December 26th, 2008

Steve and his twin sons traveled from New Jersey to spend the Holiday’s right here in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Steve had high hopes on landing a sailfish and his sons had never caught a saltwater fish in their life. They chose the perfect place to fulfill their dreams, plus you can’t beat our beautiful weather this time of year in South Florida. We headed out aboard the Lady Pamela II with live goggleeyes in the well and the kites ready to go. We popped the kites, waited for a bite but there wasn’t a sailfish around. Right before we decided to pull the kites in, we hooked a sea turtle (I have never hooked a sea turtle in my life). We released him at the boat and he swam away in good shape. Then pretty much out of no where, a school of mahi - mahi surrounded the boat and we had a double header on. Two mahi - mahi for two twins boys! It was perfect. The boys had a great time reeling in their first saltwater fish ever while fishing offshore Ft Lauderdale.   

Tight Lines!

Captain David Ide

954-761-8045

Christmas Day 2008

The Holiday Fishing Season has approached us here in Fort Lauderdale and the Lady Pamela II has not stopped. On Christmas morning, Andrew and his son from Kansas got a taste of a South Florida Christmas, offshore fishing in Fort Lauderdale. There is no better way to spend your Christmas morning than to go deep sea fishing. It was a beautiful morning to head offshore and land a huge mahi - mahi or watch a sailfish jump all over the ocean. We headed out Shallow Harbor and went straight to the bait boat for live goggleeyes. Kite fishing at the local buoy in 150 ft of water wasn’t the place to be, as a matter of fact other local boats weren’t getting a single bite anywhere. We decided to stick it out and try something different. Good thing we did. Not even ten minutes after we got the “news”, Dan yelled “BIG DOLPHIN!” Andrew couldn’t have jumped into the fighting chair quicker, he wasn’t going to let this one get away. This dolphin jumped at least 15 times before he ever came tight on a 30 TLD. I started to back down the boat, the fish got a few more jumps in and Dan got him in the cockpit (this 50 lb’er kicked our butts), it hit Dan in the face with it’s tail while it was floppin everywhere. Live bait went back out immediately, we were in the game at this point. Last bite of the day - a sailfish swam up, checked out our gogg, and wasn’t too interested. We didn’t go home empty handed, check out this mahi - mahi!

Happy Holiday’s from the Lady Pamela II
954-761-8045

Decmber 22nd, 2008

The Holiday Fishing Season is here in Fort Lauderdale. Today the Lady Pamela II had a full day of fishing, 7 AM start - 7 PM leave. This morning we headed offshore into green waters. It was like fishing in pea soup with a rippin south current, not a sailfish in site. Fishing was slow all morning. Around noon, the water changed to a nice blue-ish green color along with a north current and big north swells. I knew there was going to be some tails coming down sea. We popped the kites up at the bouy and within 20 minutes a 5 1/2 ft sailfish was peeling line off the reel, jumping all over the ocean. Colen from Canada stepped up to the plate, fought the fish first, then handed it off to Fred and then to Scott. Everybody got a taste of the sailfish, it was putting up a battle.

Nice catch!

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

December 20th, 2008

This afternoon we had a full charter aboard the Lady Pamela II. We reached open waters and we were catching fish right off the bat. The bonitos were showing up in good numbers at the bouy. We packed up and ran to a shipwreck 5 miles north of Port Everglades, made our first drop of the day and we got a bite! We caught a 30 lb amberjack, took a few pictures, released him and he swam away. Trolling gear was set and the kings were hungry. They were hittin’ the cockpit left and right. In the mix of all those kingfish, a cero mackerel ate, nice size too. We had one last trick up our sleeve for this afternoon, the ledge. The ledge is a deep drop off where we troll live bait over it and just cross our fingers. Everything went as planned, check out this barracuda we caught offshore.

Great fishing offshore Ft Lauderdale, nice mixed bag of fish.

Tight Lines!

Captain David Ide

954-761-8045

December 17th, 2008

We headed out of Port Everglades with the kites ready to go. It was 45 minutes of waiting and wishing until we got a bite! That 45 minutes felt like forever, but it was well worth it. First fish of the day, Steven reeled in a 6 1/2 ft Atlantic Sailfish. Live bait went back in the water immidiately. Here we go for round two and we hooked a triple header within minutes. It was unreal. Everybody was fighting a sailfish at this point in the game. Darin and Steven both had one on, the third one was in the rodholder.

Steven Pation traveled from Dallas to Fort Lauderdale in search of sailfish. He sure picked the right day and the right boat to show him a good time offshore fishing in Fort Lauderdale. Live goggleeyes were the first thing on our list this morning, they are key to catching sailfish.

The Lady Pamela II did it again, out fished the competition catching 4 sailfish within 4 hours. We hung our 4 sailfish flags high and proud. Awesome day Steven!

