Fishing in Fort Lauderdale has many options in targeting a variety of different species from trolling offshore for Mahi Mahi and Wahoo, trolling inshore for King Mackerel, Bonita and Black Fin Tuna, kite fishing for Sailfish, wreck fishing for Amberjack and Grouper, and bottom fishing for Snappers, all while just a few miles fishing off the Fort Lauderdale beaches.

A family of 4 from Oklahoma booked a charter and were looking to have a fun day charter fishing and bringing some fish home to eat. Capt. Ean and first mate, Kyle, had the boat rigged up and ready to head offshore. Departing from Port Everglades, the captain made his way out past the sea buoy and started fishing in 600 feet of water, which is where the color change started. A light blue colored water met the deep blue waters, and they started trolling down the edge. The first mate rigged up a bait box of swimming Ballyhoo, some naked with a few skirted along with cut bait and strip bait, as well as a deep planner line with a skirted Ballyhoo. Ean deployed a couple of teaser lines which are meant to attract fish close to the boat. Once a fish is up in the spread, the first mate will then pitch a bait and hook up the fish.

Fishing in Fort Lauderdale means the continental shelf drops off fast and with every mile offshore the depth of water quickly increases. As they were heading past the drop off, the guys saw the first sign of life - a couple of birds up in the sky circling over an area. Capt. Ean trolled the baits under the birds, and as soon as they passed across the path, the rigger lines came down, and they had a Mahi Mahi on the line and pulling drag.

The angler started fighting the fish, and as soon as the Mahi came closer to the boat, the first mate was ready with a live bait and casted it out. Usually, there will be other Mahi’s following the fish to the boat, and this is the opportunity to have multiple hook ups. As soon as the live bait was spotted, a Mahi chased it around until it fed. This process continued – very chaotic but controlled all at the same time. The anglers reeled in the fish, and the Mahi’s were gaffed, brought into the boat, and put in the cooler.

The crew got the lines in the water and resumed trolling. The guys were in 900 feet of water and started fishing a weed line with birds flying up and down rip. This was a good area with floating debris, and the guys hooked another double header Mahi. Same as before - while the angler was fighting the fish, the first mate started casting out live baits and hooking Mahi’s on the spinning tackle.

Now, with a couple of hours left in the charter, the guys decided to head inshore to 150 ft. of water and kite fish. The first mate cleared out the trolling spread and prepared the live bait kite spread. Once the captain pulled the boat out of gear, the mate started sending out two kites with the live baits. They had good conditions with a light north current, fishing over a wreck structure and flying fish in the area. The crew maintained the live baits, keeping them just below the water line.

About 30 minutes into kite fishing, the captain spotted a Sailfish on the long bait. This fish came up and fed on the live bait; they gave him some line, then set the hook. The Sailfish did some acrobatic jumps giving the guys a great show, and the anglers did a great job fighting the Sailfish, which gave some strong runs, diving deep then coming back up to the surface and jumping some more. The angler continued fighting the Sailfish until he was alongside the boat. The guys pulled the Sailfish in for a quick photo then back in the water and safely released the Sailfish.

After a great day fishing it was time to head back to the dock. If you’re looking for a fishing charter in Fort Lauderdale, contact Capt. Dave Zsak at 954-439-8106. Tight lines!!

Awesome post.

You mean the deck hand hooks the fish and then passes the rod to the person fishing? That is not fishing.