Captain
Vinnie Sacks

Member since October 2017 Dania Beach, United States
Background
Captain Vinnie operates the YB Normal out of Fort Lauderdale, FL, and has worked aboard other boats in the area all his life. He loves being out on the water and getting groups on awesome fish. His favorite fish to catch is Black Grouper, but a huge part of what makes fishing so fun for him is never knowing what is going to bite next. This is what makes bottom fishing so fun for him - you can never tell what will take your bait!
Techniques
Here in south Florida there are so many different species of fish to catch, some of my favorite things to do include trolling, wreck fishing, and live baiting. All three of these techniques are well known and do produce big fish and plenty of fish as well as different types of fish too. Trolling is a good way to start your day off beacause you are able to cover ground and find where the fish are, live baiting is a good way to fish for lots of trophy sized fish like sailfish and and giant king mackerel as well as big bull dolphin. Wreck fishing is a good way to switch it up if your other techniques are not working and still be able to land some large fish like amberjack and grouper, sometimes you can also have a surprise catch like cobia as well.

Hey, I'm Captain Vinnie Sacks

Dania Beach, United States
Background
Captain Vinnie operates the YB Normal out of Fort Lauderdale, FL, and has worked aboard other boats in the area all his life. He loves being out on the water and getting groups on awesome fish. His favorite fish to catch is Black Grouper, but a huge part of what makes fishing so fun for him is never knowing what is going to bite next. This is what makes bottom fishing so fun for him - you can never tell what will take your bait!
Techniques
Here in south Florida there are so many different species of fish to catch, some of my favorite things to do include trolling, wreck fishing, and live baiting. All three of these techniques are well known and do produce big fish and plenty of fish as well as different types of fish too. Trolling is a good way to start your day off beacause you are able to cover ground and find where the fish are, live baiting is a good way to fish for lots of trophy sized fish like sailfish and and giant king mackerel as well as big bull dolphin. Wreck fishing is a good way to switch it up if your other techniques are not working and still be able to land some large fish like amberjack and grouper, sometimes you can also have a surprise catch like cobia as well.
Anglers Choice
444
Reviews
287
Fishing Reports
Verified

My Charter Listing

YB Normal

Federally permitted
Excellent
4.8 / 5
(444 reviews)
Angler's choice
Dania Beach
 Last booking: 5 days ago
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $600

