Catching sailfish on a kayak adds an exciting degree of difficulty for January 14 tournament

Catching a sailfish is always exciting, but as Joe Hector discovered, catching a sailfish from a kayak is an unforgettable experience.

The founder and organizer of the Extreme Kayak Fishing tournament series, Hector was hoping to catch a dolphin or a wahoo when he paddled his kayak off Pompano Beach for a late-afternoon trip with two friends more than 10 years ago.

“I’d never caught a sailfish yet from a kayak,” said Hector, of Deerfield Beach. “I did catch a huge bull mahi-mahi, wahoo, stuff like that, but for some reason I wasn’t getting the sailfish.

“That day, I think I hooked a sailfish in like 40 feet of water. It was as we were going out. I ended up catching him and that was one of the most thrilling days ever.

“I think anyone who fishes the kayak tournaments or kayak fishes for them in general, they’ll always remember their first sailfish on a kayak because it’s just so different.”

Hector had held his first fun-fish kayak tournament, the Summer Slam, in 2011. A couple of years after catching that first kayak sailfish, Hector created the Sailfish Smackdown, which turned out to be a pivotal event for his tournament series and for offshore kayak fishing.

Two Oklahoma anglers finished first and second in the first Smackdown, each man catching and releasing one sailfish. That two bass fishermen could catch sailfish from kayaks generated national interest, and the tournament has been going strong ever since. The 2020 tournament had a record 22 sailfish released and Rob Rodriguez won with four releases that day.

The 10th annual Sailfish Smackdown is Jan. 14 out of Pompano Beach, and Hector expects to have at least 50 anglers, and maybe a few dozen more if the weather is cooperative. He has received entries from as far away as Seattle. The entry fee is $150, the captains meeting is Jan. 13 and the angler releasing the most sailfish wins $5,000. Visit www.extremekayakfishingtournament.org for details.

Hector, who is the co-host of the Nautical Ventures Weekly Fisherman radio show that airs from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. Saturdays on Fox Sports 940 Miami, said there are several keys to hooking and landing sailfish from a kayak, starting with fishing in the right place under the right conditions.

“You want to look for an outgoing tide and fish around the wrecks and the third reef, second reef, because those sailfish, especially this time of year, you can get them in 40 feet or even shallower sometimes,” he said. “If you go maybe a couple days before and then a couple days after a cold front with a nice northwest wind, I can almost guarantee that you’ll at least have a shot at getting a sailfish on a kayak. Those conditions are ideal.”

He prefers to fish with live bait, and he will place some goggle-eyes or pilchards or both in a bucket of water with an aerator to keep them lively. Although both species will catch sailfish, Hector noted that the bigger goggle-eyes are hardier and stay alive longer than pilchards, and they also produce more bites from big dolphin and kingfish.

When a sailfish hits your bait, don’t panic.

“If you are getting whacked, leave your bait, don’t start reeling it in once it gets hit,” Hector said. “Sailfish, the way they hunt, they’re going to come by and whack it with their bill and shock it, then come back and feed. A lot of guys will get that initial hit, they’ll see the sailfish on the surface and say, ‘Oh my gosh!’ and start reeling in the bait.”

Hector uses spinning tackle for kayak fishing. He wants a reel that holds 300 yards or more of monofilament or braided line. He uses a small, strong 3/0 circle hook, and sometimes even a 2/0 (compared to the sailfish standard 7/0 hook) with a 40-pound fluorocarbon leader that he ties directly to the main line. He added that it’s essential to use a stout, medium-heavy fishing rod.

“The reason why the rod is important, and the reason why you want to go a little heftier, is because you want to turn that fish and get it in the boat as soon as possible,” Hector said. “To me, having a hefty rod to turn that fish, it’ll calm her down a lot faster and she won’t be as green when you get her close to the kayak.

“That sailfish is going to be 10 times more tired than if you fought her on a boat because she’s literally towing you. Let the fish do all the work. The only thing you need to do is hang on, pump and reel and get her in.”

And every time you do that, you will never forget it.