What a way to break him in December 11, 2022

Ok, I realize the title sounds bad but read on.  

Mike emailed me at the last minute asking if I was available Sunday afternoon.  Ouch, that is the worst time to fish in Miami due to the heavy boat traffic and the water being pounded all day by boaters and fishermen alike but I said yes.  We met up in Homestead after his meeting and we were idling out of the channel by 1:20pm.  This was a fly fishing trip so we talked about it and decided to target easier species first in order to get him acclimated to strip striking and saltwater fly fishing generally as this was his first time in the salt.  Incredibly, not only did we have perfect weather that kept getting better as the trip progressed but there were hardly any boats out.  I took him to a wreck where he caught yellow jacks, blue runners and trigger fish on fly and practiced his double haul and strip striking.  Once he had some practice and with an hour and change left in the trip we turned our attention to bone fishing.  It didn't take long until he got his first take but the fish didn't get the hook.  But the second fish, oh the second fish crushed the fly as we watched him wake behind the fly, create a swirl as he at the fly and made a blistering run around some obstruction in the water that almost broke us off.  After a few minutes Mike's bonefish was in the landing net for a photo op and we ran back with big smiles.  Wow, congrats Mike! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

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First time is the perfect time. November 23, 2022

The first time Ralph fished with me earlier this year we didn't catch bonefish on fly but caught a nice shark instead.  Today he brought his son Alex and the goal was to get him on his first bonefish on fly while Ralph would fish spin gear.  Same as yesterday, not long into the trip Alex got his first take from a bonefish but the bone didn't stick.  No worries, a bit later he was on and this time the end result was what we all wanted, Alex's first bonefish on fly.  Along the way Ralph had quite a few bonefish eats but they weren't playing nice and wouldn't get hooked.  Meanwhile Alex had another fish on and it came off right at the side of the boat and I seem to have taken in harder than he did as I held my head in my hands and said "Oh no, what the hell?" and his response was "No worries, I'm having a great time, this is fun."  Thank you Alex!  Not long after Ralph was on and landed a nice bonefish to brake the spin curse of the morning.  The run back to the marina was nice with some fish under our belts and smiles all over.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

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Not this time! November 22, 2022

Yesterday David and I met up at the marina for the first of our two day trip.  But, it was pouring rain and the wind was howling at about 25 MPH, pretty tough for fly fishing.  We called it a day and met up today instead with his buddy Clay.  The forecast was way off again today for, for the better with cloudy skies but no wind and no rain.  We focused  the first half of the trip on bonefish where the guys each caught their first bonefish on fly, yes!  Using a heavy shrimp pattern and a slower strip than normal in order to keep the fly deep in the unusually high tide we scored and missed a few more bites but the trick worked and the guy's patience paid off as we had two bonefish in the boat before the first hour of the trip.  Once that slowed down we made a long run to cast net live pilchards and then live chum a wreck.  This was fun and a great way to wrap up an already great trip.  The first couple handfuls of live pilchards produced constant explosions and the guys wore themselves out catching yellow jacks on fly with awesome surface explosions on baitfish patterns and gurglers.  I love it and the guys did too! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

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Spoiled man! November 13, 2022

Well, this turned out for the the best.  Stan had booked me for bonefish on fly and spin for Friday but after some change of plans on his end and an open slot on mine we changed it to Sunday.  I was expecting loads of boat traffic but it turned out to be fine and off we went.  I can tell you we had to be patient and work for it but eventually Stan got one on spin, a nice bonefish to break the ice and reward him his first bonefish.  Switching to fly he got another one, the biggest of the day before landing another one on spin.  Three for three, not bad Stan! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

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Before Storm Nicole Hits November 8, 2022

