Cool weather has finally struck Fort Lauderdale and the fishing exploded with a run of Sailfish. With temperatures in the low 40?s for a few nights, baitfish and Sails began their run Monday with most boats, ourselves included, getting multiple hook ups while kite fishing here.
This prompted a text from me to one of our frequent guests, a local named Drew, who has a passion for these fish. With some shifting of his schedule, we headed out Tuesday morning with a well full of Goggle Eyes in search for a few Sailfish.
It didn?t take long for our first bites but they weren?t the chosen species, we got mugged by some large Bonito and Drew had his hands full for a bit as he landed 4 in stand up fashion. Great fighters but not what we were looking for, so we set back up and waited for our next bite.
It wasn?t long before our first Sail of the day was there. Fin up, circling the bait and then? He faded away, just left the area. No bite was had but it was cool to see him up there. The radio was chirping away with fish here and there and it was quite some time before our next encounter was had.
The next bite was more successful and we hooked the fish and were able to land him. Drew is an accomplished angler and with a fighting belt on, he worked the fish to the boat for the picture and release. Another fish was up as well, but we didn?t get him, only Drew was aboard anyway.
Things got kind of exciting next. We had found our spot, the Sailfish were coming through and shortly after releasing the first, 3 more popped up on the kite baits. Going for the hook up, Drew with rod in hand, we had him on and then he jumped off and was gone. The other 2 fish managed to get the baits off without being hooked. 0 for 3 just that quick. But we still had time and some bait left.
Because we were strictly on a Sailfish hunt, we were using circle hooks, a hook that is designed to do the least amount of damage when catching fish. These hooks are specifically designed to hook the fish in the corner of the mouth. This also lends to a very active fight, as the fish isn?t strained by being pulled on from deeper inside. Our next bites really got fun.
Down to our last baits, we reset and waited just a short time before 3 more Sailfish appeared. Drew on one fish, Chris working the other, both were jumping in a matter of seconds. Drew would work one fish for a bit and then go and grab the other rod and work that fish some. Within 10 minutes, we had the first fish at the boat and got the release then headed for the second fish. A nice big one too.
We landed the fish for a quick picture and that?s the one I chose for this report. We have many pictures of Drew in our gallery; we?ll just add a few more.
Sailfish love cooler weather and so do we. ?
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Captain Steve Souther
Ft Lauderdale Fishing Off Shore
www.all-inclusivesportfishing.com
(954) 761-8202
