The weather has been beautiful for us Florida folks, but the seas have been a bit intimidating. The plus to a windy day offshore, the Sailfish bite is on. When it’s blowing 15-20, chances are the Sailfish are feeding just a few miles off the coast of Fort Lauderdale. Head out fishing on a day like this and your most likely going to see one jump within feet of the boat.

This morning we headed out Port Everglades and instantly got hooked on the troll. We landed two Blackfin Tuna around 8 lb’s, a petite Mahi - Mahi we threw back, a nice size Cero Mackerel and a 7 lb Kingfish. Good thing the bite was red hot early, sea sickness kicked in and that’s never fun. We had a group of troopers but man were they glad to be back at the dock. Not too shabby for a short time of fishing, there’s nothing better than fresh Tuna for dinner.

Gary and his friends joined the Lady Pamela II this afternoon in hopes of catching a few Mahi for a true South Florida souvenir. We headed out Shallow Harbor and once we hit open water we were ready to reel in some fish. Captain Paul picked a good spot in 500 ft of water and our spread was out. Right off the bat we got the bite. Once it ate, I called it a Blue Marlin, Captain Paul was confident that it was a Sailfish. He was right. The Ballerina of the Sea was jumping all around the boat, putting on a great show for our anglers. They sure have made a name for themselves. We got some great shots of the flopper in action. Once we got the Sail within range of the boat, we got up close and personal with the pelagic and saw it’s true colors, it was a beauty. Sailfish are by far the most exciting fish to fight when they’re on the line and one of the prettiest fish in the sea.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

Fishing has been good to us this month and is only looking to get better as Spring rolls in. There have been some big game fish showing up off the coast of South Florida. Mahi - Mahi, Kingfish, Barracuda, Game Sharks…you name it and we’ve caught it.

This morning we had one hell of a fishing trip aboard the Lady Pamela II here in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Larry, his son John and John’s two buddies joined Captain Paul and myself bright and early to head offshore deep sea fishing. Larry had a special request, no kite fishing, strictly trolling. I rigged all the gear and once we hit 100 ft of blue water, lines were set and we sat back, but not for long. Within seconds, the left rigger came out of the clip and we were hooked. John jumped in the fighting chair and the battle began. Our angler was engaged with the Atlantic Sailfish for 20 minutes before he came within feet of the transom. The power of this fish was amazing and John figured that out real quick. He got a taste of fighting a game fish for the first time. We got some great shots for keepsake and then he was released into the wild for a future fight. The trolling didn’t end there, our spread went back out immidiately and it was on. Shortly after, the Kingfish showed up along with a few Cero Mackerel and one Mahi - Mahi for fresh dinner. Towards the end of our trip, Captain Paul was hooked from the bridge. John got back into the hot seat and reeled in a 3 ft Hound fish. Neither Paul or myself had ever caught one, it really put the icing on the cake. That’s the beauty of deep sea fishing out here, you never know what you’re going to get.

Today is what you call a great day of fishing offshore Fort Lauderdale.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

This morning the Lady Pamela II set sail with a group full of troopers. Shelly, her Husband, Julius and his family joined the LP II crew in 5-7 ft seas ready to catch some fish and go home with a great story. When the seas are nasty the fish usually bite, especially the Atlantic Sailfish. On the way out the Intracoastal we loaded up with live goggleeye’s to fly the kites. When we hit open water, we picked a spot and popped the kites. Within 20 minutes of kite fishing, Shelly and her Husband hooked up with a flopper. It was a large Atlantic Sailfish jumping within feet behind the boat. All 5 anglers were jumping up and down with excitement. It was a tough fight, but Shelly’s husband did it. He was stoked when he got that 5 1/2 footer to the boat. Not too long after we released the Sailfish, Julius’ son landed a gaffer size Mahi - Mahi weighing in around 20 lbs.

