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: 1 day ago
 Instant Confirmation
Trips from US $600

Fishing Reports

Windy But Great Fishing In Fort Lauderda
Windy But Great Fishing In Fort Lauderda
Nov 9, 2024 Dania Beach
Hello everyone Capt. Vinnie here. What a week we have had with weather seems like we have been at the mercy of mother nature for some time but on the days that the weather has backed off we have been able to get out fishing and it has been excellent. For this week the inshore is where the fish have been, with all the heavy winds that we have been having it has blown alot of the fish right on the edge of the reef. Trolling has been very productive with some nice catches of mahis right now, anywhere from 70 feet on out to 150 has been the hot ticket on the mahi right now. The heavy winds have blown the blue water in right on the edge of the reef, the mahis have been chasing the schools of ballyhoo that congregate right on top of the reef. Surface baits have been getting the most action on the mahis, blue and white and blue have been our go to colors to match the hatch of the colors of the ballyhoo. Seawitches fished with strip baits have been just plain deadly right now and thats what most of our mahis have been caught on. Also on the reef the sailfish bite has been very good, we have been getting at least 1 to 2 shots at a sailfish per trip. The same baits we have been using for the mahi have been working for the sailfish. We also did very good this week on live bait fished in the kite, catching sailfish as well as some really nice mahis. Also on the reefs edge there has been a steady bite of king mackerel caught on our lines fished under the surface using planners. Moving offshore there has been a few blackfin tuna around in depths from 200-400 feet. The later afternoons seem to be the best right now if your looking for tuna. Tuna have big eyes and are sensitive to light so anytime your out fishing and the sun is low wether early morning or late afternoon the tuna seem to always bite the best. This week as far as wahoo goes there has been a few around but unfortunately we were not lucky enough to catch one, but that fishery tends to pick up more as we approach our winter months. This week please be sure to check out some of the great photos of some recent catches that were caught 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. As of now we are defiantly in the full swing of our fall fishing patterns, Gaffer mahis, sailfish, nice kings, all right on the edge of the reef, not many places in the world you can book a half day trip and catch a sailfish and a bunch of nice mahis for dinner, What we like to call dinner and a show. For the rest of the month of November we have availability for fishing charters so if your coming down to Fort Lauderdale and looking to do some deep sea fishing we would love to have you out with us and show you a great time on the water...more later Capt. Vinnie
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Fall Fishing In Fort Lauderdale
Fall Fishing In Fort Lauderdale
Oct 29, 2024 Dania Beach
Hello everyone Capt. Vinnie here... This week we seem to be getting a good dose of Fall fishing right now in Fort Lauderdale, wahoos, sailfish, kings, and some gaffer dolphin all right on the edge. So this week for the report on the inshore side of things just on the edge of the reef there has been a solid bite of kingfish right now. Live baiting as well as trolling with planners has been very effective from around 80 feet on out to 140 feet has been the best area to stay in if your looking for kingfish. The best bait believe it or not has been mullet strips, with the schools of mullet that have just passed by thats what the fish are keyed in on and if you can match your bait to exactly what the fish are eating your giving yourself a very good chance to get bites. Other then kingfish there has been a few stray mahi here and there in the shallows chasing ballyhoo showers. Moving offshore is where the action has been, earlier in the week there was a nice tide edge in around 450 feet offshore where green water would meet the dark blue water of the gulfstream. Right on the edge there was a nice weed line with some floating debris and that's where the mahi action was and some really nice sized ones at that. Trolling down the blue side of the edge with surface baits was the hot ticket for sure and mixed in with the mahi was some nice sized skipjack tunas, most of the tunas were caught on our lines fished with planners under the surface. We also did manage to get a really nice wahoo this week on this edge (pictured) on a mullet strip fished on a planner. The last few days that tidal edge has blended together and is no longer but kite fishing has been pretty productive as of late with some sailfish action. Bait selection has been tough right now due to all the wind lately but we have been able to cast net some live mullet in the intercostal and we have been using them in the kite catching all of the above as well as a really cool tiger shark (pictured). The sailfish action right now is just starting and should begin to pick up as we approach our winter season. 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 week looks like we are at the mercy of the wind for now but there will be a few days we should be able to get out there, some days are better then others lately but this time of year usually produces some really quality fish, so stay tuned for future reports with some awesome pictures. Up coming for the month of November 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... Capt. Vinnie
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The Mahis Are Biting In Fort Lauderdale
The Mahis Are Biting In Fort Lauderdale
Oct 14, 2024 Dania Beach
