Three years ago we tagged 20 sail fish with the satellite tags to track their movements. The theory was that they were migrating down the east coast into the keys then moving offshore to aggregate and spawn. This theory was confirmed by the return data from the tags. The sail fish along with lots of dolphin have once again concentrated in 700 to 1700 feet of water south of the Keys. Jon Pipp and his party landed over 50 dolphin on their first day of fishing, on the second day they landed 31 dolphin. Mike Pilanger and Keith and Amanda Walker fished with us on the next day and caught a 30 pound bull 2-22 pound cows and a bunch of school dolphin Keith released his first sail fish on his birthday. The sail fish have migrated offshore and we are finding them in great numbers.

TRACTING SAILFISH WITH SATELITES

Scientist for many years have been trying to solve the many mysteries of the oceans pelagic species. The sailfish is one of these great mysteries. Sailfish begin their life as a fertilized egg floating in the plankton in the Gulf Stream. The male and female sail fish swim side by side at the surface of the ocean depositing egg and sperm. They spawn in the depths of the Gulf Stream some twenty miles from shore mainly at night to minimize attack from predators. With in days the young sails take on the look of their adult parents. Darting in and out of the Sargasso Sea weed they hunt food and take refuse from predators such as the dolphin. After six months the young sails leave the safety of the Sargasso seaweed and begin migrating inshore toward the reef in search of food. Schools of Spanish sardines, pilchards and ballyhoo are plentiful along the deep side of the reefs of the Florida Keys. In September, October and November large numbers of the juvenile sails show up in “sail fish alley” located in 60 to 300 feet of water along most of the east coast of Florida. These juvenile sails will average 48 to 52 inches in length and weight five to ten pounds. A counter current along the Keys sweeps the small sails westward along the Keys as they rapidly mature. As December approaches the small sails are swept in to the depths of the Gulf Stream and the larger mature sails measuring 72 to 96 inches in overall length, and weighting from 30 to 80 pounds, become dominate along the area known as sail fish alley. Sail fishing is excellent from December thru May in the Keys although they are caught year round in the offshore waters. April is a peak month for sails in the Lower Keys and Key West waters. A very large migration takes place with large schools of sails swimming to the west, destination unknown. Tagging has shown sail fish migrate from the Keys to Vensuqula, Mexico, North Carolina and the Gulf of Mexico. The only tagged sail fish that I have personally caught was tagged by Capt. Bubba Gaston on the Black Bean in 200 feet of water south of American Shoal Light in the Keys. I caught and released that same sail in the month of April in 150 feet of water south of American Shoal almost one year later to the day. It is the belief of this author that the sailfish migrate north following the Gulf Stream in the summer as far as North Carolina the return south in the winter to the southern Atlantic and Caribbean Sea. . Little is known about this great game fish an tagging efforts have shed little light on their secrets. Tagging consisted of a medal dart attached to thin spaghetti like tube about six inches in length. The metal dart was stabbed into the fish penetrating under the skin leaving the tube exposed on the outside of the fish. This method of tagging gave the scientist the approximate size of the sail and the location of the tagging. Later if the tag was recovered by another fisherman the size again was estimated and the location was given. Of 52,000 sail fish that where tagged over several years only 704 tags where recovered. This data did show evidence of extensive migratory patterns but size estimates were very vague. NOAA Scientist needed a better tool.

Scientist now have a new weapon in their arsenal “The Satellite Tag”

These new tags called “Satellite Tags” are about ten inches in length and about the diameter of a cigar. A secure anchor is place in the sailfish just below the dorsal fin about two feet behind the head. These new age tags can be programmed to record data for up to one year but are normally programmed for 120 days. The tag records; depth, temperature, location and measures light levels of the water in memory every thirty seconds. After the programmed time the tag will detach its self from the fish and pop to the surface. After reaching the surface the tag will begin down loading the data to a Satellite orbiting above the earth.

