Fishing After Matthew
Capt. Steve Souther
October 19, 2016
Fort Lauderdale - Saltwater Fishing Report
Fishing after Matthew has been great and it has been awhile since my last fishing report, we have been a little busy down here. With the threat of hurricane Matthew, we had much to do. Moving the boats, securing the marina and our homes in preparation for what was a very strong storm took precedent. Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and Miami were spared the wrath of this storm. We were extremely lucky.
With that said, we returned the boats to the dock the day after Matthew and were fishing Saturday. And what a pleasant surprise the fishing was too! First bait in the water not 10' from the boat and we had a fish on! Sorry it took so long folks. LOL
Kingfish have been small but plentiful. Catching our limit has been easy trolling the reef area. A few Bonito mixed in and this is the time of year the Dolphin come in shallow to feed on the Ballyhoo. While most are caught in deeper water, it's not unusual to see them in only 20' of water just a few hundred yards from the beach chasing baits.
Bait is another thing that has been prominent around. Flying Fish, Sardines, Mullet have all been on the move and this attracts fish. Skipjack Tuna is another fish usually caught further from shore but we got 6 the other day while fishing the reef.
With all this bait around, things are changing as our weather finally cools. Sea temperatures are falling, somewhat drastic after the storm passed, and this gets fish on the move. Our area has always been like a highway for fish migrating, traversing the coast. We will be switching from trolling to live bait soon and are expecting great things. It is almost time for the Sailfish, one of our favorite sport fish, to arrive in numbers.
Yes, fishing after Matthew has been very good and if you're in the area? Take advantage of the bounty. I've included a couple of pictures including a rare one with me in it. I'm usually doing the taking.
Captain Steve
Target Species:
Sailfish, Shark, Swordfish, Wahoo, Tuna, Dolphin, Marlin and more...
More Fishing Reports:
