Mahi Mahi Are Showing Up In Fort Lauderd
July 10, 2022 Hollywood 4 photos

Trip Summary

Hello everyone, Capt. Vinnie here this weeks report is what I think most of us have been waiting for... Most of our customers that come to Fort Lauderdale in the summer months and go fishing with us ask for mahi mahi and finally they are starting to show up, so here is the report..... starting offshore this week with the theme of the report mahi, there has been a very good amount of mahi just off the coast of Fort Lauderdale right now, we have been having to run anywhere from 8 to 15 miles offshore which is about an hour run for us, the longer trips we offer are best for this type of fishing I recommend at least 6 hours but 8 hours would be the standard for mahi fishing. I have been catching most of my fish on trolling baits similar to what we use inshore daily fresh bonito strips and some mylar sea witches. The most important thing as of late in order to find the fish has been finding birds or floating debris, yes you can always get a few fish out of the blue when trolling but if you find birds feeding the mahi mahi are very close by. We have been averaging on the last few trips I took offshore around 15 or so mahi, now this is the beginning of the run for us so a majority of the fish have been just a little to small to keep but still fun, we have been able to get anywhere from 8 to 12 keeper fish on a good day and as the season for these guys gets later we should start to see some larger fish. When finding feeding fish and getting a school around the boat something that is major key is live bait, very very important to have live bait when locating a school of feeding fish these guys will not turn down a live bait trust me. Moving inshore on the reef seems that the bonito have somewhat ruled as of late, lots and lots of bonito right now but there are still some nice kingfish in the mix as well as an occasional wahoo. Trolling with planners to take baits under the surface using bonito strips and sea witches as well as silver spoons has been very effective. Reef fishing for yellowtail snapper has been very very productive also, we have been having alot of heavy current offshore and inshore somewhat lighter and it makes the perfect conditions to anchor up on the reef and target some snapper. There are still some large game sharks around if you want to pull on something and test yourself as and angler as well. Just all in all still lots of options of things to catch in fort Lauderdale which is why I think this area is such a great fishing destination. Be sure this week to check out our great pictures of some recent catches during our deep sea fishing charters and remember to follow us on social media platforms like instagram and facebook @Ybnormalsportfishing for daily fishing content. Very exciting things to come fishing wise we should continue to see fishing improve more and more especially the mahi mahi fishery, I can't wait!!! Capt. Vinnie more later.....
Vinnie Sacks
Hollywood, Florida, United States
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Sailing out of Port Everglades In Fort Lauderdale for over a decade YB Normal is ready to take clients out for a great day of fishing. Captain Vinnie offers a range of trips, with four to 8-hour packages and the choice of coming as a group or jumping aboa...

