West Lake Park Fishing

Today I went fishing at West Lake Park for the first time. I have always wanted to fish there because I have heard good things about it. I went with my friends Sam and Ben and Ben’s grandfather. We used shrimp that was alive when we bought it but because the water wasn’t freshened, they died. First, we fished off of a dock next to the parking lot. At first, nothing was biting. I had a circle hook on my rod, so if a fish bit then it would be hooked as long as the shrimp was hooked on securely. Suddenly, I felt a tug and I reeled in. It was a small Lane Snapper! First fish of the day. I unhooked it and dropped it back to the water to let it keep on growing. I rebated my hook and let it go down to the bottom. I felt tugs, but then nothing. I brought it up to see if I had bait. The shrimp was still on, so I put it back in the water. Sure enough, another fish was on. I reeled in to find that it was a small Puffer. After that, nobody caught any fish for a while. Right before we were going to go to a pier, a small Mangrove Snapper bit Sam’s line. He reeled it in and caught it. He unhooked it and threw it back in. We packed up our rods and gear, and moved to the boardwalk/pier. One of the great things about fishing is learning about the environment and the ecosystem. The boardwalk took us through the mangroves and the mud flats. We saw birds, mosquitos (not surprising), and even small crabs in the branches as you can see in the pictures. We got to the end of the boardwalk and cast out our baited hooks. We had three rods with a hook and a piece of shrimp, and one line with a spoon that we had casted out near the mangroves. Ben’s grandfather talked about how that spoon was his favorite lure from where he went fishing, in New York. We took off the head and the tail of the shrimp and only used the body. We were catching nothing until Sam had a big tug on his line. He brought it in and I helped him bring it up and over the side of the pier. It was a Bluntnose Stingray! What an interesting catch! Ben’s grandfather and Sam unhooked the fish. A little while longer, a big Puffer was hooked on Ben’s line. I was trying to help Ben unhook the Puffer because they have big teeth that try to bite the hook off (which they can do) and sometimes swallow the hook. While I was getting the hook out, my rod bent. Sam got my rod set for me and he unhooked the puffer while I reeled in my fish. It was a nice blue runner! I unhooked it and let it back in the water. After that, we didn’t get anymore bites. It was nice to feel the breeze and enjoy nature while waiting. To finish the trip, we had a cool surprise. When I was reeling in my hook to go, I saw a yellow-orange figure where my hook should be. I reeled it up to find out that a blue crab had taken my bait! another species that we had caught and had a chance to learn about. It was so gentle with the bait and hook that the rod didn’t even bend when it was taking the bait. We carefully unhooked it and sent it back in the water. What a trip! Stay tuned, more trips coming soon. Tight Lines and Good Luck!

Miami Tarpon Fishing

Today was definitely a fun day on my first charter fishing trip with my friends Sam and Davis. Davis fishes a lot and knows a ton about fish and marine life, just like me. Sam is an amazing fisherman and fishes the ocean in Miami and the Keys offshore all the time. He fishes in tournaments in Miami and the Keys. He knows very much about offshore fishing tips and tricks. The charter we went on was Fly Fish South Florida, and the guide, Taylor, was one of Sam's cousin's friends. Today we went out for Tarpon, but we'd also go out to see whatever else we could catch. Once we got to the secret spot, right behind Miami Seaquarium, not far from the Crandon Park Marina where we came out from on Key Biscayne, we threw out a frozen mullet, hooked through the lips. Sam and I were jigging with a white jig in the back too. It took a while before we had our first fish. On the jig, Sam and I had caught a blue runner! It was a small fish, but it was fun to start the day with a fish. Soon enough, we saw the rod tip with the mullet bend and a huge Tarpon jump. Fish on! We gave the rod to Sam and he fought the fish hard. We helped him fight the fish until the end. The fight lasted about a half an hour before we finally brought it along the side of the boat to cut the line. That was a huge fish and it put up an amazing fight. It was really fun to see the huge fish jump and to marvel at the fact that a monster was at the other side of the line. We went back to the spot, and it was Davis's turn to reel one in. It didn't take long before we heard the reel scream and a Tarpon jump five feet in the air. We gave Davis the rod and he held on tight. Tarpon are really smart and they will cut the line on whatever they can. In order to make it easier to reel, we drove the boat in the direction the Tarpon was going. Davis reeled in and got the leader to touch the rod and the Tarpon to come up next to the boat. We were 2 for 2 on Tarpon! The fish was still on and took us all the way over to the bridge where it wrapped around a piling and cut Davis's line. When we went back, it was my turn to reel one in. It took a long time waiting for a Tarpon to bite. In the meantime, I had caught two big Mangrove Snappers and we had also caught a cool jack with live shrimp along the seawall. But as we were about to bring the jack over the side of the boat, a Barracuda darted in and snatched the jack! It came as fast as a bullet! There is a reason why I have always wanted to catch one of these amazing fighters. Only the head of the stunned jack remained. We looked down on it, and we saw the ravenous Barracuda stalking the head right under it. It swam right up and ate the rest of the jack, cutting the line off, too. One day, I would want to catch one of those. After a bit more waiting, a big tug had bent Taylor's rod and he gave it to me. I pulled in as hard as I could, and it was hard as a rock. I kept the rod up high to keep the tension on, because if I gave the line slack then I would have lost the fish. I had caught for about a minute before the giant Tarpon ran and pulled like a fright train into the rocks on the bottom and snapped the line. I had caught a Tarpon once on the Mucho K at the dock, and today was a nice reminder of how well Tarpon or "Silver Kings" fight. It was a fun day fishing Inshore Miami for Tarpon and I would definitely like to fish with Sam and Davis again.

