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
288
Fishing Reports
Verified

My Charter Listing

YB Normal

Federally permitted
Excellent
4.8 / 5
(444 reviews)
Angler's choice
Dania Beach
 Last booking: 13 hours ago
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $600

Fishing Reports

January Deep Sea Fishing In Fort Lauderd
January Deep Sea Fishing In Fort Lauderd
Jan 8, 2025 Dania Beach
Hello everyone, Capt. Vinnie here... This week in Fort Lauderdale I would say the best way to describe the fishing would be TOUGH, I have been pulling out all my tricks to make things happen, all the cold fronts and changing conditions daily have been making it tough to pin point a set pattern on the fishing right now but that being said I still have a nice report for you guys. We have been fishing pretty much daily and I have been literally giving it my all on every trip, like I said earlier I have been pulling out all my tricks to make something happen every day. As of late I would say that trolling has been somewhat slow on the reef there has been some occasional kingfish around but live bait seems to entice the bite better then trolling, for the trolling bite the afternoon would be the best option if your looking to troll there has been some blackfin tunas and bonitos mixed in. Anywhere from 180 feet on out to 300 feet of water seems to be the most consistent right now. The bite for them has been best just after 330pm when the sun starts to go down. Small spoons remain to be the most productive lure to fish for the tuna specially fished on a planner to take the bait below the surface, and for the surface the smaller the better squid skirts or mylar sea witches have been the go to. I would say right now the most consistent bite going on would be deep water snappers like vermillion, lane, and yellow eye. We have been almost catching our per person limit on snappers daily and even though they may lack the size of some of our bigger gamefish they don't lack in the quality of taste on the dinner table, these snappers are some of the best eating around. Fresh bait is always going to be the best bait. Would you rather eat a steak you just bought or one that has sat in the fridge for a few days? Some of our bottom fishing areas in depths around 200 feet have produced the best results and besides snappers we have been getting some very nice sized porgies which are just as good to eat if not better. Also it seems if the conditions are favorable and I can hold on a spot without moving around to much there has been some larger amberjacks showing up like the one we caught this week close to 40lbs (pictured). 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 a follow on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram @Ybnormalsportfishing for daily fishing content. All in all the bite has been tough but we have been making it happen some way some how, sometimes you can't always catch that sailfish or mahi that your looking for but you can still get out there and catch a pile of snappers for a great dinner. As much as I want to make things happen for our great customers it is just out of my control but I can assure you on your trip we will always give it our all no matter what. As we approach mid January I have high hopes of a few wahoo starting to make a showing in Fort Lauderdale as well as the blackfin tunas to become a permanent thing in the afternoons, I believe the sailfish will make another showing here shortly so be on the look out for that in future reports. Busy week ahead here but we still have plenty of availability for the rest of the month and into February so if your coming down to Fort Lauderdale and looking to do some deep sea fishing we would love to get you out on the water and show you a great time. Capt. Vinnie
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Finishing Up The Year In Fort Lauderdale
Finishing Up The Year In Fort Lauderdale
Dec 29, 2024 Dania Beach
Hello everyone Capt. Vinnie here, super busy week for us here at the YB Normal, Christmas week is sure in full effect. As far as the fishing goes for this week honesty it has been very tough I would be lying through my teeth if I said It was great right now, but that being said it is fishing and things change daily. In my opinion the last few days we have had changing conditions daily and that makes it super tough to pin point a pattern. When the weather changes daily I feel that it throws the fish for a whirlwind and can make the bite tough. For the report this week I would say the most consistent bite would be the afternoon tuna bite right now. After about 330pm the fishing has improved drastically, we have been catching the blackfin tuna on mostly small spoons fished on the planer to take the bait down about 40 feet which seems to be where the tuna are feeding best, also small lures like feathers have been doing well fished on the surface. Other then tuna there has been some sailfish around and fishing live bait from the kite has been the best option. Also while fishing live bait there still has been a few mahi around but more on the deeper side around 350-500 feet of water. All the mahi have been good size and averaging close to 10lbs. Last but not least bottom fishing has been some what consistent on days when the conditions are calm, mostly vermillion and lane snappers, a few small yellow eye snappers too. This week we were able to catch a very nice sized red snapper (pictured). Red snappers are somewhat rare in the Fort Lauderdale area unlike the west coast of Florida "gulf" where they are very prevalent. The season on red snapper is always open as well in Fort Lauderdale because if you are lucky enough to catch one its usually in state waters. This week please be sure to check out some of the great photos of some recent catches caught while out on our deep sea fishing charters out of Fort Lauderdale and remember to give us a like and follow on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram @Ybnormalsportfishing for daily fishing content. For the week coming up we have a good amount of bookings but we have plenty of availability for the next few weeks and the rest of January 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. As for the fishing I would imagine for it to pick up here shortly its getting to the time where the tuna bite should be super good in the afternoons as well as bottom fishing picking up as well, some great weather to look forward to as well, be on the look out for future quality catches in the next few reports... Capt. Vinnie
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The Sailfish Are Biting In Fort Lauderda
The Sailfish Are Biting In Fort Lauderda
