One of nature’s phenomena occurs in our offshore waters in September, October, and sometimes even into November. Only within the past few years have sailfish arrived in such surprisingly high numbers as to inspire bluewater fishermen with renewed vigor to chase offshore adventure in the fall.
Sailfish have a dorsal fin that is sail-like, with a height that is greater than its body’s length. The sail is speckled with black spots and can be fully raised or “stowed away,” and the pelvic fins are long by billfish standards, almost reaching the anus.
The body carries a dark blue color on top and shimmering silver below. Like marlin, swordfish and spearfish, the sailfish has a bill, which it can use to help catch fish to eat.
Their scientific name is Istiophorus platypterus; they can be caught trolling offshore waters and are highly prized for their fighting ability, tail-walking antics and the simple thrill of luring a billfish to strike.
Some ocean delicacies that sailfish like to eat are squid, octopus, mackerel, tuna and jacks. The average South Carolina sailfish weighs about 35 pounds, so it’s not about the size of these fish. What has been thrilling blue-water fishermen has been the number of chances that they are getting.
Don Hammond, a marine biologist with 35 years’ experience fishing and studying offshore waters, is involved with a fascinating tagging study that can be viewed at http://www.dolphintagging.com.
“The sailfish bite off of South Carolina is every bit as good as the winter bite off of South Florida,” he said, “with it not being unheard of for a boat to get 20 shots at sails in one day.”
Something has brought these concentrations of sailfish off our coast within the past five years, but it’s hard to say exactly what. Hammond said, “The ocean is never static; it is a body filled with changing currents, upwellings and nutritional shifts.”
It’s a good chance that the sailfish concentrations indicate that they have found an area that is more suitable to them than anywhere else.
Other possibilities affecting sailfish cycles might be higher water temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico and in South Florida. I was surprised to find out that even a 1-degree change in water temperature can really affect the food supply.
Then, there is also an increasing level of fishing pressure in Florida, and over an extended period of time, fish may be making adjustments to that pressure.
Conservation should be foremost in anglers’ plans when chasing sailfish, especially when chasing a bounty of sailfish. Most anglers elect not to kill one, even though it is legal to keep one with a proper permit and a minimum length of 65 inches — from the lower jaw to the fork of the tail. Many anglers take a “trophy photo” before releasing a sailfish, but be aware that federal laws prohibit any removal from the water of an undersized sailfish.
G.A. Reid of Clinton caught the state record sailfish out of Georgetown in 1968. His 75-pound monster was indeed a rarity for our part of the Atlantic, and Hammond said that a 50-pounder would be reason for a celebration these days.
Once again, it’s the numbers of sailfish out there that have fisherman scheming for kitchen passes. On July 13, the Evans B. from Ponce Inlet, Fla., was fishing in the Megadock Billfish Tournament out of Charleston. It proved that sailfish numbers can be strong, even in summer months, with a banner day of five sails caught and released.
With all the traditional fall hunting seasons — dove shoots, deer drives and snipe hunts taking place, not to mention college football — you’d better believe that having multiple shots at sailfish makes any hunter/fisherman more willing to devote a day to offshore pursuits.
While the South Carolina sailfish bite may not rival anything like the one off the coast of Venezuela, it is an emerging hot spot similar to the winter bluefin tuna blitz off of North Carolina.
Capt. Michael Runey has been steering the Aggressor out of Shem Creek and into deep waters for the past five years. He said that more folks are targeting sailfish in the fall, and improving tackle and tactics have played a part in the number of sailfish that anglers are hooking up. He said, “If anyone actually kept a sailfish, they would be frowned upon by the offshore fishing community.”
Runey was kind enough to share some of the sailfishing secrets he learned and perfected while fishing off of Venezuela and in the Bahamas.
For starters, he said, “Downsize your tackle and reduce your trolling speed to five knots. Pull a dredge rig, or umbrella rig, to simulate a school of baitfish following your boat.”
Bait balls, or schools of bait, are what sailfish are hunting, and Runey stressed not to skimp on the quality of your dredge rig. Fishing in 200 to 500 feet of water, he uses his fish finder to locate bait and watches the horizon for diving birds. Sometimes, you can even see the sailfishes’ dorsal fins cutting through the water’s surface as they round the bait up into tight formations. Bait may be scarce in the fall, and if you mark a school, nine times out of 10, sailfish are lurking nearby.
Using TLD 20s or Penn International 30s for reels, spooled with 20- or 30-pound test line, try a 60- or 80-pound fluorocarbon leader with a #9175 6/0 Mustad hook. Remember to fish your ballyhoo naked, because sailfish are very sensitive to wire ties and skirts.
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