If the videos do not show up, go to

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc16FUK_WX8
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGxSoyrUwqY

Peacock Bass Fishing

        Here in Miami and all over the world, there are different types of fisherman and fishing methods. Some people specialize in certain types, and fish in that location or way most often. I like to learn and fish every possible method and gamefish. This is a reason why I like to fish: everyone has their way.

        Today I went fishing with my math teacher, Mr. Muhlig. He normally fishes for Largemouth and Peacock Bass in the lakes and canals here in Miami and a bit farther north in Broward County. We both like to fish and I have always wanted to catch a peacock bass; it's on my fishing bucket list. Now is the best time to fish for them because they nest and lay eggs in Spring. When the Peacock Bass are breeding, they are very protective of their eggs. They will bite anything that comes close, even if it's not hungry.

        We went before school on the C-8 Canal. We woke up pretty early to have enough time, but as I like to say, "anything for the fish!" We went to the spot and tied on the lures. We used spinners and a light spinning gear. The spinner was a Mepps Comet 3. Once we got to the spot, we could see a big Peacock Bass guarding its nest.

        Mr. Muhlig told my sister and me to cast out and then reel in gently. We kept on doing this, and sometimes it would try to take the lure. But every time, it would stop just before. Sometimes, it even opened up its mouth. It just wouldn't take it.

        Peacock Bass are not actually bass. They are a type of big cichlid that lives in the Amazon, Hawaii, and South Florida's lakes and canals. They are very well adapted to the hot climate of these places. Peacock Bass are a fun fish to catch, and that is why it was on my list.

        Time was ticking and we only had so much time left to fish. We hadn't caught anything yet, but I had been paying attention to the way the fish worked. If I brought the lure right next to the Peacock Bass, even enough to touch it, the fish would go after it. I cast out with my plan in mind and started to reel in slowly. The spinner came in close to the fish and it went for it. The plan worked! The fish open up its mouth and picked up the spinner. I set the hook and the rod bent. Fish on!

        I kept it on the hook and reeled in at the right time. I hoped that the lure would not come off. I had to walk from one side to the other to keep the fish on. Finally, I brought it up. I caught it! My first Peacock Bass! I can now cross of "Peacock Bass" off of my list of fish I want to catch.

        The fishing trip today was really fun and it taught me a ton about peacock Bass and how to catch them. It was really cool to catch one for the first time! I really appreciate Mr. Muhlig's help and I would like to fish with him again sometime soon.

STAY TUNED! More fishing posts coming soon. Tight lines!

5th Annual Fishing Trip

       Every year, around my birthday, Doda Annette and I go fishing on Sea Legs III, or once on the reward fleet, for our annual fishing trip. We have done it every year since 2012, (except for 2013, when I fished on the Mucho K for my birthday without Doda Annette) making this our 5th annual boat fishing trip. We went on Sunday, February 26th and it was mostly a beautiful day. It was sunny with no clouds, other than some farther out offshore. Because it rains so much here in Miami, I try to take sunny days like this for granted. Normally, we go fishing on Sea Legs in the morning, and the fish bite more in morning and their night trip, but not as much in the afternoon. The boat was not crowded, and there was a ton of space to relax. We didn't go in the morning because the boat was rented out. Still, it was a good trip.

