We are catching some good sized fish offshore fishing in Ft. Lauderdale right now. This is traditionally a slower time of year around town since the Thanksgiving rush has passed, so we do spend some days at the dock instead of out in the blue. However they aren?t idle days as there is always a project, as those of you who own boats well know. Tomorrow holds no charters for us so we plan to prep and put a fresh coat of paint our bait station and built in beverage cooler. But the good news is we have multiple trips on the books for Friday and the weekend, and we will be ready as there are some nice fish around. We are seeing and catching Sailfish regularly now. Live baiting has been the best, but trolling does get bites as well. Most of these fish are inside of 200 feet of water and when we do raise them into the baits they are willing to bite and not just shop around. As seen by the picture we on rare occasions do bring a Sail back to the dock when they have given their all in the fight. Florida laws do allow taking of a Sail per day, and the fish must meet a minimum length. Wahoo fishing has been good as well as we have boated one on each of our last three trips now. These are great table fare and always welcome. Typically identified as a Wahoo well before we get a visual by the strong runs, quick changes of direction, and head shaking during the fight. The deep planer rods draw the most bites here, but this one fell for a live bait fished out of the kites. There seems to be an explosion of smaller Barracudas offshore and they are eating up everything we put out, and can deplete the live bait supply in a hurry. Best not to eat these and we let them all go, but I do keep one every third day or so for my crab traps, they love them. If you are considering visiting and fishing in Ft. Lauderdale and have a flexible schedule, try to pick a weekday as this is a big town and good weather justifiably brings out the crowd on the weekends. As for all our fishing locals, we?ll see you offshore this weekend. Tight lines.