Dec 18, 2024 Dania Beach
Hello everyone Capt. Vinnie here, for this weeks report just like the title says sailfish has been the main attraction. The sailfish bite has been pretty consistent right now just off the coast of Fort Lauderdale, seems like the days with the heavier the winds the better the bite. On the reef in depths from about 100 feet on out to 130 feet is where majority of the sailfish have been biting. Live bait is absolutely key if your looking to fish for sailfish exclusively. Herring, goggle eyes, and mullet would all be in the top choices of live baits. The preferred method is kite fishing, for those that are unfamiliar with kite fishing it is a method to fish in which you fly a fishing kite with a small rod and in the actual line that is used for the kite you have swivels that hold your release clips similar to the ones on outriggers used for trolling. Once your kite is deployed and you reach said swivel to the release clip, you then would have another rod with a live bait that you are going to send out on the kite. The whole purpose of the kite is to keep a live bait swimming basically on a leash right below the surface and all of your terminal tackle like leaders and fishing line is above the water. Just the live bait and the hook is all that is in the water, and this style of fishing is great for wary fish like sailfish, but pretty much any thing that eats live bait will go after something fished from the kite, tuna, kingfish, mahi, wahoo etc. The sailfish bite has been best on the north easterly winds. Other then sailfish there has been a few nice sized kingfish on the live baits and also a few mahi mahi are still around as well. As for trolling this week it has been pretty quiet morning trips have been slow unless you can get lucky and get that wahoo, but late afternoons have been the best for trolling for tuna. That last hour or so of the sunset has been the most consistent bite on the blackfin and skipjack tuna right now. Bottom fishing has been pretty consistent as well for snapper as long as conditions allow for it, we have been catching some nice sized vermillion, lane, and yellow eye snappers on bottom spots around 300 feet. North current seems to produce the best results, when the current is South it has been a slow pick as in you will have to hit a few spots in order to put a nice catch together. 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. As we begin to approach the last few weeks of December I would imagine for the sailfish as well as the snapper fishing to remain consistent and hopefully the tuna fishing picks up too. For the first of the year we have Golden tilefish that will open up so that is something to be excited about. As for the rest of December and the first few weeks of January we do have availability so if your coming down to south Florida exclusively Fort Lauderdale and looking to go deep sea fishing or even just something to do look us up we would love to show you a great time on the water. More later.... Capt. Vinnie
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December Deep Sea Fishing In Fort Lauder
December Deep Sea Fishing In Fort Lauder
Dec 9, 2024 Dania Beach
Hello everyone Capt. Vinnie here, for this weeks report here in Fort Lauderdale the best way to describe it would be TOUGH!!! Deep Sea Fishing in December can be tricky always fishing around cold fronts its going to make it difficult no matter what, changing conditions every couple days makes it tough to try and figure out a pattern. The first two weeks of December are notorious for not being super busy but we were able to make it out a few times and I have a report for you guys. We will start offshore with some Mahi. If you are able to find something to fish to offshore right now like current rips, weeds, or even debris it has been money in the bank and you can guarantee the mahi mahis will be there. This week we found a nice current edge in 800 feet of water that had numerous floating debris as well as some seaweed and the fish were there! Surface baits with bonito strips have been working best for 2 reasons. Number 1. being its a smaller profile and it appeals to fish of all sizes and Number 2. bonito strips tend to not catch as much seaweed as other baits say like a ballyhoo, so less seaweed fetch ups the more natural your bait is going to look. Its is getting late in the season for mahi and it can be a gamble to go look for them this time of year but if you can find something to fish to they have been there every time. Average size has been around 10lbs. Moving inshore trolling on the reef has been very slow not much going on right now only thing to report has been a few kingfish. Later afternoons on the reef is going to give you the best window for bites right now. Seems like the blackfin tunas have showed up when the sun gets low, 150 to 300 feet is the best depth to be fishing for the blackfin tuna. Its hard to go wrong with small spoons fished under the surface using a planer as well as small squid lures and feathers fished on the surface. There has been a few bonitos mixed in with the tunas and the average size on the tunas has been around 5lbs but there have been some larger ones close to 15lbs being caught as well. Bottom fishing for vermillion snappers and other good tasting bottom dwellers has been the most consistent bite from what I have seen right now. Hard bottom in depths around 200 feet has been holding the vermillion snappers the best right now. Besides vermillion snappers there has been a mixed bag of porgies, almaco jacks, trigger fish, and some lane snappers all mixed in. Bottom fishing has been the best technique if your looking to put some meat in the box. Average size on the snappers has been around 2-3lbs. This week please be sure to check out some of the great photos of some recent catches 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. As for the fishing it will being to improve specially if the conditions remain steady for a few days in a row. I would imagine the sailfish bite to pick up just like it did in the month of November and for the tunas to become a very steady thing for us in the afternoons. Also on the full moon coming up hopefully there will be a nice showing of a few wahoo. As for the next few weeks plenty of availability right now specially for Christmas time, deep sea fishing is a great gift as well as a great way to get out with the family and enjoy the water, so if your coming down to Fort Lauderdale and looking to get into some fishing for the holidays look us up we would love to show you great time out there.... Capt. Vinnie
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Ending November With A Bang In Fort Laud
