Ending March off the coast of Ft Lauderdale aboard Hooked Up
Capt. Taco Perez
April 4, 2011
Fort Lauderdale - Saltwater Fishing Report
March26
Today we started out fishing with Mark, Mike, Frank, Lester and Drew all from Kissimmee Florida.
Today it was eating fish that we were looking for so set off tolling the reef with 2 planners boards running 45 feet down along with a wire line set way back also running deep and 3 ballyhoo strips skipping across the surface.
Trolling started out slow today but @ last a bite on one of our planner rods and Mike jumped in the chair and he ended up landing a bonito. As I was turning the boat BAM another bite and this time Frank jumped at the rod and darn another bonito.
Ok so we were bending the rod now but we really needed some good eating fish.
So we kept going further north on the reef than all of a sudden the rod bent over as if it was going to snap in half and line was peeling off the reel. Captain Greg backs off the drag and I slowed the boat almost to a stop. This time Lester jumped in the chair and the fight was on. This was no time to mussel a fish in this one took a little finesse as not to pull the hooks. Soon there after up popped this nice big fish BUT even though it was a big amber jack it was a bit of a let down seeing we were looking for some good eating fish.
Ok finally we got a king fish on as Mark jumped in the chair BUT as Mark was reeling in his fish I seen a whole bunch of bottlenose dolphins headed our way. I yelled down to Mark to reel as if his pants were on fire but he never stood a chance and just like that the dolphin took our one and only king fish.
We ended the trip with Drew landing another amber jack but this one had to be a record weighing fish it weighed at least 3 pounds. (LOL)
Way to go Drew you can really do it. We may not have caught any good eating fish but we did have a hell of a good time trying.
Thanks again guys for fishing with us aboard the Hooked Up.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free @ (877) SEA-4344
March 27
Today we started out fishing with Spider and Dale the same guys that fished with us yesterday but today they thought they would get an earlier start instead of starting late in the day we got started at 7:00 am and what a difference a day can make.
While the fishing was still on the slow side Spider ended up landing a 48-inch dolphin fish and Dale ended up with a nice kingfish.
Guy's thanks again for fishing with aboard the Hooked Up and Spider we're looking forward to going gator hunting with you later in the year.
As we pulled back to the dock we had Daniel and Taylor from Boston and Don from Alberta Canada.
Once again we went right to kite fishing and before we knew it Daniel was in the fighting chair fighting a big sailfish. The fight was going along perfect right up until Daniel got the sail close to the boat and than this fish went nuts jumping out of the water and putting on a great show for us.
Once the fish settled down a bit J.J. got a hold of the leader and cut the line as close to the hook as he could. We did not want to try to get the hook out we figured we would do more damage than good for the fish due to the way he was just going nuts.
But when it was all said and done the fish swam away in great shape.
We also ended up catching a few bonitos today.
Once again thanks to all of our anglers today and thanks again for fishing with us aboard the Hooked Up.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free @ (877) SEA-4344
March 28
Today we started out fishing with Mom and dad Rod and Olga and their children 12-year-old Grant and 3-year-old Alex along with grand mom Eileen.
From listening to the other boats out here fishing today we knew that trolling the reef was slow so we went right to kite fishing with 2 baits suspended from each kite. We were getting a few bites out of the kites but they all turned out to be bonitos. Don't get me wrong we were happy to get the bites and to catch these bonitos but we were all hopping for something bigger and better.
Than all at once we got what we wanted when this big sailfish came in strong on our right short kite bait and before we knew it we were Hooked Up.
Little Grant jumped in the chair and the fight was on. It was a back and forth tug a war Grant would gain some line and the sail would take some line in and out back and forth but @ last Grant started winning the battle and finally got his 86 inch sailfish to the boat.
This is not Grant does not even look like him. It is his mom.
We got a quick measurement and a few photos.
Way to go Grant and thanks again to the whole family for fishing with us aboard the Hooked Up.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free @ (877) SEA-4344
March 29
Today we had a shared charter with Espen from Norway and a young couple from New York Eddy and his wife April.
Everyone decided that we were going for big fish or bust and that was just what we did.
We went out to 350 feet of water and set out our 2 kites with 3 live baits suspended from the kites and we set out a big shark bait also suspended from the kites.
We also send a shark bait to the bottom and last but not least another shark bait half way down.
