Sailfish Fishing

By: John Old

A great place to go after sailfish is not too hard if you pay attention to many of the great anglers. Of course, finding them for yourself requires a keen eye for the habitat in which the sailfish strive. One such place is located of the Florida coastline near Fort Pierce, where in 65 feet of water, you can find the breeding grounds for a great number of predators as well as bait fish along the series of reefs.

By November however, the waters become too chilly for the sailfish since the temp can drop below 70 degrees with ease. But do not fear; just go out a little further to where the water get between 150 and 120 feet deep and there is another great set of reefs which is known to have one of the largest concentrations of sailfish in the area.

It is in this area, which is located roughly 8 miles off from Fort Pierce in which you will find the locale that is known as the 8 mile. Here, the warm Gulf Streams push a great number of not only sails and other predators, but bait fish as well right up into the reefline. Since the sailfish is more of a pack hunter, looking for the bait balls along this reefline, will put you in perfect location to catch yourself some sailfish.

From that point, you will need a trained eye to catch the surface activity of the sailfish tailing the swells just on the shore-side of the Gulf Stream. If you can find these tailers, you are in a good position to hook yourself a sailfish. Now there are two major, as well as proven methods to catching these sailfish. The first method is by tossing some pitch bait in front of the fish, while the second is to use a drag bait situated in front of the sailfish's bill.

Many local family fishermen use a ballyhoo rigging in order to catch the sailfish, but with a little time and practice you can pick up on the local techniques. The whole goal of course is to make your own artificial bait pod to attract the sailfish right to your rigging.