Fanntastic Fishing Summertime Trips
Capt. Steve Souther
July 2, 2015
Fort Lauderdale - Saltwater Fishing Report
With summertime in full swing these days, Fanntastic Fishing is seeing more kids on board our fishing trips. Long days and no school bring the local, as well as the tourist, families out in droves. And the GREAT thing about fishing with kids is their excitement over each and every fish that is caught.
Summertime fishing brings the Bonitos to our area. Not great table fare for sure, but excellent fighters and plentiful. It's not unusual to catch a dozen or so of these fish fairly quickly and usually more than one on at a time. The early morning and late afternoons will have them attacking the tops baits. As the day wears on, they move deeper and hit the deep lines when trolling.
The Kingfish are also plentiful this time of year, if the Bonitos will allow them to get a bait or two. They range in the 8 to 10 lbs. class but some bigger ones can be caught on both dead and live bait. They don't pull quite as hard as the Bonitos but can be eaten. The smaller the better and always should be eaten fresh, within a few days.
Since trolling is our norm this time of year, wahoo, Dolphin and the occasional Sailfish are also possible. When the clean ocean waters come close to shore, these fish can be had just a few miles off the beach. Venturing further can be advantageous if you can find weed lines or floating debris. These offer the fish off shore a floating reef for protection. The Dolphin are generally small this time of year and many don't meet the minimum requirements. But Dolphin are the fastest growing fish in the ocean and today's throwbacks are tomorrows keepers.
Our larger game fish like sharks are becoming more and more scarce. Evening trips are the best time for these fish and can be found in shallow waters not far from shore once the sun goes down. But this is fishing and there's always a chance during the day for a Hammerhead, Thresher, Dusky, Sandbar or Bull shark.
Bottom fishing has been productive with small Snapper and Grey Tilefish. It takes a lot of cranking to catch these fish in 300-400' of water but you bring them up in numbers, usually 3 to 5 each time. The days that only one comes up makes it a little tough but the meal at the end is worth it. And there's always a chance for a Grouper to pass by and bite.
The picture I chose of this young girl was our trip the other day. The kids were young and did struggle with the rods but she beat her brother and cousins by claiming the largest fish caught. This Kingfish was more than enough to feed the entire family and was cleaned and taken to the restaurant next door for dinner. The rest of the fish that were caught were left for bait. The Bonitos provide us with strip baits we use throughout the year for trolling.
Summertime fishing trips at Fanntastic Fishing can be loads of fun, especially for the kids. Bring lots of water… It's hot out there, but not as hot as shore.
Captain Steve
Target Species:
Sailfish, Shark, Swordfish, Tuna, Dolphin, Wahoo, Marlin and more...
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