Man, this all really worked out perfectly!  Nick had booked me for Wednesday to try for the second time to catch a bonefish on fly.  Last time we fished he had some shots but it didn't work out.  Now I'm staring at the forecast and tropical storm, possibly hurricane, Nicole is headed out way with really nasty weather and a blood moon lunar eclipse, not sure what that means though.  Geeze.  Well, we moved the trip up to Tuesday and went for it.  When we met at the ramp the wind was calm. What?  Where is the 30 MPH winds we had all day and all night on Monday?  Anyway, we get to the first spot in almost no wind, pretty skies and clear water and on his 4th or 5th cast he gets a bonefish to eat his fly but misses the hook set.  This happened 2 more times in 10 minutes until he hooked and landed number four.  Yes!  This pace kept up until he had hooked 8 and landed five bonefish on fly in an hour!!!! Crazy!  Eventually the wind kicked up to about 20 MPH, the fishing slowed and it was time to head it.  How crazy is that?!  Now as I write this it's raining and really windy but it's OK, Nick got his bonefish on fly! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

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Crushed Redemption October 2, 2022

Remember my last trip yesterday?  Well, this one was similar.  See, today I had Mark from D.C. and the last time we fished we targeted bonefish, tarpon, permit and we drew a blank.  I kind of had forgotten about that until Mark reminded me.  Ouch! :)  Anyway, we headed off to hunt permit and bonefish.  It was glass calm, nice and cool but with storms all around us so we got to work.  I only saw two schools of permit after about an hour so we changed it up and went bonefishing.  This is when everything changed.  On the first cast Mark hooks and lands a 6lb bonefish.  Whew!!!  Pressure is off!  But then we loose four consecutive bonefish and it's so frustrating.  Ha, but then the we righted the ship and Mark ended up going 6 for 10 on bonefish!  Dang Mark!  We wrapped it up throwing lures at snook without success.  Ok, I fell better now.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

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Father/Son Slayers August 4, 2022

Manny and son Manny have fished with me before and today they were in for a treat as the fishing has been red hot plus I was eager to get back on the water after a nice long vacation.  We focused on the west side of the bay and using live shrimp had Manny (dad) catch a nice bonefish.  Meanwhile, Manny (son) was on a dry spell when he finally hooked up and landed a nice only to upgrade twice after that.  The final tally was four bonefish.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

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Birthday Boy Strikes Silver June 2, 2022

After a cancellation and a day off I was back on the water again today with Chrissy who booked me for her dad and mom to spend a half day on the water for his birthday tomorrow.  She originally wanted tarpon as her dad Bob (with one "O", LOL) really wanted tarpon but I explained the tarpon situation and they were cool chasing bonefish and permit instead.  We started early at 6:30AM out of Homestead and took advantage of the lower stages of the tide.  Man there were fish everywhere, bones and permit!  After a number of shots things quieted down and we tried to fish a couple of spots but there were skiffs close enough to them that I couldn't fish them so off we went somewhere else.  Eventually I saw one of the skiffs leave and hit the exact spot where I knew there would be bonefish cruising.  Well, well, well not long after we set up I hear Bob say "Oh, I got a hit!"  I look and see the rod bend and the reel singing.  Several long runs and a bit of drama as the bonefish tried to get under the boat, later we landed a nice 9lb bonefish just before we were going to head back.  Wow, nice work Bob and happy birthday!  

Capt. Mo Estevez

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What a day! May 28/29, 2022

Scott fly down from north Florida for two days of bonefish and permit fishing.  The boat traffic at the marina was insane being Memorial Day weekend but once on the water it was surprisingly quiet as we focused on bonefish and permit.  Day one was insane with Scott going 7 for 9 on bonefish before taking a break and encouraging me to make a few casts which I did and quickly landed a bonefish as well.  Day two we focused on permit and while it started quite the permit finally woke up at the end of the incoming tide and Scott had a ton of shots before the breeze kicked up and ended that fishing.  We went back to bonefishing which we did about 15 minutes worth before having to high tail it back to the marina before a significant storm got the best of us.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

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First time fishing salt May 27, 2022

I don't know what to say.  Some guys are just spoiled that way and well Joe is one of those guys.  I had Nolan, Luke and Joe on board and they wanted to fish for bonefish and permit with a steady 15 plus MPH wind.  Hmm, no worries I'll stick to what has been working but it took some faith.  Eventually Joe hooks up and the reel screams with a few long runs and some stubborn closer to the boat brawl.  When the dust settled I had Joe's first permit in the landing net and Jow as screaming like a mad man.  We got the pics, the release and then the admission, this was his first time fishing in salt water.  WHAT????  Time to retire dude!  Luke and Nolan missed a few fish, probably smaller bonefish before Luke landed a solid 10lb bonefish.  Dang, what a day! 

