What a rush!  Afterwards we fished the mullet muds again and called it a day.  On the last day the wind had picked up so we fished out of Key Biscayne and the fishing was good but the fish were reluctant to eat a fly.  I really wanted Mike to get a snook on fly but the conditions were tough and the wind was coming at a bad angle.  He did ask that I throw a lure to make sure they were there and I hooke duop immediately.  Sorry Mike!  We called it a day early because of the unusually high boat traffic running over most of the fishing spots.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

www.MiamiBonefishing.com

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Some guys score on the first try February 24, 2021

Today was a fun trip with Rick from Homestead where I live, Sean from Texas  and Scotty from Arkansas. The guys just wanted to catch anything and have a good time so we started off at a shallow shipwreck where they caught a bunch of snappers. Once the tide was right we went over to a bone fish flat where Sean got his 1st bone fish and Rick got a shark. We wrapped up the half day trip on another flat shark fishing where Scotty got a big barracuda and the other two guys got some more sharks. These guys were a ton of fun to fish with and absolutely hilarious!

Capt. Mo Estevez 

www.miamiboneFishing.com

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBoneFishing

Oh it was on today! January 8, 2021

It's Alec's birthday tomorrow and what a better way to spend the day than fishing with him.  Every time we fish we have a blast and the laugh are in steady supply.  We had a west wind and that caused the west side of the bay outside of the marina in Homestead to be super calm.  As we fished for snook, the first spot was slow.  I took him to another spot down the shoreline and it was on with tailing tarpon and big bonefish.  After numerous shot at a tarpon and not hooking up we turned our attention bonefish and quickly got a nice 9 lber to the boat.  The snook fishing was slow and we wrapped it up breaking in his new plug rod but there were no big fish around, probably due to the approaching cold front.  Happy birthday Alec! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

www.MiamiBonefishing.com

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

It was an honor today January 5, 2020

 There are times when you meet someone that is a little different than most and that can be good or bad, HAHA.  But, today I met Jan and spent 6 hours fishing with him and can tell you it was an honor fishing with him.  See, Jan is a retired breast cancer surgeon who I suspect has saved the lives of many women through his gift and passion for his craft.  Also, he is an IGFA representative who has travelled the world fishing and promoting conservation for the betterment of fish stocks and the local populace.  And there is more as he is the holder of 90 current IGFA world records!  Of course he is as humble as they come and I didn't know about this until more than half way through our trip.  But he had one goal and that was to bonefish but it wouldn't be easy since we had a strong cold front pass through the night before dropping the air temperatures.  Well, long story short, Jan caught a nice fat bonefish in the 9 lb range and had shots at many more on spin and fly as we did our best to hide from the wind and look for the warmest water possible.  And there is one more thing to this trip but I won't ruin the surprise until we get confirmation in about 3 months.  Be sure to stick around.....

Capt. Mo Estevez

www.MiamiBonefishing.com

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

Spectacular Two Trips Today December 18, 2020

 Wow, wow, wow!  What a day today!  I had two trips today in 55 degree weather and my morning trip was with Troy and 12 year old Alex.  On our second spot the guys slayed the snook and Alex got his first bonefish.  Troy reached a point where it was snook on every cast but Alex ended up catching the bigger ones.  Way to go Alex! Oh, in between snook and bonefish they kept crushing nice sized jacks and mutton snappers.  

My afternoon trip was with Bill who wanted to bonefish on fly.  It would be tough since by now the wind was up to 20 MPH.  But first, we hit the morning spot and Bill picked up a couple of snook.  Once the tide reached the point I wanted we went bonefishing where Bill hook 3 on fly and landed one.  Nice!

It was a silver and gold kind of day today!

Capt. Mo Estevez

www.MiamiBonefishing.com

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing

My Oh My, She's spoiled now! November 24, 2020

Ken loves to fish and we've been fishing for years together.  The last time he brought his 6 year old little girl Gianna and she was back, 2 years later, much bigger and ready to fish.  Ken really wanted her to catch her first bonefish and with 20 MPH winds it would be a challenge.  Other than the visibility being perfect, just about all the other variables were not to my liking but I had a mission before me.  Working hard and putting in the time, Gianna behaved really well and not long into the trip she was on her first bonefish, a 9lber!  Wow, what a way to get started!  Some time later another bonefish is one and this one is about 5 lbs.  Then a third one, this one giving us a long blistering run.  Several really long runs later we had about an 11lb bonefish in the boat.  Wow, what a way to get Gianna her first bonefish, and second and third!  Congrats girl, you rock! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBoneFishing

This was a brutal yet satisfying day November 4, 2020

 Kent, his dad Jeff and brother Nick flew in from TX just to fish with for Kent's annual trip with me.  Well, with the wind blowing 30-35 MPH it would be a tough day but off we went.  The guys caught snappers, sharks and jacks and when the tide was right I took them to a flat that works for me and fished for bonefish.  We ended up hooking four and landing one bonefish, quite a feat in this relentless wind.  Whew, time for a nap! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBoneFishing

Ask and You Shall Receive November 1, 2020

 Sometimes it just works out that way.  Ricky and his wife Samantha jumped aboard today and Ricky really wanted to land his first bonefish.  He's caught tons of fish before but this one still eluded him.  It was a gorgeous day but no the easiest with a steady 20 MPH wind blowing straight at us.  We went to a spot I really like, especially under these wind conditions and got to work.  It seemed like in no time later Ricky was hooked up and landed his first bonefish.  Whew, mission accomplished.  We could have had a double header but the second fish spit the hook.  After missing a few more bites and then getting slow we turned out attention to Samantha who really just wanted to catch fish and the shark she caught "didn't count".  LOL  I found bait, threw the net, loaded the well and hit a wreck.  Live chumming had the fish going nuts and they caught mutton snapper, yellow jacks, mangrove snappers and lost a few really nice fish.  

Capt. Mo Estevez 

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409 

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBoneFishing

The Curse is Over! August 22, 2020 Report

 Dylan drove two hours from Naples, Fl with his dad just to try and get his first bonefish.  Well, the short of it is that it seems every time he books a guide the weather is terrible.  It looked like his curse continued today with unusual 20 plus MPH winds ripping across the bay this morning, so not typical of summer mornings.  Well, we worked hard and in the end he got his first bonefish, a nice 8 pounder to make sure it was a memorable one, including the long blistering run so typical of these fish.  The curse is now broken, well the "success in tough conditions when booking a guide" part of it anyway.  Congrats Dylan, your life will never be the same!  

 Capt. Mo Estevez www.miamiboneFishing.com 786-853-1409 Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBoneFishing

Epic Bonefish Morning with the Boys from Cali August 17, 2020 Report

 

Scott and his son Rocco were in town for pure fishing but they have been freshwater fishing and so their trip with me would be their first saltwater fishing experience.  Well, I saw the forecast and tides and told them to meet me in Homestead for bonefishing.  Perfect conditions awaited us with calm wind and calm water so I got on the pole, gave a few instructions and then pointed out a school moving towards us.  Quickly they went 0 for 3 and then Rocco got on the board with a nice bonefish.  A bunch of shots later we were 1 for 5 after missing another bite and the pressure building.  A few permit moved through and got some shots off but just a few inches off the mark was enough to not get an eat.  As the schools kept moving through I was able to corner some schools against a shoreline and as one of the schools moved in Scott made a perfect cast, watched the big bonefish rush his bait and he was on.  A really long fast run later and a few shorter ones his big bone was in the landing net ready for pics.  What a thrill and relief.  At the end we went 2 for 6 and a ton of shots.  That's summer bonefishing in Miami for you!  

 Capt. Mo Estevez www.miamiboneFishing.com 786-853-1409 Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBoneFishing

Fish of a lifetime!!!! June 24, 2020

DANG!!! Don't know what else to say! My morning started with regular local client Alec on the bow on the hunt for bonefish, tarpon and permit under absolutely slick calm perfect conditions. We targeted bonefish first and there were tons of schools moving through, tailing, waking and getting us all excited. After quite a few shots Alec was starting to feel the tension of this super tough game we play on the flats. However, he's a seasoned veteran and has caught plenty of bonefish with me before so he kept his head in the game. Another school moves in, big tailing and waking fish and I pole him into position but they disappear but I can see their subtle movements. I tell Alec where to cast, he makes a perfect cast and moments later he's on. Boy is he on! The bonefish starts punishing the drag as I poled like a mad man after it until he ended his initial run of over 50 yards. When we finally got him to the boat and into the landing net we realized he was about 14lbs, 14 POUNDS! Definitely a career fish for me as a guide and the fish of a lifetime for Alec. The rest of the trip we focused on permit and tarpon having shots at both but never connecting. Wow, I will sleep in giant bonefish glory tonight!

Capt. Mo Estevez www.miamiboneFishing.com 786-853-1409 Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBoneFishing