When it comes to live bait fishing, kite fishing is king. Kline says the 360-degree fishability of a center console is a definite advantage of fishing a kite in both situations. This allows him to fish two baits on the kite and two flat line baits simultaneously, covering as much water as possible. Kline fishes from the anchor and uses a similar kite setup but adds a second clip about 50 from the first clip. He also uses the kite to target smoker king mackerel during the fall run in Pensacola bay. He has his kite rigged on a Diawa Tanacom 1000 with 80lb braided line, with the clip about 100 from the kite. He typically fishes one large blue runner on the kite while sword fishing and has a dedicated crew member operating the kite fishing setup. In addition to tuna, Kline has hooked blue marlin, white marlin, jumbo mahi, and even wahoo on the kite while sword fishing. Kline says that his favorite thing about fishing a live bait from the kite is the ability to fish heavier leader to fool leader shy and picky yellowfin tuna.

You wouldnt normally associate kite fishing with sword fishing, but Captain Kline loves to put a kite up while drifting for daytime swordfish offshore. Captain Tim Kline of Recess Fishing Charters out of Pensacola, Florida taps into his South Florida roots and is known to use a kite for multiple applications aboard his Contender 31T. While not a common sight in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, there are a few captains who utilize the effectiveness of kite fishing to their advantage. This allows the center console crew to do more with less, presenting many more baits with minimal crew requirements. This is a real advantage over kite fishing from a sportfish, as the captain is not constantly at the helm keeping the bow into the elements. Adding one crew member allows him to fish two kites and multiple flat lines. He can effectively fish multiple flat lines and a single kite solo. This setup allows Lemieux to freely drift while not having to man the helm. The sea anchor slows the drift speed with the wind and current, allowing the kites to catch more air and fly efficiently. Captain Lemieux also deploys a sea anchor while kite fishing. He typically fishes three baits per kite, with the first swivel set at 100 and then 75 between each clip.

Lemieux operates his kites on Diawa Tanacom electric reels rigged with 50-80lb braided line. An expert kite fisherman and captain, Lemieux kite fishing setup involves one or two Tigress specialty lite wind kites, which he says can be used in ninety percent of the conditions he typically encounters. For proof of this advantage, look no further than the sailfish tournament results in South Florida.Ĭaptain Chris Lemieux of Le-mieux Charters in Boynton Beach, Florida offers kite fishing charters from his 27 Conch. While both large sportfish vessels and center consoles can effectively fish a kite spread, center consoles have a definitive advantage when it comes to suspending live baits from a kite and drifting. Keeping everything out of site increases the likelihood of a bite when compared to a standard flat line drift bait set up”where the leader and terminal tackle are visible to the fish. The obvious advantage here is that wary and leader shy gamefish only see a frightened and erratic live bait on the surface. Kite fishing allows anglers to fish multiple live baits on the surface while keeping the mainline and leader out of the water. Kite fishing has typically been associated with the South Florida sailfish and king mackerel fisheries, but it not unusual to see a kite flying in many other areas of the world”the guys in California and Mexico are using them to great effect to catch tuna. There is arguably no better way to present a live bait to a cruising game fish than by suspending it helplessly splashing on the surface of the water using a kite fishing setup.

Solo kite fishing