Andrew Roydhouse

Night snapper fishing getting hot. Yellowtails and mangrove snappers are really starting to bite great on the 2nd and 3rd reefs off Fort Lauderdale. Not just in one or two spots, all the spots seem to be holding more fish these days. Yellowtails are coming up closer to the boat in the chumline, and they have been nice fat ones too, 2-3 pounders. Grovers are staying near the bottom but are also biting good. It can take the mangroves a while to respond to the chum, but don't let up. The more chum, the more fish you'll catch. A few muttons are also biting on the night anchor trips. And the muttons we catch this time of year are big ones, not like the small muttons we catch in the winter. For muttons, a long leader, fluorocarbon is best, and my favorite bait is a ballyhoo plug butterflied with 2 hooks. A few schools of bluefish are also jumping us at night. They are the small 'snapper blues', like 3-5 pounders. They come through and eat every bait they come across. Loner cobia are also biting out there. Last night we caught a pair of cobias, both 25 pound fish. Groupers are biting too out there, but they're still out of season, so not worth talking much about. May 1 is opening day of grouper season. We're going to do some grouper trips during the first week of May. Night fishing has been the hot bite fishing in Fort Lauderdale these days. A lot of action and a lot of good eating fish out there.

Capt Paul Roydhouse

Fishing Headquarters

www.fishheadquarters.com

(754)214-7863

Fish Species: yellowtail, mangrove and mutton snapper
Bait Used: ballyhoo, sardines, squid, glass minnows
Tackle Used: 12-20# spinning tackle
Method Used: Anchor fishing and chumming
Water Depth: 60-80
Water Temperature: 82
Wind Direction: E
Wind Speed: 5-10
Nice mutton caught but Mr Lee
Nice mutton caught but Mr Lee

Monster mangrove snapper caught by Leslie
Monster mangrove snapper caught by Leslie


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Andrew Roydhouse

About The Author: Captain Andrew Roydhouse

Company: Fishing Headquarters

Area Reporting: Fort Lauderdale South Florida

Bio: I am a 3rd generation fisherman out here off Ft. Lauderdale and have been fishing proffessionally all my life. My company, Fishing Headquarters, runs daily drift fishing trips, sportfishing privae and shared charters, night time swordfishing trips, and any other type of fishing you would like to try.

954-527-3460
Click Here For Past Fishing Reports by Captain Andrew Roydhouse