       On the way out, we got to see lots of mangroves, home to many other inshore fish. Today, we were fishing in a different way with a different method: deep-sea fishing. We also passed by the port of everglades by the inlet, so we got to see a bunch of huge cruise ships, too. The ride out to the fishing spot wasn't bad. The waves weren't huge, and it was a rather calm day compared to what it usually is. At the second spot, i felt nibbles once I dropped it down. I had a good feeling that we would catch a fish. After a while, I was waiting for the fish to bite and I wasn't feeling the nibbles anymore. But then, I felt a big tug and I instantly reeled in. I knew that something had bit my squid. When reeled it up, I saw that I had caught a Grunt for the first fish of the day!

       We kept on moving to different spots, but nobody caught much. The waves had picked up, and the boat was rocking a bit more. Because we were drift fishing, fishing without an anchor, moving where the wind and waves take us, the waves moved the boat faster. Our lines went under the boat because the boat was moving right over them. It didn't ruin the trip, it just made it harder to fish. Then, Doda Annette felt a tug. She reeled in, but it was very strong and she gave it to me to reel in some more. After what felt like years of reeling in the fish, we gave it to the first mate to try. He thought it was not a fish, but we should pull up anyway. Once he brought it up, we saw that it was, in fact a fish. It was one of the biggest porgies I had ever seen! In the pictures, you might see its insides coming out of it. It is normal, and it can also come out of its mouth. It happens when a fish accustomed to higher water pressure deep in the sea is reeled in fast. Doda Annette and I were extremely excited to have caught 2 fish!

       I had a fish on the line once more, and I thought that it was a fish, but it got off the hook. We went back and got back to the dock at around 6:10. This was an awesome fishing trip, and I will be making more soon. Stay tuned, and tight lines!

Afternoon Oleta Trip

Today, I went to Oleta River State Park near North Miami, Florida. I went with Zaide and my brother, Jacob, to the short pier. We came at about 4:30pm and left at around 5:45pm because the park closes at 6.

When we got to the pier, I baited the rods with small pieces of squid, then Jacob and I dropped the hooks down. Right after the hooks and sinkers fell to the bottom, we reeled in bit to get it staying just a bit over the ground. Right away, I felt nibbles.

Sometimes, we would feel a bunch of nibbles, and sometimes we would not feel any of all. I wasn't feeling any nibbles at all, until a tug came and the rod was bending. Fish on! I reeled in, and caught it. It was a Tomtate, which is a small type of grunt with stripes on its side and a dark spot on its tail. I baited my hook again with another piece of squid, and sure enough, I caught another Tomtate! Two fish so far.

The squid then ran out, and We switched to shrimp. Jacob was determined to catch a fish and rushed me to bait his hook first. H dropped his down, and sure enough, he felt strong tugs. The rod bent and the fish was on! He reeled in and he caught a Tomtate! Jacob had caught his fish, and he was satisfied. His day was not over yet, though. He wanted to keep on fishing.

It was a nice, breezy day and the sun was going to start setting in about 20 minutes. We kept on fishing, and I ended up catching 3 more Tomtates. They can be a fun fish to try and catch on a nice day like I did, and see how many times you can catch them. This trip was really fun, but it was not over. I was rebating my hook when Jacob had A big tug.

I saw the rod bend, and It looked like it was stuck on something. He brought it up without it getting under the pier, and it turned out to be the biggest Tomtate of the day! Jacob caught it. I could tell that I have been teaching him about fishing well, and that his angling skills have progressed and have gotten better. It was a Tomtate, but you need to know what you're doing when fighting a fish, especially near pilings and rocks where you can easily lose a hard-fighting fish like his big Tomtate.

As the sun was starting to set and the park was closing soon, I caught a juvenile Lane Snapper to cap off the day. I have caught adult Lane Snappers at refs of of Sea-Legs III, and it was interesting to see and to learn about how the Lane Snapper lives. Like other fish, adults come to breed and lay eggs inshore and away from the reef. The juvenile lives there until it grows enough to go out to the reef offshore to find more food and live in different shelter. I have now caught a Lane Snapper in both places, inshore and offshore.

This was an awesome day and I can't wait to fish again. Tight lines!

