The target for our Ft. Lauderdale fishing trip today was to catch something really large for Michael. He had done a bit of fishing (including Brazil) but didn't really care about a lot of action so to speak, just something large today that would give him a good fight.
I had Mitch aboard today downstairs to run the cockpit and entertain our fisherman which was OK by me. Mitch and I have a long history of fishing trips together including fishing at several destinations in the Bahamas, the North Drop in St. Thomas V. I., Costa Rica and the eastern seaboard as far north as New Jersey and New York as well over the span of more than a few years. Mitch was standing in for Brian today and this was his last trip here for some time as he is moving to Costa Rica. We were looking forward to the half day charter about as much as Michael.
Seas running at two feet with a south/ southeast breeze of about 10 MPH. The water clarity was off today and the current, while running north, was only a trickle. Not too wonderful a setting and the fishing suffered because of it. Small Tuna (very few) were around as well as an occasional Bonito for the trolling boats, but that wasn't for us today.
In all his fishing Michael had developed a love of sharks and a Sail would do, but sharks were #1, and the bigger the better. Now we catch a lot of sharks and even with the hand we were dealt we felt we could make it happen. We didn't. Not a bite. Fresh Bonito on the surface and the bottom rods, a nice fresh Kingfish on a mid depth rod and two lively baits out on the kite were all a bust. We fished from 400 into 180 feet of water with no chances. We picked up and ran to slightly clearer water to the north in 100 feet and re-set in an area that has been and today still was holding bait. Still no bite from a big fish and then we saw the activity on the short kite bait that would be the only good one today. A nice catch and release for Michael. We had a second Sail try us on a long kite bait as we were about five minutes into that Sail in the picture, but he was a lucky one and jumped off quickly. And we were lucky today to manage just that one on a day where the fishing was way off.