Fishing Reports

Fall Fishing In Fort Lauderdale
Fall Fishing In Fort Lauderdale
Oct 22, 2025 Dania Beach
Hello everyone, Capt. Vinnie here... Sorry for the delay in reports I happen to take a vacation for a little bit of R and R, but I'm back and I have a great fishing report for you guys this week. For the report this week the hot topic is going to be mahi mahi. I always say that the fall season is always best for mahi specially for size and numbers. We have been catching alot of mahi in the 10lb average class on up to 20lbs too. This time of year is very special when it comes to fishing for mahi and I say that because the fish seem to be scattered all over, you can catch them as shallow as 40 feet of water and you can also catch them out deep as well, so its not needed to have an all day trip. The mahi that are shallow are all going to be feeding on live ballyhoo. You can catch them trolling with ballyhoo or seawitch and strips combinations but your best bet is going to be to catch live ballyhoo and use them its as good as a guarantee. The fish that you find offshore are going to be either on birds or on weediness specially when we have these Northern winds with south current inshore, there will be an edge somewhere offshore where the south current is going to meet the north current and form that tidal edge. Trolling right down the blue side is going to be the ticket. ร‚ Other then mahi action this week sailfish seem to be very prevalent right now and all sizes at that. Trolling on the reef has been yielding good results anywhere from 100-300 feet seems to be where the best sailfish action has been. Trolling on the reef has been very productive for kingfish too right now, the kingfish haven't been the biggest ones but there have been a good amount around anywhere from 80-140 feet. The water has been super green inshore so bright color lures have been best, bright pink as well as yellows have been my go to. There has been a few wahoo around and we did manage to get a nice one this week in the dirty water (pictured) around 25lbs. This week please be sure to take a look at some of the great photos of some recent catches that were caught while out on our deep sea fishing trips out of Fort Lauderdale and remember to give us a like and follow on facebook and instagram @Ybnormalsportfishing for daily fishing content. Coming up for the rest of the month of October we have availability so if your coming down to Fort Lauderdale and looking to do some deep sea fishing we would love to show you a great time on the water. Fishing wise seems that Fall fishing is in full effect and the mahi mahi bite is about as good as it can be right now, I would imagine the sail fishing is just starting to heat up and will only improve more and more, the one species we haven't seen in a while is blackfin tuna but that fishery starts to pick up more as we get closer to our winter season, lots to look forward to stay tuned..more later... Capt. Vinnie
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Mahi mahi Action In Fort Lauderdale
Mahi mahi Action In Fort Lauderdale
Sep 30, 2025 Dania Beach
Hello everyone, Capt. Vinnie here. This week here in Fort Lauderdale we have had some excellent fishing and some great weather also. For the report this week we will start on the inshore side, while trolling on the reef we have been picking away at some nice sized king mackeral in depths from 100 to 150 feet of water. With all the rain we have been getting our water color has been on the green side so majority of our bites have been on bright colored baits like pinks, yellows, and greens. Average size on the kingfish have been anywhere from 5-25lbs. Other then kingfish on the reef there has been a good amount of large barracuda. These fish are considered a trophy gamefish, that being said majority are let go because there food value is not very good but they do put up a great fight. Moving offshore is where most of the action has been, with all the rain we have been getting there has been a lot of green water like previously stated and there has been a tidal edge just offshore where the green water meats the blue water and a tidal edge forms usually with sea weed and this is where the mahi have been. Trolling down the blue side has been the ticket to catch the mahi mahi, although they haven't been in a school they have been nicer sized fish singles and doubles all averaging around 10-15lbs. Surface baits fished with strips have been our go to, the strips are very important in this scenario because if the mahi take the bait and miss the hook odds are they will come back because the bait tasted real. On these types of tidal edges there are usually quite a few wahoo present so its always important to put out a planer with a bait down below the surface just incase. Other then mahi offshore there has been quite a few nice sized skipjack tuna. These tuna are very hard fighters and not to mention they taste great. One thing to know about these type of tunas is that they are used a lot in cans. If you have ever had tuna in the can that says chunk light that is skipjack tuna, these tunas also make great sushi and poke bowls. Average size on these tunas has been anywhere from 2-10lbs. This week please be sure to check out some of the great photos of some recent catches that were caught while out on our deep sea fishing charters in Fort Lauderdale/ Dania beach and remember to give us a like and follow on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram @Ybnormalsportfishing for daily fishing content. Coming up for the month of October we should start to see some even better mahi mahi fishing as well as some more sailfish showing up, The month of October in my opinion is one of the better months to fish in Fort Lauderdale specially if your looking to catch mahi mahi, so there is that to look forward to, and also I would expect the king mackeral action to improve over the next few weeks. If your coming down to Fort Lauderdale and looking to do some deep sea fishing we would love to have you out with us, we have a good amount of availability for the month of October so look us up and we will show you a great time on the water. more later.... Capt. Vinnie
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September Deep Sea Fishing In Fort Laude
September Deep Sea Fishing In Fort Laude
Sep 18, 2025 Dania Beach
Hello everyone Capt. Vinnie here. Crazy week this week with lots of rain, almost seems to be that the afternoons are virtually unfishable due to all the thunder storms and rain. This week we have been fishing a few times in the morning, but this is our off season right now, but offseason doesn't necessarily mean that the fish are not biting just business is slow for a short period. Anyways for the report this week, fishing has been a little slow on the troll right now primarily due to a lot of rain we have been having over the last few weeks, a lot of the lakes and canals here in south Florida have drainage set up to come out into the ocean when the water gets to high and with all the rain there has been a good amount of fresh water run off in the ocean right now causing the water to have a green color. This fresh water can be a bite killer for certain pelagic species. Like I stated earlier the bite has been a little slower than usual due to that fresh water run off, most of our bites tend to come on our deeper lines fished with planers. The last few days we have been catching a few king mackeral and barracuda while trolling on the reef. With there being green water on the reef that usually means when heading offshore there is going to be a tidal edge somewhere. A tidal edge is where the green water meats the Northern current of the Gulf Stream and forms a green to blue color change and usually there is debris or seaweed on these edges, which in turn would be where the mahi mahi are. Which brings me to the offshore report this week there has been a consistent bite of mahi on these tidal edges as well as bigger sea weed patches offshore. There has been some birds offshore but most of the fish have been on the tidal edges. Average size of the mahi has been very good around 8-10lbs with some larger fish around too. I still think if your heading offshore right now bringing live bait is key incase you happen to get into a school of mahis. Last but not least there has been a pretty consistent bottom fishing bite for snapper and some very large amberjacks. Vermillion snapper as well as a few yellow eye snapper have been biting pretty good on a lot of bottom spots around 300 foot, average size has been anywhere from 1-5lbs with a few bigger ones mixed in. We have been catching some larger amberjacks as well on live bait while snapper fishing, I love to drop a live bait on a heavy rod while snapper fishing because while your bottom fishing your making lots of commotion and alot of times all that noise brings in predators, so you can see where this is going. Some of the amberjacks have been close to 50lbs. This week please be sure to check out some of the great photos of some recent catches that were caught while out on our deep sea fishing charters and remember to give us a like and follow on social media platforms @Ybnormalsportfishing on Facebook and instagram for daily fishing content. Coming up for the next few weeks we have plenty of availability for the month of September, also this time in my opinion is one of the best times of year for mahi so keep that in mind if your coming down and looking to do some deep sea fishing. more later.... Capt. Vinnie
