Ernest and Alyssa Katehis from the northeast were down in Fort Lauderdale on vacation and decided to charter the Top Shot Sportfishing charter boat team to do some deep sea charter boat sport fishing in Fort Lauderdale, FL. This was the Katehis’ second time fishing with us, and it was good to have them back.
Fifteen to twenty minutes after leaving the dock, lines were in 120 ft. of water at the sea buoy in Fort Lauderdale, 1.8 miles from shore. We started the morning using two deep lines with bait strips and 3 surface lines with Ballyhoos. We trolled from 100 feet of water out to 300 feet of water heading to the south and offshore. There was a lot of seaweed, and we were keeping out of the major areas of weed. We fished up the current edge and back over the reef avoiding the scattered weeds as best as we could while looking for birds and baitfish.
We got our first bite, a 10 lb. Kingfish, in 130 ft. of water, and kept on trolling catching another 9 lb Kingfish. The next two fish we caught were Bonitos, which we got on the 3 inch drone spoon. We were trolling over wrecks and rock piles along the reef line - the best area with the most action was in 150 ft. of water. Next, we got a bite on the surface rigger line which was a Black Fin Tuna. We totaled 4 Bonitos, 4 Kingfish and 2 Black Fin Tunas.
Ernest wanted something big, so we tried going for a Shark. We put out two baits, one midrange and one on the bottom. The first depth we attempted was in 350 feet of water - we tried for an hour, and did not get a Shark bite. We were a little frustrated, but we kept on going. Since I was close to a wreck, we dropped a live bait down, targeting an Amberjack or Grouper. After a few drifts with no luck, we moved on to another wreck. Using a live bait, we tried again, but we didn't get a bite. We decided to try for a Shark again, and this time I set up close to a wreck in 150 feet of water with two baits close to the bottom right up current of the ship. While we were Shark fishing, we also had a Snapper rod working and caught two Yellowtail Snappers. All of a sudden, we got a huge bottom bite. The rod bent over with drag zipping out. Fish on! Ernest was the angler - he got on the rod and started fighting this giant Shark. After a solid battle, we had this Bull Shark up along side of the boat. Joe, our mate, removed the circle hook and released this awesome Shark.
It was now time to head back to the dock. The anglers retired into the a/c salon and enjoyed the relaxing trip back to the dock at Bahia Bar Yachting Center, 801 Seabreeze Blvd. Fort Lauderdale 33316.
For a successful and adventurous deep sea fishing charter in Fort Lauderdale FL for Sailfish, Shark, Bonito, Mackerel, Swordfish, Snapper, Wahoo, Tuna, Mahi Mahi and Grouper, contact Captain Zsak. - 954-309-7457 or email us at tzsak@bellsouth.net Website: www.topshotfishing.com.
