June has been a productive month with King Mackerel, Bonita, Barracuda, Sailfish, Tuna, Wahoo, Mahi Mahi and Sharks.
The weather has been amazing with warm days, light winds and cool ocean breezes. Sea conditions have been more than favorable for the month of June with the average wave heights of 2 feet. We are very fortunate to have the Fort Lauderdale fishing grounds and deep water just a few miles off the beach.
June has been a great month with larger than average King Mackerels. These fish are weighing in at and above 25 to 30 pounds. Which is a good “Smoker” King. Using a short section of wire increases the likelihood the fish will end up in the box. Only sacrificing some of the smaller Kings when utilizing larger hooks and a wire trace. And still capitalizing on the Wahoo bite who are infamous for getting “ahead” of the wire. When the Kings are moving through the area the majority of schools can be larger to medium sized fish and we tend to catch mostly “larger ones” or mostly “medium sized fish”. Kings tend to migrate in the mid water column and having most of our success on the deeper planner lines. The deeper line dives down 50’. On some days the water color will have a clean green or a clean blue color. I have had great days on both, but prefer the green water for the Kings. Always a good idea to change the color of the lures until one starts to work better than the others. Using fresh cut bait certainly will increase the likelihood of getting more fish.
Not uncommon when the fish are snapping to have multiple hook ups at once with double planner and rigger bites all coming down at once.
The Sailfish are still coming through the area and we have two methods that are successful. One is trolling rigger Ballyhoo baits. The second live bait kite fishing. When charter fishing in Fort Lauderdale I prefer to kite fish for Sails and have the best success with live baits on the surface. Trolling a spread of Ballyhoo baits works good when covering ground and targeting Sailfish. Additionally hooking into other pelagic species that migrate up and down the reef. We have had a lot of flying fish and smaller bullet Bonita which attract and hold the Sailfish in the area. When the current picks up these fish will nose into the current and start to feed. Having two kites flying in the air with 4 Goggeleyes is hard to beat; especially with a little North current and an Easterly wind. The challenging part is light and variable winds on some June days. When this happens we switch gears and hunt for Sailfish on the troll.
The Black Fin Tuna bite has continued to be productive when fishing in Fort Lauderdale. We are catching them anywhere from 100 feet of water out to 400 feet of water. The size can range from medium to larger fish. Using smaller lures with light leader line and smaller hooks helps in getting the Tuna bite. I will troll the baits over various sunken ship wrecks and structure where these fish will congregate. Overcast weather with some chop on the ocean also helps the bite. After we catch and put a Tuna in the box we will bleed out the fish to maximize the best meat quality. Eating fresh seared tuna is an excellent way to end the day.
Mahi Mahi bite has been average at best and we are waiting for the summer run of Mahi’s to turn on. Some Easterly wind will help blow the fish closer to shore to where we are catching them just a few miles off the beach. Occasionally catching them in the 20 to 30 pound class and a lots in the smaller class.
The Bonita and Barracuda bite has remained strong with a consistent catch of both fish. The classic pink Seawitch with a strip bait is a go to bait when targeting either fish.
Shark fishing has been good this June. We are catching some Hammerhead, Bull, Lemon, Tiger and Sandbar Sharks. We are targeting these fish anywhere from 100 feet of water out to 300 feet of water and the best success with a fresh dead and bloody Bonita bait. Using a single circle hook placed in the nose of the bait has a great hook up ratio.
Offering fishing half day 4 hour, 5,6 and all day 8 hour fishing charters in Fort Lauderdale. The vessel is a 52’ Hatteras that is fully air conditioned with all tackle and licensing provided.
To book a deep sea fishing charter in Fort Lauderdale contact Capt. Dave Zsak at (954) 439-8106
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