Fun Ft. Lauderdale fishing trip today with Todd and his three boys. Todd and the three sons Chase, a 10 year old, Connor at 8, and Blake rounding out the crew @ 7 were onboard by 8 Am and we headed offshore.
Really nice day today with a good amount of sun and sea conditions starting out at 2 to 3 feet and then decreasing to about two feet by 10 AM. Slight north current and the water was clear and clean in 100 feet.
1st mate Brian set the first line twenty minutes after leaving the dock in 90 feet of water and we were fishing. Quick bite on the center rigger for Connor, first fish honors, and the catch was a Bonito A.K.A. Little Tunny. We worked the reef line (120 feet) out to 300 feet and captured more Bonito, three fat fully grown ones, along with some smaller ones. Full grown and slightly smaller was O.K. today with the kids aboard.
We worked the edge and then I heard of a Hammerhead Shark sighted in 140 feet of water to the south. There was interest (the boys of course) in a shark so we headed due south to the area of the sighting of the Shark, a Hammerhead, swimming slowly to the south into that north current. I worked that area for quite a while hoping to see and possibly bait the shark, but no luck there. Visibility was good and that is why I pursued him as he would be very visible on the surface swimming south in the full sun, but I couldn't find him despite moving further up current and repeatedly searching the area, and he likely had sounded as visibility was excellent and I had put the morning sun at my back for optimum visibility to be able to see further inshore. Never found him.
We did a brief stint of live baiting using some Bonito and Pilchards fished out of the riggers straight back and also a Bonito fished on the downrigger @ a depth of 60 feet below surface. That 25 pound Kingfish in the picture took a live Bonito fished out of the long left outrigger on a Shimano TLD 25 with # 6 Pacific single strand leader wire and a set of Mustad hooks set in his nose and just aft of center. Good fish.
We had a side of Bonito out there for the boys and strong scent trail for a shark as we live baited our live Bonito and Pilchards but no sharks entered into the spread today. Fun trip today, good kids (Dad too).