We headed back to Shallow Harbor to drop off our early birds and pick up our afternoon anglers. We had a killer morning trip and couldn’t wait to top it off with a great afternoon bite. Russ and Russell joined us from Minnesota, David and his wife traveled here from the Windy City and Elizabeth was in town from Maryland. Conditions were perfect to fly the kites. The Sailfish were around in the morning so we picked up live goggleeye’s hoping to hook up with another one. Within minutes of suspending the goggs from the kites, we hooked a nice size Barracuda. Then a Mahi - Mahi ate and Elizabeth reeled in a 20 lb’er. It didn’t stop there. The right long got hit, Justin picked up the rod but the Sailfish spit the hook. We didn’t catch the Sail but we weren’t complaining with our cuda and gaffer size Mahi. Last stop of the day was the wreck. We made a few drops and didn’t even get a nibble. There wasn’t much current, but it didn’t hurt to try. All in all, the Lady Pamela II had another great day on the water.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

This afternoon, Ken and his son joined Joe and Maxim for a full day of fishing aboard the Lady Pamela II. We left home base with Captain Paul at the helm and myself in the cockpit. Bait was the first thing the Lady Pamela II needed to get the day started. We stopped at a local bait spot and stocked up on live bluerunners and speedos. Fishing started off slow, slow, slow. We caught one King Mackerel on the troll and that was it. Last week blew today out of the water, Kingfish wise. We couldn’t get away from those things just a few days ago. Captain Paul ran us over to a shipwreck where we dropped fresh bait and crossed our fingers that fishing would pick up. The big bluerunner went down deep and as soon as it hit bottom I started reeling as fast as I could. Too late. By the time I got the bite, the fish swam into the wreck and broke us off. It was a bummer, but we knew there was action down there. I went for round 2 with another bluerunner and this time we were hooked. Ken’s son called dibs on the fighting chair and man did he have one hell of a time reeling this fish in. Job well done, our angler fought a monster Amberjack. I made another drop just to see if there was anybody else down there that was hungry. Joe was in the hot seat now. He could now relate to Ken’s son on how tough game fish fight. The Lady Pamela II went 2 for 3 on the Amberjack bite while wreck fishing. The ledge was our next pit stop. We trolled over it and within 20 minutes Maxim landed a 28″ Barracuda. We got some awesome shots of the ‘cuda and then released him for someone else to fight in the future.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

This morning we a had a boat load of anglers from all over the US. Hugo and his son visiting from Texas, Robert joined us from Virginia and Mark didn’t have to drive too far, living right here in sunny South Florida. We needed live bait and we got some. We filled the well with a good amount of live speedos and bluerunners. We checked live bait off the list and ran 3 miles north to put the trolling gear out. Before we even had everything out, BAM! a dolphin ate. After we put the Mahi in the box both deep baits got hit with two gaffer size King Mackerels. We were on a roll now and we weren’t stopping. We put the baits back out, catching a total of 5 nice size King Mackerels. Our anglers wanted to tug on something a little bigger so we headed to one of the several shipwrecks and made a drop. First drop of the day and we were hooked instantly. Whatever it was, it swam right into the wreck (not a good thing) and broke us off. Another big bluerunner went for a swim and we hooked a game fish immediately. Who knows, maybe it was the same fish looking for lunch. Bob jumped into the fighting chair ready to reel. After a 25 minute battle, Bob won and landed a beautiful Amberjack on his deep sea fishing trip. What a great way to end a South Florida vacation.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

Julie joined the Lady Pamela II crew for a full day of deep sea fishing offshore. The weather was quite nasty early in the morning, but began to clear up as soon as we left Shallow Harbor. We started out the day with a bang, nailing the kings on the troll. After we reached our limit on the King Mackerel, the kites were popped with live bait. Kite fishing was a no go, there wasn’t a Sailfish around. To the wreck it was! We made a drop on a shipwreck in 300 ft of water and hooked a 3 ft Amberjack right off the bat. We made another drop and hooked a nice Gage Grouper weighing in around 10 lbs.

