Janurary fishing aboard the Hooked Up
Capt. Taco Perez
February 3, 2009
Fort Lauderdale - Saltwater Fishing Report
Jan 2 2009
Today we started out the New Year fishing with John and Lynda from Sunrise Florida. We stopped at the live bait boat got some live baits and went right to kite fishing. The radio was quite and it seemed no one was catching much. We had very little current and not even the king fish were biting so we decided to stick it out and man did it pay off for us.
We seen a big boil by one of our kite baits and line started creeping off the reel so we just let him have it for a good 20 to 30 seconds than we went ahead with the boat came tight with the fish and YES the one we were looking for. A huge sailfish was dancing all over the surface of the water putting on a great show for us. It took a good 20 minutes to finally get him to the boat. Once we got him to the boat we got a quick measurement (84) inches and watched him swim away in good shape.
Way to hang in there guys and great way to start out the New Year.
January is here and it looks like it's going to be a great year for sail fish so come on down even if it is just for the weekend and let's get you Hooked Up with some great sail fish action.
Captain Taco Toll Free (877) SEA-4344
Jan 3
Today we meat Bob, Elizabeth and Little Hoity from Memphis Tenn. Once again we stopped at the bait boat got some live baits and off we went. Today we wanted to start out trolling the reef in hope of putting a few kingfish in the box before we started sail fishing. We did not catch any kings but we did manage to put a few small bonitos in the box.
Then we went out to 180 feet of water set out both our kites with live baits suspended from them and the trap was set and the wait began.
This one we seen coming we seen this whole sail out of the water as the sail fish was trying to eat one of our kite baits. It didn't take him long to get this little bait down and we were Hooked Up. At first he was dancing all over the surface but then he went down deep and just kept digging down.
Bob fought this fish for well over 30 min till he finally got him to the boat. We knew this was a big fish but Holly Cow we never expected it to be 93 inches long. This is truly one of the biggest sail fish we've measured in a long time. Way to go Bob and we're looking forward to fishing you guys again on Monday.
That same afternoon we brought Bob and his guests back to the dock and picked up Bob and Bobby for our afternoon trip. It just seemed like everyone's name today was Bob which was fine with us as long as our luck kept holding out. And it did we ended up catching a big 35 pound Wahoo for the other Bob in the afternoon. Thanks to all the Bob's today for a fun day of fishing.
Winter is here and fishing just keeps getting better every day so come on down and let's do some Deep Sea Fishing off the Coast of Fort Lauderdale.
Captain Taco (954)764-4344 or toll free at (877) SEA-4344
Jan 4
Today we had Steven and Cole from Ney York and Richard and Carol from Florida together for a morning of deep sea fishing off the coast of Fort Lauderdale.
We started out trolling the reef and caught a few king fish and 1 bonito than we went off shore in search of some dolphin fish. We trolled off shore for over an hour with no luck. So we started trolling back toward the port when we found a 5 gallon bucket floating with some bait fish around it and sure enough we ended up catching a few dolphin fish on it.
Well we didn't set the world on fire but we did catch plenty of fish for the fish fry tonight.
Thanks again guys and were looking forward to fishing you again this summer.
Captain Taco (954)764-4344
Today we had 4 guys from Toronto Canada down in South Florida for of all things to watch their favorite foot ball team the Florida Gators play in a bowl game.
Jan 7
Chris, Rusty, Fast Eddie and Jonny had 2 things on their minds shark fishing and beer drinking. The beer drinking was the easy part they brought plenty. The shark fishing well that was on us to find them. So we set out our kite with 3 live baits suspended from them and one big dead bait also suspended from the kite. We also put 1 dead bait 150 feet down and one more on the bottom 350 feet down.
The first bite did not take too long we caught a nice black tip shark on a spinner rod which was a nice fight. The next was also a black tip shark out of the kite but the third was a big hammer head shark with one of our deep baits and this one was not quite so easy to get to the boat.
Perfect day beer, sharks and o yea the Gators won.
Thanks again so much for a fun day guys and hope to see you guys again next year when the Gators go to another bowl game.
