Our recent move from Fort Lauderdale to Hollywood still has us operating out of the same port and fishing the same areas. And writing this fishing report is especially fun as we've had some exceptional fishing this week.
It's not unusual for us to catch Mahi-mahi in November, it's kind of been the norm the last few years. But with the great Dolphin fishing we had this summer, it wasn't expected. While not something you can depend on, nice sized schoolies have been frequenting our area. These fish weigh about 5 to 8 lbs. and usually come in groups of 2 or 3 when they hit. One afternoon we picked at them catching around 12 and the next morning our trip produced over 18 keepers with some we let go by choice because of size and a few we let go by mistake. We don't always win the battle you know…
Nice sized Blackfin Tuna have also been in our area and around where we've been catching the Dolphin. Some of these are very small but most have been decent size, around the size of footballs or a little bigger. Skipjack Tuna have been mixed in with them and a few Bonitos as well. It makes for a nice mix in the fishbox.
November is a time of change as the weather cools and we don't like to limit ourselves by just trolling. Live bait and flying fishing kites can be very productive as the Sailfish begin to make an appearance. But today we caught something a bit different on our kite baits. A big swirl and a black back came across the surface and we truly had no idea what had taken the bait. We needed 2 anglers and almost 30 minutes to land this Wahoo JJ is holding which weight about 60 lbs. It's not often you can hook a Wahoo in the kite, even with a wire leader, as their teeth are very sharp and their extreme speed makes escape quite easy. We were delighted with our prize.
Sailfish will be coming soon so keep an eye out for our fishing reports from Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale. It's all just off shore and it's a blast!
Captain Steve