Today ended up being another great day on the water.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

March of the Fish - Offshore Fishing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

March has been one action packed month here in sunny South Florida aboard the Lady Pamela II, no fish recession here! March is one of my favorite months to fish offshore in Ft Lauderdale, it’s finally warming up and we are seeing a mixed bag of tough fighting game fish and those delicious eating fish the Southeast is known for. On Saturday the 14th, we landed a Silky Shark just north of Port Everglades, went 1 for 2 on the Sailfish bite and fought a monster Amberjack off a wreck in 300 ft of blue water, in the matter of 4 hours. Our anglers went home with sore arms and a memory to last a lifetime. This is the type of deep sea fishing I live for, rod bending and screamin’ reels. Don’t get me wrong, there have been days where the fish haven’t quite cooperated with us aboard the Lady Pamela II, but for the most part the hook ups have been not stop and we’ve been coming home with great catch!

Sailfishing has been hit or miss lately. They disappeared for a bit, then a little push came through and the bite picked up for us in Ft Lauderdale. Sailfishing is one of my favorite types of fishing, watching the Ballerina of the Sea jump 30 feet behind the boat is one sight to see. Fighting the Atlantic Sailfish is a blast and look for the action to continue keeping our anglers smile into Spring. You only have a short time left to land a Sailfish, let’s take advantage of it aboard the Lady Pamela II now through the beginning of May!

The Mahi - Mahi have been solid in 300 - 500 ft of water offshore. We’ve noticed that trolling with live blue runners and popping the kites with goggs dangling on the surface does the trick with the dolphin. The bite has been unbelievable, literally. We’ve been catching anywhere from 10 lb Mahi - Mahi to 30 lb, 40 lb and even 50 lb beefers.

During the first week of March, the Blackfin Tuna were showing up in good numbers offshore and in the cockpit. We were averaging 3 nice ones per trip, which I’ve never seen in my years of sportfishing offshore Ft Lauderdale. It was great while it lasted but it has slowed down a bit, at least for the Lady Pamela II fleet.

Trolling for Kingfish comes in at #1, being the most consistent bite offshore right now in Fort Lauderdale. We’ve seen some monsters out there and caught a handful of 30+ lb’ers. It is common to land 3-5 nice ones per trip these days. The kings are definitely lingering in our backyard as we speak.

Wreck fishing has been great, producing big Amberjacks, Cobia and Barracuda’s in anywhere from 65 ft - 300 ft of water. Amberjacks are one of the toughest fighting game fish we hook up with, average encounters will leave your arms sore for a few days and a grin on your face from ear to ear. Let’s not forget about the infamous Barracuda either, stealth in the Inlet as well as on the shipwrecks. Their mean set of teeth and shiny, silver coat will truly amaze you.

The Lady Pamela II has set sail for Swordfish a few times throughout the month of March. The bite has been good on either side of the full moon, going home with at least a few bites and a 200 lb’er in the pit. On the full moon, the average sword weighed in around 100 lbs. Last week we were fishing a few miles offshore with a surface bait on top and a 100 lb Broadbill came up interested, ate the bait but spit the hook.

Spring time is here and so are the Game Fish! The Game Sharks have migrated South to about 300 ft of water and the trick to these bad boy’s is a bloody kingfish head hanging out on the bottom. It really seems to turn them on. We will soon start to see a wide variety of Sharks in South Florida such as the Great Hammerhead, Mako, Sandbar, Bull Shark, the Big Eye Thresher, Spotted Tiger Shark and the Silky Shark. Talk about a brutal fight…hook up with on these guys and chances are you’ll be passing the 130 off to your buddy to take a breather.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

On Saturday morning, Mike and his good friend came fishing aboard the Lady Pamela II here in Fort Lauderdale. They came all the way down from Quebec to South Florida in hopes of catching a big game fish while deep sea fishing in Ft Lauderdale. We headed out Shallow Harbor making our way through Millionaires Row, showing them the mansions and mega yachts sunny South Florida is famous for.

Kite fishing was first on the list once we hit open water. We picked a good spot right off Marriott Harbor Beach towers just north of Port Everglades. We popped the kites with live goggs dancing on the surface and a fresh bloody carcass hanging out on the bottom. There was a rippin north current drifting us at 2 mph. Within 10 minutes of having our spread out, a Silky Shark swam up interested. He ate the bait immediately and went for a run. Mike jumped in the fighting chair ready to reel this bad boy in. After a 20 minute battle on light tackle, Mike won with the fish behind the boat.