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Great People and Good Fishing In Fort La
Great People and Good Fishing In Fort La
Sep 15, 2025 Dania Beach
Hello everyone, Capt. Vinnie here. Its been a great week we have had to start off the month of September. We are starting to see some cooler temps somewhat compared to the previous months of July and August and the fishing has been pretty decent as well. For the report this week inshore has been were most of the action has been, trolling has been the standard to start with first thing in the morning specially if your getting out early. The main species we have been trying to target is the wahoo which we did catch a beautiful one this week while trolling. The wahoo we caught ate a purple and White Sea witch with a fresh bonito strip and weighed just under 30lbs. Other then wahoo there has been a good amount of barracudas right now and some small bonitos too. The bonito have definitely slowed down from how they were a few weeks ago as we are beginning to transition to our fall fishing patterns. As far as kingfish goes there has been a select few caught while trolling but if it were me I would invest more time in the wahoo fishing while chances are high to get one. Offshore report for mahi mahi has been non existent right now, can you get lucky and catch a few absolutely but for the most part it has been very very slow, I would say the culprit for that is the westerly breeze we have been having that is pushing them further and further offshore. We need the wind to shift more south east or direct east and that will push them closer to us. Bottom fishing has been very very good right now for species like snapper and amberjack. Vermillion snapper along with a few yellow eye snapper have been biting very well on most hard bottom spots around 250 feet. I have been trying to fish areas with big marks of bait and fish for the best results, average size on the snappers has been about 2lbs with some up to 4lbs. Amberjacks have been biting pretty good right now not on the wrecks like normal but more on our bottom spots that are marking heavy concentrations of snappers. I believe the amberjacks are there eating the snappers. So we have been dropping a heavy rod with 100lb test line on these spots with a live bait and having some good success with some larger hard fighting amberjacks up to 50lbs. Amberjack have the nick name reef donkey because of how stubborn they are and how hard they fight, they also can be goods table fair as well. A lot of amberjack meat is good smoked and made into a fish dip. This week please be sure to check out some of the great pictures of some recent catches that were caught while out on our deep sea fishing charters and remember to give us a like and follow on social media platforms like Facebook and instagram @Ybnormalsportfishing for daily fishing content. On the horizon for the next few weeks I'm hopeful for some mahi action to turn on here shortly as well as possible starting to see some blackfin tuna. Sailfish have been around but the bite should only improve as we get closer to winter. For the rest of the month of September we have a good amount of available dates right now so if your coming down to Fort Lauderdale and looking to get out deep sea fishing, look us up we would love to show you a great time on the water. more later.... Capt. Vinnie
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Finishing August With A Bang In Fort Lau
Finishing August With A Bang In Fort Lau
Sep 5, 2025 Dania Beach
Finishing August With A Bang In Fort Lauderdale Hello everyone, Capt. Vinnie here. Its been a great week this week fishing here in Fort Lauderdale still super calm weather and some excellent catches as well. For the report this week we are going to begin on the reef. Trolling in the early mornings there has been pretty much non stop action on the false albacore right now, depths around 100 feet to 200 is going to be the best place to target them. Surface baits have been working well, also baits fished below the surface using a planner with a spoon has been just plain deadly. Other then false albacore there has been a few blackfin tunas mixed in and a few king mackeral are starting to show back up as well. This week we did manage to get super lucky and catch what I would say is the fish of a lifetime specially for our waters here in Fort Lauderdale. We caught a 70inch wahoo weighing 63lbs (pictured) in 600 feet of water on one of our deep lines with a sea witch and fresh bonito strip combo. We do catch a fair amount of wahoo through the year here but not many are as big as this one they seem to average 15-25lbs. Staying offshore there has been a few mahi mahi around but some days they are just easier to find then others, recently we had a bunch of wind from the west and that made it somewhat difficult to find the mahi, the west wind pushed them offshore so to speak. I still would continue to look for weed lines as well as birds if your heading offshore and it wouldnโ€™t hurt to bring a few live baits as well just incase. Bottom fishing report has been super solid this week with some great catches of vermillion snappers as well as a few porgies. There has been very light current this week so we have been able to target these fish more accurately. Depths with structure around 200 feet has been producing consistent results of nice snappers. Average size on the snappers has been 2-3 lbs with a few almost in the 5lb range. This week please be sure to check out some of the great photos of some recent catches that were caught while out on our deep sea fishing charters and remember to give us a like and follow on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram @Ybnormalsportfishing for daily fishing content. For the upcoming next few weeks looks like some great weather on the horizon, and the month of September is notorious for some great catches while out deep sea fishing. We should see some sailfish, as well as some great mahi mahi action and some bigger ones at that. Also bottom fishing for snapper is something that is great in the month of September. A lot to look to specially in future reports, so if your thinking about coming down to south Florida for maybe a few days or even for an extended vacation the month of September is a great time to get out and do some deep sea fishing. Look us up we would love to have you and show you a great time on the waterโ€ฆ Capt. Vinnie
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Nice Catches In Fort Lauderdale
Nice Catches In Fort Lauderdale
Aug 20, 2025 Dania Beach
Hello everyone, Capt. Vinnie here, this week fishing has been on the up and up here in Fort Lauderdale. Even though the kids have went back to school and the business as been somewhat slow there still has been some very nice fish to catch right now. For the report this week on the inshore side of things there has been a good amount of sailfish being caught right now, the majority of the sailfish have been caught while trolling using surface baits unlike in the winter time when we are using kites with live baits to target sailfish. Most of the sailfish bites have been in depths around 100-300 feet of water and the average size fish has been around 70inches long. Other then sailfish there has been some false albacore on the reef in great numbers and some kingfish as well. All this action is taking place inside of 300 feet of water. Bottom fishing report this week has been very solid with some jumbo vermilion snappers. This time of year we seem to catch the biggest vermillion snappers due to the fact that they are spawning, most of the larger ones are females and have eggs. Vermillion snappers are a smaller snapper in size but what they lack in size they make up for it on the table. Depths around 200 feet have been seeing the best results and fresh cut pieces of false albacore has been our bait of choice. Average size on the snappers right now have been around 2-3lbs with a few close to the 5lb mark. Moving offshore the mahi mahi has been the hot topic of the week. There has been some great mahi action offshore in depths around 800 feet and some nice ones too, Lots of floating pieces of seaweed out there right now but the key is going to be the birds. If you can find birds your going to catch fish. The birds we are looking for are smaller in size we call them fluter birds because there typically just above the waters edge and there wings are flapping very fast, hence flutter birds. These birds are never solo if you see one there will be more close by. Right now going mahi fishing I still recommend and all day charter of 8 hours so you have plenty of time to find the birds and the fish, also its important to bring some live bait with you as well incase you run into a school of mahi. I have a great photo this week of a great mahi catch we had were we caught 25 keeper mahi. The average size of the mahi right now have been anywhere from 5 to 15lbs. This week please be sure to check out some of the great photos of some recent catches that were caught while out on our deep sea fishing charters and remember to give us a like and follow on social media platforms like facebook and instagram @Ybnormalsportfishing for daily fishing content. For the rest of the month of August we have plenty of availability if your coming down to fort Lauderdale and looking to do some deep sea fishing. The time is now for mahi as well as a bunch if other species too. Look us up and we will show you a great time on the water. More later..... Capt. Vinnie
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Customer reviews

