Fall ballyhoo run turns on saltwater fishing in S. Florida
The fall mullet run this time of year is a big deal, in part because when schools of mullet migrate through South Florida, anglers can catch a variety of fish from beaches, piers and boats. Those species include snook, tarpon, Spanish mackerel, bluefish, sharks and jacks.
But when another baitfish — ballyhoo — migrates through local waters in October and November, that can produce some of the most exciting fishing of the year for sailfish and dolphin.
“The last few years, the best month for big dolphin has been October,” said Capt. Abie Raymond of Miami Beach. “The best month for sight-fishing for sailfish is October and it’s all happening with live ballyhoo. Catch live ballyhoo and you’re ready to catch sailfish under frigate birds when they shower, [plus] mutton snapper, kingfish and bonito.”
A ballyhoo shower, when dozens of the baitfish jump out of the water, occurs when a predator is chasing them. Sometimes ballyhoo go airborne and come right back down.
But if the ballyhoo keep showering, that’s a sign of big, highly sought-after predators.
“When they shower and continue to push for hundreds of yards, 99 percent of the time sailfish and dolphin are pushing them for those long distances,” Raymond said.
“Most people just run right past that stuff. It’s usually happening in 20 to 60 feet of water and most people think that’s probably bonitos in there, that’s probably Spanish mackerel in there. Not this time of year. Most of the big muttons I’ve caught are in under 70 feet of water in October and November.”
Catching ballyhoo for bait can be pretty easy compared with catching baitfish such as goggleeyes, herring and pilchards. Instead of using sabiki rigs or throwing a cast net, ballyhoo can be caught using light spinning outfits while your boat is tied to one of the many mooring buoys in 20 feet of water off the South Florida coast.
Raymond puts ground menhaden chum in a fine-mesh bag so not too much chum flows behind his boat with the current and over-feeds the ballyhoo. A slow release of chum brings ballyhoo to the surface behind the boat, where the baitfish can be caught on a tiny, No. 20 size gold hook baited with a tinier piece of frozen shrimp.
“Float it back on straight 8-pound monofilament line and watch them pick it right off the surface,” said Raymond, whose ballyhoo outfit consists of an 8-pound Ugly Stik spinning rod with a Penn 2500 Spinfisher reel. After a ballyhoo is reeled to the boat, he grabs the line and uses a de-hooker to drop it directly into the livewell without touching the baitfish.
Ballyhoo also can be caught using something called a Ballyhoop, which is a collapsible hoop net that is placed in the water in combination with a chum bag. When ballyhoo show up in the chum, the hoop net, which is floating behind the baitfish, is pulled forward and the ballyhoo spook into the net.
Sometimes Raymond throws a cast net with fine half-inch or quarter-inch mesh. He said cast-netted ballyhoo will live for six hours, while ballyhoo caught on hook and line will last all day.
He breaks a ballyhoo’s bill with an upward snap and puts a hook through both of its lips and out through the hard part of its mouth. Fished on 20pound spinning outfits, live ballyhoo will catch sailfish wherever you see the baitfish showering.
Dolphin — the fish, not the mammal — are typically found under weedlines or diving birds.
“You can always find schoolies on floating debris and weed patches,” said Capt. Casey Hunt of Key West. “A lot of the fish here, you’re looking for the birds and the flying fish getting chased. You’re running and gunning.
“Most dolphin this time of year are 10-15 miles offshore. That’s the daily average. Some days it’s a mile from the Key West sea buoy, some days it’s 10 miles and some days it’s 20 miles.”
Hunt added that bigger dolphin swim against the Gulf Stream current, which runs west to east along the Keys. Frigate birds follow dolphin in the hopes that the fish will send a school of flying fish airborne. When that happens, the frigates swoop down and grab the baitfish.
“You want to find frigate birds that are flying against the current,” he said. “The smaller fish aren’t going to be swimming against the current. It’s too hard for the smaller schoolies. The 20-, 30and 40-pounders, they can keep up with it.”
Those big dolphin will readily eat a live ballyhoo. When they do, it’s up to the angler and the driver to keep up with the fish and get it into the boat.