Jake wanted to take his dad, Frank, charter fishing for Father?s day here in Fort Lauderdale. I know, it?s a bit early but, they somehow managed the day off. Both Frank and Jake had fished before, you could tell by the questions they asked and what they wanted to do. Edible fish was on the slate, they are local and had plenty of room in the freezer.
The day was a grey one with cloudy skies, blustery winds and sloppy seas. We left the dock in light rain and luckily, that was about it for the rain. Covering ground and trolling was thought to be the best and our ?catching? began slowly. The first hour or so only awarded us 1 Blue Runner and a nice Wahoo which escaped at the back of the boat.
The water was absolutely gorgeous blue with scattered weed. How can there NOT be a Mahi or two scattered here and there? But it seemed like we were doomed to a very slow day on the sea.
Fishing can be like that sometimes but it turns out it didn?t stay that way. It just takes a moment to change things. A deep line went off and Frank got the call, it was his day after all, another Wahoo had struck and was being feisty as he neared the boat. Once boated, Frank mentioned he?d never had Wahoo before and while we told him how good they were to eat, he really wanted Mahi-mahi. (Just a note here, Frank will NOT be disappointed).
Our next bites were Bonitos, 4 at once. And with only 2 anglers on board? Oh this was fun. LOL As soon as one was landed, the rod was put up and another placed in your hands. Actually, the last of the Bonitos turned out to be a nice sized Blackfin Tuna that was not excited about his first boat ride and he escaped before we could gaff him.
Then came the Mahi?s, small ones at that. The first was a keeper but the second we threw back because of size. Peanuts we call them or micros. They attack baits just like their bigger brothers and sisters. While dealing with them, the deep line again went off and again, Frank got the call.
A nice bite taking some serious line? I joked with Frank it was probably another crummy Wahoo and it turned out it was, one about twice the size of the first. Chris had his hands full trying to boat this fish in the sloppy seas but in the end, we ended up with the fish safely in the boat and it was time to head in.
Back at the dock, the fish were cleaned and bagged, the two Wahoo?s weighing about 18 and 30+ lbs. Their cooler was packed and full and there was even a bit left over for Chris and me. I had it last night and it was delicious!
Both had a ball and perhaps someday soon, they will find an excuse other than Father?s day for some charter fishing off Fort Lauderdale.
Capt. Steve Souther
Fort Lauderdale Off Shore Fishing
www.all-inclusivesportfishing.com
(954) 761-8202
