Florida sailfish can weigh from five to 50 pounds, with a 70-pounder being huge. Sails are great fighters. Spectacular leaps are their trademark. The outstanding qualities of sailfish are eliminated if caught on heavy tackle, however. Conventional equipment is best, but a light spinning outfit will work just fine.
Sailfish are coastal fish that are caught along the deep edges of reefs.
The best depth for sails is 100 to 200 feet, but they can be caught in much shallower water and sometimes in much deeper water. Bait for sailfish is usually specialized. Threadfin herring, pilchards, mullet and pinfish also work well. Many charter captains prefer threadfin herring because that particular bait is active and tends to swim away from the boat. Bait does not need to be large for sails.