 

Capt. Mo Estevez

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4th Quarter, 2 minutes left May 12, 2022

 John jumps in the boat and tells me he has tried to catch bonefish for years but caught tarpon and bonefish instead.  Ha, poor guy!  Anyway, off to go bonefishing we went.  Spot one produced one bite that didn't get hooked and it slowed down.  Spot two produced another bite but it was a swing and a miss.  Then......it died off.  No fish anywhere as I sweat the prospect of John not getting any bonefish with me.  That was until the tide turned.  With just a few minutes left in the trip the tide, which was running late, finally turned and man it was on!  In just a few minutes John got his first bonefish, lost another and got his second.  Whew that was close! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

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Sometimes I myself wonder May 10, 2022

After a day off, a cancellation and a couple of rod bending trips I had John on board for a full day of fly fishing.  The day definitely did not have the typical calm wind May conditions.  From the moment we boarded the skiff it was already blowing 10-12 MPH.  Spot one was slow so off to spot two.  Spot two produced yesterday when I had a cancellation and a buddy of mine and I fun fished for a few hours but the bones were picky yesterday.  I needed to figure this out.  With the wind increasing I set John up with a good angle to take shots at passing schools and they came, from all different directions!  Dang man they don't cooperate sometimes.  Anyway, John got a number of bonefish to turn on his fly but not eat at the last minute, had one eat his fly but missed the strip set and got two on spin gear and shrimp before it all slowed down and the wind increased to about 20MPH.  Last stop was the lee of an island where he had some shots at big snook and even had a bonefish try to eat his baitfish pattern a few feet from the boat.  So cool! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

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Laughing all the way!!! April 7, 2022

Man I love fishing with life long friends Luis and Francisco from the Dominican Republic.  These guys are the funniest human beings you will find and then add fishing and it's non stop laughs.  I laughed so hard today I was crying!  They also brought Alvaro, Francisco's 10 year old son who was a pleasure to fish with.  I was once again very windy so we kept to the shoreline and had a blast bending rods and watching Alvaro stay on fish.  The first fish of the day was a big 20lb barracuda that ate Francisco's lure but after a long fight he lost it next to the boat.  Man, the ripping was fast and furious from Luis from that moment on.  The guys caught tons of ladyfish, jacks and a few bluefish to add to the list.  Oh, and the big barracuda Francisco lost.  LOL

Capt. Mo Estevez

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Fishing and a boat tour April, 5, 2022

Two trips at the same time?  Yes, yes indeed.  Rachel was on boat to fish while Susan was on board to enjoy a boat ride.  Very cool!  Rachel can throw a fly and well Susan did a great job of cheering her on, watching everything play out and offer some gentle critique at times.  So funny!  It was pretty windy out of the north but we found some cover were Rachel was able to hook a bonefish on fly but it rushed the boat and it came off.  The good thing is that she watched the whole thing unfold.  After that we threw some flies for snook but scored when we switched to spinning gear and soft plastics catching snook and a nice barracuda.  I wrapped it up fishing mullet muds but they were void of predators plus it was rather rough due to the hard wind.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

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Not a bad consolation prize April 2, 2022

The snook is Florida's most popular saltwater gamefish and catching snook is always fun and a big deal.  Well, today I had local angler Neil and his wife Jill on board for some bonefishing.  Conditions were just about perfect and will all the flats boats launching early in the morning I was in a panic to get to the perfect spot under these conditions.  To my amazement there was no one poling the perfect spot, ha!  I got on the pole and Neil and Jill proceeded to have about a dozen shots at bonefish, mostly big fish including some giant tailers in 12" on water.  Well, in spite of our best efforts and some good casts that should have yielded some bones, the conditions changed and the fishing slowed.  But, with it being the north bound mullet migration I knew there were other options and they began in still very shallow water as pelicans dove onto panicked schools of mullet from above and snook ambushed from below.  I rigged them up with some artificial lures and worked a stretch that typically produces.  Well, it didn't disappoint and Neil got his first snook of the morning.  Jill landed three barracudas and Neil got another snook before we moved off.  On the way to a bonefish flat I found a mullet mud and had them cast lures and Neil tied in to a really nice jack, bluefish and a couple of blue runners.  We wrapped it up bonefish but only saw a couple.  It was a gorgeous day and this 6 hour trip felt like a three hour trip thanks to this great and fun couple.  

