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Fishing report for 7-17-08 from D. M. Navarro @ the World Class Angler in Marathon.
Tired of going out and getting burned? Not so much by the fish as the sun that is. It’s just plain hot! It makes it tough to go fishing unless you keep moving trolling. For those bottom fishing, it is tough to stay out in the sun without getting so exhausted that you don’t want to go again the next day. I have some suggestions for you.
Night fishing. It is fun, adventurous, cooler and very productive. Most of the bottom fish feed predominately at night as well. You usually find the larger fish of the species that you are targeting at night than in the daytime. The bite is usually faster and more fish will come up to the boat as well. All in all, it is the best time to bottom fish.
I know most of the reasons that you will give for not going out at night but here are some suggestions that may help you along. Most do not like to go out in the dark because they just plain can’t see as well. This is true so don’t go as fast as you do in the daytime in areas that you are uncomfortable in. Make sure that all or your required lights work as well as bringing enough personal illumination to make you comfortable. (Always bring at least two flashlights because you know that one is going to fall & break, the batteries will go dead or it will find its way overboard. This is a known fact of night fishing!) Have a good hand held spotlight to see your channel entrance or other items that you want to identify.
Plan on where you want to go fishing so you aren’t lost as at night, distances are hard to judge as compared to daytime. Knowing your route will make your trip much less stressful. Make sure you keep the deck extra clean. You will trip over things at night that you would normally see in the daylight. If your eyes are not the best, make up plenty of leaders prior to going out. This will reduce the number of knots that you will have to tie while feeling like Ray Charles. Also, have all your gear in a place that you know so you don’t have to go searching all over for something you need.
Check the weather prior to departure. This is the time of year that the storms and showers pop up at will. It can be unnerving to be out there and see lightning. You can see it 5 times as far at night as you can in the daytime. It may be 30 miles away and seem that you are about to get hit by it. Use prudence. Don’t be foolish but by the same token, don’t be anxious as well. The local weather station on the VHF will have the ‘Short Term Forecast’ and will have information on any inclement weather in the area as well as direction of movement and areas to be wary.
Take plenty of bait, as you may not find any out there that you usually find in the daytime. Pinfish are not a good feeder at night so obtain them prior to departure. Take plenty of good chum. You can always put it back in the freezer but there are no stores out there.
The best locations to fish at night are the same ones as in the daytime. The reef, Hawk Channel humps, the bridge channels and all of the bay waters. All of these will be full of snapper; either mangrove, yellowtail, mutton, lane or others. Grouper are active at night as well. You will find so much activity in the chum line that it alone will excite you. Plus you can not but the scenery that you will see at night. The islands take on a whole new kind of beauty, the bridges with the lights of the cars are intriguing, the stars are clearer than in the middle of Nebraska and the waters seem to take on this mysterious aura about it. You never know what you will see going by in it next or what is going to come out of it. But you will never know if you don’t go.
I have heard from many that they can find us at our new location at 3740 Overseas Highway but they really miss the signs that I used to always put out at the old spot. So for now, I will offer you a weekly option in my article. This week, I have a definition from Dave’s Dictionary; SALESMAN: The only person on earth that understands the word NO as well as a child!
reach dave at worldclassan@comcast.net
Captain Dave Navarro is a lifelong resident of Marathon, Owner of the World Class Angler in Marathon and captain of the charter boat, “Dave’s Dream.”
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