As we near the end of the fourth week of May the erratic deep sea fishing in Fort Lauderdale that plagued us just a few weeks back is at least for now a distant memory as our catches are very strong. When we say the reef bite is strong we are talking about areas that are merely a mile off the beach. We often refer to these near shore areas in our reports because if those areas hold fish you will more often than nor find us right there. 60 to 120 feet of water on these reefs , a short run from the inlet, and when the current is running and the bait is there we are too. In the charter business one has a limited amount of time to bend the rod and catch fish for their anglers. So it’s nice when the fishing is good that close to shore,and it has been very good on those reefs. Very good.

The Kingfish bite right now is about as good as it can possibly be for late May with bite after bite and fish after fish as we move down the reef line. Decent sized fish and all are keepers and some of the best bites are coming right out front of our inlet ( Port Everglades) which means the lines are in the water and we are fishing quickly after clearing the inlet. Of course the false Albacore aka Bonito are right in there with the Kings and holding their own on the baitfish in the area.

There are Mahi-Mahi also and some are right in there with the Kings on and just off the edge and we pick away at them there. 600 to 700 feet is also a good area that has current edges holding weeds and fish regularly and offshore of there has often been very spotty for them.

As always we have included some photos of recent anglers here aboard the Marlin my Darlin. And don’t forget there’s always the chance for Blackfin Tunas or a shot at a Wahoo like that nice one in the lead photo for this report. Those fish are close to those near shore reefs as well.