Next
on the list are the SST charts (Sea Surface Temps) tracking the movements and
temp breaks, gulf stream eddies, gulf stream location....just like the weather.
This will tell me where my best chances are to find my target species, after
all every game fish has its comfort level. Dolphin are at 73-75 degrees.. Gulfstream
location will also assist in finding weed lines....Next
I go through my buoy and wind readings. This is going to give me vital info
on wave height and intervals, which tells me what will be the most comfortable
direction to run avoiding 1/4 sea wet trips. Take all that info and add it to
local knowledge of structure, past action on trips....and you have great building
blocks to having a game plan.
Oh
yeah, how bout that bait. I know you're saying hey Capt. you're
a light tackle artificial Fly guy. That's true but I gotta say nothing brings
the fish up better (especially Dolphin) than live bait. I start netting a day
in advance (or so) because you never know when they will go into hiding and
there's no better time for Murphy's law to rear his ugly head than pushing off
from the dock. My bait menu consists of a tank packed with Peanuts. I'm not
fishing with them but use them to turn that void looking Lobster pot or fertile
area into a seafood buffet feeding frenzy that rivals Ponderosa on the weekend.
to which we will throw lies and artificails into the mix. That's not to say
every pot is created equal but with experience and time on the water you will
be able to tell the difference between a faux void pot and a death pot
Running
and Gunning is the game for me. Trolling for countless hours to me is like walking
on a treadmill while watching paint dry, I need to cover territory!! While doing
so observing everything around me, looking for birds (especially single high
flyers), flying fish, pots, debris, weedlines (sargassum), color changes, current
and temp breaks....all play a key role in the success in finding Dolphin. I
will generally run far first until things look interesting then N or S marking
(MOB) things along the way that had possibilities but not worth stopping for
and maybe hit them on the way back inshore.
