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Bigeye Tuna

Bigeyes' depth make them difficult to target. Anglers will normally troll baits or lures around 100 feet deep at night, but bigeye are considered an unreliable target fish — even with a full moon. Like the other tuna, bigeye are strong swimmers who will sound when hooked.

Bluefin Tuna

Don't pull out the camera if someone on your boat hooks a bluefin. These fish are divers, not jumpers. They feed near the surface, but quickly sound when hooked. Typical bluefin fights can last more than half an hour on 130-pound gear. Captains will blind-troll or sight-fish large, rigged mullet, mackerel, flying fish, squid, or lures. It's also common to chunk for bluefin when they are in a finicky mood.

Yellowfin Tuna

Yellowfin tuna are found worldwide in warm, temperate waters. Like other tuna, this highly migratory species prefers to swim in deep, oceanic waters in search of food. However, yellowfin tuna will run closer to shore than most other tuna. They will do this to stay within their preferred temperature range. Younger fish will shool and swim near the surface, but older ones will typically inhabit a wider range of depths. Older yellowfin also integrate with other species of tuna. Peak Months: September - May; Activity Range: Year-Round. These hard fighters are excellent table fare and are a year-round resident of our waters.

Dolphin

Sport fishermen trolling lures from large boats are most effective at catching dolphin. Anglers prefer vividly colored man-o-wars, feathers, skirts, and other lead-headed lures rigged with 6/0 to 9/0 hooks baited with squid or mullet strips. Favorite lures are green and yellow feathers, red artificial squid, and purple jelly bellies. Standard boat rods and reels with 30- to 80-pound test line are used. For best results, baits are trolled at about 4 to 6 knots adjacent to weed lines. Adventuresome anglers may fish for dolphin with saltwater fly rods and large poppers or baitfish patterns. Peak Months: June - September; Activity Range: March - November. One of the most beautiful of all gamefish and delicious with a firm, white, flaky meat.

Wahoo

Trolling for wahoo has long been a favorite sport (both for sport and recreation) in the Caribbean, off Bermuda, and in the Gulf of Mexico. In this area, boats troll at 6 to 10 knots per hour over water 240- to 300-feet deep during the summer and early fall. Productive fishing areas are often in the vicinity of floating sargassum. Peak Months: June - September; Activity Range: March - November. These speedy gamefish grow to great sizes off our coast and are excellent when grilled.

Blue Marlin

Like the black marlin, the blue's enormous size and legendary fighting ability make it one of the most highly-targeted gamefish in the world. Anglers commonly troll natural baits such as mackerel, tuna, bonito, ballyhoo and dolphin in hopes of enticing one of these giants. Brightly colored lures and teasers are also commonly used. Blue marlin anglers will look for temperature breaks in the water and follow large concentrations of baitfish. Peak Months: June - September; Activity Range: March - November. The Atlantic Ocean's premier gamefish. Many are caught each year in excess of 700 pounds.

White Marlin

As the smallest of the marlin, whites make for some of the best light-tackle saltwater fishing in the world. It is also the most commonly seen marlin on the East Coast. Trolling, live baiting, or fly-fishing will produce with this sprecies. Trollers will pull strip baits, rigged baitfish, feather lures, or rubber lures in 100 to 1000-feet of water. They are mostly like to be found near baitfish, so canyons, reefs and other structures offer the best chances of a hook-up. Peak Months: July - October; Activity Range: March - November. These acrobatic marlin are caught frequently off our coast with multiple hookups occuring often.

Sailfish

Sailfish are unbelievable sprinters that can reach up to 68 miles per hours. When hooked, they will dump a lot of line and put on an impressive acrobatic show in their initial run. However they will lose stamina quickly. Anglers commonly troll medium-sized lures and baits in middepth waters for this fish. Throw out an extra bait on heavy spinning gear whenever a sailfish is hooked. They tend to travel in packs ranging from three to 30, making chances for a double hook-up very good. Sails are prime targets for medium-tackle bait-and-switch or flyfishing. Peak Months: May - October; Activity Range: March - November. This spectacular billfish is highly prized as a mount. Mounts can be obtained without killing the fish.

King Mackeral

Sport fishermen troll, cast, and drift fish for kings. Most of the larger fish are caught by trolling live bait, spoons, or diving plugs. The typical rig is a revolving spool reel spooled with 300 yards of 15 to 30-pound monofilament with a stinger rig consisting of a 2/0 bait hook with a No. 4-6 treble hook trailed behind, all attached to No. 3-5 coffee colored wire. Another effective method is trolling a large spoon along with a planer to get it deep. The best months for fishing vary and are dependent on water temperature, clarity and bait availability. Peak Months: September - April; Activity Range: Year-Round. The largest member of the mackerel family can reach weights of 60 pounds or more. Delicious when grilled or broiled.