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Fort Lauderdale Florida Fishing Reports
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Run With the Bulls
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May 02 2008
If you haven't got the word already, big Bull Dolphin are coming through south Florida waters. Catches of fish upwards of 60 pounds are coming to the docks.
Earlier in the week our boat got it's turn as we were live bait fishing. Mitchel Lazar of Aventura, Florida chartered our boat on this trip and we opted to purchase live baits to save time and get to fishing right away. We had lots of Goggle eyes and Pilchards in the livewell, so we were enthused about the upcoming adventure. There was a good north current a little slower than 2 knots and nice blue water coming in as shallow as 80 feet, great conditions. The Kingfish were the first to show up. We caught and released a half dozen and lost about the same. We couldn't get out of the Kings so we talked about going into deeper waters and hopefully hook up with these big Bull Dolphin everyone is talking about.
We picked up and headed east until we were around 500 feet of water. We put out a nice spread of Goggle eyes and pulled them behind the boat. Were moving along close to 3 knots in and out of gear making our way northeast. All of a sudden the Port line trips and my ears caught the sound. I looked back into the spread and saw a large blue fish move across the wake. We let him eat for several seconds and Mitchel winded down on him and got tight. Then the center high line starts rolling off the reel and Mitchel's friend got onto it, winded down on it and was tight also. Both fish were on but the two lines were crossed. We couldn't uncross them no matter what we did, under and over, over and under, still crossed. Both men wanted their fish so we continued as is. The battle lasted on and on. The Fish took line every time they got close to the boat. I would get a glimpse of one fish then he would run an easy 50 yards away. Funny thing was every time Mitchels' fish ran off so did the other rod, every time. At this point both anglers are sweating it on their fish and close to 20 minutes have past. The fish were tiring out and coming closer to the boat. Now they were staying deep just out of site, but I could see one of them had some good size to him. As both anglers brought their fish closer to the boat I only see one fish! And both lines are still crossed from what I could see. The fish made a few last ditch efforts to run off and almost cut us off on the props. Quickly I put the props in the air to avoid losing this fish. Then it became evident our fish was hooked with both lines. Still, what amazing strength and determination this Dolphin had. His colors we gorgeous blues, yellows and greens. His pec fins were straight out and illuminating a strong blue. We quickly got him into the boat and struggled to get him over the gunnel. This fish was HUGE, his tail was enormous and wouldn't fit into the fish box. Sure enough both lines were in his mouth, one was down the hatch and the other in the roof of his mouth, he wasn't going anywhere but into the boat. These Dolphin prove to be very aggressive eaters. So if your fortunate enough to be around them your in for a great time, either keeping a few for the table or catch and release.
Definately the best time to get on the water is during the early summer months. There are Blackfin Tuna and Cobia among different species to be had. Sailfish are also a great bonus and are being caught everyday.
See you on the rip,
Captain Cary Hanna |
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In Full Swing
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Apr 23 2008
I am finally able to sit down at my pc and write a fishing report. The time keeps escaping me in this busy world we live in.
Once again April is here and brings the best time of year to fish in ft. Lauderdale. Big Bull Dolphin are roaming our waters and chasing bait in as close as 60 feet of water. The kingfish have made an appearance with some heavy smokers being caught. Each morning we have been starting the action in close and catching Kingfish on every bait we set out. Once we've had enough of that species we start looking for Dolphin in the deeper waters. Last week we started trolling live baits out deep searching for rips and Sargasum when our long bait gets hit and we all watch a huge splash behind the boat. I saw a glimpse of a fish but it didn't jump. Then I saw a brown color with another one of the same swimming next to him. Ed Tarka reeled the one fish closer to the boat and I saw we had a pair of Cobia. We tried to get the other one to eat but he wasn't interested, so we put the first fish into the boat and then finally the other Cobia took the bait. These fish fight hard and go deep to battle it out. Whenever you get Cobia to the boat, if you decide to harvest one, be careful and put them straight into the fish box. They have very strong tails and can wreak havoc all over the deck.
Blackfin Tuna are also showing up in the 30 pound range. The Sailfish are biting and most productive right now when the current is moving north. They can be anywhere from 60 feet out to 400 and sometimes deeper.
We have had a few Swordfishing trips this month but we didn't make the heroes list. On one night we caught 3 fish but all were under size and had another night with a few slashed baits. Whenever we have a month like that we can always count on the next month as a good one. The summer months are a great time to enjoy the calm evenings. The next couple of weeks will be very busy and I hope to be posting some very good photos.
See you on the rip,
Captain Cary Hanna
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Set on Sails
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Mar 21 2008
This week has been challenging on the water with heavy winds holding us back. The Sailfish bite has been hit and miss but we are finding them. Matthew Dolbec came out by himself courtesy of his Grandfather this week and caught his first Sailfish. It was like clockwork as everything fell into place. The bait boats weren't selling Pilchards so we opted to go Ballyhoo fishing. This is a prime bait to catch and lots of fun. We chummed and within 5 minutes we had hundreds of them feeding close up off the bag. We picked them off with little baited hooks and caught about 3 dozen. We started slow trolling right away with a nice spread behind us. After some time we found ourselves out in the deep and the port line snapped off its clip. Right away I had Matthew reel down on the fish as fast as he could. He was on time because up came a Sailfish trying to shake off the hook. matthew did a great job staying tight on his fish for the next 30 minutes and a thumb blister later. Seas were 3-5 feet making it a challenghe to get teh Sailfish to the boat. matthew wanted a picture of the fish with him in it, so I let him grab the fish as instructed and we had success. The Sailfish had a tag already in him which was pretty cool. Matthew also held the fish in the water as we recucitated it. Congradulations Matthew on successfully having the full experience.
April is around the corner and has always been my favorite month including May. We get large Blackfin Tuna, Big Kingfish, big Mahi's, Cobia and more. Reserve your outdoor experience with a professional and have the time of your life.
See you on the rip,
Captain Cary Hanna
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