The sharks are just plain snappin' this week in Fort Lauderdale. Every trip we've put out the shark baits, a big hammerhead or giant dusky shark jumped on the bait. This week, we're at 6 hammerhead sharks and 3 dusky sharks in the past 7 days, and they are still biting! The excellent shark fishing is definitely related to the big bonito run that is happening off the Fort Lauderdale coast right now. Bonitos are a gamefish in the tuna family. They average 10-20 pounds and they make a major run down the Ft Lauderdale coastline every year for the 3 months of summer.
The bonitos are here! They showed up about 2 weeks ago, when the shark fishing really turned on. They will be here for another 3 months, as will the big game sharks that like to eat them. Bonitos themselves are fun to catch. They are very bloody fish, just like tuna. Composed of almost pure muscle, these bonitos are one of the strongest fighting fish, pound-for-pound, more so than almost any other fish. In the summer months, now through the beginning of September, the bonitos are covering the reefs almost everywhere. They light up the action trolling the reef, and bring with them some of the biggest gamefish in the Carribean. Marlin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, and all the big game sharks… hammerhead, mako, thresher, bull, dusky, sand bar and spinner sharks all follow the bonito schools.
Offshore action is spotty, but there are some dolphin offshore with the patience to go out there and put in the miles of trolling. The schools of the schoolie dolphin are beginning to form up offshore, usually with a big bull dolphin leading the pack. A few weehoo and wahoos are offshore too. A double hook ballyhoo trolled on a deep bait is hard for a wahoo to resist. Always be ready for and have a bait out for a blue marlin to eat. They are uncommon but you never know when one may hit. Cool stuff happens in June! Good luck out there fishing everyone and TIGHT LINES!
Capt. Rod Roydhouse
(954)707-2147
www.newlattitude.com
