![]() One might suspect this creates a mess of fishing lines dangling from the sky, but it's fairly organized. An experienced crew will fish three live baits off one kite, with each fishing reel's line clipped to the main kite line. Walk the dock at a Miami sailfish tournament, and you'll find plenty of these two reels about.Ĭlips are attached to each kite's line, and each clip is assigned to a rod and reel. (Boats must have 12-volt plugs to use them, or a 12-volt battery nearby.) Two popular models of electric kite reels include the Elec-tra-mate 612-PM and the Daiwa TB1000. There are also a number of brands of electric kite reels, with line counters, and they're very efficient. These kites are retrieved manually, of course, and some captains still prefer it that way. They were mounted on a super-short rod with only one or two line guides. Early kite reels, still used today, were the leftover, sturdy and reliable Penn 4/0 or 6/0 reels. Fishing kites are dependably launched and retrieved on reels - quickly, too, when the need arises. No, you don't retrieve fishing kites by winding them on a stick, like kids with land-based kites. Hooking an expensive goggle-eye through the shoulder, without using a tether. A center console boat doesn't block much wind, and if it does, the mate can carry the kite up to the bow for a clean launch. Kite rod and reel are set anywhere at all points of the compass. Some are mounted with 20 or more rod holders in the gunnel, and the kite can be launched from anywhere on the boat. Generally, the captain turns the boat broadside to the wind for a moment, getting a cleaner flow of wind, before the mate launches the kite.Ī big center console boat is ideal for kite fishing, of course. Why? On the big boat, fishing activity is confined to the stern, and that large cabin and fly bridge blocks the wind, creating eddies and downdrafts that can crash the kite when only 10 feet from the boat. Launching a kite is no piece of cake, especially on bigger boats. Some captains carry their own helium supply in a permanent tank below deck, while others fill the sturdy balloon before heading offshore. Kite altitude can also be fine-tuned by clamping on small weights when needed.įor those calm days without wind, a large, 4-foot helium balloon can be attached to the kite. ![]() It's a balancing act that changes daily with wind conditions. Retrieving kites from 5 or 10 feet underwater isn't fun in rough seas, so some captains employ a small party balloon on the back side of the kite, which keeps it afloat and saves precious tournament time when retrieving submerged kites. You want it to soar with the eagles, right? (Or seagulls, anyway). Without rinsing, a kite grows heavy and unresponsive with salt syrup or crystals. It will also sink if the kite line doesn't break, and one can imagine how difficult it is to pull a kite back to the boat through water and waves.Īfter retrieval from the ocean, kites have to be rinsed with fresh water and allowed to dry before launching again. A dunked kite can be difficult to retrieve if the kite line breaks, the kite sinks forever. That would mean crashing or losing the kite. Why? You wouldn't want to fly a low-wind kite in windy conditions, or vice versa. Different colors are good you retain the option of yelling out "Blue! Red! Yellow!" if a slow crew member can't figure out where a bite is coming from.Ĭarry a selection of kites. There are different styles of kites designed for different wind velocities. Two fishing kites are employed at any one time. Let's explore the basics from what I saw that weekend and on subsequent trips with other South Florida captains. This is a lot more complicated than throwing baits in the water, however. Kite fishing, a great crew who could handle the kites, a timely cold front that caused a big push of sailfish right into us, and "bust your butt" tournament conditions created the fastest action on sailfish that I will likely ever see. When it was over, I had sailfish dancing behind my eyelids each night, flipping and cartwheeling, splashing in whitewater. We had kites that crashed behind whitecaps, but they were quickly retrieved and replaced. I spent two days watching these kite-fishing pros winter fishing in a howling northwest wind, and they constantly had triple-hookups on sailfish. It happened in Palm Beach in early February several years ago when his crew released 47 of 59 sailfish they ultimately caught during that three-day event. That was driven home when I was aboard Miss Britt with Miami's Captain Ray Rosher during one of the many tournaments he's won. In the hands of an expert, kite fishing is amazingly effective. And complicated, but with a little practice, quite rewarding. "Go fly a kite" used to be a somewhat derogatory term, but in South Florida, it's very serious business in offshore fishing - very serious. Mate releases fishing kite and feeds out line from an electric kite reel. ![]()
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