FISHING
40
TREASURE COAST BOATING
GREG GARDNER PHOTOS
Dolphin can also do the dance and often end up on the hooks of anglers
trolling for billfish. This one was just 20 inches and a keeper.
Circle hooks have helped the fishery and I think it is easier to
catch fish with them.”
Cameron also believes the perfection of the “dredge”
system has contributed to the sharp increase in sail catches
during recent tournaments. It is much like dragging a school
of bait behind the boat, mimicking natural feeding patterns.
“Our hookup rates are better,” he says. “When they come
they will follow you.”
Another strategy is prospecting, where the angler starts to
work the rod from the beginning instead of waiting for something
to hit the line. “It helps keep the angler in the game,”
says Cameron.
FUN IN THE PURSUIT
Billfishing can be fun
even if you don’t catch a
sail or a marlin. A Michigan
couple recently chartered
My Other Honey out of Port
Salerno and its captain, Peter
Morelli, for a full day of
fishing. After several hours
trolling for sailfish and
landing only small blackfin
tuna, Morelli set them up
over a reef for some bottom
fishing, where they caught
red snapper and out-ofseason
sea bass.
Mate Tony Ettari on My Other Honey
prepares to catch and release a goodsized
“The reefs have the live
bonita, since most people don’t
bait,” says Morelli, a 30-
eat that species.
year captain with 20 years on Treasure Coast waters. “You
can catch sailfish in 50 feet of water. The fish go where the
food is.”
One of the great byproducts of trolling for sailfish are large
dolphin fish, which will take the bait. Chris Lynn and his
fiancé Stacey Horton both caught a large and a small one to
cap off their fishing day. “We didn’t catch a sailfish, but one
did hit our bait,” says Lynn. “But we did catch a lot of fish.
They know where the fish are. We’re coming back for sure.”
The billfish off the Treasure Coast will be waiting.
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