Exotic Fish on the Dania Pier

This fishing trip was definitely one to remember. I went with Danielle and Zaide to Dania Pier from about 4:30 to about 6:00 in the evening. Once we came in, we checked out the bait shop on the pier right before the entrance. I had sabiki rig, a Japanese rig with small hooks on small colorful lures that are attached to one line. I was going to use that, but I figured that some frozen shrimp wouldn't hurt. After all, I had two rods and only one of them had the sabiki rig on. We walked on the pier to the place that we wanted to fish. Not the very end, but where the the sand ends and the seagrass/reef starts. You can see this by looking at the water seeing when it starts to turn darker. We cut the shrimp into very small pieces and put them on the hook. I put the pieces of shrimp on the hook, but it wasn't working too much, and the line was tangled. Things were not looking very good. The sabiki rig was not working, and the lines were tangled and it took us about a half an hour to finally get settled. Dani then came up with an idea. The sabiki rig is meant to be just put in the water with no bait on the hooks and to be pulled up and down very slowly. Dani thought that if the the fish aren't biting it, then we should try to put small pieces of shrimp on the hooks and seeing if that works. I agreed, put the shrimp on, and dropped the rig in the water. Just then, birds came to steal the shrimp. I gave the pole to Dani and I shooed away the birds. Since Dani was holding two rods, she had to give the rod with the sabiki rig to me because a fish was on! She put her rod aside and helped me reel it in. Soon we saw a big, white thing on the rig. It was a fish! We got it higher and onto the pier! It was a Redband Parrotfish! A very good sized parrotfish on the sabiki rig with shrimp to start the day! I unhooked the fish and threw it back. The line was tangled, so Zaide worked on the line. Soon enough, he untangled the line and I put bait on the hooks. I dropped it again and waited for a bite. Soon enough I felt nibbles, then the rod tip dropped and the line was moving. Fish on! I reeled it in and I caught a Smooth Trunkfish! A Trunkfish is an exotic fish in the shape of a box (also called boxfish). What an interesting catch! I rebated the hooks on the sabiki rig and dropped it down again. I felt a tug, so I reeled in. The line was somehow stuck on the piling of the pier. I tugged at the line and it became free from the piling. But, I still felt a bite. I reeled in, and sure enough, I caught a Black Margate. A Black Margate is a type of reef fish found in South Florida, and this was my first one. An exciting catch. Because my hooks were stuck on the piling, it took off the sinker. Zaide and I went back to the store and bought two pyramid sinkers and two bank sinkers, both 2 OZ. I tied on another pyramid sinker and dropped the rig down. The sun was starting to set and you could see the cruise ships leaving the Port of Miami. This was an awesome day on the water, but it was not done yet. Just then, I felt a tug on the shrimp on my other rod with the egg sinker and hook, and the fish was on. I reeled in, and caught the last fish of the day. It was a Doctorfish, a type of Tang! What a great way to end a great day full of exotic fish, milestones, and Miami ocean and sunset scenery.

Tips and Tricks that I have learned:

• Sabiki rigs work, and if not, try putting small pieces of bait on it.

• The Dania pier is a nice place in Miami to catch cool, exotic fish on the ocean to get a nice breeze with awesome views.

Stay tuned, new fishing tips, tricks, and trips coming soon!

Tough Tilapia Luck

Today, I went fishing in the C-8 Canal in Miami again. This time, it was with Ben and my friend, Thomas. We went to the ledge and looked down. A whole school of tilapia and Cichlids were passing by. I put a piece of bread on the hook, and we dropped the lines down. Once we dropped it down, the fish started to nibble. Then, a big Tilapia came and opened its big mouth and sucked the whole piece of bread in one bite. I realized that my hook was in that piece, and started to slowly reel and pull up. Then, the rod started to bend and the fish went crazy. FISH ON!!! It started to take the line off of reel and made that beautiful fishing sound, EERRRREERERRRERERRR! I managed to reel it up to the ledge, and I was about to puck the fish up. But, just then, the line got caught in the wood and when the fish turned it snapped the line. Remember, according to the IGFA fishing rules, if the fish comes close enough to the structure that you are fishing off of, it is a catch. But, nothing feels better when you get to bring the fish up and truly win the battle. I tied on a new hook, put another slip shot sinker on, put the bread on, and dropped my hook in the school again. The fish came in and were nibbling at it. This time, a Cichlid came and gulped up my bait. Instantly, the reel started screaming and the line ran off the reel with the drag. The strong fish swam franticly and made it hard to reel in. Finally, I tried to reel it in and get it up, and the line broke. I lost the fish. I have yet to bring up a cichlid or a tilapia from the canal. I will soon, I hope.

What I learned from this trip:

• As pressuring as it is to finally bring up the fish at the end of a fight, you need to keep calm and be wary of what your doing and be patient, or you will make mistakes.

• Cichlid and Tilapia are very feisty and put up a fight. Be sure to tie on your hook very tight and maybe have a bigger line pound test. Come prepared when fishing a canal here in Miami.

Stay tuned! More fishing tips, tricks, and trips soon.