Fishing Report for Ft. Lauderdale & Port Everglades

Capt. Cary Hanna
January 6, 2008
Fort Lauderdale - Saltwater Fishing Report

Sails are up!

That time of year is here when we get to see the Sailfish run. The best times will be as the winds and cold fronts push through from the north. In the past week we had one of the coldest snaps yet with temps plummeting to the mid thirties. The winds were harsh making it a little sporty on the water but still fishable at 4-6 feet near shore.

Ballyhoo have been very thick and easy to catch for bait. On the day before New Years we anchored up on the mooring balls to catch our bait. Steve Mack and crew caught plenty of Hoos when all of a sudden someone else was crashing the party. The Ballyhoo were balled up and sticking close to the boat. Curious to see what was out there we put out a few baits. In seconds the baits were attacked by large Bonito in the 15 pound range. We had a blast with them for awhile before we went offshore. The day ended slow for us as large ocean Triggers were cannabalizing the baits.

On Thursday Fred Levitman and friends came aboard and braved the 4-6 foot sea. We went out with a dozen Goggle eyes and we were covered up again in large Bonito. We quickly picked up after 3 hook ups to save some baits and fish deeper. Friday turned around for us with the Peterson family. We had a good assortment of baits and on our first drift we were hooked up with double header Sailfish that crashed on a Goggle eye and large Pilchard. Both fish went into different directions and made it easier on the anglers to get their fish to the boat. Later on Kingfish started chewing on the baits for awhile and made for some nice action. As we were nearing the end of our trip on the deep side of 300 feet a pod of Sailfish came through and again we were stuck to a double header. We managed one to the boat and our second fish broke off fraying the leader.

Mahi-Mahi are coming through and Wahoo are also making a showing. Both are great fish for the table.

Happy New Year to everyone and enjoy the winter season!

See you on the rip,

Captain Cary Hanna

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