Capt. Mo Estevez

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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

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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

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Finishing Strong February 28, 2022

February has been a crazy month with few days off right before Valentine's Day.  I wrapped up my month fishing with Ward out of the Ocean Reef Club in Key Largo.  I picked him up and he wanted to try fly fishing for bonefish and tarpon plus catch something to eat.  Tarpon was the first on the list in south Biscayne Bay but the areas I checked had non in them.  Off to bonefishing.  Spot one was beautiful with good current and in the lee of the wind but it was dead.  Hmm, ok spot two was in the wind but I put Ward at a good angle so he can throw his flyrod with the least amount of wind resistance and it work as he laid out some really nice casts.  Using a mix of spin and fly, I was able to get him his first bonefish using the trusty spin rod and shrimp combo.  We continued to try for bones on fly without success so we went meat fishing for dinner but everything we caught was too small to keep.  I think he'll forgive me not catching him dinner after getting him his first bonefish.  Great job Ward!

Capt. Mo Estevez

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Two great and crazy guys hit the flats February 27, 2022

No two trips a dat today as I had a full day with Chris and Albert from Oregon.  They wanted to try a mix of spin and fly fishing and catch whatever species they could.  I had a blast with these two crazies and man Albert was on fire.  We started early and went straight to bonefishing before the Sunday boat traffic got too crazy and within minutes Albert was on to the first bonefish of the day.  Dang!  It took a bit more time but eventually Chris got his personal best bonefish with a solid 8 pounder.  From there we hit a wreck but nothing would eat our flies, lures or live shrimp.  Ok fine fish you want to be that way?! 

On to another spot which is a channel I've mentioned before that has been good.  Here the guys had a blast with fish on almost every cast until we were running low on shrimp and I wanted to save at least 6-8 for bonefish in case we needed them.  These guys went through 8 dozen shrimp in short order.  

Moving back to the flats for shark fishing I started pole them around for bonefish catching the end of the tide, my favorite time on this flat.  Just like clock work the bonefish were there and mudding.  Albert was on the bow and didn't see the muds but 5 minutes later another group of bonefish come off the channel mudding on the flats and he makes a perfect cast and drops the fly where I told him.  Strip, strip, "I'm on!".  A long run later the bone broke us off.  The day ended hooking a few sharks before heading back.  What a great day and great guys!  

Capt. Mo Estevez

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A Tale of Two Trips February 25, 2022

It's always interesting to me how each trip differs from the next even on the same day.  My morning trip was fly fishing with Juan and his buddy Juan from Argentina.  We found tarpon and they threw at them for quite some time but never hooked up.  Part of the issue is that the tarpon were moving around a lot so we would get a couple of casts in before they moved and we had to locate them again and reposition.  Usually you want them hanging out the in the same area that hints at them feeling comfortable and relaxed and hence in a better mood to eat.  We them switched to bonefishing where they had a couple of shots and as time ran out we hit some jacks but they were nowhere to be found.  

My afternoon trip was a two boat trip and I had Keith and Chad onboard.  Chad wanted to target bonefish and Keith just wanted to catch fish.  Hmm, OK let's try something.  A couple of the bonefish spots already had a boat on them so I took them back to where there were no jacks 45 minutes before with Juan and Juan.  Ha, this time it was fish on every cast including jacks, mangrove snapper, small mutton snappers and a few really nice fish that broke us off.  With boats cleared off the flats I went back and after more time than I would have liked Chad hooked up and got his first bonefish, a nice one that gave him a bunch of awesome runs.  Congrats Chad! 

Capt. Mo Estevez

http://www.miamibonefishing.com/

786-853-1409

Follow me on Instagram @MiamiBonefishing