This is our first fishing trip back since the end of March and the shut down due to Covid-19. The reopening of boating ramps and marinas, which has allowed us to go fishing, was badly needed after being indoors for 4 weeks. The fresh air and open ocean are exactly what was needed. Our trip was a successful one, before we even left the dock, and catching fish was a huge bonus. Harrison and Stephanie Joss, a family from Pompano Beach, Florida chartered a half day fishing trip out of Fort Lauderdale with the Top Shot Sportfishing team for a private deep-sea charter boat sport fishing trip aboard the Happy Day Today. The family picked a day fishing in Fort Lauderdale that couldn’t have been better, with clear skies and calm seas.
We started out the day trolling in 150 ft. of water with two deep planners – these deep planners get the baits down to 50 feet and will release when a fish is on. Along with the deep planners, we also put out four surface lines, two long and two short, with Ballyhoos and sea witch strips for bait. We started getting bites right away on both the short and long planner lines. Harrison and Stephanie took turns getting behind the planner rods catching King Mackerel. Once they reeled in the fish to the planner, there is another 70 feet of leader to wire in. When the fish reached the transom, the first mate reached out with a gaff and brought the fish in the boat. We ended up catching 10 King Mackerels and one Bonita.
We then decided to try for Snappers and a Shark. The first mate rigged a bait, tossed it in the water and sent the bait down to the bottom. Before he could set the bait away from the boat the rod bent over, and we had a big fish on. Harrison and his wife took turns fighting the fish. After some good runs and hard fighting, the fish came up - it was a Golden Hammerhead Shark. We wired the Shark to the back of the boat, snapped a few photos, removed the hooks and released this awesome fish. Lastly, we tried to catch Snappers by sending down a rig with multiple hooks and cut bait. Once the rod jerked rapidly, they were on the line and we nailed some fresh Snappers for the grill.
It was now time to head back to the dock. The anglers retired into the a/c salon watching the plasma TV and enjoying the relaxing trip back to the dock at Bahia Bar Yachting Center, 801 Seabreeze Blvd. Fort Lauderdale 33316. It was a great day on the water with good friends – we are starting to feel somewhat normal again. We are open for charter! For a successful and adventurous deep-sea fishing charter in Fort Lauderdale FL for Sailfish, Shark, Bonito, Mackerel, Swordfish, Snapper, Wahoo, Tuna, Mahi Mahi and Grouper, contact Captain Zsak. - 954-439-8106 or email us at captdz@gmail.com Website: www.topshotfishing.com.
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