Ok so the trap was set now all we needed was for some big sea monster to come along and take a bite.
And that was just what happen all of a sudden our deep rod bent over and line started screaming off the reel. Aspen jumped in the chair and the fight was on.
After a good 20 min back and forth tug a war Aspen finally got this big hammerhead shark to the side of the boat. J.J. slid him in the tuna door for a quick measurement and a photo but as J.J. was going to slide him back out the door Aspen asked if he could pose once for a photo with the shark.
Well we had no idea about how he wanted to pose with his catch but as you can see Aspen is one big man and this is the first and probably the last time we'll have anyone take a picture like this.
Way to go Aspen.
Thanks again guys for fishing with us off the coast of Fort Lauderdale aboard the Hooked Up.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free @ (877) SEA-4344
March 30
Today we started out fishing with Mom and dad Julie and Travis and their son Grant all from Indianapolis Indiana.
We decided to make the run for about 7 miles to the south till we got off the coast of Hallandale Beach Florida where there is this wreck that is in about 110 feet of water. We figured if we ran all the way down we could get there before some of the other boats got there and it would give us a bit of an advantage.
Once we got down to the wreck we trolled around some little feathers and caught a few small bonitos.
Than J.J. put three little trouble hooks in the live bonito and set them right back out over the wreck.
As it turned out fishing was slow on the wreck but after a good 20 min of slow trolling a couple of these live bonitos around we finally got the bite. We had already missed one fish at this point that had drug back into the wreck so this time I made sure the boat was far enough away from the wreck so this would not happen again.
Ok we got away from the wreck and little Grant was all over this fish. This little guy was just reeling like there was no tomorrow. We finally got this big barracuda in the boat. Well it did not come so easy but the skunk was out of the box and a little of the pressure was off.
Now since we had a hard north current we decided to set out our kites with 4 live baits suspended from them to see if we could catch a sailfish.
All at once the water exploded by our left long kite bait and out of the water came this monster barracuda that's right a monster barracuda jumping all over the place.
Once again little Grant jumped in the chair and the fight was on. After a good 10 min back and forth fight Grant got this monster that dwarfed his first barracuda to the boat.
We had run just over 6 miles trying to catch Grant a barracuda but once we were closer to our inlet we catch one almost twice the size of the first one.
(Grant nice job of your fishing today)
As we got back to the dock we had our afternoons trip eager to give their luck a shot @ some deep-sea fishing off the coast of Fort Lauderdale.
We had Jeff and Ian from Spring Field Missouri and Glen and Joe from Minnesota.
We started out trolling the reef with Ian catching a dolphin fish and Glenn catching an even bigger dolphin.
Than we set out our kites with some live baits and a shark bait out there and the wait was on. We waited and waited with no luck at all so J.J. and I decided to try dragging some live bait over a ledge where some big barracudas hang out.
All of a sudden I see this shark about 5 feet in the air after sky rocketing one of our baits. J.J. locked up the reel and we were Hooked Up BUT the line went slack just like that and he was gone. (RATS)
Ok back out with the live baits and we seen another shark chasseing our bait but he faded off. (RATS AGAIN)
Ok back out with the baits and again we got bit but this time we stayed Hooked Up Jeff grabbed the rod and the fight was on. Ok so we were Hooked Up with a spinner shark but the only problem was we had him on 15-pound test line and this shark wanted nothing to do with the boat. It seemed every time Jeff would get the fish close to the boat he would get a second and third wind and just take line @ will.
After a good 20 min of this Joe jumped in to give Jeff a hand and once again the same thing kept going on every time it got close he would just take off again.
Well after another 20 min of this finally the shark got close enough for J.J. to get a gaff into the top of his back as not to mortally wound the fish and we got him into the boat for a quick measurement and some pictures to have a replica made of this great catch.
(Jeff and Joe way to hang in there.)
Now here is where this fish story gets good. As I said we had hooked this fish at a ledge that just so happens to be right there at Port Everglades inlet and we had fought this fish so long that by the time we caught him we were way inside our inlet. There just so happens to be this guy Lou who takes videos of the cruse ships as they come and go out of our port and he had videoed us catching this fish and posted it on U-Tube it is called (Hooked Up indeed)
If you want to check out his web site is www.Portcam.com
Thanks again to all of our anglers today and thanks again to Lou @ Port Cam
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free @ (877) SEA-4344
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