Captain Taco (954)764-4344 or toll free at (877) SEA-4344
Jan 11
Today we took out Scott and Rob from Ontario Canada deep sea fishing off the coast of Ft Lauderdale. We started out trolling the reef looking for some kingfish or bonitos. We ended up catching a few small bonitos and no kings so we decided to try our luck at some kite fishing. We set out both kite with 3 live baits suspended from them and one dead bait also suspended from the kite. We also put down 2 deep dead baits one about 150 feet down and the other one all the way to the bottom 350 feet down.
It took a while but our deep rod bent over and line stated peeling off the reel as if it was never going to stop coming off. But it finally did slow down and Scott waited no time jumping in the chair and the fight was on. It was a back and forth tug a war for over 35 min but at last we got this monster hammer head shark to the boat. We were able to get 2 of the 3 hooks out of the shark and watched him swim away in good shape to fight another day.
Way to go guys and thanks again for a great day on the water.
Captain Taco (954)764-4344
Jan 12
Today Rosie, Melisa, JR, Many and Edgier spent the morning fishing aboard the Hooked Up. We started out trolling the reef looking for some king fish but the kings just were not biting today so we switched over to do some shark fishing out in 350 feet of water. As it turned out we made the right move we ended up getting a huge hammer head shark to eat one of our baits and this fish had no intentions of getting caught. I was a battle to finally get him to the boat after over 45 min of fighting him. We did manage to get the hooks out of the shark and once again watched him swim away in good shape.
Guys I've got to say it is a bit early for the sharks to be showing up but we are glad to see them and we're looking forward to a good year of fishing so get the heck out of the cold and get down here to sunny South Florida and let's do some deep sea fishing.
Captain Taco (954)764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344
Jan 13
Today we had Husband and wife Dan and Terry from Cincinnati Ohio come out for a morning of deep sea fishing for sail fish with us and fishing was good.
We stopped at the live bait boat and got some live goggle eyes (bait fish) than went right out to 180 feet of water put out both our kites with 2 baits suspended from each kite and the trap was set. From there it did not take too long before our first bite. Dan got to fight the first one and he was not coming to the boat without a fight. But Dan hung in there and he finally got him to the boat. We managed to get the hooks out and held him by the bill while we slowly drug him around for a couple of min and he swam away in good shape. No time to waste we go the kites right back out there and now it was Terry's turn and sure enough here comes another sailfish and once again we were Hooked Up. Terry got the chance to watch Dan before her turn so she had a pretty good idea of how to fight her fish. And I've got to say she did a great job. Once again we got the hook out and watched him swam away in good shape.
Way to go guys Hope you guys had as much fun as we did. There's just something about backing down on a sailfish and hurrying up to get the baits right back out there to try to catch more. And then catching more. What a ball
Sails are here so come on down and be a part of it.
Captain Taco (954)764-4344
Jan 16
Today we had some repeat customers going out for an all day fishing trip aboard the Hooked Up. We had Gary, Steve, Ed and John.
Our day started out with the bait boat not catching any baits the night before so all he had was 2 day old baits and they looked tired.
Since we had all day I knew that some boats off the coast of North Miami had done well on the sails the day before I decided to make the run down about 8 miles to where they had gotten the bite the day before.
Once we got down there the water looked as good as it gets there was a edge of water where the blue meat the green water and on the blue side the current was running 2 and a half knots to the north. We started setting out our kites. We had our left kite out and we were trying to set out our right kite when I noticed a sailfish trying to eat out short left kite bait. We stopped what we were doing with our right kite and picked up the rod that the sail fish was trying to eat. As we were trying to feed this fish I noticed that the fish was acting funny and spinning around the bait. I knew right away what had happen he got all spun up in the leader and the only choice we had was to try him and maybe get lucky and get a hook in him. So we went ahead with the boat and hopped for the best but best was not what we got first of all we did not get a hook in him but what we did not see was there was another sail fish eating our left long bait and we also watched him jump off (RATS). Not the way we wanted to start out but hell we had only been fishing less than 5 min and we had already seen 2 sail fish.
No time to waist got the baits right back out there. But now another problem dolphin fish and there were ever where. Now I've got to say any other time this would not have been a problem but we were running short on live bait and theses 5 to 6 pound dolphin were eating them as quick as we got them in the water. We put a few dolphin fish in the box and decided to run back to the south again. The current had already pushed us about a mile north of where we wanted to be.
Got back down to where we had our first bites and started putting the baits back out there. Once again as we were putting them back out here comes another sailfish trying to eat one of the baits. As Captain Greg was trying to feed this fish he had seen anther fish eating one of the long kite baits. This time he handed me up the other rod so Greg was feeding one while I was feeding the other one. Both fish came out of the water jumping at the same time. We went ahead with the boat and tried to hook both of them. Greg's fish came jumping at the boat and spit the hook but my fish stayed on. So I passed the rod back down stairs and Gary jumped in the chair. Gary fought the fish for over 15 min and finally started to get him near the boat. He got 15 feet from the back of the boat when he also spit the hook (RATS AND DOUBLE RATS)
Man we were having a lot of none stop action but we just could not seem to keep a hook in any of the sail fish. We got the baits right back out there and here they came dolphin fish again and we had more than we wanted already and just a few baits left.
Once again we moved the boat and got inside the edge so we would not go the north so fast and maybe the dolphin would leave us alone.
That proved to be the wrong move for once we got inside the edge we went an hour without a bite. We did catch a small black tip shark and we got a few king fish chop off but now all the baits we had out there suspended from the kites were dead. We also had one guy on the boat that not only was he not feeling good but he had not felt good for the last 5 hours and we knew that it was just going to be a matter of time till we got the word to take her on back in.
We decided to just get back on the blue side of the edge with our dead baits and let the current take us back toward home. What happen next I can't explain but a sail fish decided to eat one of our dead baits and we were Hooked Up. This time Steve got in the chair and yes this one stayed on. Finally got one to the boat. Got the hooks out and off he swam away in great shape.
What an exciting day of fishing and I'm sure we'll see you guys again next Jan. Thanks again
Fishing speaks for its self so come on down and come get some. Good Times Fishing
Captain Taco (954)764-4344 or toll free at (877) SEA-4344
Today we had Steve, Chris and Marty all from New York out for a day of deep sea fishing. We went to the bait boat got some live baits and off we went to try our luck at some kite fishing. We got our kites out with the live baits suspended from them the trap was set and from there it did not take long till we seen our first dolphin fish come up.
We got the first dolphin fish in the boat and we got the baits right back out there we decided to add a big shark bait out there also. While we were waiting we did manage to catch a few more dolphin fish and then Captain Greg noticed a little tug on the shark rod. He started to slowly reel it in and sure enough there was a 4 foot black tip shark tugging on the bait. Greg brought what was left of the big shark bait in the boat cut off a small piece of it and hooked it to a small spinner rod. He then dropped it back trying to hook this black tip up to t spinning rod.
For some reason this black tip got real spooky and wanted nothing to do with the bait. So Greg grabbed what was left of the big bait and started letting it out by hand. When all of a sudden he yelled go ahead quick with the boat. Once I went ahead with the boat I seen the line peeling off of this big reel and we knew that something big had gotten a hold of it.
At first we were all laughing says that this little black tip shark sure was strong but after a couple of seconds we knew that there was no way this was a black tip.
It took a good 30 min till we got to see what we had on and no it was no little black tip shark. This was a full grown hammer head shark and he was pissed off. We let him wear himself down a little and somehow got all 3 hooks out of the shark.
What an action packed day and everyone one walked away happy including the hammer head.
Thanks guys and we'll see you again next year.
Sharks, Sail fish, Dolphin Fish what else can I say come on down and let's get you out of the cold weather and let's get you Hooked Up
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 toll free (877) SEA-4344
Jan 24
Today is kind of a special trip to say the least. Don Mudd has been fishing on the Hooked Up for over 5 years now and has had some great times on the boat. I think one of his fondest memories was catching a 92 inch sail fish with us. But this fishing trip was not about him catching a sail fish this one was for his family to spend the day together and all of them catch a sail fish. (NOT TO PUT ANY PREASURE ON ME) And to add a little more pressure this trip was really special because Don's son David was just accepted into the USAF into the Special Operations Group called the PJ, s for Para rescue jumpers. Witch only has a very select few in each year. But once again no pressure on me. (LOL)
Don also brought along his wife Joy and their 13 year old son Josh. Both of which were tired of hearing about Don's big sail fish he caught so long ago. All they wanted was to catch one bigger than his so he could listen to them about their sail fish for a while. Once again no pressure on captain Taco.
