Fort Lauderdale Fishing Outlook – January 2010

2010 definitely surprised South Florida with freezing temperatures and a killer bite offshore. Only the brave, die hards were on the water in search of the Atlantic Sailfish and it was well worth it with all the layers. During our unwelcomed, drawn out cold snap, the Sailfish bite was solid; huge packs of spindle beaks came through with double digit catches and made dreams come true. Every angler went home ecstatic with extremely sore arms, but a great story to tell about.

One morning, I remember one of our Canadian anglers say “this guy has on his survival gear.” As funny as that sounds, he was right. Fort Lauderdale’s unusually cold winter this year really got these fish feeding and we didn’t let the weather stop us from heading offshore to find ’em. Foul weather gear, a pair of gloves and a beanie made life a lot warmer aboard the Lady Pamela II. Remember, fishing’s not just a hobby, it’s an adventure.

Mixed in with the Sailfish are Kingfish and other species. The King Mackerel tend to show interest while live bait kite fishing, eating the goggle eyes that are suspended and intended for the Sailfish. The shipwrecks are also holding heavy with big fish that offer a great fight on light tackle; a 30 lb Amberjack will show you whose boss real quick. The Blackfin Tuna are around and make for a great fresh fish dinner. Trolling the reef also provides the opportunity to hook up with a Mahi – Mahi or two. There haven’t been a ton of Dolphin fish offshore, but that doesn’t mean you won’t run into a school and land enough for left overs. Along with the passage of fish, another snow bird will be showing up here shortly, the Game Shark. Shark Fishing season is right around the corner and the Hammerheads, Threshers and Makos will be more of a possibility as we move into Spring. South Florida Game Sharks range in size from 7 inches short to 39 feet long. They put up one helluva fight and it’s extremely rewarding when you win.

The Lady Pamela II crew has developed techniques that make daytime swordfishing a very successful sport as we’ve been able to catch them with great regularity. Research has shown that during daylight hours, swordfish hang out around 1,800 to 2,000 feet down looking to gnaw. Fresh squid and petite, whole bonito make for great bait when luring a beefy Broadbill up to the surface. The Lady Pamela II landed a 500 lb’er this month and it was one of the greatest fights we’ve experienced in Fort Lauderdale yet, it was man against fish.