Hello everyone Capt. Vinnie here, what a tough week to get out and do some fishing, seems like the weather just wont let up and give us a break. Either a hurricane is on the way or heavy winds or even endless rain, Mother Nature just doesn't want us to fish. Even though the weather has been all over the place we did manage to get out a few times when it was somewhat nicer and I do have a nice report for you guys. So this week fishing in Fort Lauderdale we have been having some very good consistent action on the mahis. Any time that you have a huge blow like we did specially after the two hurricanes Helene and Milton that missed us its going to stir up the waters and bring the fish in. Just outside the reef there has been some excellent mahi fishing in depths from 150 feet out to 400 feet, the fish have been scattered all over those depths but if you can hook up to one there usually in groups and you will end up getting multiple shots. There has been some floating debris which is always going to hold fish but for the most part all the fish have been just random or blind trolling. Our surface baits have been receiving the most action primarily lures fished with bait like bonito strips or ballyhoo. Fishing some sort of bait is key for the mahi because alot of times they will hit your lure hard to kill it and thats when the line will usually pop out of the outrigger clip and if you just have a lure you tend to not get another strike where when you have bait at the end they taste that its real and they will come back multiple times until they eat it. The average size on the mahis has been anywhere from 5-12lbs with some larger ones in the mix as well. Other then mahi this week we had a great showing of sailfish, we ended up catching 3 out of 4 sailfish on our charter Saturday morning (pictured). The wind was out of the north east so that was our first true cooler front that moved through and it was nice to see how the fish reacted. The sailfish bites we had were all in depths around 180 feet which would make sense because thats where the edge of current was that day. All the bites where on our surface baits which where mylar seawitches fished with fresh bonito strips. Last but not least we did have some pretty good kingfish action earlier in the week, now that the mullet are migrating through our area we should start to see some more kingfish action. Majority of our bites where on mullet strips fished on a planer which would make sense because the kingfish are chasing the mullet schools so what better bait to use then what there actually eating. Most of the kingfish bites where shallow from 60 to 120 feet of water, the average size was 4 to 8lbs. This week please be sure to check out some of our great pictures of some recent catches that were 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. Coming up for this week looks like we have a break in the weather for a little but then it begins to blow towards the end of the week, I would imagine there will be more mahis and sailfish around 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. more later Capt. Vinnie
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Post Storm Fishing In Fort Lauderdale
Post Storm Fishing In Fort Lauderdale
Sep 30, 2024 Dania Beach
Hello everyone Capt. Vinnie here, this week the fishing has been pretty tough to say the least but there has been a few fish around to catch. Just recently there was a hurricane that just missed us and usually when there is a storm like that it stirs up the ocean and makes the water dirty and also the pressure changes which in turn makes the fish bite after it has passed. So this week in terms of the report we will start inshore, trolling has been pretty tough on the reef the water has been super dirty but there has been a few bites to be had, a few kingfish and bonitos have been the primary catch inshore if your trolling down the reef. On a positive note the bottom fishing has been excellent specially for yellowtail snappers and a few nice mutton snappers as well. The yellowtail snappers have been biting on the reefs edge in about 80 feet. Some nice ones too as big as 3-4lbs. Once you anchor up you will have to chum in order to get the yellowtail snapper off the bottom, we have been doing well with small pieces of cut bait like ballyhoo the trick is to free line your bait and let it sink just like it is a piece of chum. Like stated earlier we have been getting some nice mutton snappers too. The mutton snappers have been eating live ballyhoo fished on the bottom with a long leader and a heavy sinker, mutton snapper are wary so the longer the leader the better the bite, but one thing to keep in mind is you want to fish according to the conditions so if the current is light you want to shorten up your leader and if the current is strong you want a longer leader, the mutton snappers have been averaging around 10lbs give or take. This week offshore there has been a nice showing of some decent sized mahi mahi, since the storm passed there has been some really dirty water inshore but working your way offshore there has been a color change, usually a color change is where there is a current line and usually where there is a current line there is going to be some debris like seaweed or floating objects. The mahi have been coming down the color change and some nice sized ones also. Trolling with surface baits is going to give the most action there has been a nice seaweed line to follow as well as some floating debris and this is all from the storm. The size of these mahi are alot bigger then the ones we were catching about a month ago the average size has been around 8-10lbs but there has been a few fish close to 20lbs too. We should continue to have some mahi action for the next few weeks so if your looking for mahi now would be a good time to book a trip. 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. This week coming up 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. Capt. Vinnie
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Bottom Fishing Is Steady In Fort Lauderd
