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Big Fish Getting Aggressive on the Wrecks

Capt. Paul Roydhouse
March 21, 2018
Fort Lauderdale - Saltwater Fishing Report

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Just had an awesome trip of bottom fishing around the local Fort Lauderdale shipwrecks. It's Springtime and that means the wrecks are getting stocked up with lots of big game fish. Amberjacks, groupers, cobia, snappers, barracuda, sharks and more are showing up in numbers for the Spring migration. Every year at this time of the year, the bottom fishing gets really good because all these big game fish are competing for their share of the food supply around the shipwrecks. When the fish compete for food, they get really aggressive and fight eachother for the bait.

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When we drop baits around the deep shipwrecks, we normally drop one bait at a time. We're using live baits with really long leaders, so dropping more than 1 bait at a time usually results in tangles or cut offs. But with the bite this strong, one bait is all you need. When we drop our bait down to the bottom (usually we are dropping a live tuna or bonito and sometimes a small mackerel or blue runner jack), we sometimes don't even get the bait all the way down to the bottom before the fish are fighting over it. You know the fishing is good when you can't even drop your bait all the way to the bottom without it getting eaten.

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Amberjacks are probably the most aggressive fish down there. If they see a live bait come flying past their head, they are on it! They inhale the bait as fast as they can, probably so that another amberjack or other fish doesn't swoop in there to grab it. When there is competition for food, the most aggressive and fastest fish get fed. The slow or non-aggressive fish starve. Amberjacks are incredibly strong. They are powerhouse fish that use their brute strength to catch their prey and squish it in their powerful, crushing bite. But the real strength of the amberjack isn't seen until you have one on the line. First thing they do is try to pull you down into the wreck to wrap you around a rock or a piece of the ship. We use some the heaviest tackle they make, Penn 80W Internationals strung with 130 pound test line to yoke these fish out from the wrecks into open water. And that's just the first 30 seconds of the fight. Then we get the angler strapped into the chair to do battle. Amberjacks put a hurting on even our strongest anglers. They are super strong fish and one of my favorite gamefish to fish for out there.

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Groupers are aggressive too, but they lie near the bottom. Amberjacks usually patrol and circle the wrecks a little off the bottom, so they get to see the bait as it's dropping. If the bait makes it all the way to the bottom, there are some big groupers biting this time of year. Many, but not all, of the groupers this time of year are out of season, so you must throw them back. But they are still a lot of fun to catch. We'll be able to keep them soon again, in May.

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Cobia are another big game bottom fish that we catch this season. They tend to follow behind giant rays, sharks and even whales. Any slow moving sea creature is likely to be followed by a cobia or two. They swim off and grab crabs, shellfish and or baitfish that are uncovered by the larger marine creature. Cobia are very inquisitive so they may even swim right up to the boat while you are drifting along to see what you are doing. Cobia are also super strong but they have a tendency to not fight too hard on the line, and put up all of their fight once gaffed and in the boat. These fish have been known to break fighting chairs off their stanchions and even break legs when brought aboard 'green'. If the mate gaffs and cobia and then yells for everyone to put their feet up, lift your feet up and get out of the way because that cobia is about to go ballistic in the cockpit. They are a really fun fish to catch and they are great eating too.

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There are a lot of fish around the wrecks this time of year. Besides amberjacks, grouper and cobia, you could possibly catch giant sharks, barracuda, red snappers, tilefish, other lesser jacks and more. There is a plethora of life around the wrecks, mainly because the bait fish congregate there. It's all about the food. This is the best time of the year for big game fishing around the wrecks and the season is just getting started. March through May is the season to fish the wrecks. Only downside is the sore muscles from catching all those big fish. Good luck to everyone fishing this week. I'll sea ya on the water,

Capt. Andy Roydhouse
www.FishHeadquarters.com
754-214-7863

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Come fishing with us on one of our 3 daily trips aboard the 85ft Catch My Drift for only $40 per person. Drift fish the reefs for kingfish, tuna, snapper and grouper. Also, Sportfishing charters with Capt Paul Roydhouse catch some of the biggest fish in the ocean. Capt Paul is a Ft Lauderdale native fisherman, with over 43 years of local, full-time fishing experience. We also run All Day Fishing trips for only $100 per person aboard the Mary B III. Sportfishing/drift fishing combo trip.

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301 Seabreeze Blvd.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33316
Phone: 954-525-4665
Alt. Phone: 754-214-7863
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