So my job seemed easy enough all I had to do was find 3 sail fish bigger than the one Don had caught for his wife and 2 kids to catch easy enough right? But wait I had to do this while Don's brother in law Tom smoked these big fat stinky cigars and blew the smoke right near my face at the same time I had to listen to Don's brother Steve tell me all the jokes he knew. Still no big deal except a couple of things the cigars really did stink and as for Tom's jokes they really were good ones and it is not easy to watch all the baits while your doubled over and holding your belly.
(Ok I think I've set the stage for our no pressure fishing trip)
So off we went we started out by getting some live baits from the live bait boat. Once we cleared the inlet we started heading south. I wanted to get as far away from the rest of the fishing fleet hopping to find the sails with no other boats around us. Once we got about 4 miles south of Fort Lauderdale we set out both our kite with 4 live goggle eyes (live baits) suspended from them and one free swimming goggle out of the out rigger.
It did not take long before the first sail fish popped up. Joy wasted no time jumping in the chair and we were Hooked Up. What a perfect bite we all got to watch this sail chase the bait right behind the boat and once we came tight with the fish WHAT A Show this fish was dancing all over the surface. After about 15 minutes Joy finally got the fish next to the boat. Now we were not going to get a measurement of the fish for a replica mount to be made of him however everyone wanted to try to get a few pictures of the fish in the water next to the boat. Usually this is pretty easy to do because the fish is USALLY pretty worn out and just settles down and just slowly swims alongside the boat. Not such luck this time this fish was in the air more than in the water. Everyone was just clicking away with their cameras but the fish was just not slowing down. Here is the part where Captain Taco The Great comes in while driving the boat I broke out my own camera leaned over the side of the fly bridge and took one quick picture. TALK ABOUT LUCK or I'm just really good (LOL) check out this shot.
(For a better look at this shot go to photo gallery #6)
We had to cut the leader as close to the fish as we could get we knew that if we tried to take the hook out of the fish we would do more damage to the fish. The fish swam away or should I say jumped away in great shape. As far as how big this fish was well let's just say I'm not getting into this one. It was the same size as the one Don had caught with me before. (LOL)
After some hand shaking and some high fiving we got right back to it. Once we got all the baits back out there here comes another sail fish and this time it would be Don's youngest son Josh's turn and I've got to say that at 13 years old he is one hell of a fisherman. This fish while it did not jump as much as Joy's fish did this one was all over the place. We had to move Josh from one chair on the starbut side of the boat to the other chair on the port side. It was a back and forth tug of war for a good 25 minutes till Josh finally got him to the side of the boat. Once again we were not going to be getting a measurement of the fish and if you were to ask me and they did it was the same size as Don's and his mom's fish. What are the odds of that?
We got the baits out the again and now it was David's turn he had caught a small black tip shark earlier in the trip but we needed to catch him a sail fish.
At this point in the trip I could no longer breath due to the cigars Tom was smoking and my belly was hurting so bad from all the laughing due to the trouble maker Steve but before I knew it here came one more sail fish for the day and David waited no time jumping in the chair and the battle began. It took David a good 15 min to get his fish to the side of the boat and sure enough I thought it was the exact same size as the others. I thought every fish was the same size but I've got to say that everyone on the boat thought theirs was just a bit bigger than the others. (That's for them to fight over) I did my job and that's all I've got to say about that.
To the Mudd family on behalf of the Hooked Up fishing crew thanks sooo much for a great fun filled day on the water and as for David thanks on behalf of all Americans for serving our country.
And to those of you up north in the cold weather I can't guarantee this great of a trip every time but I will say the fish are now here and the weather is great so give us a call and let's get you and your family Hooked Up.
Captain Taco (954)764-4344 or toll free at (877) SEA-4344
Jan 25
Today we were booked for a fishing- drinking trip by Don from New York. He and his girlfriend Michelle came down to Florida for the christening of their grandson. They were joined by Don's daughter Melissa and her husband Seth. They were also joined by Walter and Ann from Florida.
