Fishing Forum

Our Ft. Lauderdale wrecks hold three main species (Amberjack, Grouper, Shark, Snapper & Barracuda) We target these fish and the most frequent bite is from Amberjack. The average depth of water for these wrecks are from 125 feet of water to 425 feet of water. The types of wrecks are sunken planes, 150’ freighter ships, 200’+ sunken freight liners, sail boat, yachts and even parts of a bridge have been intentionally sunk for recreational fishing an diving. Some of the more successful wrecks are just outside of our port of Ft. Lauderdale and when the current is pushing either to the North or the South, the bite picks up good. Amberjack are a year round fishery, the better months are February, March, April, May and June. We have been very successful in targeting these deep sea fish off Ft. Lauderdale using live bait. Jigs can be effective, however the very best is to use live Tinker Mackerel, Speedo, Goggleyes, and especially a small 9” Bonito. The tackle we use is a 8/0 reel with 100 pound test leader usually around 35 feet long. The hook is a circle hook and is a 12/0 size. The circle hooks allow to hook the fish in the side of the mouth. Also to get the rig down to the wreck, we have to use around a 4 pound weight. Once we arrive to one of the fort lauderdale wrecks, we try to drop the bait close and even on top of the deep sea structure. Have to let the fish go down slow so it does not spin up. Amberjack are also called “Wreck Donkeys” or “Goldens” and they have earned their name because of their tenacity of the fight. Once the fish is away from the wreck, the fight usually is around 20 to 30 minutes. The fish will make a couple good runs trying to get back in her home.
The best part about fishing off Fort Lauderdale is we have the ability to target Sailfish, Mahi-Mahi, King Mackerel and Amberjack in a 4 of 6 hour trip. Soo you can have a very productive trip fishing in a morning or afternoon off our charter boat.
To book a charter, call Captain Tommy Zsak or David Zsak and will be happy to discuss the charter and what is involved and or what is biting at this time.
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Hey

Nice............ :-)
Fishing is one of the best experiences ever :-)
enjoy
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My fishing is identical just off Alabama coast, except I only have to go 5-10 miles to
do the same thing. I love to fight Amberjack and as the saying goes, when Snapper season is open AJ is closed and that is all you catch. I caught 8, by myself, about 2 weeks ago. Had two on at one time and even though they were not keepers (less than 34") I had a blast.

How many can you catch in your area? We can only catch one about 10 months.

We fish them the same way. When we get out to the Oil Rigs, in 350+ water, we usually put any 10-12" fish we catch on a similar setup and bump jig it very slow around the rig. We get about 100 yards away from the rig and bump one motor in and out of gear with that bait on the bottom or close to it. One thing for sure is, if an Amberjack takes a 12" live fish, you better hang one....Gosh that is fun.

I use Shimano 10,000 and 14000 class spinning reels on 6'9" extra heavy (fast) jigging rods. I have found this combo to be very comfortable and well suited for a wide variety of fish. I can troll, bottom fish and jig (2-4 ounce) with these setups.

We use 80lb braid with 80-100 LB leaders. When I troll I tie an FG knot for braid to leader and use a good snap swivel at the bait. This allows me to wind up longer leaders and simply snip off the bad section and re-tie hook or whatever when it is worn.

Love my boat, can't wait to go back.

Shor
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