Many times during the year customers ask to target species that are just not around in good enough numbers to result in a successful day.  If you are heading south and looking for a fun day on the water the first step to making your trip a success is to arrive with the proper expectations. I won’t tell you that you absolutely cannot catch a Dolphin in January, but I would suggest fishing for other species that are biting better at that time of year. 

The first expectation to bring in line with reality is the weather.  We are in the tropics and this is far south Florida but it can be cold down here. Typical weather for the calendar year will look something like this: 

January will bring cold fronts and the beginning of the tourist season.  The prevailing weather pattern is E winds around 10-15 mph with temperatures in the low 80’s.  Once a front starts to drop in on us the wind will start to move clockwise around to the SW then W then NW as the front is right on us.  The NW winds can be cold and nasty with 20-30 mph and temps in th high 60’s to low 70’s common.  That can last a few days. As the front moves west to east the wind will shift to the N then NE and begin to lighten to 15-20. Once the front moves past we will be back to the prevailing 10-15 from the E.  As the next front approaches we will see the wind drop to calm and from a more SE direction before starting the whole cycle over again.  This will repeat itself over and over again. As the season progresses into February, March and April the fronts will be farther apart and lose strength. Once we get to May they pretty much disappear and we are left with warm calm weather. June and July start to bring the heat. August and September can be brutal…even on the water. I spend most of August and September trolling to take advantage of the breeze the boat creates when moving. Summer fishing is excellent in the late afternoon and evening. October will start to cool and November and December will start the front cycle over again.

You can catch almost any species any time of year but below is a list of the best targets by month.

January-Kingfish, Sailfish, Blackfin Tuna, Spanish Mackerel, Cero Mackerel, Bonito. Bottom fishing for Grouper, Snapper, Yellowtail, Cobia, Sharks

February-Kingfish, Sailfish, Spanish Mackerel, Cero Mackerel, Blackfin Tuna, Bonito.  Bottom fishing for Grouper, Snapper, Yellowtail, Cobia, Sharks

March-Kingfish, Sailfish, Spanish Mackerel, Cero Mackerel, Bonito. Bottom fishing for Grouper, Snapper, Yellowtail, Cobia, Sharks

April-Sailfish, Kingfish, Spanish Mackerel, Cero Mackerel, Bonito.  Bottom fishing for Grouper, Snapper, Mutton bite is great. Yellowtail, Cobia, Sharks

May- Dolphin, Sailfish, Spanish Mackerel, Cero Mackerel, Kingfish, Bonito. Bottom fishing for Grouper, Snapper, Mutton Snapper is excellent. Yellowtail, Cobia, Sharks

June- Dolphin, Sailfish, White Marlin, Blue Marlin, Bonito, Blackfin Tuna, Skipjack Tuna. Bottom fishing for Grouper, Mutton Snapper, Yellowtail

July- Dolphin, Sailfish, Marlin, Bonito, Skipjack Tuna, Blackfin Tuna, Bonito. Yellowtail. Deep dropping can be excellent.

August- Yellowtail, Dolphin, Sailfish, Bonito, Skipjack Tuna

September- Yellowtail, Sailfish, Bonito, Cero Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel.

October- Yellowtail, Mutton Snapper, Bonito, Cero Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Kingfish, Sailfish, Dolphin

November- Yellowtail, Grouper, Bonito, Cero Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Kingfish, Sailfish, Dolphin

December- Yellowtail, Blackfin Tuna, Cero Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Kingfish, Sailfish, Dolphin

Species like Barracuda, Grouper, Snapper you can find all year long in many different depths.

Capt. Chris Lembo
Incognito Light Tackle Fishing
(305) 304-0093
http://www.incognitolighttackle.com
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