March 26, 2013

The Lady Pamela II and the Lady Pamela IV sportfishing boats spent today kitefishing in 180 to 220 feet of water. Both boats had multiple sailfish bites off the kites which was the target species. The surprise of the day though was the other species that showed up. A school of cobia cruised through the bait spreads on both boats and snapped up the live goggleyes swimming below the kites. These fish ran 20-30 lbs. and gave our anglers some great bonus action, as well as some delicious dinner fare!

March 27, 2013

The Lady Pamela III driftboat landed a few kingfish and an array of bottomfish including snappers, grunts and a big African Pompano. The Lady Pamela II was out on both morning and afternoon trips trollling offshore. The blackfin tunas were thick today and LP II’s mate was busy handling multiple hookups of these tough fish. The Lady Pamela IV was back to kitefishing with angler Pamela from California. She hooked up a nice sailfish and did a god job of getting it to the boat. She had bragging rights back at the dock, with a sailfish release flag flying from the riggers, announcing her success.

Tight Lines,

Capt David Ide

954 761 8045

March 22, 2013

The Lady Pamela II started today off big, hooking into a great hammerhead shark in 350 feet of water. This brute was about 7 feet long, and after a catch and release, Captain David motored out to 800 feet where he found a nice current rip. The mate set out the kites with live baits and got the attention of some big dolphin. These fish ranged from 15-20 lbs, and by the time it was lines in, there were 10 big boys in the fish box. Some good eating going on this weekend!

March 22, 2013

Today we had some balmy spring weather and good fishing on both the Lady Pamela II and Lady Pamela IV. Captain David on the Lady Pamela II trolled up a bunch of bonitos then moved out over a deep wreck for some amberjack action. The result was some tired arms on board after horsing in three hefty AJs. These fish went between 40 and 60 lbs. each.

Captain Darin worked a morning trip on the Lady Pamela IV landing a few kingfish and a six foot silky shark. In the afternoon, his anglers boated a 20 lb wahoo, and then they hooked up a monster sail. This sailfish was all business and gave our anglers both a great acrobatic show and a tough fight.

Tight Lines,

Capt David Ide

954 761 8045

March 17, 2013

Warren and his family joined Justin and I on the Lady Pamela II today for a beautiful Sunday fishing trip. During the 6 hour charter we trolled the reef edge with baits rigged on both planers and on the surface. Our first catch was a 40 lb Almaco jack that put up a pretty good fight. These fish, that can get over 100 lbs., and look somewhat similar to amberjacks, but have a deeper body. We see them off Ft. Lauderdale infrequently as they generally occur further offshore from the reef areas that we troll. Warren and his crew also boated a 30 lb kingfish and a 10 lb blackfin tuna during the trip. We also had a 10 lb black grouper shot from the bottom to grab one of the trolled baits, which was a big surprise. This was a keeper-sized black but unfortunately we had to let it because the season is currently closed for this species. Nice to have you aboard Warren!

March 16, 2013

Today Captain Darin and I were out together on the Lady Pamela II, the first really good weather day we’ve had this week. We were zig-zagging off the outer reef edge trolling out to about 250 feet of water then back in again. We boated a nice 30 lb wahoo, and a few mahi-mahi up to 12 lbs. The trolling action eventually seemed to slack off so we moved into deeper water to try for tilefish. Our anglers had boated a couple of fat tiles weighing 5 lbs. when all of a sudden a huge school of mahi-mahi swam up to the boat!

It was a re-rigging frenzy as we hustled to get baits in the water. These fish were all over ten lbs. and try as we might, we could not get these fish to eat. Cut baits, ballyhoo, feathers, jigs, everything in the tackle box, but nothing we threw could get them to bite. We already had a nice box of fish, but a couple of those ten pounders would have been a welcome addition. It is not often when you have to leave the fish looking!

March 9, 2013

Shark fishing was the order of the day for the Lady Pamela IV, and the crew set out with fresh bonito that was caught the previous day as bait. After setting baits at the surface, mid-depth and near the bottom in 350 feet of water, our anglers patiently waited for the bite. Patience paid off as something huge hit the mid-depth bait and the fight was on. This was a big fish that turned out to be a seven foot tiger shark. These are among the largest and most aggressive of sharks, reaching nearly 18 feet long and weighing almost a ton. These fish are not uncommon off of Florida but they are infrequently hooked up. This was a fearsome fish and he sure put up a good fight. Nice catch!