Bottom Fishing Is Steady In Fort Lauderd
Sep 19, 2024 Dania Beach
Hello everyone, Capt. Vinnie here. I have a decent report for you guys this week so lets get right into it. This week in Fort Lauderdale starting off on the inshore side of things there has been some bonito as well as some kingfish just on the edge of the reef about 120 to 150 foot of water. Majority of the kingfish have been coming on our deep lines fished under the surface using planners while the bonitos have been biting everything from surface to deep lines. Also on some of our surface strip baits there has been a good showing of sailfish. The sailfish have been kind of all over from 100 to 300 foot so its been more of a random thing. I would say its a little early to try and specifically target sailfish right now but it is always a nice surprise if you happen to get that bite. Moving a little deeper into the 200 foot there has been a few blackfin tuna around but seems the earlier the better, if you can get out just as the sun is peaking your going to have that chance at tuna. Tuna have big eyes so low light conditions are always going to be best, also with the moon being full this week that gives the chance for wahoo. Trolling quicker than normal and staying in depths from 200 to 400 foot is going to give you the best chance for that wahoo bite. Bottom fishing this week has been the hot topic specially the deeper bottom spots. Vermillion snappers have been hot this week and some large ones at that. Structure in the 300 foot range has been holding some nice sized vermillion snappers right now anywhere from 2-5llbs. The bait of choice is going to be fresh bonito. Also mixed in with the vermillion there has been some yellow eye snappers as well. Yellow eye snappers are not something we catch all the time but when there here and biting they are always welcomed specially for the dinner table. On the shallower side of bottom fishing there has been some nice sized mutton snappers biting mostly on structure around 150 feet. Live bait like pilchards are going to be a good choice to get the mutton snappers to bite. Mutton snappers are very wary so a long leader is a good choice, the further your bait can be from your sinker the better. Last but not least dolphin or mahi have been somewhat scarce this week, if your heading offshore its been a total crapshoot. There hasn't been much bird activity but if you can get lucky enough to find some kind of floating debris thats where the mahi are going to be. The few mahi reports that I have heard of the fish have been far offshore 15 miles plus so if your going to make the trip you are pretty committed for the day, hopefully soon we will see a nice run of mahi in the month of October so be on the lookout for that in future reports. 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 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 rest of the month of September we do have availability so if your coming down to Fort Lauderdale and looking to do some deep sea fishing we would love to have you and show you a great time on the water. More later...... Capt. Vinnie
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Crushing The Fish In Fort Lauderdale
Crushing The Fish In Fort Lauderdale
Sep 9, 2024 Dania Beach
Hello everyone, Captain Vinnie here this week. I have a great report for you guys. Fishing has really picked up unfortunately though we did have some mechanical issues that kept us from fishing as much as we would like this week, but we still were able to get out there a few times. Anyways, this week we will start on the inshore side of things. There has been a pretty consistent bite of blackfin tuna early in the mornings around 200 to 250 feet most of the bites are coming on the deeper lines fishes with planers that help take baits down about 40 feet, but there has been a few bites on the surface as well, Also, plenty of Bonita around right now and a few Kingfish mixed in. We should start to see some nice size wahoo showing up in the next few weeks, so thatโ€™s something to look forward to. As far as bottom fishing goes there has been lots of nice size vermilion and yellow eye snappers biting on most rock piles in depths around 300 feet. We have been doing best with fresh bait like bonita fished on a multiple hook rig, called a chicken rig. This type of rig has multiple baits and gives you more chances to catch a fish. Having multiple hooks gives you a chance to catch more than one fish at a time, some of the snappers have been as big as 6 to 7 pounds lately. There has not been much current, so the conditions have been very favorable for the snapper fishing. For an offshore report this week, there has been a nice showing of some mahi-mahi. Most of the mahi that have been caught this week have been on floating debris so that being said I still recommend bringing live bait offshore if youโ€™re looking for mahi the worst thing is finding a nice piece of floating debris with lots of fish on it and not having anything to cast to them other than mahi offshore if you can find some birds, there has been skipjack tuna and a few mahi as well. The mahi should be here consistent for another few weeks so now is a good time to go if youโ€™re looking for mahi. This week please be sure to check out some of the great photos, we have 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 we start to approach October we should start to see some larger mahi a few wahoo in mix, as well as some Sailfish action, be on the lookout in future reports for these species. With great weather the next few weeks we have plenty of availability if youโ€™re coming down to Fort Lauderdale and looking to do a deep sea fishing charter, please look us up. We would love to show you a great time on the water. More laterโ€ฆ 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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