Rating summary
Excellent
4.8 / 5
out of 5 stars from 444 reviews
See details
Boat
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Crew
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Experience
Excellent
4.8 / 5
Photos & videos by reviewers (761)
Great Fishing
Great Fishing
lots of mahi and even a juvi sailfish
+758
Angler rating
386
34
14
6
3
Anglers claimed
Good experience
94%
Friendly captain
95%
Recommend this charter
95%
Appropriate for children
94%
Satisfied with the boat
99%
Caught fish
92%
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5 of 444 reviews
Edward W.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Awesome fishing trip!!

VERIFIED   6 Hour Trip (AM) on July 28, 2025
We had a great time fishing as this was actually our best fishing trip we have ever had and it was with with YB Normal! We...
Edward W. recommends YB Normal
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Othniel T.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Fishing Trip for Anniversary

VERIFIED   6 Hour Trip (AM) on May 29, 2025
We had a blast. The captain and mate were top class anglers, and very professional and friendly. I would highly recommend....
Othniel T. recommends YB Normal
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Bobby R.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Book A Full Day; You Won't Regret It

VERIFIED   8 Hour Trip on December 30, 2024
On the business front, Vinnie was easily reachable to talk about the trip I had in mind for my wifeโ€™s first time out in the...
Bobby R. recommends YB Normal
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Jacob G.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Perfect Group Charter.

VERIFIED   6 Hour Trip (AM) on December 22, 2024
My group and I went out with Captain Vinnie on his boat YB Normal for 6 hours on 12/22/24. Our group arrived at the dock as...
Jacob G. recommends YB Normal
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Jeffrey P.
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Experience:
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Boat
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Crew
Excellent
5.0 / 5
Overall

Caught a few fish

VERIFIED   4 Hour Trip โ€“ Private (AM) on March 12, 2025
Vinny did great job trolling some fish up for us . It was little windy to setup A bottom fish . Him and John the mate hooked...
Jeffrey P. recommends YB Normal
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