The signal from the tag is transmitted to the NOAA polar orbiting satellite, and then the ARGOS satellite system is used to transfer to a filtering station on Wallops Island, Virginal. From Wallops Island the data is then e-mailed to National Marine Fisheries Service in Miami. As you can well imagine the amount of data recorded during the 120-day period is very large and takes considerable time to separate and record. After all the data is assembled the scientist can examine the movements of the sailfish not only the GPS location but also the depth below the surface in the water column and the temperature and light in the surrounding water. Water temperature is import for a lot of reasons; the depth of the fish in the water column can be cross/checked with temperature for accuracy. These tags are manufactured by Wildlife Computers in Redmond, WA. Pop-up tag technology was first developed for fish using blue fin tuna off Hatteras, NC as the test animal. Dr. Heidi Dewar (of Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University) and Chuck Farwell (of Monterey Bay Aquarium) were involved in the initial work.

Locating and tagging the sailfish did not come easy.

Aboard the Sea Boots we generally have no difficulty finding and catching sailfish during the sail season. Last winter in December we caught and released 24 sail fish in one day using spinning tackle. On this particular day we could have caught many more sail, our anglers Joe and Hazel Sauve from Ohio and crew decided to enjoy the bite and not just try to run up the numbers. Our NOAA Scientist arrived in the Keys in April just before the World Sail Fish Tournament Sail fishing during the tournament was red hot (475 sails where released during the tournament, but we where unable to take the time during the tournament to try and tag sail. After the tournament the fishing was slow for sail in a period when it is usually very good. Northwest winds and strange currents brought slow fishing. We had 20 tags to deploy and time was running out as the slow sail bite continued into May. In early May our luck changed, the wind and current returned to a more favorable direction the sail fish again began to migrate west along the Keys in record numbers. During the two weeks of May we witnessed hundreds of sailfish per day tailing to the west on the seas. On one of the best days the charter boat Main Attraction with Captain Marty Louis released 36 sailfish for his own personal best day. National Marine Service Scientist Derk Snodgrass was onboard that day and helped out in the catching and tagging of many of the fish. Needless to say we placed all 20 of the Satellite Tags on sailfish in a short time. Eric Prince could now stop biting his nails the job was complete on our part it would be up to the sailfish to provide the data. Fishing the lower Keys and Key West for sailfish is very different in April and May these are migrating fish. Off Miami sailfish are usually fished for with the use of a kite. This method works well on sailfish that are settled in an area and feeding. Kites are used in the Keys but not during the sail migrations in April and May. In the Keys we fish tailing fish in April and May, these are not really feeding fish they are migrating to the west. Tailing fish will swim on the surface with just the tip of their tail cutting the surface of the water using the cyclonic energy of the seas produced by opposing current and wind to aid their motion into the current. Since these are not feeding fish they want a live bait cast directly into their path even then they will turn you down 1/3 of the time. But the shear numbers of fish offer incredible possibilities to the angler.

Placing the tags on the sailfish.

Have you ever tried holding a seven-foot long 60 to80 pound sail fish still for 20 to 30 minutes while taking a DNA sample, measurements, inserting and anchor for the tag, then attaching the tag. Remember the fish must stay alive during this procedure, not only alive but remain strong enough to swim away with the tag attached. NOAA scientists Eric Prince, Derk Snodgrass and Dave Richards had a strategy and some neat tools to implement their strategy. They came up with a unique tool called the “snooter”. The “snooter” is a six-foot fiberglass pole with a loop on the end. The soft cable loop can be pulled tight from the top of the pole after being place over the sailfish’s bill. Care must be taken to insure only the top jaw and bill is lassoed leaving the bottom jaw lose so water can enter the open mouth. Sails are ram breathers; foreword movement forces water into the mouth and thru the gills to oxygenate the fish.