Other reports from this captain

Catching Nice Fish In Fort Lauderdale
Catching Nice Fish In Fort Lauderdale
May 26, 2025
Hello everyone, Capt. Vinnie here, this week we had some great fishing just like expected for this time of year right off the coast of Fort Lauderdale. I have a nice report for you guys, just on the edge of the reef the kingfish action has been about as solid as it can be. Depths around 100 feet have been the sweet spot, trolling has been the best method to get bites. Although this week the kingfish have been smaller in size than previous weeks they make up for it in sheer numbers. I have been having the best luck with fresh mullet strips and seawitches. Other then kingfish right now on the reef the bonitos have showed up as well, although there not great eating they are a good fight and very important for us in order to have fresh bait daily to catch other predator fish. Still a few sailfish around on the reef as well if you wanted to fish with live bait and of course if the seaweed will let you! Moving offshore the mahi action has been very consistent right now. The best action has been when the wind is barley blowing and the ocean is glass calm, when you have those type of conditions it helps the seaweed form in a line and makes it easy to locate. Seaweed lines in around 800 feet have been where the mahi have been. Surface baits with fresh strips and a chugger style head has been our go to, the key is the chugger style head because some days the weeds are more scattered then other days and this style of lure tends to not catch as much weeds and give you more time fishing and less time shagging weeds. Also when your offshore looking for birds is going to help increase your odds to catch fish, birds in the area is a good sign that there is life so very important to look for birds. If live bait is available I would say its smart to bring with you just incase you happen to get into a school of mahi. Last but not least moving back inshore late afternoons have been very productive for blackfin tunas, we have been catching some nice sized ones with live bait. Live pilchards on super light tackle is the ticket as well as being out there in what we call the witching hour. Depths from 160-220 feet has been the most productive. You can still catch the tuna trolling but your going to catch the smaller ones, when I say smaller I mean anywhere from 3-6lbs, if you want the jumbos close to 20lbs live bait is going to help make that happen. 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 and remember to give us a like and follow on social media platforms like facebook and instagram @ybnormalsportfishing for daily fishing content. Coming up here to finish out the month of May and to start June off we have plenty of availability for anyone that is looking to come down to south Florida especially the Fort Lauderdale area and do some deep sea fishing we would love to show you a great time on the water... Capt. Vinnie
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May Mahi In Fort Lauderdale
May Mahi In Fort Lauderdale
May 18, 2025
Hello everyone, Capt. Vinnie here, this weeks report I would say might be what alot of people have been looking to hear, offshore earlier in the week the bite was hot for mahi mahi. Offshore anywhere from 700-1000 feet is where majority of the action has been. If your heading offshore look for the seaweed patches, some have been as big as a football field. On days that it Is flat calm it is easy to spot but on days there is a slight breeze look for slick water that is the tell tail sign. There hasn't been much for birds offshore but if you happen to find like a frigate bird its worth following him around for a while, he could lead you to that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Most important thing in my opinion when going offshore looking for mahi is to bring some live bait. Pilchards would be my 1 choice. The live bait is key specially if you happen to get a few fish on and there is a scool behind the boat, you want to be able to give them a reason to stay around and if they are finicky the live bait will chance there whole demeanor. Moving inshore on the reef, late afternoons have been the best for blackfin tunas, although the bigger ones we were seeing earlier in the month have kind of taken a break, there have been some medium to smaller ones around. Anywhere from 180-280 feet has been the sweet spot and the later in the afternoon the better, right up till dark. Wreck fishing for hard fighting fish like amberjack has been pretty good this week as well, we have been having some heavy currents and that has been making for some excellent wreck fishing conditions right now. Live baits like small bonitos, blue runners, and goggle eyes are good choices to drop on shipwrecks around 200-300 foot. Heavy tackle is a must if you want to catch one of these big fish, nothing less then 100lb test. Last but not least trolling on the reef has been a little slower then normal kingfish bite has been so so, some days better then others I would imagine here shortly things will pick up in that department soon. This week please check out some of the great photos of some recent catches that were caught while out on our deep sea fishing 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 the rest of the month of May, seems like the mahi bite is just beginning to heat up so that should only get better and better as we get closer towards the summer. We still have plenty of availability for the rest of the month of May so if your planning a trip down to fort Lauderdale and looking to do some deep sea fishing please look us up we would love to have you out fishing with us.... more later.. Capt. Vinnie
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Full Moon Deep Sea Fishing In Fort Laude
Full Moon Deep Sea Fishing In Fort Laude
May 12, 2025
Hello everyone Capt. Vinnie here, this week I can honestly say fishing has been some what difficult and not the red hot action we normally would see, specially for this time of year. This week the deep sea fishing has been tough, the full moon this week has brought upon us some very heavy tides and the seaweed has been about as bad as it can be making it very difficult specially for the crew, endless work to keep the baits clean from the seaweed. For the report this week starting first offshore, there has been a few mahi mahi. There hasn't been much seaweed offshore it has been mostly on the reef, so most of the mahi we did catch were just random in the middle of no where, there also has been a few mahi on frigate birds. The mahi have been getting bigger and we are starting to see more keeper size fish, although I would imagine we are going to see a good push here shortly I would say in the next few weeks. Moving a little inshore blackfin tunas have been the main culprits. Live bait has been the best choice specially for the larger tunas and larger I mean close to 30lbs. Although live bait is going to be the best choice for the larger tunas, you can still catch them trolling. Smaller feathers and squid lure imitations have been the best choice and later in the afternoons are going to give you the best chance specially with the full moon going on right now. Moving further inshore there has been a decent showing on sailfish with the live baits too, all the tide we have been having is putting these fish on the move and a live bait being suspended from a kite is going to give that picture perfect presentation. Fishing shallow like around 75-90 feet gives you the most time fishing due to the current. With the current being so strong fishing just inside the tide is going to keep you on a slower drift giving you more opportunity to get a bite. Other then sailfish there has been a few nicer kingfish on the live bait too. Right now we are in a great time of year to target some big game sharks specially like hammerhead sharks. This time of year specially when we are kite fishing we tend to have a few hammerhead sharks try and eat our live baits, it is quite a great show. All sharks are catch and release but they do make a for a great fight specially if thats something your looking for. 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, also remember to give us a like and follow on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram @Ybnormalsportfishing for daily fishing content. On the horizon, even though the fishing has been slower then normal this week its not going to be a consistent thing specially for this time of year, usually on the backside of the full moon fishing is historically better, so be on the look out in the next few reports for some great catches. For the rest of the month of May we have a good amount of 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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