Mike Minia of Boynton Beach, a member of the Bootlegger fishing team, caught this 47.7-pound
African pompano south of Boynton Inlet in March. His fish was about 3 pounds shy of the
International Game Fish Association world record for that species.
Photo provided
Rosie Nocera and Paul Sheridan of Delray Beach show the 94-pound wahoo they caught
on a trolled ballyhoo off Boynton Beach on May 8 while fishing on the Sea Hottie.
Photo provided by Paul Sheridan
By Willie Howard
Spring fish have arrived. As the water warms and days get longer (and hotter), anglers are pulling some amazing fish from the waters off south Palm Beach County.
Mike Minia of Boynton Beach, a member of the Bootlegger fishing team, caught a 47.7-pound African pompano while bottom fishing in 110 feet south of Boynton Inlet on March 10.
Minia was fishing the bottom for snapper with a dead sardine on a 5/0 circle hook tied to 30-pound-test fluorocarbon leader when the African pompano hit.
His fish was about 3 pounds below the all-tackle world record for African pompano, based on records from the International Game Fish Association.
(The all-tackle world record African pompano, 50.5 pounds, was caught by Tom Sargent on April 21, 1990, while fishing the bottom off Daytona Beach with a live pinfish, according to the IGFA.)
Minia also caught a 12.5-pound mutton snapper on the same trip while fishing with Andy Alvarez of X-Generation Custom Rods in Lantana, Brian Humphreys of Wellington and Alicia Lipscomb of Boynton Beach.
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Two days before the full moon, on May 8, Paul Sheridan and Rosie Nocera, both of Delray Beach, caught a 94-pound wahoo while trolling a ballyhoo behind a planer in 300 feet of water off Boynton Inlet.
Sheridan said a hammerhead shark tried to eat the wahoo as he pulled it toward the boat by hand. While Nocera ran the boat, Sheridan gaffed the big ’hoo and grabbed its tail to haul it over the covering board before the shark could reach it.
Although huge for the waters off South Florida, the 94-pound ’hoo is not even close to the all-tackle world record wahoo caught off of Mexico in 2005. The record ’hoo weighed 184 pounds.
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Terry Joyce of Boynton Beach with the 18.6-pound gag grouper he caught while fishing
off Highland Beach. At left is mate Michael Stemle.
Photo provided
On Mother’s Day, Terry Joyce of Boynton Beach caught an 18.6-pound gag grouper on a dead sardine while fishing off Highland Beach on the Southern Comfort IV, a drift boat based at Palm Beach Yacht Center.
Capt. Bill Cox said one of the Southern Comfort IV anglers also pulled a pair of 9-pound mutton snappers from the reefs off Highland Beach.
Anglers on the Lady K drift boat based in Lantana were catching blackfin tuna of more than 20 pounds on dead sardines in early May, but the tuna bite slowed after the full moon arrived on May 10, owner Marc Lee said.
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In the Sail Inn KDW fishing tournament, held May 6, team Slimer weighed a 45.4-pound kingfish to win largest fish and $7,300 in the 32-boat event, based at Boynton Harbor Marina.
John Manera of West Palm Beach, captain of team Change Order, said most of the big kingfish were being caught north of Palm Beach. Manera ran north to the Loran Tower off Hobe Sound to catch the 42.1-pound kingfish that placed second in the Sail Inn tournament.
Sarina Heine of Glen Ridge caught a 40.6-pound cobia to win the mystery fish division. Her mother, Ramona Heine of Lake Worth, won top lady angler with a 20.7-pound kingfish.
The Heines were fishing on the 36-foot power catamaran Weak Moment, skippered by Dave Kalil, whose wife, Pam, served as mate.
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Even though May is supposed to be one of the best dolphin fishing months in South Florida, only one dolphin, or mahi mahi, was weighed in the Sail Inn tournament – a 9.3-pound fish taken by Capt. Billy Blackman’s team on Serve It Up.
Joseph Modenos won top junior angler in the Sail Inn tournament with an 8.6-pound kingfish caught aboard the Royalty Check with his dad, Phil Modenos of Lake Worth, at the helm.