March 13, 2013

A northern wind made fishing offshore too uncomfortable for our anglers, but the reef edge was well within the lea of the land and calmer seas. A combination of trolling and bottomfishing aboard the Lady Pamela II and Lady Pamela III yielded mahi-mahi, snappers, a few wahoo and some kingfish in the 20-25 lb range.

There are some big tarpon hanging inside the Port Everglades but they can be tough to catch with their bony mouths. Two tarpon trips last night yielded some tarpon hookups but no landings as the fish were able to throw the hooks. However, our anglers did get a few big jack crevalles to the boat.

Steve Wagenbach

Great time on Wednesday.  Thanks to JJ, Brett, Darren.  Not a ton of fish but lots of fun and laughs and some pretty good ribs too.  We\\\’ll be back next year - we\\\’re thinking of getting a group of 10-12 and getting two of your boats out for a friendly competition b/t colleagues, boats and crews.  Should be fun.  We\\\’ll establish official tournament rules and purse will including lunch/beers afterward on losing boat along with requisitie bragging rights.

Thanks,

Steve

March 3, 2013

Fort LAuderdale Fishing Charters

Captain JJ and Mike were out on the Lady Pamela IV today, trolling the reef edge using seawitch feathers tipped with bonito strips. The action was pretty constant, with bonitos, blackfin tunas and kingfish slamming everything that they put in the water. With more than a dozen fish in the boat they decided to put the kites out to see if they could raise some sailfish. No sailfish bit, but a smoker 42 lb kingfish demolished one of the baits and gave our anglers a great fight. This was a big fat fish that would have been a big money winner had they been fishing a kingfish tournament.

March 4, 2013

The Lady Pamela III was out driftfishing today and hauled in a mixed bag bottomfish. There were yellowtails, mangrove snappers, grunts, a few grey triggerfish and one gigantic filefish! The filefish was nearly 3 feet long but only about one inch wide! They are commonly found around coral reefs but are rarely caught on hook and line because they have a very small mouth. Filefish do not have any food value so this one was released back into the briny deep.

The Lady Pamela II spent the day sportfishing, trolling the reef edge. There was a strong northwest wind which made the seas pretty choppy further offshore which limted fishing optios. There was plenty of action along the reef though, with three big barracudas hooked up, along with fifteen bonitos up to 10 lbs. All in all it was a pretty productive day, despite the weather. The next few days are looking a little iffy with the weather, but a cold front that’s due to pass through before the weekend should get the fish popping.

Tight Lines,

Capt David Ide

954 761 8045

February 26, 2013

Michelle and friends from Miami had some great fun with Captain David yesterday afternoon. After loading up with some goggleyes, the Lady Pamela II motored out to 180 feet of water where they set out the kites. There was nice blue water and the north running current was still moving quick so it wasn’t long before the first sailfish showed up. The action on this first fish was pretty good, then a second bait got popped and the group hooked up to another sailfish! The crew got these Three fish to the boat and after pictures and high-fives the fish were released. The mate reset all the lines and 30 minutes later another sailfish had hit the baits. This fish put on a nice acrobatic display before the angler brought it to the boat.

To round out the trip Captain David decided to drop a few baits on a wreck in 260 feet of water. This wreck produces nice sized fish if they are biting. Well today they were biting as the rod started jerking. The battle was on and our anglers muscled in a 60 lb Warsaw grouper. These are very aggressive fish and they put up a heck of a fight. Just another great fishing day here in Ft. Lauderdale.

Tight Lines,

Capt David Ide

954 761 8045

February 24, 2013

George from Detroit had a 4-hour fishing charter on the Lady Pamela II that he will not soon forget. Captain David was running the boat, and he found a nice blue edge with a north running current in about 280 feet of water. He set out the kites for some billfishing in water that looked real fishy. With winds coming from the south at about 15 knots, it was an ideal situation to keep the baits, in this case goggleyes, right on the edge of the current. Captain David’s careful positioning paid off as about a 200 lb. blue marlin hammered one of the goggleyes. The billfish gave George a good fight with some great jumps and tail-walking. This was a pretty exciting catch as this is the second blue marlin that Lady Pamela II sportfishing has brought to the boat in past two weeks!

