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Fort Lauderdale is located in South Florida, on the Atlantic coast. You might recall that Lauderdale was the site for the original Spring Break. Sure, lots of folks still come here for the sun, the warm weather, and the beaches, but in the past few years, the town has gained another claim to fame – the fantastic fishing opportunities.
Why is Fort Lauderdale fishing so great? One of the main reasons has to do with the Gulf Stream, a warm current that fish use for migration and as a hunting ground. At Fort Lauderdale, the Gulf Stream swings very close to the coast, and as a result, anglers can be fishing in deep blue water just thirty minutes from shore.
Because of Fort Lauderdale’s mild climate, the fishing is great all year. No matter when you visit, something will be biting. You can begin your angling adventure in January by targeting sailfish, large dolphin, blacktip sharks, hammerheads, barracuda, and kingfish. By March, the amberjack, blackfin tuna, cobia, dolphin, grouper, sailfish, tarpon, and wahoo are getting in on the action. Summer is best time to catch blue marlin, snook, skip jack tuna, and several shark species. In the fall months, many Fort Lauderdale fishing charters target sailfish, dolphin, barracuda, blacktip sharks, snapper, and kingfish. Remember, too, that several of these species can be landed year round.
Types of Fort Lauderdale Fishing Charters
There are two basic types of Fort Lauderdale fishing charters. The first is drift fishing charters that take a large group of anglers about a mile offshore for bottom fishing. The main targets with drift boats are grouper and snapper, which are fun to catch and delicious on the table.
The other type is Fort Lauderdale fishing charter yachts. These fast, sleek fishing boats take four to six anglers out to blue water to target sportsfish like kingfish, dolphin, wahoo, and tuna, along with billfish like marlin, sailfish, and swordfish. These are top-of-the-line vessels and many are quite luxurious.
Ft Lauderdale Fishing Methods
Fort Lauderdale fishing charters use a variety of tactics for catching fish. Most groupers and snappers are caught on or near the bottom, while the boat is anchored near bottom structure. To get the fish into a feeding frenzy, chum is often used, especially for snapper.
Drifting is also done by Fort Lauderdale fishing charters. With this method, underwater structures are located, and the boat drifts past them, with baited lines in the water. With this strategy, grouper, snapper, and amberjack might be hooked near the bottom, while mid-level and surface feeders like sailfish, kingfish, cero mackerel, dolphin, and cobia can be caught, too.
Trolling is another strategy that’s employed by Fort Lauderdale fishing charters. Downriggers are used to keep baited lines and teasers at the correct depth as the boat travels. Trolling is a great way to cover a lot of water and will produce catches of kingfish, dolphin, wahoo, and sailfish.
A unique type of angling is often used by Fort Lauderdale fishing charters, too – kite fishing. With kite fishing, live baitfish like pilchards, blue runners, threadfin herring, or goggle-eyes are suspended from kites and allowed to sink just under the water’s surface. This is one of the favorite methods used by Ft. Lauderdale fishing charters in pursuit of sailfish. |