Pictured here is the early party aboard the charter boat "Lisa B" from earlier this week. Fishing nearshore has been tough lately as we are in a transitional period, waiting for bait to move into the area. What you see in the picture is pretty much what you can expect this weekend: a couple of kingfish, a blackfin tuna, and a few bonitas, which seem to be the staple catches right now. Fortunately, on a few trips this week, we hooked into a sailfish, which turns a good trip into a great one. We release all the sailfish to be caught another day, but they sure put up a great fight!

Further offshore, swordfishing was mediocre at best this week, with only two fish caught on two trips. Last year at this time, we were catching larger fish, but we'll see what happens to the bite next week. The mahi-mahi bite was pretty good between 300 and 600 feet of water this week, with plenty of current edges and floaters holding fish. You don't have to go way offshore to find the mahi this weekend.

One thing I would like to mention is that if you have any interest in catching a tarpon and/or a snook, the mullet schools are showing up on the beaches and in the inlets. You can fish with live finger mullet or use jigs to target these species. The canals are also starting to fill up with mullet. When the ocean is too rough, you can surely enjoy some backwater fishing in the intercoastal and canals.

Tight lines!

RJ Boyle

For an up-to-date fishing report, please tune in to 105.9 for the Paul Castronovo "Papas Pilar" fishing report on Friday mornings at 6:35 am.