One of the most unique facets of this plan is the taking over of a sailfish from another boat. A tennis ball is attached to a leader with a snap swivel on a thirty-pound conventional rod and reel. The tagging vessel stays close while another sport fishing vessel hooks and fights the sail. When the sail is ready for release at the boat the tagging vessel quickly moves in and throws the tennis ball and leader attached to the 30-pound tackle into the boat that has been fighting the fish. The mates then cuts the leader on the hooked sail and ties a quick eye into the leader and snaps the tennis ball and snap into the eye and releases the leader and fish. The tagging vessel now has the sail on the 30-pound rod and reel and takes control of the fish. The sport-fishing vessel leaves to try and catch another sail for tagging. The tagging vessel will now work the sail close to the boat so the leader can be controlled. At this point the sail has settled down and the tagging process can begin with out injuring the fish. When the sail is at the boat the mate holds the leader and the scientist reaches down and places the snooter over the sails top jaw and bill and pulls it tight. The object of the “snooter” pole is to control the sail at the boat and to keep the fish down in the water so the sail can breath during the tagging operation. The scientist can now begin the process of collecting measurements, DNA samples, attaching the anchor for the tag and finally attaching the tag. The tag is attached last because if there is any bleeding or signs that the fish is injured in the process the mission will be aborted and the fish released immediately.

Why did NOAA Scientist want to tag the sails in the Keys in April and May?

Scientist have known for years that sailfish lava are found in abundance off Miami in the late summer months. These larva only three days old should come from the Florida Straits south of the Lower Keys and Key West area given the direction and speed of the currents. It has been believed for a long time that the sail migrate south along the Florida Coast and then move offshore to aggregate and spawn in the Gulf Stream in the late summer. The object of the tagging study was to track the movements of the sail vertically in the water column and geographically.

In Summary

I wound like to thank Dr. Eric Prince and his team (Derk Snodgrass and Dave Richards) from National Marine Fisheries for their assistance in the writing of this article and for there unyielding search to discover the secretes of our game fish we hold so dear. The Satellite research project conducted in the Keys is Dave Richards Project for his Doctors degree at the University of Miami. Dr Eric Prince has been involved with Fisheries Research for more than thirty years spending many of those years in the Bahamas and the Florida Straights studying billfish. This satellite tagging study showed that the sailfish tagged off the Florida Keys traveled great distances. One was recovered of the coast of Texas another off the Carolina’s. We will learn much more as the data is studied and compiled. The end result will be more knowledge to manage our fishery resources.

By Captain Jim Sharpe

SIDE BAR

Catching Tailing Sail Fish

Although I’ve fished the Florida Keys for more than 30 years, my heart still pounds when conditions turn favorable for tailing sailfish. One morning last spring, a strong east wind and a strong opposing gulf stream current provided the right conditions. I positioned the Sea Boots on the blue waterside of the color change in 280 feet of water as my mate, put out two live ballyhoo on 20 pound spinning tackle. From the tuna tower, 25 feet above the water, I spotted the first sign: schools of bonito tailing along the green/blue edge of the color change, closely followed by a scalloped hammerhead shark just inside the color change in the green water.

“Be ready it’s going to happen,” I said. The words weren’t out of my mouth when eight sailfish came tailing down sea, right at us just 20 feet from the boat. The mate wound in the baits and I spun the boat to chase the wolf pack. As we pulled alongside, the mate’s accurate cast dropped a live bait 10 feet in front of the lead fish. A 7-foot, 60-pounder threw up its dorsal fin, lit up electric blue and began to circle the struggling bait. The ballyhoo tried to escape but couldn’t match the lightning speed of the sail, which ran down the bait and ate it.

Adrenaline surging, I yelled, “Hit’em, hit’em, hit’em!” The angler wound down tight and set the hook with several firm pumps. For a few seconds the dazed billfish slashed its head back and forth at the surface, and then came unglued. Standing on its tail, the sail rocked from side to side in an airborne arc covering 50 yards that brought it right back toward the boat.

