Sailfish fishing is no joke. If landing this feisty monster is on your wish list, just like all anglers you’ll need to take advice and learn from the pros, whether you’re going to fish from a private boat or on a charter. In this article, we will deliver some top sailfish fishing tips and secrets straight from seasoned anglers. These valuable tips come from anglers who’ve endured many failures, experienced trial and error as well as bruised egos, so you can be sure it’s solid advice.

It’s All About the Water Temperature

So how can one check the water temps? You can take a look at satellite sea-surface temperatures and be sure to keep an eye on the early morning charts that cover the 2am to 4am window. So why do we check the water temperature? Sailfish love to swim in waters that are at least 23 degree Celsius. In addition, seasoned anglers prefer to troll while looking for temp breaks and currents. You can use weighted 10 to 12 ounce chrome heads that bubble. Your lure of choice should be purple-red and pink-red-white.

Reading the Waters

There are few fish in all of the oceans that are not picky when it comes to food, and sailfish is one of the top three. Anglers know that sails tend to change their feeding habits from day to day so you have to look out for trends. If you can find out what they’re munching on whilst your fishing you can adjust the spread, speed and drop-back accordingly.

Where There are Birds, There are Fish?

If checking the water temp is not available to you, don’t fret – you can always look out for birds. Expert anglers know that where there are birds exhibiting a particular behaviour, there is a big chance the fish are there too. When in the ocean, look for frigate birds (tijereta). If you find a few frigates cruising in an area or diving in the water, there are probably sailfish in the area too.

Sailfish Sail in Groups

We bet this is a sailfish fishing tip you probably haven’t heard of before but this is quite true. Sailfish often swim with other sails. When you spot a group of sails, what expert anglers do is to set the lines back in the water as fast as they can right after a hookup. Work the area thoroughly if that specific area heats up.

Rods Low Please

And the last on this list of sailfish fishing secrets is to not high-stick with a fly rod. Remember the hook-sets should be low. Why is that so? This is to attract another bite after a possible miss. When fighting, you should keep the rod low to make use of the backbone in the lower end – you don’t want to hurt your lower back, trust me.

Hope you find these sailfish fishing tips and secrets helpful. Landing a sailfish requires strength and preparation, and it may take some time to perfect but it’s all gonna be worth it.