Miami puts blue water within sight of the skyline. Clear the cut and you are in blue water before your coffee cools. Sails in winter and spring, mahi in summer, swords in the fall. No long run. No excuses.
The Run
Short and savage. The Edge, where the ocean floor starts its hard slope toward deep water, sits roughly three miles off the coast. In the colder months the Gulf Stream itself can ride as close as three miles from shore. On the right day, sailfish water is a short sprint from the inlet.
Closer still, Liberty Ship Reef sits about two miles out and Bache Shoal is a few miles off the coast. Bottom fish on the reefs, pelagics on the edge, all inside sight of the towers.
Government Cut is the shipping channel between Miami Beach and Fisher Island, with strong current and deep water right against the shore. Snook, tarpon and jacks work it year-round.
What Bites, When
Sailfish run from November into spring. Miami’s traditional season used to be December through April, but Salt Water Sportsman reports the peak now starts in March and runs into May. Spring sails run 50 to 70 pounds.
The FWC’s Miami-Dade and Broward guide also lists late summer and fall for sailfish. Those months are marked fishable in the chart; the spring peak follows the more specific local report.
Blackfin tuna fire in spring, roughly April through July.
Mahi usually bite best May through August.
Kingfish have two windows: trophy fish in April and May, then again September through November.
Swordfish are the fall play, with the best stretch August through November.
How to Fish It
Miami built its reputation on kites. Dual kites dangle live baits on the surface over 100 to 200 feet of water where the Stream pushes in, with some crews pushing shallower into 60 to 90 feet when conditions call for it. Blue water and current matter more than wind direction. When a pack of sails shows, get ahead of it by a quarter-mile, reset, and wait. Run the full program from our kite fishing guide for sailfish and mahi. Sailfish are the headliner, but mahi and kings hit kite baits too.
Inshore, the cuts and bridges hold tarpon and snook. Lights, current and a live bait drifting along the shadow line: see night tarpon on structure.
Pack for This Port
Kite days run on the sailfish and mahi kite spread kit. Check the kite fishing rigs roundup for kites, rods and release clips. Spool quality braid with fluorocarbon leader and circle hooks. On a charter, pack the charter day kit: polarized glasses, sun hoodie, waterproof phone pouch and seasickness bands. Short run does not mean flat water.
Before You Go
Florida saltwater rules are set by FWC. Sailfish, swordfish and tunas are federal Atlantic Highly Migratory Species with their own vessel permit: check NOAA Fisheries. Not legal advice.
Government Cut is a working shipping channel. Watch for cruise ships and freighters, and know that wind against the Gulf Stream makes the inlets ugly fast.