A cloud of black smoke rolled across the cockpit as I powered up, first to keep the sailfish out of the cockpit, then backing down hard to keep from being spooled as the sailfish dumped 200 yards of line. After a 20 minute aerial battle the sailfish finally settled down and the mate was able to reach the leader and release the fish. That was the first of 10 sailfish we caught that day, out of 60 tailing sailfish baited.

SPRING IS BEST

Tailing conditions that allow anglers to sight cast to multiple sailfish develop along the Keys from Islamorada to Key West, usually in March and April. The adventure above took place in March 1996 off Summerland Key in the Lower Keys, the first of 50 days fishing for tailing sailfish. During that two month period aboard the Sea Boots 34′ and the Sea Boots 43′, our anglers caught and released over 300 sailfish. We released without harm all the sails and recovered and released one tagged sailfish.

Many species of game fish will “tail”, given the right conditions. Seasonal migrations compel game fish to travel against strong cur¬rents. At the same time, when a strong wind pushes against the current (in the direction sailfish want to travel), they’ll use the waves to propel themselves forward into the cur¬rent. That’s when they can be seen gliding down the front of waves like surfers. Those fish using the surface motion of the waves to travel effortlessly into the strong current are called tailing fish because often you see just the tail as the fish surfs down the seas.

A cloud of black smoke rolled across the cockpit as I powered up, first to keep the sailfish out of the cockpit, then backing down hard to keep from being spooled as the sailfish dumped 200 yards of line. After a 20 minute aerial battle the sailfish finally settled down and the mate was able to reach the leader and release the fish. That was the first of 10 sailfish we caught that day, out of 60 tailing sailfish baited.

Sight casting to game fish is one of the most exciting forms of sport fishing, combining the thrills of fishing and hunting. Over the years aboard the Sea Boots we have used sight-casting techniques to catch big dolphin, cobia, sail, marlin, wahoo tuna and sharks. The excitement of sight casting to tailing sailfish is guaranteed to make your heart race. Warning this adrenaline overdose is habit forming, if you have a heart condition consult with your doctor before trying, or bring him along.

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SIDE Bar

TACKLE AND RIGGING

Sight casting to sailfish requires that the angler not only see the fish, but also make a successful cast and presentation of the live bait, often casting live baits 30 to 75 feet into the wind while standing in the cockpit of a moving boat in rough seas. Spinning tackle lends itself well to this task, offering the angler the necessary casting distance and the ability to free spool (drop back) to the billfish prior to the hookup. But plug-casting tackle also works very well for anglers with the skills, to use it. (Captain Ken Harris has had success with Shimano Bantams filled with 15-pound line.) A bait caster’s revolving spool and disk drag offer superior drag control and effectively reduce fighting time on each fish.

In general, I recommend 20-pound spin¬ning tackle with reels holding no less than 175 yards of 20-pound test mono. Aboard the Sea Boots we use the Penn SS series 6500, 7500 and 8500 spinning reels on 20-pound rods. Spinning rods should have a fairly hot tip but good backbone. The fairly “hot” (action) tip allows the angler to make the long cast, and the backbone helps raise sounding fish.

Twelve-pound spin tackle offers experts a challenge. However, I don’t recommend lighter tackle for the average angler because prolonged fights reduce billfish oxygen lev¬els below their ability to survive after release.

For rigging, a Bimine twist forms the main double line, which I make about a foot for every 10 pounds of test, 2 feet in the case of a 20-pound main line. This acts as a shock absorber under sudden stress. Add a 15-foot section of 50-pound monofilament with a Sharpe’s Albright knot to the double line to form the leader. Tie a #5/0 to #7/0, Mustad #9174 live bait hook (matched to the size of the bait) to the terminal end of the leader. The double line and leader will wind right on to the spin¬ning reel, leaving the angler 2 or 3 feet of line from the tip of the rod to the bait for casting.

