Most of our Sailfish fishing charters are done in the winter months here in Ft. Lauderdale. With December, January and February being the top months to catch one of these exciting gamefish. But truth be told, these fish are here year round and any day can produce a bite if a hungry one happens by.
Winter time is mostly live bait fishing whereas the summer months are usually trolling for the preferred method of fishing just off shore of Ft. Lauderdale. Cover more ground searching for schools of Bonito, Kingfish, Dolphin… Whatever might be moving through our area. August and September are the 2 slowest months for Sailfish bites.
Apparently Sam, from Minnesota, didn't know this. His first deep sea fishing trip, his first deep sea fish was also the first hit of the afternoon… A very large Sail that surprised both Adam, the mate, and me. They just haven't been around…
When live bait fishing for Sails, we can usually work around the other baits in the water. Trolling lends a different aspect to this. All baits must be reeled in so we don't run them over when backing down to the fish. So Sam sat there, in the big chair waiting as we cleared lines, watching the line sing out and there was virtually nothing he could do.
Once all the lines were cleared we began moving toward our fish, Sam taking the line in as Adam guided him on how to fight this fish. These are a bit different than Walleyes. LOL Keeping the rod bent, level winding the line back onto the reel all has to be done. The angler has much to do and usually misses the jumps these fish make when trying to escape. After 20 minutes or so, we had the fish beside the boat for a good look at what Sam had caught.
In the picture you see Sam with both hands on the fish's head. We have a tube that forces sea water through the fish's mouth and out his gills as he is on board, a sort of artificial respiration. We hold him steady to keep him from injuring himself by thrashing around and he is fed oxygen while we measure and photograph him. Once all is said and done, one last pose with the fish before releasing him back to the sea. He is pulled alongside the boat by hand until he begins to swim on his own before we release him. We want these fish swimming when they leave us.
The rest of our afternoon was spent catching Bonito, a few Kings and a nice Barracuda that was also released. But Sam had the fish of the day.
Fishing solely for Sailfish on a charter isn't recommended off Ft. Lauderdale in August, but that doesn't mean you can't catch one.
Capt. Steve Souther
Ft Lauderdale Off Shore Fishing Charters
www.fanntasticfishing.com
(954) 728-9880
