January is Sword Fishing Month in Ft Lauderdale
Capt. Rod Roydhouse
January 12, 2017
Fort Lauderdale - Saltwater Fishing Report
January is here and this is the time of year we catch our biggest fish of the year... particularly swordfish. Swordfish are an offshore species that we catch about 15 miles offshore of Fort Lauderdale in anywhere from 1000-1800ft of water. Traditionally, swordfish were always caught at night due to the fact that it is the night hours when swordfish rise to within a few hundred feet of the surface in search of food. Over the past few years, a new technique has developed, called daytime swordfishing, where we drop deep baits all the way down to the bottom, where swordfish lay during the daytime hours. With the cooler water temperatures this time of year, January is one of the best months of the year to go for swordfish in the daytime.
Daytime swordfishing is where we drop all the way to the bottom in about 1400ft of water. We bump the boat slowly to try to keep the bait near the bottom as long as possible. The current is pushing the boat at 3+ knots to the north, and the current only runs about 200-300ft below the surface, so the boat is moving very quickly away from the actual bait. It is so deep, it takes almost 10-12 minutes just to drop the bait fully to the bottom using a 12 pound sinker. It takes even longer to reel the bait to the surface. On a swordfish drop, we get about 20-25 minutes of bottom time before the bait has drifted up too far from the bottom to get a bite. So a full swordfish drop from start to finish takes almost an hour. It's a time consuming fishing technique but when it does come together and you catch a big swordfish, it's one of the most exciting experiences one can have on the ocean.
We caught this swordfish (pictured above) on a daytime swordfishing trip off Fort Lauderdale. Swordfish are one of the most awesome fish/billfish in the ocean anywhere and a bucketlist fish for most big game anglers of the world. This is one of the best months for the daytime style of swordfishing. The ocean is traditionally a bit rougher this time month, so night fishing is actually difficult, but day fishing can easily be done regardless of the seas, so it is the preferred method. And also, larger swordfish tend to be caught in January, much larger than the average fish the rest of the year. Winter is a good time for bigger fish in general.
Sailfish are also hot this month. We've had some great days of sailfishing over the past few weeks. December through January is a great time of year to go after sailfish off the coast of Ft Lauderdale, and sailfish don't require you to go very far offshore. We catch our sailfish just a mile out on a half day trip. That's very convenient to catch a big game fish just a few minutes off the dock. Sailfishing should continue to be good through the rest of January and into late February, finally tailing down in the first part of March. Although sailfish can be caught year round, the winter months are when they bite the best. Good luck to everyone fishing this month. Tight Lines and Good Fishing!
Capt. Rod Roydhouse
www.NewLattitude.com
954-707-2147
Target Species:
sailfish and swordfish
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