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

December 16th, 2008

This morning we had four people on a shared charter aboard the Lady Pamela II. The sailfish bite has been consistent, they are showing up in good numbers throughout South Florida. So we headed offshore trolling for sails and king mackerels, but there wasn’t much going on at all. We were one for two on the mahi - mahi. Plan B - drop on a wreck. We pulled out our 80 lb reel with 200 lb test and a 30 ft leader. We rigged a bluerunner to a circle hook, dropped er’ down and it all started here. We hooked a 45 lb golden amberjack, who put on one hell of a fight. We decided to relocate to a wreck a little more inshore. (It was a good move) We could’ve sworn we had a massive bullshark on, it was pulling some serious line. We fought this fish until IT gave in, we weren’t giving up. We landed a 60 lb’er the second time around. Today started off slow, but definitely picked up!

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

December 16th, 2008

Brad and Bill joined us this morning all the way from Chicago and Michigan aboard the Lady Pamela II to set sail offshore Fort Lauderdale. It was a beautiful day to go deep sea fishing in South Florida. We headed out of Port Everglades with trolling gear ready to go. The kingfish bite was going off, they were everywhere and anywhere. We caught a total of 15 and kept 8 real nice ones, along with a handful of bonitos mixed in with the bunch. Brad and Bill had heard alot about the artifical reefs and ship wrecks Fort Lauderdale houses, so we relocated. It was a good move. We made a drop with one of our live bonito’s we’d caught earlier and as soon as the bait hit their “front door”, the rod started screamin’! Brad had his hands full fighting a huge amberjack. Round two - we put TWO live bonito’s out on the top and got a bite immidiately. It was Bill’s turn to get in the chair, and he did. He landed a barracuda, with some mean teeth.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

December 15th, 2008

This morning Tommy and Carrie Myers went for round two aboard the Lady Pamela II. They fished with us the day before, caught some nice fish, and got sick. Today they wanted to catch a big fish and conditions were looking good. We started off the morning with live goggle eyes dangling from the kites (that really turns them on). Not even 10 minutes after the kites went up, a sailfish ate the bait 20 feet from the boat. Darin was doing his thing in the cockpit as the sail was jumping everywhere, putting on a great show. Tommy fought this fish for 30 minutes before he gave in. The 6 ft sail was the biggest saltwater fish he’d ever caught. We made two daytime swordfish drops offshore and got two bites, but pulled the hooks. It was a tough day of fishing out there, but we got Tommy his big fish.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

December 14th, 2008

Tommy and Carrie Myers traveled from Alabama to come fishing aboard the Lady Pamela II for a little fun in the sun today. Tommy oftens fishes the Gulf of Mexico for red snapper where they have to run 40 miles to hit fertile grounds. It was a shocker to them how close to shore we fish here in Fort Lauderdale. I guess you can say we’re spoiled, we only have to run about a mile or two to hit 300 feet of water. We headed out of Shallow Harbor and loaded up on live goggle eyes from the local bait boat. As soon as we hit open waters, the kites were popped and we were ready to catch some fish. Within ten minutes, a huge bonito ate the right short bait and gave Terry a run for his money. It was one of the biggest bonitos I have ever seen. Darin had fresh baits back in the water for round two and a 10 lb dolphin ate the right long bait. Our trip then came to a hault as sea sickness started to kick in with Terry and his wife. No biggie, Tommy and Carrie had another day of fishing ahead of them the next day.

Brian Furman, a repeat angler of the Lady Pamela II, brought his nephew, Matt, from the Windy City to Fort Lauderdale to show him what deep sea fishing is all about. Another buddy of his, Big Country, joined the team as well. Matt was interested in joining the US Coast Guard, until he hit open waters and it was blowin’ like stink out! Seas were rough, but conditions were perfect. We set up at the local bouy with the kites flying high and a sailfish ate the left short. Matt jumped into the fighting chair and reeled in an 80″ sailfish. Darin had the baits back in the water and in no time another sail ate. Big Country called shot gun and landed his first sailfish ever, a 5 footer. Awesome day of fishing out there!

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

December 7th, 2008

This afternoon the Lady Pamela II had a trip from 8-12 with a group of people from Miami. Darin and Dan had trolling gear in the water by the time they reached open waters. They crushed the kingfish, keeping 6 total, the biggest one was 38″. To the wreck it was. On the first drop of the day, they caught a 36″ amberjack then trolled over to another wreck to make a drop and landed a 42″ Barracuda. It was non stop action all day. Nice catch!

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

December 10th, 2008

Today the Lady Pamela II had a full day of fishing, a full party in the morning and six people on a shared charter in the afternoon looking to catch some fish. We headed out of Shallow Harbor bright and early and loaded up on live goggle eyes. We popped the kites offshore and within 10 minutes we had a school of mahi - mahi surrounding the boat. We hooked 5 dolphin, 3 were legal size. Fresh baits went right back in the water and a 3 ft silky shark swam up and ate. Jenny jumped into the fighting chair and believe it or not, that 3 ft shark put up one hell of a fight. Jenny won the fight, we got some pictures and released him back into the water. We weren’t going anywhere at this point, we were in a good spot. We rigged up another live bait, threw it in the water and a 7 ft hammerhead was hooked! I pulled the boat ahead, he took a run…..and he fell off. The morning trip was a success. We caught fresh dinner for our anglers and Jenny landed her first shark ever offshore fishing in Fort Lauderdale.

