Fort Lauderdale fishing report for Top Shot Sportfishing Charters.
Very strong currents moving along our coast this week. We are currently experiencing water currents moving around 2 knots with some days the water is pushing close to 2.5 knots to the Northern direction. This makes all styles of fishing in Fort Lauderdale a little more challenging. The stronger currents will not last too long and typically last less than a week. The silver lining is that we will experience an abundance of species moving into the area in and around the wrecks, on the reef and moving along the shelf. This is due to the currents moving fish along the coast.
There has been a good push of Sailfish coming through the Ft. Lauderdale area. We are seeing them anywhere from 100 feet of water out to 300 feet of water. Trolling a spread of baits has been the most effective for hooking and catching Sailfish. Our average Sailfish can be anywhere from 5 to 6 feet long with some nicer fish 7+ foot long. Some days we are seeing sailfish “free jumping” out of the water and this is another good sign of fish in the Ft. Lauderdale area.
Black Fin Tunas have been anywhere from 200 feet of water out to 400 feet of water. We are catching some nicer ones trolling the deep planner lines. A lot of times we are hooking more than one at a time. Once the tuna is caught we put them on ice, bleed them out and at the end of the trip filet the Tuna for our fishing customers. Fresh caught and cooked or raw Tuna is the best and I always recommend trying a seared Tuna.
Mahi Mahi fishing in Fort Lauderdale has been very slow. It has been hit or miss. Unfortunately when heading offshore in Fort Lauderdale and just seeing less and less Mahi for the month of July. Some days we will catch a handful but for the most part having a challenging month. I am anticipating a late run of Mahi Mahi and hopefully they will be showing up in August.
The strong current makes bottom fishing difficult. For example when attempting to bottom fish for Snappers, first we are prepared to give it our best shot. In the event the fishing weight and baits are not properly fished we will not continue bottom fishing and go to plan B.
The wrecks are holding fish and we have been successfully catching them. Fishing for Amberjack and Groupers it’s best to get ahead of the structure by 3 to 5 boat lengths depending on how strong the current is moving. By leading the wreck the baits are properly presented. A hungry Amberjack or Grouper will not resist and feed on a live bait fished along the structure.
The King Mackerel and Bonita bite continues to be good. We are seeing the Kings anywhere from 75 feet of water out to 200 feet of water and the fish are decent in size. Planners and sea witches continue to work best trolling the baits up and down the reef.
The good news about the strong current is that new groups of fish will move into the Fort Lauderdale fishing grounds.
To book a fishing charter in Ft Lauderdale contact Capt. Dave Zsak at Top Shot Sportfishing Charters at www.topshotfishing.com
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