There was more fishing to be had today though, as a rod and reel baited with a kingfish head, hanging about 150 feet below the boat, started singing. It was back into the fighting chair for George as he battled what turned out to be a 200 lb. Mako shark, the fastest of all sharks. This fish zipped line off the reel then surfaced and made some great jumps. Despite all the excitement George was able to keep the fish hooked up and get it to the boat. Way to go!

February 22, 2013

Captain David took a group of guys out fishing on the Lady Pamela II and found the smoker kingfish today. The group caught 5 monster kingfish weighing up to 35 lbs. There was more fun to be had though as they also reeled in a 200 lb sandbar shark, a mahi-mahi, and a nice blackfin tuna.

February 23, 2013

The Lady Pamela III had a big group of people out for Tim’s’ son’s birthday on Saturday. This is the boat of choice for larger groups, as it is the only sportfishing charterboat in Ft. Lauderdale that is Coast Guard approved to take out more than six customers. It is a great option for events such as bachelor parties, birthday parties, or reunions as up to 20 passengers can be together on one boat.

Captain David did his best to make everyone fish happy, trolling the reef edge for toothy predators. The birthday goers succeeded in catching a few mahi-mahi, a couple of kingfish, and even hooked up a sailfish. There was no doubt that a good time was had by all.

Tight Lines,

Capt David Ide

954 761 8045

February 20, 2013

Some big predatory fish showed up today, as the Lady Pamela II caught a few 30 lb. mahi-mahi, plus a few others that went over 10 lbs. The kingfish were around as well, and they were happy to take baits trolled over the reef as we headed out for sailfish. We boated a couple of nice fish, close to 30 lbs. Today’s highlight though was the three sails we hooked up off the kites. It was awesome to see these fish crashing the surface, all lit up, with their sails raised.

February 21, 2013

Today was another busy fishing day aboard the Lady Pamela II. There were a lot of kingfish and mahi-mahi around, with biggest weighing in at 28 lbs. The Lady Pamela IV had a half day charter and they hooked up three big sharks, two hammerheads and one huge silky shark. Our anglers were not finished yet though, as they also caught and released a sailfish. Spectacular fishing guys!

It looks like the good weather is going to hold through the weekend, which means the good fishing should continue as well. Give us a call and let’s go bend some rods.

Tight Lines,

Capt David IDe

954 761 8045

February 19, 2013

The billfish bite was spectacular today, with both the Lady Pamela II and Lady Pamela IV racking up big release numbers. The Lady Pamela II caught and released 13 sailfish and a blue marlin, while the Lady Pamela IV had a total of 8 sailfish releases. Both boats were fishing multiple lines suspended from kites, using live goggleyes for bait.

It was a bit of a surprise to hook up the blue marlin, as not that many are caught in the Ft. Lauderdale area these days. Most billfishermen are focusing on sailfish which are frequently found in 180-220 feet of water, while marlins tend to be found further offshore. Lady Pamela II sportfishing has been lucky with the marlin though, landing a 400 lb’er about this same time last year.

February 18, 2013

Hunter, Pamela, and Jim escaped the freezing cold of North Dakota for a day of fishing aboard the Lady Pamela II. It was a fine day of hot fishing action for our guests from the north as they landed a 35 lb gag grouper and a nice red grouper. They also bent the rods on a few big kingfish that were trolled up on the outer reef edge. The blackfin tunas were around as well, with a couple of nice-sized fish landed and quickly iced for fresh sashimi back at the dock.

Tight Lines and Come Fishing

Capt David Ide

954 761 8045

February 17, 2013

The Lady Pamela II sportfishing boats had a little bit of everything going on this weekend. The Lady Pamela IV got into a few hammerhead sharks. One was a six footer, and another one was a nice 200 pound fish that was over seven feet long. They even hooked up nice sailfish right in the middle of the sharkfishing party!

The Lady Pamela I, a 41’ Hatteras, had a battle royale going on between the kingfish and blackfin tunas. Both of these species are attracted to our preferred bait, spoons and seawitch feathers tipped with bonito strips, so the crew never knew what was going to hit the baits next. First it was a kingfish, then they hooked up a blackfin, then a couple more kingfish, and another blackfin! The most important thing was that our anglers were bringing in the fish.

Some cooler weather has just settled in so we are expecting the bites to be really aggressive this week. Give us a call and let’s go catch some fish!

