Offshore Kite Fishing
Encyclopedia
Offshore Kite Fishing is a sport fishing technique used to keep live bait
on the surface of the water to attract and catch surface feeding predators. It is primarily used in Florida
along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean
for Sailfish
. It is also used for Blackfin
and Yellowfin tuna
, Dolphin
or Mahi-mahi
, Wahoo
, and even Black grouper
and Yellowtail snapper
.
s fly two kite
s at once off of either side of the boat. Which kite to use depends on the wind speed
out on the water, so many captains bring a wide variety of kites. The reason these captains bring many different kites is because you can not use the same kite for a high wind speed that is used for a slow wind speed. Also, captains will fly different color kites so that they can tell their crew exactly which rod
is going off without leaving the steering wheel
. Kites may fall into the water and have to be retrieved, rinsed with freshwater, and dried before being sent back out. When a kite falls into the water they can sink and retrieving a kite that is 10 feet under water is much harder than retrieving one that is on the surface. Many captains will attach a helium balloon so that kites will not sink and help keep them in the air. To regulate the height of the kite weights are attached to the line or line is taken in or let out.
s, occasionally electric. The rods that the kites are mounted on are super short rods with only one or two line guides on it. Line clips are then attached to the kite line and assigned a rod and reel. An experienced crew can get up to three lines on one kite. To the end of each leader is attached a neon Styrofoam
marker to know which line is hooked up. These leaders are normally anywhere from 50 to 80 pound test and are about 15 feet long. Occasionally you may have to throw on a wire leader if the Wahoo or Kingfish
are biting.
The reels used for the tackle are usually high-capacity, open-face bait casting reels. When kite fishing you want your bait still alive so it can move along the surface and make splashes. As bait, many kite fishermen use a fish called a goggle-eye as live bait. The problem with these fish is that they are nocturnal and are caught off of the reef
at night so they are hard to catch yourself but can be bought. More commonly used are Spanish Sardine
s, Cigar Minnows, Pilchards, and Blue runner
s. Circle hook
s are becoming very popular because they do very little damage to large fish. To live bait a fish you must run a wire with a hook on one end and a loop on the other and run it up the bait’s back until it sticks out right before the dorsal fin
. Then take the leader with a hook attached to that and put it through the loop on the wire and attach it and hook it through the fishes nose. This way the fish can still swim freely. With four to six bait fish
skimming along the surface your boat is almost guaranteed to get a hook up.
When the fish does finally bite the hook and run with it the line it comes out of the clip on the main kite line and is only on the tackle rod. Once you have landed the fish you have shown that the kite fishing technique is one that works, and works well.
Bait (luring substance)
Bait is any substance used to attract prey, e.g. in a mousetrap.-In Australia:Baiting in Australia refers to specific campaigns to control foxes, wild dogs and dingos by poisoning in areas where they are a problem...
on the surface of the water to attract and catch surface feeding predators. It is primarily used in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
for Sailfish
Sailfish
'Sailfish' are two species of fish in the genus Istiophorus, living in warmer sections of all the oceans of the world. They are predominately blue to gray in color and have a characteristic erectile dorsal fin known as a sail, which often stretches the entire length of the back...
. It is also used for Blackfin
Blackfin tuna
Blackfin tuna is the smallest tuna species in the Thunnus genus, generally growing to a maximum of in length and weighing 21 kg . Blackfin have oval shaped bodies, black backs with a slight yellow on the finlets, and have yellow on the sides of their body...
and Yellowfin tuna
Yellowfin tuna
The yellowfin tuna is a species of tuna found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide.Yellowfin is often marketed as ahi, from its Hawaiian name ahi although the name ahi in Hawaiian also refers to the closely related bigeye tuna. The species name, albacares can lead to...
, Dolphin
Dolphin
Dolphins are marine mammals that are closely related to whales and porpoises. There are almost forty species of dolphin in 17 genera. They vary in size from and , up to and . They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves, and are carnivores, mostly eating...
or Mahi-mahi
Mahi-mahi
The mahi-mahi or common dolphinfish is a surface-dwelling ray-finned fish found in off-shore temperate, tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. It is one of only two members of the Coryphaenidae family, the other being the pompano dolphinfish...
, Wahoo
Wahoo
The wahoo is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas. It is best known to sports fishermen, as its speed and high-quality flesh make it a prize game fish...
, and even Black grouper
Black grouper
The black grouper is one of the best known of the large group of Perciform fish called groupers.-Description:The black grouper is a large marine fish, growing up to 150 centimetres in length and 100 kilograms in weight. It has an olive or gray body, with black blotches and brassy spots...
and Yellowtail snapper
Yellowtail snapper
The yellowtail snapper, Ocyurus chrysurus, is an abundant species of snapper found along the North American coast of the Atlantic Ocean. Although they have been found as far north as Massachusetts, their normal range is along Florida down through the West Indies and Brazil.In certain reefs, most...
.