We stopped at the live bait boat and went right to it. / We set out both our fishing kites with live baits suspended from them. We set up in about 150 feet of water hopping for a sail fish to come by. After about an hour of fishing without seeing any sail fish I decided to work our way out to 350 feet of water and put out a couple of other baits a big dead king fish about half way down and one more dead king fish on the bottom. We were trying to help our odds by fishing for sail fish sharks and dolphin fish all at the same time. I had been talking to some of the other boats that were out there fishing and they were not having any luck either.
While your shark fishing you try to hold the boat in one spot so the smell of the dead baits gets out and the shark finds you. Baring this in mind while we were set up in 350 feet of water I noticed a school of small black fin tuna just inside of me about 30 yards. However I was set up and I did not want to move our passion just to try to get to these small fish less than 5 pounds each. After about a good half hour of setting there we seen a big splash where these little tunas were. A couple of minuets' later we seen the splash again only this time we seen what it was a Mako shark chasing these tunas around. At this point I had no choice I motored over to where all this was going on and in less than 5 minutes there he was a mako shark about 6 footer was coming over to eat one of our baits. The problem was he was after one of our kite baits witch a live goggle eye on it with a monofilament leader connected to it. We knew that he would bite threw the leader like a sharp knife cutting threw hot better. So we quickly pulled the bait out of the water and up into the air. We than quickly reeled in that bait and switched it for big dead bait with 19 wire for a leader.
Now the whole time we were doing this I had Don from New York talking my ear off and drinking beer and just having a ball busting my chops. So needless to say we had our hands full. After about 20 minutes of not seeing the mako again we figured he was gone. (RATS)
BUT then our deep rod bent over and line started peeling off the reel. WE WERE HOOKED UP
Michelle waited no time getting in the chair and we were fighting this SEA MONSTER. She fought this fish for a good 20 min till she just ran out of gas than Don jumped in the chair and here is the part where we got to bust his chops for a while. Or should I say a short while after a long grueling 5 minutes don was all worn out and we got Seth in the chair. Way to go Don 5 minutes not bad have another beer (LOL)
Everyone got a chance at fighting this fish and when it came full circle it was Michelle's turn again and I'm sorry to say we pulled the hooks (RATS AND DOUBLE RATS)
We ended up trolling our way back toward the dock and Melissa ended up catching a nice kingfish. Don thanks again even though you were trying to be a pain you were pretty fun to hang out with and we are looking forward to having some beers with you later tonight
Captain Taco (954)764-4344
Today we had Frank from Mountain View Wyoming spend the morning fishing with us. Captain Greg had been out to his place last month hunting and shot a Prong Horn Antelope at over 400 yards away.
So Greg wanted to show Frank some Big Game fishing down here in South Florida. So they set up in 350 feet of water with 3 live baits out of the kite and one dead king fish in the kite. They also put one dead bait 150 feet down and one more on the bottom at 350 feet down. The trap was set and the wait began. It took over an hour of waiting but then all of a sudden the deep rod bent over and line was peeling off the reel. This was what Frank was here for and he could wait to get in the chair and fight this Sea Monster. It was a back and forth tug a war for well over 30 minutes but Frank did finally get this giant golden hammer head shark to the boat. Greg and Jay Jay slid open the tuna door and slid the fish into the back of the boat. They got a quick measurement of the shark got all 3 hooks out of him got a picture and slid him back out the door in good shape.
Things were looking good at this point anything else would be a bonus but we had plenty of time left so Captain Greg brought the boat in closer to about 150 feet of water and set the kites right back out there. This time we were looking for one fish and fish only a sail fish. It did not seem to take long before there he was trying to eat one of our kite baits. Jay Jay let him run with the bait for a sea or two but than the fish came up jumping and spit the hook (RATS)
We almost had a banner day but we still had a few minutes left so you never know.
Than it happen there he was a big sail fish trying to eat one of the kite baits again. This time we got a hook in him and once again Frank jumped in the chair and the fight was on. Yaw Hoo go get him Frank. I'm not sure who was more lit up Frank or the sail fish but one thing for sure Frank was having one hell of a time. It took about 15 minutes to get him to the boat once again a quick measurement a quick picture and he swam away in great shape.
Frank thanks again and we'll looking forward to hunting up there with you at the end of the year.
