Back to Fort Lauderdale Fishing Reports
What's the deal on live bait?
December 20, 2024 Fort Lauderdale 1 video
Fort Lauderdale Report Video 0
Sailfish
Sailfish
Dolphin (Mahi Mahi)
Dolphin (Mahi Mahi)

Trip Summary

Live bait is a daily topic amongst the top crews in the fishing industry. To use it or not. This is not the normal fishing report but an explanation on the subject of using live bait. There are misconceptions amongst the topic of using live bait, most from inexperienced clients. This is to help clear some of the misunderstandings. Do we really need live bait? No! Does it help to have it? Sometimes... Having live bait in the well can offer additional methods towards attracting game fish however it isn't an end all,be all. Many tournaments are geared towards using dead bait only as it forces the crew to hone their skills in bait rigging. That being said, the best rigged dead bait can swim while being trolled, so well in fact, you'd think it was alive! Enter the bait fisherman. There are many bait fish options out there. Many are for sale by commercial bait fisherman who catch certain species of baits during night hours. These baits can save you time rather than trying to catch them yourself. However, that convenience comes at a cost of $100 per dozen of live bait! Many clients will decline the opportunity to purchase bait due to its high cost and that's understandable. It's also not a deal breaker as many fish, SAILFISH included, are caught with dead bait. Often times the client would like to purchase the bait but it isn't available due to weather or bait shortages. Once again, not a dead end! Talk to your Captain when scheduling your charter and ask whether they suggest live bait. It can be ordered in advance as long as weather holds out. How would live bait differ from dead bait? Live bait can be trolled slowly from outriggers or downriggers, flown from kites and even used on deep water wrecks. Dead bait can be used in every way except for kite fishing. Most kite fishing experts use live bait only except when deploying of shark baits (dead bait). The trolling speed would differ greatly as most live baits cannot handle being pulled too fast as they will either spin or simply drown. Dead baits can be pulled at much faster speed and can be combined with skirts or lures etc. I hope this shines a light on the subject. Capt Matt Fann
Matthew Fann profile photo
Matthew Fann
Fort-lauderdale, Florida, United States
Fish Advisor – Ft. Lauderdale thumbnail
Ft. Lauderdale has a fish with your name on it, so let Capt. Matt Fann and the Fish Advisor help you catch it! With Captain Matt at the helm, you’re in knowledgeable and experienced hands. Captain Matt Fann has 25 years of local experience fishing i...

Other reports from this charter

Mahi on the move!
Mahi on the move!
October 13, 2025
Oct is a great time to fish. The weather is cooling off a tad from the summer heat and the fish are starting to move south. My charter is unique in that I fish two locations. Summer months, I'm fishing in the outer banks, NC and back home in fort Lauderdale FL during the winter months. We've had an outstanding summer up north this year and those fish are starting to move south. It's getting cold up north and that's the driving force that moves the fish. The mahi have been around in decent numbers as well as a few nice king mackerel, black fin tuna and a few wahoo. Fort Lauderdale international boat show is set to arrive at the end of the month and with it, large crowds will travel into the area. Sign up to fish with me and let's have a blast!
Continue reading
Mahi mahi may.......june!
Mahi mahi may.......june!
May 25, 2025
Good fishing lately! The mahi have come through and are a little bit larger than last month. April was decent with a lot of weed lines moving in but it was a tad choppy for a couple weeks. Now the weather has come into its summer time pattern and it's certainly hot! Afternoons will have a better breeze than most of the morning trips and sometimes that will generate a better fishing condition (no guarantees). What else is being caught? Nice sized kingfish are here as well. I've been catching them trolling with bonito strips, as is the normal routine but live bait certainly works well too. It's just another way to fish. Blackfin tuna are still around and like the mahi, are in better size than the previous month. Let's go catch em!
Continue reading
Mahi on the move!
Mahi on the move!
April 11, 2025
We're entering into mahi mahi season and it's starting to show decent numbers. We'd like to see bigger fish but we are at least seeing some at all. during summer months, when the seas are calmer, we will venture further offshore in search of floating debris or weed lines. Now finding weed alone isn't a guarantee, in fact it's just one factor. Mahi do not eat seaweed but simply hunt around it, finding small bait fish, minnows, shrimp, crab etc. It is often that we will find seaweed lines that are miles long yet we won't have a single bite. The reason for this is that the weed might have already been hunted on and the fish have moved on or it's a new patch that hasn't been found yet. The recent trips have shown this exact example. I've found fantastic looking weed lines and have trolled up and down without a single bite and then "kapow"!! Fish on! As mentioned earlier, a lot of these fish are young and are simply too small to harvest but we are seeing a few that make the mark and get a free boat ride home in the cooler! The best method for mahi is often by trolling ballyhoo or bonito strips matched up with various skirts. Many captains prefer to use live bait but those only come into play once you've made contact with the fish and they seem to be in abundance. You'll have a live bait to offer up when multiple fish come to the boat. Live bait isn't always necessary though. If you're considering booking based on this report then please consider a few things. The ocean is vast! It's simple massive and mahi are highly migratory fish. They can swim thousands of miles per year and eat as much as they can but sometimes they are nowhere to be found. We spend the majority of our lives in pursuit of the perfect moment but often times we are left to dream of a better trip... Next time!
Continue reading
  • Settings