Fort Lauderdale
Instant Confirmation
Trips from
US $750
Captain
Dennis Crowley
Fort Lauderdale, United States
Angler's choice
100+ reviews
Captain Dennis Crowley is an expert on inshore fishing charters targeting giant Tarpon and Snook in Ft. Lauderdale. With a vast knowledge of these waters, he knows exactly how to put his clients on the fish. Customers often praise his ability to land monster fish during action-packed trips. Are you ready for the thrill? Join Captain Dennis for an exciting adventure you'll want to tell your friends about!
Charter
Rating
4.8
112 reviews
4.8
Boat & Equipment
4.9
Captain & Crew
4.8
Fishing Experience
Anglers' gallery (60)
What anglers say
92%
Good experience
100%
Friendly captain
96%
Recommend this charter
93%
Appropriate for children
97%
Satisfied with the boat
92%
Caught fish
All reviews (112)
Showing 1 – 5 of 112 reviews
Mark KallawayRepeat angler5.0VerifiedAMAZING
5 Hour Snook & Tarpon - 9:00 AM • 2 adultsWe had a great time with Dennis at Flat Bottom Charters. The guy flat out works hard. You can tell he genuinely cares about putting you on fish and making sure you have a good day. He’s constantly adjusting, moving spots, trying different approaches — whatever it takes. There’s no “just going through the motions” with him. He’s locked in the whole time and wants you to succeed. On top of that, he’s just an easy guy to be around. Laid back, patient, and focused on making sure everyone’s enjoying themselves. If you want someone who’s going to put in the effort and give you a real shot at a successful day, Dennis is definitely worth booking. I’d go out with him again without hesitation.
Response from Captainthanks for the awesome review man puttin this one on the fridge hope to fish w you guys again soon
Patrick Babcock5.0VerifiedMy son caught an 80 pound Tarpon! It was EPIC!!!
5 Hr – Night Time Tarpon & Snook - 4:00 PM • 4 adultsIt was my 14-year-old son’s desire to take a trip to Florida for his February school break and charter boat to fish for Tarpon. He located Dennis who runs Flat Bottom Fishing Charters and we set up for a night time trip. Not only did we get Rite on the Phish and my son experienced a 45 minute fight with an 80 pound tarpon, but the way Dennis handled the entire experience was not just extremely professional, but also mind blowing fun! We had an absolute blast, and if anyone is thinking about charting a boat in the Fort Lauderdale area, I would recommend you jump on board with Dennis 10 times out of 10! I promise you, you will not be disappointed. Thank you, Dennis! Next time we are in the area, we will certainly jump on board again.
Reported catch:
Stedman BrownRepeat angler5.0VerifiedMonster Tarpon!!
5 Hr – Night Time Tarpon & Snook - 4:00 PM • 2 adultsThis was the first time my son or I have been fishing for Tarpon. Its definitely a different experience than any other type of fishing. These are huge, hard-fighting, intelligent fish and if you have never fished them, you definitely someone skilled and knowledgeable like Capt Dennis to coach you through the process. With his help my son landed a huge 150lbs tarpon that fought for just shy of an hour. Heck of a fight, heck of a fish! It was good to see the love that Dennis has for these magnificent creatures and the care he took to ensure the fish was released unharmed. This was an experience my son and I will remember the rest of our lives!! Highly recommend!
Reported catch:Response from Captainthanks for the great review man hope to fish w you guys again!!
Brian Boyt5.0VerifiedNEWConstand action, defiantly booking again.
5 Hr – Night Time Tarpon & Snook - 4:00 PM • 1 adultSharks, Bluefish, Cuda, Big Jacks, had an absolute blast. Trolling live baits, casting top water. looking forward to coming back
Jonah HRepeat angler5.0VerifiedBig Tarpon!