This afternoon we headed offshore with trolling gear set. The kingfish and bonitos were snapping, they were hittin’ the deck left and right. On the way in we were trolling with live bonitos down an edge and caught some nice size barracuda’s, a 38 incher and a 25 incher.

Awesome day aboard the Lady Pamela II, it was a mixed bag of fish!

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

November 25th, 2008

Ed and Jarron from Virginia came fishing aboard the Lady Pamela II for some deep sea fishing action offshore Fort Lauderdale. Fishing started off great this morning; the kingfish were hitting the deck left and right along with a few nice size mahi-mahi. Just when we thought fishing was good, it only got better. The rod bent over and the reel was screaming! A wahoo ate and took a serious run. Nice size fish, a 35 lb’er.

Next thing on our list was to a wreck. First bait down and the rod bent over. After 20 minutes of fighting this fish, we figured it was a nice size grouper. We were wrong, a 30 lb amberjack ended our day of fishing. Awesome catch.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
Lady Pamela II

Mid-November Fishing Report - Fort Lauderdale Fishing aboard Lady Pamela II

Captain Paul Palucci and I of the LP II headed out of Shallow Harbor in search of Daytime Swordfish looking to eat. On the way out, we crushed the mahi - mahi. The dolphin were ranging anywhere from 10 - 12 lbs. When we hit fertile grounds, we made our first drop and within 15 minutes the rod bent over. We had him on, he took a run, then pulled the hook! After our third drop of the day, the sun started to set. We rearranged for the nighttime bite and on the first drop we fought a 48 incher. Shortly after, we had a double header on. Nice size fish, a 48″ and a 48.5″ . Things were pretty much going as planned, we were getting bites and we weren’t leaving! Paul and I put everything back out and another one ate. After a 30 minute battle, he pulled the hook. Before we knew it, it was 2 AM and to the dock it was.

The next morning we didn’t get to sleep in, we had a full day of fishing ahead of us, literally. Fishing started off slow, not even a kingfish around. We ran to a wreck, made a drop and got a bite! An amberjack ate instantly.

November is taking off! With this 60 degree weather passing through Fort Lauderdale, the sailfish bite is on fire - the best I’ve ever seen. The bite has been consistent, anywhere from 4 - 8 sailfish per trip, leaving anglers extremely happy. On the 11th & 12th of November, I fished the Sailfish Cup out of Miami Beach. We caught a total of 20 fish in two days, coming in second place by 12 minutes. The Sailfish Cup had an impressive two days of fishing with a whopping 388 fish caught surpassing 2007 where the overall fish caught which was 208! That goes to show you fishing has been great.

The Blackfin tuna are offshore ranging anywhere from 10 - 15 lbs and the mahi - mahi weighing in around 20 lbs. Oddly enough, the mahi - mahi bite has been better this month than it was in August when it’s generally prime time to catch those delicious dolphin. Hopefully they stick around a little longer.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
Lady Pamela II

Getting it done in the sun with Lady Pamela 2

My buddy, Bob, and I had to go to Miami on Thursday for a meeting and we were scheduled to fly out Friday at 7:30 am. Well with a little creative airline management we postponed out flight and booked a short trip with David Ide aboard the Lady Pamela 2, a beautiful Hatteras 41.

We could only afford a quick trip so we could catch our plane. David and Paul were up to the challenge. With flyingfish busting out of the water everywhere I knew we were in the right spot, but things started slowly.

Having never used a kite before it was an interesting educational expereince. It takes a bit of work, but it isn’t rocket science and we got the hang of it quickly. After a while couple bluerunners ate the deep baits. One ‘runner even ate a pilchard from the kite, which I hear is very unusual. They went into the live well for later. Then I pulled in a very small grouper.

We bridled up the smallest ‘runner and put him out on the longest kite. After 20 minutes the water exploded around that bait. The runner came back in cut as clean as a ginzu knife… must have been a Kingfish.

We didn’t have all day so we didn’t load up on bait before we left. Probably a bad call on my part. So after the assorted bluerunners and trigger fish ate all of our bait we started to troll.

With 20 minutes left in the trip it was “Left rigger!!! There’s two!!! I got mine. I got mine as well” that rang out from the pro crew. Eventually I lost my sail. But my buddy Bob landed his first ever sailfish and his first ever fish over 30 pounds. This sail was pretty large for the area. It was about 6 and a half feet and I am guessing about 50 pounds. Bob was thrilled.

A double header with no time remaining was a great way to end a trip that was too short. But I’ll be back since the new boss is in Miami…. I am starting to like staff meetings!

Mike

Tight Lines Mike!

Captain David Ide

954-761-8045

November 3rd, 2008

Richard and his two sons from New Jersey had never been deep sea fishing off Fort Lauderdale before, so they joined the LP II to catch some fish. We started off the afternoon kite fishing with live bait dangling. The sailfish bite had been great the past few days, but slowed down. No nibbles there, wrecks were next. We made a drop with a bluerunner and it was an instant bite. A 25lb Amberjack ate the bait and took a run. Nice fish guys!

Tight Lines!

Captain David Ide

954-761-8045