Knots must be tied and trimmed close so they do not hang up as they pass through the guides on the cast. Anglers not so sure of their knots can apply a little head cement of the type used in fly tying to them.

LIVE BAITS FOR TAILING SAILFISH

Live baits for tailing sailfish differ from baits used for feeding sailfish. Tailing sails are migrating not feeding and are sometimes reluctant to strike. Tailers will only go after a very lively bait placed right in their path. Often they lose interest even when everything is perfect.

Although most professionals agree that the bait must be very lively, their opinions differ on which species make the best baits. I prefer ballyhoo or threadfin herring. Unfortunately, good live bait can be almost impossible to catch at the time of year when sailfish are tailing.

Large razor belly pilchards, fairly easy to catch at this time of the year, make a good alternative. Blue runners and goggle eyes make excellent baits but again can be difficult to catch. Grunts, yellowtail snapper and pinfish can be used in a pinch.

Baits should be hooked near the head to ensure they do not spin when retrieved, baits should swim naturally. Some captains like to pass the hook from side to side near the nostrils, others pass the hook up or down in the same area. In the case of ballyhoo, the hook is passed through the lower bill and secured with copper wrapping wire or a cock¬tail straw.

FISHING THE COLOR CHANGE

Having a boat with a tuna tower or flying bridge is a great advantage in this sport, but sight casting can be done from any boat. Most captains prefer to position the boat in the blue water along the color change, looking inshore toward the powder blue to green water. Sailfish will tail along the inner edge of the color change, swimming into the current, but are best seen in the powder blue and green water.

Watch for schools of bonito moving into the current along the edge of the blue/green, sail¬fish will tail in the same place. Hammerhead sharks also indicate the inner edge of the cur¬rent and of sailfish tailing activity.

Keep outriggers in the up position, no lines in the water and one live bait hooked on a 20 pound spinning rig in the live well ready to sight cast. Anglers and crew must be in the ready position with extra 20-pound rigs and baits in case of multiple sailfish.

VISUAL CONTACT, CAST AND HOOK UP

When the captain spots a wolf pack of sails tailing down the edge of the color change, he spins the boat and follows alongside the fish. Ideally, the positions the boat down wind, maintaining about a 100-foot distance slight¬ly behind the pack. The angler positions him¬self or herself in the starboard stem corner of the boat and yells out when ready to sight cast. Then the captain angles the boat toward the pack, still remaining down wind and slightly behind, and closes to within 50 to 75 feet of the pack.

When close enough the angler casts the live bait to a point 10 to 15 feet ahead and in the path of the billfish. From his vantage point on the fly bridge, the captain instructs the angler to adjust the bait’s position if nec¬essary by calling out, “Wind it to you!” “Free spool!” or “Stop the line!”

Getting one out of three tailing sailfish to eat is average. When one gets ready to eat, you will see it light up, fins erect. The sail will circle and then attack the bait. The angler keeps the bail of the reel open with the line held lightly on the tip of the pointing finger of the right hand so the sail can easily pull the line off the finger.

Once the sail’s taken the bait and you’ve flipped the bail closed, check to make sure the line is positioned on the spinning reel correctly and not wrapped around the handle or the spool. Count to five and wind quickly until the line comes tight as the rod loads, pump the rod four or five times firmly to set the hook.

Once the hook is set, the sail will first go airborne often for two or three minutes then make a 150 to 200 yard line blis¬tering run. During the jumps, keep the rod tip up at a 45 degree angle and keep the line tight by winding, not pulling back on the rod. During the long runs, lower the rod tip to 25 degrees to reduce friction on guides and do not wind.

Sight casting to game fish is one of the most exciting forms of sport fishing, combining the thrills of fishing and hunting. Over the years we have used sight-casting techniques to catch most of the game fish found in our waters, but the sight of tailing sailfish will always make your heart pound.