March is finally here and the game shark bite is on fire right now off of Fort Lauderdale; they sure have arrived! They've had a long winter and now they are ready to party!

Shark fishing season has just begun and it's been better than ever. Within the past week, we have fought a several battles with these monster fish. Mike and his buddies from Montreal decided to go deep sea fishing on Monday, March 10th . Mike and his gang landed two shark bites within one hour, both putting up a fight. Big game sharks are definitely not a guaranteed species to catch out here, but it's looking like nows the time.

Out of all the sharks in the world, perhaps the easiest one to identify is the hammerhead shark. Its thick, broad head, which looks very much like the profile of mallet is how it got it's name. The shape of the shark's head, wide and flattened, serves important biological functions. It provides lift, which improves the shark's swimming abilities. It also extends the shark's sensory systems: the eyes are placed far apart, improving its field of vision also increasing their sensitivity. Hammerheads can easily have up to 50 teeth in the front rows of the upper and lower jaws, and they only last 10 days. These fierce game sharks shed around 1800 teeth per year, and tens of thousands in a life time.The hammerhead is a vicious predator with a good sense of smell that helps it find its prey. Hammerhead's are known to eat fish, including rays, other sharks, squid, and crustaceans.

I'd have to say, March, April & May are my three favoirte months to fish off of Fort Lauderdale. This time of year, big game sharks like hammerheads, threshers and makos run a massive migration along the Southeast coastline, and they are taking over. Within the next couple of months, we're going to start seeing some of the biggest fish we're going to catch all year long. The hammerheads that we're seeing and catching are generally between 5-7 feet in length, weighing in at 100-200 lbs. These are some pretty big fish we're dealing with, they are bigger than you. Not only are hammerheads hot right now, sailfish are jumping and the mahi-mahi are biting. Towards the end of March, there will be a big dolphin snap and it should last about 2-3 weeks. There's nothing like fresh dolphin for dinner...

Tight Lines,
Captain David Ide

Thank God It's February! What a busy month it's been so far, and we're only two weeks into it. This weather has been a bit weird to all of us, even leaving the fish confused. Action that normally takes place around the Holidays is happening right now with water temperatures at least 5 degrees warmer. The water along the beach has been about 74-76 degrees rather than 70 degrees, which we usually see in early February.

February means game fish, and they sure are moving through. Fishing has been excellent about 2-4 miles offshore in the Gulf Stream, where the current moves closer than anywhere on the eastern seaboard. Now through May we are seeing a little bit of everything; big Jacks in the inlet, Bonitos along the edge,White Marlin, huge game sharks on the wrecks such as the infamous Hammerhead shark, Thresher shark, Bull shark and yes, the occasional Mako shark bigger than you.

This is prime time! The Sailfish bite is on fire and only looking to get better!

Tight Lines,
Captain David Ide

Tight Lines,
Captain David Ide

Winter is here! Dolphin, wahoo and sailfish are out there for the daring. The last two weeks in December were red hot. The winds and cold fronts pushed through from the north and made the fish head south. With these cold snaps, the sailfish bite has been phenomenal. 

Starting the New Year, wreck fishing up and down the coast has been great as well. Fort Lauderdale is known for large shipwrecks that hold a variety of fish. Grouper, snapper, amberjacks, cobias, barracudas, king fish and big game sharks are just some of the few.

Heading out on January 1st ,  the Lady Pamela II crew bought a dozen goggle eyes and headed off shore to find a small eddy of lighter water. Kites were up off the edge with live goggs and immediately hooked double-header sails. 

Tight Lines,
Capt David Ide