Boy Scouts from Troop 301 in Delray Beach helped with the weigh-in at the Sail Inn event and earned $700 toward their summer camp.
The Sail Inn tournament raised $10,000 for the Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation.
Full-moon wahoo tourneys begin June 10
The West Palm Beach Fishing Club is hosting a summer wahoo tournament centered on the full moons in June, July and August.
The “e” tournaments costs $60 per tournament or $150 for all three events.
Anglers must be West Palm Beach Fishing Club members to register a team, but anyone can participate as members of the team.
The weigh station will be at Sailfish Marina in Palm Beach Shores (Singer Island). Catches must be verified with live video footage.
Prizes include $500 and a Boone fish bag for the heaviest wahoo in each tournament. Second- and third-place prizes also will be awarded.
The top team for the three-tournament series wins $1,000 and a special entry rate for the Old Bahama Bay Wahoo Charity Cup.
The captain’s party is set for 6 p.m. June 8 at Twisted Trunk Brewing in Palm Beach Gardens.
For details, contact Tom Bzura at 309-1397 or email: Tbzura@westpalmbeachfishingclub.org
Lionfish derby set
The Boca Raton dive shop World of Scuba is hosting the Gold Cup Lionfish Derby again this year to encourage removal of the invasive, nonnative fish from South Florida’s reefs.
This year’s lionfish derby will begin June 16 with a kickoff party. Divers will spear lionfish June 17 and bring them to the docks at the Waterstone Resort & Marina in Boca Raton.
The awards party is scheduled for June 18.
For details, call Sean Meadows at World of Scuba in Boca Raton: 368-2155.
Kingfish rules modified
Anglers can keep three king mackerel, better known as kingfish, daily instead of two in Monroe County (the Florida Keys) and on Florida’s west coast.
The new kingfish bag limit, approved by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, took effect May 11 and applies only to kingfish caught in state waters south and west of the Dade/Monroe county line.
The recreational daily bag limit on Florida’s east coast remains two kingfish per angler. The minimum size is 24 inches to the fork of the tail.
Coming events
June 3: Palm Beach County KDW Classic fishing tournament for kingfish, dolphin and wahoo based at Riviera Beach Marina. Begins with captain’s meeting at 6 p.m. June 2 at the marina. Entry fee: $300. Call 832-6780 or www.kdwclassic.com.
June 3: Basic boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the headquarters building at Spanish River Park, 3939 N. Ocean Blvd., Boca Raton. Fee $35 for adults or $20 ages 12 to 19. Register at the door. Bring lunch. Call 391-3600 or email: fso-pe@cgauxboca.org.
June 24: Boating safety class offered by Coast Guard Auxiliary, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the classroom building next to the boat ramps, Harvey E. Oyer Jr. Park, 2010 N. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach. Fee $20. Discounts for ages 14 to 18 and family groups. Register at the door. Call 704-7440.
June 28: Capt. Mike Beebe discusses summer fishing tactics for wahoo, 7 p.m., West Palm Beach Fishing Club, 201 Fifth St., West Palm Beach. Free. 832-6780 or www.westpalmbeachfishingclub.org.
June 30: West Palm Beach Fishing Club outing on Living on Island Time drift boat (for club members). Fee of $55 includes cash prize for big fish and lunch. Reservations required. Call 832-6780.
Tip of the month
If you fish the ocean waters off Palm Beach County, you probably catch dolphin (mahi mahi). Many are small “peanut” dolphin. The minimum legal size off Florida’s east coast is 20 inches to the fork of the tail, but many anglers choose to release all dolphin under 25 inches.
Before releasing small dolphin, consider taking a little extra time to tag them. Taggers jot down key information about their catch to benefit dolphin research, including the amount of Sargassum (floating weed) present, the length and sex of the fish, if known, along with the date and coordinates of the release. Anglers who tag and release more than 20 dolphin a year can win prizes such as fishing rods and reels. For more information, go to www.dolphintagging.com.
Willie Howard is a freelance writer and licensed boat captain. Reach him at tiowillie@bellsouth.net.
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