Jordan Funt of the Three Buoys fishing team shows one of 15 dolphin caught on live mullet off of Stuart in heavy seas on a windy day of fishing recently. The six anglers, led by captain Seth Funt, caught most of their fish in 130 feet of water off Stuart. They also released 20 sailfish that day.
Cold fronts that dropped temperatures into the 60s brought excellent action for ocean anglers targeting sailfish and dolphin in the waters off Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast in late October, and offshore anglers are expecting more action this month.
Northerly winds created lumpy seas on Oct. 22, when a team of six anglers on the 34-foot Venture Three Buoys released 20 sailfish and boated 15 dolphin while fishing along a color change in 130 feet off Stuart.
"It was simply the best day of fishing any of us had ever had," Three Buoys team member Michael Grant said.
The Three Buoys anglers caught their fish on live mullet netted by captain Seth Funt and dangled under a pair of fishing kites. They also fished mullet on flat lines and as pitch baits.
Grant said all of the fish were caught on 6/0 VMC non-offset circle hooks, which minimize damage to sailfish and other fish that are released.
Despite cool weather indicative of the coming winter sailfish season, schooling mullet from the fall run were still being found in late October along area beaches and in inshore waters, meaning a few throws of a cast net can produce a well full of live baits for offshore fishing.
Bill Taylor, captain of the Jupiter-based drift boat Black Dog, said his anglers were catching 8- to 10-pound dolphin on dead sardines while fishing around schools of mullet last week. Taylor found finger mullet in the stomachs of dolphin at the cleaning table.
The odd part was that schools of finger mullet were out in 115 feet of water south of Jupiter Inlet. Taylor speculated that voracious bluefish feeding along the beach might have encouraged the mullet schools to move into deeper water.
Taylor leaves a flat, or unweighted, line out holding a dead sardine on triple hooks for dolphin and other near-the-surface feeders while bottom fishing for snapper. He also keeps half of a dead sardine on a single hook ready to pitch to dolphin, which can appear beside a boat - and disappear - in seconds.
Jupiter-based guide Mike Linville likes to troll artificial jet-head lures to find dolphin - and maybe catch a few blackfin tuna in the process. When he finds a good spot where there seems to be a lot of action, he pitches out live mullet this time of year.
"You want to be able to pitch live bait to them," Linville said.
The days around Halloween typically bring good fishing action for 30-pound-plus dolphin that are moving along Florida's east coast from points north, said Ernie Small, captain of the Baby Grand charter boat based in Riviera Beach.
"Historically, big dolphin show up at this time," Small said. "We also catch big dolphin all through the winter months. They tend to move into our area as colder weather sets in north of us."
George Poveromo, a fishing television host and editor at large for Salt Water Sportsman magazine, said dolphin can become more accessible to coastal anglers in the winter months when the Gulf Stream moves closer to shore.
During a seminar held Oct. 26 at the West Palm Beach Fishing Club, Poveromo said dolphin moving south this time of year often follow the western edge of the Gulf Stream because they don't want to expend energy swimming into the north-flowing current.
Anglers should look for drifting debris and lines of sargasso weed indicating the edge of the Gulf Stream and try trolling baits along the edge or stopping to pitch baits for the colorful, high-jumping mahi mahi.
Those fishing multiple days should remember that the Gulf Stream meanders, Poveromo noted. The edge of the stream might be 4 miles off the beach one day and 7 miles off the next.
Anglers targeting dolphin sometimes come upon them purely by accident.
Poveromo said he was running his boat off Key Largo when he noticed frigate birds coming down near the surface and stopped to find a huge dolphin, estimated at 70 pounds, circling around floating debris.
He hooked a ballyhoo onto a jig and prepared to pitch to the dolphin of a lifetime. When he lifted the rod to cast, the jig and line wrapped around an outrigger, and Poveromo watched his dream dolphin swim away.
Based on his experience, Poveromo gives this advice to those about to pitch a bait to dolphin: "Take a deep breath, look behind you, and make sure everything is OK."