Ending November With A Bang In Fort Laud
Nov 30, 2024 Dania Beach
Hello everyone Capt. Vinnie here, its been a great November this year some great weather and some great fishing as well. The fishing this week has been super good on some days and other days its been so tough just to get a bite. This time of year when fishing around all the cold fronts it can be very tough, it seems when the weather is steady for a few days in a row thats when the fishing picks up for the better, but when the winds are changing direction daily and the temps are changing it can be very frustrating to try and get some bites. For the report this week inshore seems to be where most of the action has been, early mornings have been giving a fair shot at a wahoo while trolling the depths from 180-250 feet of water. Majority of your wahoo bites are going to come under the surface so fishing with a planer to take the bait deeper in the water is going to give you that chance. The sailfish bite continues to be some what decent it has slowed down from what it was about a week ago but it should begin the pick up more as we approach December. Fishing live bait like ballyhoo has been the hot ticket for sailfish as well as some really nice mahi I mean really nice. This time of year is when we catch alot of our bigger mahis when I say bigger I mean over 15lbs. We caught one this week on live ballyhoo close to 30lbs! (pictured). Afternoons I would say is where the bite has been at, blackfin tunas have been making a good showing in the late afternoons eating trolling baits. Small squid lures as well as tuna feathers have been working great on the surface and small spoons fished on the planers have been getting alot of bites. The tunas have been biting best in depths from 250-350 feet. The best bite seems to be at that sunset hour. Last but not least something that has been super steady is snapper fishing, the vermillion snappers have been biting very well on some deeper bottom spots around 200 feet. Fresh bait like bonito chunks has been working the best. Some of the snappers we have been catching have been close to 5lbs. This week please be sure to check out some of our great photos of some recent catches 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. Hopefully starting off December we continue with the afternoon tuna bite as well as the sail fishing picking up again, the snappers should remain steady as long as the conditions allow for it. If your coming down to Fort Lauderdale and looking to do some deep sea fishing we have availability for the month of the December and would love to show you a great day out on the water. more later... Capt. Vinnie
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November Deep Sea Fishing In Fort Lauder
November Deep Sea Fishing In Fort Lauder
Nov 20, 2024 Dania Beach
Hello everyone Capt. Vinnie here, what a great week weather wise and also fishing wise, finally it seems like we have been able to find a break in the weather and the fishing has been pretty top notch as well. For this week majority of the action has been right on the reefs edge. Trolling has been somewhat slow on the reef right now, not many kingfish or bonito around at the moment but there has been a few mahis and some blackfin tunas coming on the troll. The best bite trolling this week has been for wahoo, with the November full moon and the king tides in full effect it has made the wahoo fishing excellent for a few days. There were bites early morning and late afternoon, trolling with planers is going to give you the best chance at that wahoo bite as they tend to feed under the surface but they also can be caught on surface baits too, but I do suggest fishing with wire on your surface baits or you will get cut off due to there sharp teeth and aggressive nature. This week we had the best luck on rigged double hook ballyhoo as well as split tail mullets. Other then a great wahoo bite this week live bait fishing has been where the bite is. Taking time in the mornings to catch live ballyhoo is the best bait in my opinion to catch fish right now in Fort Lauderdale. We have been slow trolling live ballyhoo on light tackle spinning outfits in depths from 100 out to 300 feet. We have been doing very well on nice sized gaffer mahis as well as sailfish. We use light wire circle hooks for this type of fishing because it gives you the best hook penetration possible when the fish takes your bait and you reel the line tight. Starting shallow and working the depths is going to give you the best shot at finding where the fish are. Fishing with live ballyhoos has been working best on days with light winds where fishing with a kite would be hard to do. On days that the wind has picked up kite fishing has been very productive mostly for sailfish right now, live goggle eyes have been the bait of choice. I would recommend at least a 6 hour trip right now specially if your looking to use live bait, sometimes it doesn't always go as planned and it takes a little more time somedays to catch bait and that longer trip will come in handy if bait fishing is slow. This week the bottom fishing has defiantly picked up for species like vermillion snapper, when the conditions allow and the current is light there has been some nice sized snappers on bottom fishing spots around 200 feet of water. We have been doing best with fresh bait like small bonitos cut into pieces, this is going to stay on the hooks best. Some of the snappers we have been catching have been as big as 3lbs. This week please be sure to check out some of the great photos of some recent catches caught while out on our deep sea fishing charters in Fort Lauderdale and remember to give us a like and follow on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram @Ybnormalsportfishing for daily fishing content. As we approach the last few weeks of November I would imagine the fishing to stay pretty consistent specially with sailfish, as well as some really nice sized mahis when the wind blows out of the east for a few days. I think for now the wahoo bite will be a little quiet till the next moon but there is always a chance everyday to get that needle in the haystack. Also bottom fishing for species like snapper should stay good as long as conditions allow as well. Looks like the weather is in our favor for the next few weeks so if your coming down to Fort Lauderdale and looking to do some deep sea fishing we have some availability, so please look us up we would love to get you out on the water with us and show you a great time as well. 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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