Our fishing charters here in Ft. Lauderdale have yielded some really nice fish and a Sailfish or Wahoo are a very real possibility and on our minds every time we clear the inlet. It has been a pretty good summer for both species and we have included a few photos of anglers and their fish, but this past week has been probably the best.. As in all fishing there are off days but overall the fishing has held quite a bit of action.
Many a trip has offered a chance at these summer Sailfish and the Wahoo have been regulars as well. We are seeing both species in areas less than 250 feet of water as there has been a strong northern current and the fish seem to be tucked inside out of that current. Trolling Bonito strip baits has been best but we have caught both species on live baits fished in a kite. The water is warm with the summer heat and these fish have been hungry and aggressive on the bite with little or no hesitation to take the baits. The weekend should hold more Wahoo action with this big moon, and we will fish accordingly.
Blackfin Tuna are around and the summer Bonito continue to pass through our area. Yesterday yielded two of the largest Bonito of the summer and these big boys really took some line off the reels. Both those little locomotives took kite baits ( and half a spool of line) fished with Sailfish in mind. Briefly tried the sharks with those fresh Bonito cut to size but the Filefish made quick work of the bottom and mid baits leaving nothing for the Sharks so we moved on.
The strong current has limited the bottom fishing, but the plus has been it's affect on other species. An exception to that continues to be the lack of Mahi-mahi (Dorado / Dolphin). We have managed a few, but it remains very poor for them.
So staying inside of 250 to 300 feet of water is a good choice. Those Sails and Wahoo are there and hopefully the Kings and Tunas will pay you a visit too. The Bonito are in there as well and full grown (to overgrown) so be prepared to deal with some serious rod bending if they find your baits.
