4. South Florida and the Keys
Bunching the greater Miami metropolitan area with the Florida Keys is sort of like comparing a Mercedes with an old pickup truck. On the surface, they're polar opposites. Miami is known for its high-end South Beach living, while the Keys are all about kicking back and watching the sunset. However, one thing unites this area — high-flying sailfish. Each winter, the spindlebeaks show up en masse and kites dot the skyline along the reef edge. Live bait is king in this fishery, especially during tournament time. If you don't catch your own, you will get stuck shelling out $100 or more for a dozen prime goggle-eyes. Fishing three or four baits off each kite, crews here have mastered the art of the multiple hookup. And it's this skill that proves the key to success when fishing one of the local sailfish tourneys. If you think sailfishing in south Florida can't live up to the action in Central America, think again. In early April the crew on Vitamin Sea Too caught 50 sails in a single day off Key West. The bite tends to stick around into May. In the Keys, you'll find plenty of charter boats and tournaments in Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon and Key West. For information on tournaments in the Keys, visit
www.fla-keys.com and click on "fishing." In Miami, charter boats are available out of Coconut Grove and the Miami Beach Marina. If you want to fish some tournaments, the Miami area offers plenty to choose from. To find out more about some of the Miami-area tourneys, visit
www.miamibillfish.com,
www.mayorscuptournament.com or
www.billfishchallenge.com.