As soon Frank sends us the picture they will be posted on photo gallery #6
Sails are here sharks are here so give us a call and you get here to and do some deep sea fishing aboard the Hooked Up
Captain Taco toll free at (877) SEA-4344
Jan 28
Today we had Arviate, Dorothy, AJ, Sara, Tim and Caflon all from Wisconsin down here in South Florida to enjoy a few day of NO SNOW. We started out trolling the reef hopping to catch a few king fish or some bonitos. We trolled for about an hour without any bites so it was time to switch plans.
We went out to 350 feet of water and set out 2 kites with 3 live baits suspended from them and one dead king fish also suspended from the kite. Then we set out a half a king fish about 150 feet deep. Now it was time to set out our last bait a king fish down on the bottom. It took Jay Jay a good 5 minutes to finally get this bait to the bottom. But that was all the waiting we had to do the second the bait hit the bottom we seen the rod bend over and we were Hooked Up. At first the rod bent over and line started peeling off the reel but once Tim jumped in the chair he started pumping the rod back and forth it was not long till he got his hammer head shark to the boat. It was a good 5 footer Jay Jay managed to get all 3 hooks out of him and we watched him swam away in great shape. Way to go Tim.
Once we were done releasing Tim's shark we went right back to it hopping to get another shot at a shark or maybe a sailfish. We waited for a long time without another bite so we decided to try another trick we had up our sleeves. We went to a Bowie where sometimes little bonitos hang around. We made a couple of swigs by this spot and sure enough we caught a couple. From there we went to a ship wreck and dropped one of these little bonitos down to the bottom hopping to catch a big grouper or an amber jack. We hung around there for a good 20 minutes with our bait on the bottom and never got a bite. At this point we were way over due to get back to the dock but I wanted to try one more trick we still had one more bonito left and I wanted to put him out over a ledge.
This time our luck changed it didn't take long till we seen a big splash out by our bait Caflon wasted no time grabbing the rod and once again we were Hooked Up. It took a good 10 min to finally get the fish to the boat a nice barracuda way to go Caflon.
Thanks again for a fun morning of fishing and enjoy the rest of your stay out of the SNOW.
Captain Taco (954)764-4344
Today we had Bill, Dave, Jeff and Ryan all from Chicago out for a couple of hour's beer drinking and fishing. We started out trolling the reef. With 2 deep line and 3 top lines. We started heading north up the coast hopping to find some kingfish. After trolling for a while we got a bite on one of our deep baits. At first we did not think much of it. Bill jumped in the chair and Bill is about 7 feet tall and he was just reeling as if there was nothing on the other end. It just seemed like a regular kingfish so we were all giving Jay Jay a hard time telling him that the pressure was on now and to not mess it up. Than we got a glance at the fish and everything changed. It turned out to be a big king about 30 pounder. It took Jay Jay a good 2 minutes with the fish right behind the boat and believe me that's a long time. Than one of the other guys Jeff I think was supposed to hand Jay Jay the gaff but instead he just reached out there and gaffed the fish himself. WAY TO GO GUYS.
Check out this picture the fish really weighed 28 pounds but this guy was so big he made the fish look like a minnow. For a better look go to photo gallery #6
Captain Taco (954)764-4344
That wraps up Jan 2009 we've got Feb 2009 and then spring time is here once again. So stand by for some more great fishing reports or better yet why not be a part of it. Spring time brings South Florida the best fishing we have all year round we catch sailfish, sharks dolphin fish king fish and Wahoo all trolling and live bait kite fishing and we also catch a verity of bottom fish such as groupers. Snapper's cobia and greater amber jacks.
You might be surprised how easy it can be to get here to Sunny South Florida and as far airline fares
I've heard of some people buying their tickets 2 weeks in advance and flying round trip from as far away as New York for less than $200 dollars and as for hotels and rental cars I can help you with both in fact we can help you get a hotel right in the middle of Fort Lauderdale beach near all the restaurants, the great Ft Lauderdale night life you've heard about and within walking distance to the boat. Or even better we'll be happy to come pick you up and give you a ride to the boat. You probably don't even need to rent a car.
Feel free to give me a call and I'll be happy to help you make your plans to get out of the SNOW and into the FISHING
Captain Taco Toll Free at (877) 732 -4344 or local # (954)764-4344
Target Species:
Sailfish,sharks, dolphinfish kingfish ECT
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