After Mike took a breather and a few pictures, we put another bait down on the bottom and crossed our fingers for another instant bite. Not even 20 minutes after we released the Silky, two Atlantic Sailfish swam into our spread and ate the goggle eyes dangling from the kites. One pulled the hook, but we still had a shot at the other one. Mike’s buddy fought his first Sailfish all the way to the transom, we released him and he swam away in good shape. That 5 1/2 footer was one hell of a jumper and put on a great show for our guys. 

Ft. Lauderdale houses several artificial wrecks up and down the coast. These shipwrecks house several different types of fish. Dropping a bloody kingfish head on their front door step is usually a win win situation if anybody’s home. We relocated to a wreck in 300 ft of blue water with a live blue runner on 200 lb test line. It didn’t take long before the rod was a bender and started screaming. We hooked a BIG Amberjack and Mike soon figured out how hard these game fish fight while offshore fishing in Fort Lauderdale. Our anglers went home happy campers with sore arms. Another great day aboard the Lady Pamela II!

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

On Friday afternoon, Ray and Omid came fishing aboard the Lady Pamela II. They traveled all the way from Kentucky and New Jersey to catch fresh dinner. There is nothing like the delicious Dolphin we catch offshore, so I cut up tons of fresh bonito strips and we headed south-east towards Miami. We started trolling and Ray was non stop in the pit. The Mahi - Mahi, Blackfin Tuna, King Mackerel and Bonitos were showing up in good numbers, they were hitting the deck left and right. At one point, Ray, Omid and myself were all reeling in fish, we couldn’t get away from them. The biggest dolphin weighed in at 13 lb’s along with a nice 5 lb Blackfin Tuna, not too shabby.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

This week, deep sea fishing in Fort Lauderdale has been action packed. From giant Kingfish on the troll to a few Sailfish battles a day, the Lady Pamela II went back to Shallow Harbor happy campers every trip. The Blackfin Tuna have been solid in 200 - 300 ft of blue water. Green milar, pink/white seawitches and fresh bonito strips is the trick to landing those 10 lb’ers. On Tuesday morning, we made our last stop in the Inlet for the “grand slam”. Barracuda’s are known to be stealth in the cut, we ended up getting two monsters within 20 minutes. The Mahi - Mahi have been showing up in good numbers as well. Wednesday afternoon we couldn’t get away from the dolphin. As soon as we popped the kites with live goggs, WHAM, we had a double header on and suspense erupted in the pit. Our anglers landed one big, beautiful fish and had a great time fighting it. The Kingfish have finally migrated south to our side of town, catching anywhere from 5-10 nice ones per trip. Yesterday, we got a hold of a 30 lb King Mackerel on the troll, it was a beefer. With the wind lingering here in Fort Lauderdale, kite fishing has been productive a few miles offshore. The Sailfish bite has been on target, we’ve seen and fought a handful of floppers this week.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045

This afternoon, Charlie Goy and his buddies came down for a visit from the Big Apple to set sail aboard the Lady Pamela II and catch some South Florida sunshine. We headed out Port Everglades and immediately noticed a nice current edge right outside the Inlet. That’s always a plus, so we threw some live baits in the water and trolled over the edge until something ate. After crossing our fingers for 30 minutes, we hooked a nice size Barracuda with a mean set of teeth. Meanwhile, Captain Paul was marking herds of fish on the depth finder so I got all of our trolling gear set and ready to go. The Kingfish and Mahi - Mahi were solid. We caught our limit in no time at all, the wind slowly started to pick up and it was time to pop the kites. We found a good spot to dangle live goggle eyes on the surface and drop a few bloody dead baits down deep. Before we could even blink, the balloon went under and we were hooked to a sea monster of some sort. The 130 Penn Reel went berzerk! Charlie couldn’t have jumped in the fighting chair any faster. Once he got his hands on that rod, he reeled his butt off. This game fish gave Charlie a run for his money, he soon found out how hard game fish fight while deep sea fishing. Charlie won the battle with a huge Hammerhead Shark while fishing offshore in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Tight Lines!
Captain David Ide
954-761-8045