The Kites
Most boatBoat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
s fly two kite
Kite
A kite is a tethered aircraft. The necessary lift that makes the kite wing fly is generated when air flows over and under the kite's wing, producing low pressure above the wing and high pressure below it. This deflection also generates horizontal drag along the direction of the wind...
s at once off of either side of the boat. Which kite to use depends on the wind speed
Wind speed
Wind speed, or wind velocity, is a fundamental atmospheric rate.Wind speed affects weather forecasting, aircraft and maritime operations, construction projects, growth and metabolism rate of many plant species, and countless other implications....
out on the water, so many captains bring a wide variety of kites. The reason these captains bring many different kites is because you can not use the same kite for a high wind speed that is used for a slow wind speed. Also, captains will fly different color kites so that they can tell their crew exactly which rod
Fishing rod
A fishing rod or a fishing pole is a tool used to catch fish, usually in conjunction with the pastime of angling, and can also be used in competition casting. . A length of fishing line is attached to a long, flexible rod or pole: one end terminates in a hook for catching the fish...
is going off without leaving the steering wheel
Steering wheel
A steering wheel is a type of steering control in vehicles and vessels ....
. Kites may fall into the water and have to be retrieved, rinsed with freshwater, and dried before being sent back out. When a kite falls into the water they can sink and retrieving a kite that is 10 feet under water is much harder than retrieving one that is on the surface. Many captains will attach a helium balloon so that kites will not sink and help keep them in the air. To regulate the height of the kite weights are attached to the line or line is taken in or let out.
The Launch
The hardest part of kite fishing is the launch of the kite. On large boats where almost all of the fishing is done in the stern of the boat it is hard to launch a kite because the cabin of the boat blocks the wind from helping the kite up into the air. This is because the downdraft over the cabin and tuna towers pushes on the top of the kite and forces it towards the water. On boats like these the captain will turn the boat sideways so that the wind is coming across the back of the boat for an easier launch.Rods, Reels and Bait
The kites are launched and retrieved on reelReel
A reel is an object around which lengths of another material are wound for storage. Generally a reel has a cylindrical core and walls on the sides to retain the material wound around the core...
s, occasionally electric. The rods that the kites are mounted on are super short rods with only one or two line guides on it. Line clips are then attached to the kite line and assigned a rod and reel. An experienced crew can get up to three lines on one kite. To the end of each leader is attached a neon Styrofoam
Styrofoam
Styrofoam is a trademark of The Dow Chemical Company for closed-cell currently made for thermal insulation and craft applications. In 1941, researchers in Dow's Chemical Physics Lab found a way to make foamed polystyrene...
marker to know which line is hooked up. These leaders are normally anywhere from 50 to 80 pound test and are about 15 feet long. Occasionally you may have to throw on a wire leader if the Wahoo or Kingfish
Kingfish
-Fish:* King mackerel Scomberomorus cavalla* Kingcroaker Menticirrhus spp.* Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus commerson * White croaker Genyonemus lineatus * Cobia Rachycentron canadum...
are biting.
The reels used for the tackle are usually high-capacity, open-face bait casting reels. When kite fishing you want your bait still alive so it can move along the surface and make splashes. As bait, many kite fishermen use a fish called a goggle-eye as live bait. The problem with these fish is that they are nocturnal and are caught off of the reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
at night so they are hard to catch yourself but can be bought. More commonly used are Spanish Sardine
Sardine
Sardines, or pilchards, are several types of small, oily fish related to herrings, family Clupeidae. Sardines are named after the Mediterranean island of Sardinia, around which they were once abundant....
s, Cigar Minnows, Pilchards, and Blue runner
Blue runner
The blue runner, Caranx crysos , is a common species of moderately large marine fish classified in the jack family, Carangidae...
s. Circle hook
Circle hook
A circle hook is a type of fish hook which is sharply curved back in a circular shape. It has become widely popular among anglers in recent years because it hooks a much higher percentage of fish and is rarely swallowed...
s are becoming very popular because they do very little damage to large fish. To live bait a fish you must run a wire with a hook on one end and a loop on the other and run it up the bait’s back until it sticks out right before the dorsal fin
Dorsal fin
A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of various unrelated marine and freshwater vertebrates, including most fishes, marine mammals , and the ichthyosaurs...
. Then take the leader with a hook attached to that and put it through the loop on the wire and attach it and hook it through the fishes nose. This way the fish can still swim freely. With four to six bait fish
Bait fish
Bait fish are small fish caught for use as bait to attract large predatory fish, particularly game fish. Species used are typically those that are common and breed rapidly, making them easy to catch and in regular supply. Examples of marine bait fish are anchovies, halfbeaks such as ballyhoo, and...
skimming along the surface your boat is almost guaranteed to get a hook up.
When the fish does finally bite the hook and run with it the line it comes out of the clip on the main kite line and is only on the tackle rod. Once you have landed the fish you have shown that the kite fishing technique is one that works, and works well.