Big Fish Are Biting All Over the Ft Lauderdale Shipwrecks
Capt. Paul Roydhouse
March 16, 2017
Fort Lauderdale - Saltwater Fishing Report
There are a lot of big fish biting on the deep shipwrecks of Fort Lauderdale. March is the month when the wrecks begin to get loaded up with fish such as amberjacks, almaco jacks, groupers, snappers and cobia. They have already begun congregating around the wrecks and are starting to show up in bigger and bigger numbers. By the end of next month, the wrecks will be so laden with big game fish that it will be difficult to drop the bait all the way to the bottom without it already being eaten on the way down.
The fish in the jack family are the most aggressive. They are the big dogs around the wrecks and they make their presence known. The are very aggressive fish to begin with but with a higher concentration of them, they become even more aggressive as they compete for food. Amberjacks, almaco jacks, horse-eye jacks, jack crevale, shadow jacks and amberines are the members of the jack family that we catch when deep dropping over the wrecks. They are extremely strong fish and fight much harder than most species half their size. Amberjacks are commonly refered to as the strongest fish pound for pound in the ocean. They have beautiful colors and put up a world class fight when on the line. I love amberjack season.
Groupers are also biting around the wrecks. Most groupers are out of season until May 1. This rule was put into place a few years ago where there is a 4 month off-season for grouper. Since this 4 month closure on groupers, I have seen the grouper population grow considerably. Good to see that the regulations are helping the fishery. Some groupers must be released but the deep, deepwater groupers can be kept. Warsaw and snowy groupers are not included in the grouper off-season so we can still keep them.
Snappers, grunts, porgies and cobia are the other bottom dwellers that live around the wrecks. These really aren't gamefish, so they stay right on the bottom. We catch them using chunks of squid, ballyhoo or sardines and we drop down to catch them, keeping the bait flat along the bottom. You can catch these bottom fish aboard the sportfishing boat or the drift boat. Basically, either fishing boat fishes for them using the same technique. These bottom dwellers are fairly abundant this time of year too. They are really good eating fish too, so you can take them home for dinner. This is a great time of year for just about any bottom fish species.
The good bottom fishing around the wrecks should continue for the next few months. March through May is my favorite time of the year to fish, so get out there and catch some. We have fishing charters available just about every day. Give us a call and Let's Go Fishing!
Capt. Paul Roydhouse
www.FishHeadquarters.com
754-214-7863
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