5 Hr – Night Time Tarpon & Snook - 6:00 PM • 2 adultsCaptain Dennis was great we started on some smaller fish like snapper and blue runner, once the sun went down we got on some big tarpon! No shortage of finding the fish and he had was excited to find the fish and he was able to tell me little brother exactly how to use the rod and how to retrive. Very knowledgeable and I highly suggest.
Reported catch:
Real catches shared by our community
- Flat Bottom Fishing ChartersFort Lauderdale, FL
- Flat Bottom Fishing ChartersFort Lauderdale, FL
- Flat Bottom Fishing ChartersFort Lauderdale, FL
- Flat Bottom Fishing ChartersFort Lauderdale, FL
- Flat Bottom Fishing ChartersFort Lauderdale, FL
- Flat Bottom Fishing ChartersFort Lauderdale, FL
- Flat Bottom Fishing ChartersFort Lauderdale, FL
- Flat Bottom Fishing ChartersFort Lauderdale, FL
- Flat Bottom Fishing ChartersFort Lauderdale, FL
- Flat Bottom Fishing ChartersFort Lauderdale, FL
What's biting with Flat Bottom Fishing Charters in Fort Lauderdale
Sailfish start to settle in earnest nearshore, chasing schools of mullet through Fort Lauderdale's famous 'Sailfish Alley'. Bottom fishing for Snapper and Grouper is excellent, with a host of species crowding the reefs.
Top catches for November
Fishing reports
2026 South Florida Mullet Run
Aug 20, 2026 • Fort Lauderdale
BIG FALL ACTION IS ALMOST HERE
Summertime fishing in Ft Lauderdale aint easy, but anglers willing to work through the challenges have still been rewarded with some quality fish. With fall right around the corner, our attention is turning toward one of the most exciting events of the year: the South Florida Mullet Run.
SUMMER FISHING HAS REQUIRED PATIENCE
The summer season brought the usual combination of intense heat, warm water, afternoon thunderstorms and unpredictable conditions. On some days, we found plenty of bait and active fish. On others, the bait was scattered and the bite slowed down almost as soon as the sun climbed above the horizon.
Smaller tarpon, tiny baits like grass shrimp, little pilchards and rain bait can make presentation tough. These fish will spend an entire tide eating the same tiny live baits and anything that looks slightly different gets ignored. Patience is a must in the summer.
Evening and nighttime fishing charters have been most productive. Bridges, inlets and dock lights continue to hold snook and tarpon, especially when moving water concentrates baitfish. Summer fishing can test your patience, but one good tide change can quickly turn a slow trip into an unforgettable one.
THE MULLET ARE COMING
As we move toward September and October, schools of migrating mullet will begin traveling south along Florida’s Atlantic coast. The exact timing changes from year to year and is influenced by water temperatures, weather patterns and tropical systems. Once the first large schools reach Fort Lauderdale, the entire fishery can come alive.
Tarpon, snook, jack crevalle, sharks, barracuda and other predators follow the schools and attack from every direction. Sometimes the surface erupts as mullet scatter through the air. Other times, the biggest fish stay beneath the school, waiting for an injured or separated baitfish.
This is why the mullet run is one of my favorite times of the year. You never know what is going to eat your bait, and every cast has the potential to connect you with the fish of a lifetime.
WHAT WE’LL BE TARGETING
Large tarpon are always one of the main attractions. These fish follow the migrating bait along the beaches, through the inlets and into the Intracoastal Waterway. Hooking a big tarpon around a huge school of mullet is about as exciting as inshore fishing gets.
Keeping our baits just outside the big schools of mullet, waiting on that heavy unmistakable strike, tarpon blast **hidden content** bait so hard you can feel the force of it from 50 yards away. Peeling drag then flying into the air seconds later putting on a show most anglers dream of. It’s all so visual.
Snook will also be positioned near bridges, seawalls, jetties and inlet structure, using the current to ambush passing bait. Some of the largest snook of the season can be caught during this time.
