Big Groupers & Good Action on Fort Lauderdale Fishing Charters
Capt. Paul Roydhouse
January 1, 2018
Fort Lauderdale - Saltwater Fishing Report
It's a new year and what a great start. The groupers have been biting really good out there. I won't say that we have caught them on every trip, but they have been biting good and big ones at that. This year was the best grouper fishing I have seen all year long. Lots of red and strawberry groupers biting on our drift fishing trips and lots of huge black groupers are biting on our sport fishing charters. The black groupers this year are incredibly large, averaging 20-30 pounds and even a few bigger ones approaching 50 pound plus are biting. This was the best year on grouper fishing I think I have seen since 1999.
On our sportfishing trips, we've either been trolling or bottom fishing. Those are the 2 types of fishing that are working this time of year. Trolling is good because it lets us cover lots of territory out there, catching random kingfish, bonitos, tunas and sometimes even a wahoo or sailfish if you're lucky. Bottom fishing has been working for the groupers and amberjacks. Once in a while, we may catch a cobia or barracuda while bottom fishing around the wrecks too. Mostly large fish, but fewer fish than if we were trolling. All in all though, good action with a few bigger fish hitting the baits.
Some big mangrove snappers are also biting out there. We're catching them on the daytime and the night drift fishing trips. The mangroves this time of year are quite large averaging 3-5 pounds. They are biting on shrimp, squid and sardines as bait. It's been a good time for them. Yellowtail snappers are biting too, but so many of them have been undersized. The bigger ones usually start showing up in the beginning of February but for now, mostly small ones. Lots of groupers are biting on our daytime drift and night anchor trips as well, but as you know they have just gone out of season, so they are all happy groupers.
Great fishing out of Fort Lauderdale this month, you just have to get your bait in front of their noses. Good luck to everyone fishing out there these next couple of weeks. I will sea you on the water,
Capt. Paul Roydhouse
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