Good Hit Sport Fishing Report: Fort Laud

The summertime bite is officially in full swing off Fort Lauderdale and we have been running hard out of Bahia Mar to keep our anglers' rods bent. We have been hitting the local reefs, deep wrecks, and blue water over our last few outings. The ocean gave us an incredible mix of high-speed surface runs, beautiful color on the wrecks, and pure muscle in the deep water. Our Blackfin Tuna blitz has been spectacular with fish showing up consistently in the clean water lanes between 200 and 500 feet. Trolling small feathers and squid spoons has been the absolute ticket to triggering these line screamers. The highlight of the week was having a young angler step up to the plate on one of these trips. He handled a beautiful, hard-fighting Blackfin like an absolute pro, matching the fish turn for turn until we got it over the gunwale. Moments like that are exactly what family fishing is all about. When we shifted gears to work the deep wrecks, we struck silver by tricking a gorgeous African Pompano. Known for their brutal downward pulling power and stunning, mirror-like looks, these fish are an absolute trophy on light vertical jigs. They are fantastic on the table and even better for photos back at the dock. For the ultimate adrenaline rush, we also headed further out to target big game. June is prime time for apex predators off Fort Lauderdale, and the deep blue delivered a massive Dusky Shark. We rigged up the heavy tackle, and it turned into an epic, back-breaking tug of war before we brought the powerful predator alongside the boat for a clean release. While the summer bite is red hot, the ocean is throwing some challenges our way with a heavy push of Sargassum weed moving in along the coast. The key right now is finding the clean water lanes and open edges. When the weed is too thick on top for a clean troll, we pivot immediately to deep-dropping on the wrecks or drifting live baits where we can control the presentation. We are utilizing light surface trolling rigs for the Blackfins, heavy vertical jigs for the wreck residents, and 80 to 100-pound test heavy tackle for the big game sharks. Whether you want to watch your kids reel in their very first gamefish, hook a silver trophy on the wrecks, or test your strength against a giant shark, the local waters are producing right now.