FINDING THE BAIT IS THE KEY
Successful mullet-run fishing is not simply a matter of finding one school and sitting there all day. The bait can move quickly with the wind, tide and current. Birds, surface activity and nervous water can help reveal where the mullet are traveling, but staying mobile is often necessary.
Presentation is important because the fish sometimes have thousands of natural baits from which to choose. A mullet that appears injured or becomes separated from the school is often the one that gets eaten.
GET READY FOR 2026 SOUTH FLORIDA MULLET RUN!
The summer season has made us earn every bite, but those challenging days help us prepare for the fast paced action of fall. Cooler temps, larger bait concentrations and hungry predators should create some of the best fishing opportunities of the year.
The mullet run can arrive suddenly, and its best action does not last forever. If you want to experience big tarpon, snook and other hard-fighting predators feeding around massive schools of bait, now is the time to start planning your Fort Lauderdale fishing charter. You can book online at **hidden content**
Whether you are an experienced angler or trying inshore fishing for the first time, the upcoming mullet run offers the chance to witness one of South Florida’s greatest natural events—and possibly catch the biggest fish of your life.
Give me a call or shoot me a text if you are looking to book a trip! **hidden content**
Captain Dennis Crowley
Flat Bottom Fishing Charters
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
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Night Time Tarpon Fishing
Mar 10, 2026 • Fort Lauderdale
Miami Tarpon Fishing Report – Night Fishing Charters During the Shrimp Run
The annual shrimp run has arrived in Miami, bringing some of the best tarpon fishing we have seen all year. Massive schools of shrimp are moving through the waterways, stacking up along bridges, inlets, and channel edges—creating prime feeding conditions for trophy tarpon in these inshore fishing zones.
The bite has been especially strong around bridge shadow lines, where artificial lighting attracts shrimp and baitfish, drawing in large tarpon ready to feed aggressively. For anglers looking to book a Miami fishing charter, this is peak season for targeting tarpon after dark.
Current Conditions & Bite Report
The most productive window has been the outgoing tide. During this time, shrimp are flushed through the system, and tarpon can be seen rolling and actively feeding near the surface.
Live shrimp remains the top bait for most tarpon fishing charters in Miami, but artificial shrimp lures and soft plastics are also producing when presented naturally with the current. Light tackle and free-lined presentations are key to matching the hatch during heavy shrimp movement.
Tarpon sizes this week are averaging 60 to 100 pounds, with larger fish staging in deeper cuts and current seams near major bridges. Anglers fishing multiple spots and staying mobile are seeing the most consistent action.
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Summertime Tarpon in Ft. Lauderdale
Jul 9, 2025 • Fort Lauderdale
FORT LAUDERDALE NIGHTTIME TARPON FISHING REPORT – JULY 2025
Capt Dennis Flat Bottom Fishing Charters
Region: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Time of Day: Night (5 PM – 1:00 AM)
Target Species: Tarpon (20–100+ lbs)
Water Temp: 83–86°F
Tide Influence: Outgoing tide remains the most productive after sunset
NIGHT FISHING OVERVIEW
Nighttime tarpon fishing in Fort Lauderdale is hot in both action and temperature during July. As the sun goes down, the heat eases off, and tarpon become more aggressive, especially around well-lit structure like bridges, inlets, marinas, and dock lights.
Using live pilchards and artificial lures after dark is one of the most consistent methods for hooking into both juvenile and trophy-class fish this time of year.
PRIME NIGHTTIME LOCATIONS
Bridges & Dock Lights
Las Olas Bridge, Sunrise Blvd Bridge, and 17th Street Causeway are prime spots.
Look for fish staging in current seams and shadow lines.
Tarpon ambush bait flowing with the tide under the lights.
ICW & New River
Calm canal edges with overhanging docks and dim light provide cover for rolling fish.
New River near downtown has been producing well around 10 PM–midnight.
Port Everglades Inlet
Larger tarpon are active on the outgoing tide at night, especially when bait schools flush through the channel. South side of the inlet, just past the jetty is a prime spot to find both snook and tarpon.
LIVE PILCHARDS: NIGHTTIME TACTICS
✅ Setup
Rod/Reel: 7′ medium-heavy spinning rod with 5000–6000 size reel
Line: 30 lb braid to a 50–60 lb mono leader
Hook: 5/0 circle hook, nose-hooked pilchards for freelining
How to Fish Them
Freeline with the current near light lines and shadow edges.
Cast up-current and allow the bait to drift naturally into the strike zone.
Keep the drag light — tarpon often hit without warning and go airborne fast.
Try a splitshot when the current is strong to keep your bait streamlined.
Hot Zones
Pilchards drifted near bridge fenders and pilings are getting crushed.
Fish are often suspended in 4–10 ft of water, close to structure.
ARTIFICIAL LURE REPORT: NIGHT BITES ON PLASTICS & PLUGS
Top Performing Lures
Lure Type Recommended Models Notes
Soft Swim Baits Z-Man DieZel MinnowZ, 3 & 4″ JYG Y Tail Match pilchard color: silver/green or pearl
Suspending Twitchbaits MirrOlure MirrOdine XL, Yo-Zuri 3DS Minnow Work slow near light lines
Topwater (Calm Nights) Rapala Skitter Walk, Heddon One Knocker Right at dusk
Jigs 3/8–1/2 oz bucktail with soft plastics Cast near bridge pilings and work slow
Retrieve Tips
Use a slow, steady retrieve with occasional twitches near shadow lines.
On slick calm nights, long pauses often trigger a strike.
For suspended fish, let twitchbaits sink 3–5 seconds before working them through.
MOON & TIDE INFLUENCE
Moon Phase: Full Moon on July 10 — expect increased activity 2 days before and after, especially during outgoing tides.
Best Tides: Outgoing tide from 9 PM to 1 AM has been most productive.
Tarpon are staging at choke points, waiting for bait to flush out under dock and bridge lights.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Fort Lauderdale’s summer nights are alive with tarpon activity. Whether you’re freelining live pilchards near a bridge light or working a swimbait through a quiet canal, this is the time to hook into a silver king. Just remember: stay quiet, fish smart, and be ready when that drag screams and the fish takes to the air
If you are in the Ft. Lauderdale/ Miami area and are looking for an inshore fishing charter give me a shout! Stay up to date on our local weather forecast
And take a look at our FAQ page to see what you can do to be most prepared for your next fishing charter!
Captain Dennis Crowley
Flat Bottom Fishing Charters
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Tarpon fishing the shrimp run in miami a
Feb 6, 2025 • Fort Lauderdale
The Shrimp Run is here and in full effect! This is one of my favorite times of the year, the Shrimp Run! Cold weather kicks off this huge flow of shrimp and the Tarpon can’t get enough! Fishing the Shrimp Run for Tarpon in Miami is one of the most exciting times of the year! Drifting by the boat by the thousands these shrimp shine like diamonds at night. Their eyes glow in the dimmest of ambient light from bridges, docks and buildings and the tarpon glide sideways just below the surface scooping as many as they can. This time of year brings out some of the biggest Tarpon, this past week we’ve hooked into some fish pushing 150LBS!! And all caught on light tackle with just a shrimp and a circle hook!! Between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale finding the bait is key. A few nights we fished downtown Miami on the incoming tide, cruised around until we started seeing the shrimp on the surface in big numbers then started drifting our baits. When the shrimp are that thick it doesn’t take long for the tarpon to show up.
I’ll fish 3 lines at a time, one on a float, one on a flat line and one with a small splitshot this way we cover most of the water column on our drift. Fishing for tarpon with live shrimp can be tricky as sometimes the bite will feel like a grunt just picked you up and sometimes the fish will damn near knock the rod out of your hand. We fish open bail and when you feel a strike no matter how big or small you feed the bait to the fish for a few seconds then close the bail and hang on!!
We also put in some time at Haulover, fishing close to the bridge near the slack tides when the tarpon start to roll around. That inlet has a crazy current so the bridge only has a short window where you can get a clean presentation for these big fish. Anchoring way up ahead of the bridge and drifting baits back in the current works best for me.
Here in Ft Lauderdale the shrimp are just starting to show up in small numbers and the incoming tide at night has proven successful. Drifting the inlet close to the jetty is one of the most effective ways to find big fish when conditions allow. It takes some time and patience to get a clean spread out there when drifting shrimp with a few lines and as the tide and current change almost each drift is different. Take your time, get those lines out there and wait out these big fish. When the bite really turns on you can start throwing artificials out at these fish and they’ll bite. I like using the large profile shrimp lures in a white color at night. Less is more when using these lures, a slow retrieve with just a little bit of action gets the job done. It’s only gonna get better in Ft Lauderdale for tarpon fishing as the season goes on. Soon the fish will stack the bridges and the inlet and will form a consistent pattern as the shrimp start to fill in here.
If you are in the Ft. Lauderdale/ Miami area and are looking for an inshore fishing charter give me a shout! This is one of the best times of the year for BIG Tarpon!!
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Fort Lauderdale fishing Report inshore
Nov 10, 2024 • Fort Lauderdale
It's been a tough fall season for tarpon fishing in Fort Lauderdale the past few weeks with all the high winds but last night we had em' goin for the entire outgoing tide. Ive been fishing with mullet for the past few trips but last night we switched it up and used shrimp and crab, getting picked up on almost every bait we threw out. Stepping down the tackle and drifting in the current keeping a few up top on floats and a few down on split shot hooking up on every drift. The bridges paid off until the current was too strong then we moved into nearby canals just out of the wind and current and got right back on em'. Fishing light tackle near structure is always a challenge, there's a big tradeoff between getting the presentation right and having enough pulling power to get em' off the bridge. It's what makes this kind of fishing so much fun! Using the current and the boat to help you land these big fish.
If you are in the Fort Lauderdale/ Miami area and are looking for an Inshore Fishing Trip give me a shout!
Captain Dennis Crowley
Flat Bottom Fishing Charters
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Tarpon in ft Lauderdale Hot temps and h
Aug 17, 2024 • Fort Lauderdale
Crazy hot weather past few weeks and the water temp inshore is 90 degrees, but that hasn’t shut off the bite for the juvenile tarpon. This week we’ve had multiple double ups, hour long sessions of topwater action on tarpon from 20 lbs to 50lbs. From Port Everglades inlet all the way to the pier and inside from 17th st to sunrise bridge, finding them at almost any tide as long as there is current the little tarpon are eating. Ive been fishing mostly at night and late afternoon even finding a few fish this week in the middle of the day when temps are the highest. Using mostly pilchards and small artificial, anything close to that profile will do the trick. When the tarpon are eating on top there isn’t much they won’t hit. Inshore fishing in Fort Lauderdale can be tough during the summer months but the past 2 weeks were definitely the exception to that rule.
Night time brings the snook bite and as soon as the tide starts pushing hard the bite turns on at the bridges. Fishing flair hawks on the bottom on a straight retrieve with no action gets that big THUMP you are looking for. Step up the leader size find the right weight for the jig, sweep the bottom and hold on!! Drifting live baits back in the current will pick up tarpon hanging close to the pilings up on top. The inlet has been hit or miss this week but always worth it putting some time in to find the bigger fish. Outgoing tide has been most productive at the inlet and down the shoreline to the north.
Looking forward to the next few weeks when the bait starts to really thicken up and get these fish going crazy. The mullet run is right around the corner and Ill be posting updates on instagram as well as here on my site. Don’t let the hot weather keep you from getting out there!!
If you are in Fort Lauderdale and looking for an inshore trip give me a call Captain Dennis **hidden content** or find me on instagram **hidden content** and book your trip today! **hidden content**
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