Tight Lines,

Capt David Ide

954 761 8045

February 8, 2013

Today was the first time this year that cobias have taken our baits. Cobia migrate south in search of warm water, and are often found swimming with manta rays, but today we just stumbled across some while trolling. The Lady Pamela II was working its’ way north about 10 miles on an all day charter and we had caught some nice kingfish. Then we hooked a nice cobia. These fish often run in small schools and we soon hooked up three more. These were nice fish weighing up to 45 lbs. The kings we nice sized too, with one weighing over 20 lbs. Sure was a nice way to start the weekend!

Here Are A few Pictures Of the New Lady Pamela 2

Tight Lines,

Capt David Ide

954 761 8045

February 4, 2013

Shark FIshing Ft Lauderdale

Ft Lauderdale Fishing Reports

The Lady Pamela II sportfishing boat started the week with a flourish, keeping our anglers on both morning and afternoon charters busy on the rods and reels. This morning it was nice and calm so we decided to bottom fish for what are called blueline, or grey tilefish. These good-eating fish live in burrows around mud bottom and can grow up to 14 lbs. and nearly 3 feet long. With the calm seas we also had a mild current, just enough for the fish to bite, but not too much so we could get the baits to the bottom. We hit the mother lode this morning, with our lucky anglers bringing in twenty nice tilefish.

The afternoon trip started out as a trolling excursion, where we worked the outer reef edge in about 120 feet, catching a few kingfish and a small blackfin tuna. We continued trolling out to 350 feet of water where we stopped the boat and re-rigged for some shark fishing. We used a combination of cut baits as well as the small blackfin tuna to try to lure one of the toothy predators to the hook. Something had a preference for the fresh sashimi, as the rod rigged with the blackfin tuna bent over and the line started to pay out. Our anglers succeeded in bringing to the boat a 200 lb greater hammerhead. This was a nice fish that put up a great fight. Good job guys!

Tight Lines,

Capt. David Ide

954 761 8045

Fort Lauderdale Fishing , Ft lauderdale deep sea Fishing

February 1, 2013

Captain Darin and I were out today on the Lady Pamela II with guests David, Anthony, and John from New Jersey. This was a great group of guys that were hoping for some big shark fishing action. We positioned the boat in about 350 feet of water in an area that we pretty frequently catch sharks. We made several drifts with the north running current and only had one hit, but no fish. Finally, there was a huge hit and the rod just about bent in half. This was a big fish and we were not sure what it was. Twenty minutes later a sandbar shark weighing close to 200 lbs. came struggling up behind the boat. Sandbar sharks migrate south from as far north as Cape Cod and this is the first one we’ve caught so far this winter. After some pictures of the catch and high-fives all around, the fish was released to fight another day.

February 2, 2013

The Lady Pamela II sportfishing boat was out on a full 8 hour charter today, which gave our anglers the opportunity to fish both on the troll and on the bottom for a variety of different species. We trolled back and forth along the third reef edge, zig-zagging in and out from 90 to 200 feet of water. Our go to baits today were fresh bonito strips rigged behind sea witch feathers. We ran these baits both at the surface and down to about 60 feet behind planer boards. The fish definitely liked our bait choices as our anglers landed 8 mahi-mahi, a kingfish, and 2 blackfin tunas. The trolling highlight though was the 2 wahoos that smashed the surface baits. The singing of the reels made by these rocketing fish sure woke up the crew!

This excellent fishing trip was not over yet though, as we moved inshore for a little bottom fishing. We drifted into a red hot fishing spot; red because it was full of red snappers. When the lines came in for the last time, the fish cooler was brimming with 15 good-sized reds, all over 20”. This was just another great Ft. Lauderdale fishing day!

Tight lines,

Capt David Ide

954 761 8045

January 26, 2013

It was a starlit Saturday night and the Lady Pamela III was out for a fishing good time. We had eight fired up anglers aboard for the nighttime anchor trip last night and it was nonstop action. This crew boated 65 snappers, with 30 keepers. They also boated a bunch of Toros and 30 good-sized grunts.

Toros are also known as Bigeye snappers or Glasseye snappers, though they are not true snappers. They are in their own separate taxonomic family called Bigeyes. If you just looked at the fillets you would never know it wasn’t a true snapper. These fish are dark red with big eyes and are very aggressive when taking baits. They can grow up to five pounds, and they are an excellent food fish. We are always happy to put these guys in the fish box!

Tight Lines,

Capt David Ide

954 761 8045