Sep 2

September is finally here and so are the king fish and bonitos.
Today we had Vance and his wife Jennifer and their two sons Spencer and Cameron.
We went right to trolling the reef with two planners running about 45 feet down and 3 baits skipping across the surface.
While the king bite was a bit slow today only catching one the bonitos kept us busy catching a box full of them.
Thanks again guys we enjoyed fishing with you and looking forward to fishing with you guys again.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

(Click to enlarge)

Sep 4

Today we had Dan and Randy from Davie Florida and from Adventurer Florida got together and gathered up their kids Drew 7, Dean 5, Gabe 5, and Jaden also 7 years old for a morning of Deep Sea Fishing aboard the Hooked Up.
What a fun action packed morning it turned out to be. We started out trolling the reef catching king fish and bonitos. As we worked our way to the south we got to a big ship wreck that lay in about 110 feet of water on the bottom. We set out a live bonito with 3 big trouble hooks in him and from there it only took a fem min till BAM the water exploded and we were Hooked Up.
Line was peeling off the reel and this monster barracuda was jumping and everyone on the boat was hooting and yelling. What a blast. After a good 15 min back and forth fight at last up popped this 42 inch barracuda.
Way to go guys and thanks so much for a fun day on the water.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

(Click to enlarge)

Sep 5

What a great action packed trip we had today with Micki, Howard, Daniel, Sam and Aaron all from Weston Florida.
We started out trolling the reef catching king fish and bonitos. Fishing was good but these guys were looking for some fish for dinner and king fish was just not at the top of their list of food fish.
So we did some deep drops trying to catch some good eating snappers but while there was a few there they just were not biting very well.
Ok time for plane C we set out our live baits hopping for a big bite. BIG BITE was just what we got a big sail fish was all over the bait and Aaron was all about it.
Aaron was in the chair in a flash but at first I think the sail fish was in control. This fish was all over the place at first dancing all over the surface than down deep just digging as if it was never going to stop peeling line off the reel. What a great back and forth tug a war but Aaron hung in there and at last got this nice 87 inch sail fish to the boat.
We got a quick measurement and a couple of photos and watched him swim away in good shape.
WAY TO GO AARON
Guys thanks again sooooo much for a fun fishing trip you guys are first class and we hope to see you again soon.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

(Click to enlarge)

Sep 6

Today was just one of those days that seemed everything thing we did just paid off in a big way.
We started out our morning trip with Jerry and John from Ft Lauderdale and Bill from Texas and Andy from Atlanta Ga.
We started out trolling the reef with 2 planer boards and three surface baits. Today the reef was on fire we were catching king fish and bonitos one after another.
I don’t know how many bonitos we caught but we filled the box with them along with a bunch of king fish to boot.
Once again these guys also wanted some good eating fish and king fish while you can eat it there are a lot better tasting fish out here.
We brought in all the trolling gear and started fishing the bottom trying for some snappers. As luck would have it the snappers were snapping and we caught our limit of snappers in about 45 min.
Guys thanks again and we are looking forward to fishing again with you guys soon.
As we pulled back to the dock we our afternoon trip waiting to give their luck a shot aboard the Hooked Up.
We had Dave and his two sons Matt and Daniel from Cincinnati Ohio.
Once again we went right to trolling the reef and YES they were still biting well and we were catching kings one after another.
Since we only had 3 anglers aboard we could only catch 6 kings due to a bag limit but once we caught our limit we went to a ship wreck and set out a live bonito with 3 big trouble hooks in him.
All of a sudden the water exploded and we were Hooked Up.
After a back and forth fight for a good 15 to 20 min up popped this 50 inch Greater Barracuda. Holly cow this one was a monster!
Way to go guys thanks again for fishing aboard the Hooked Up off the coast of Fort Lauderdale.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

(Click to enlarge)

Sep 8

Today we had a shared charter with James and Lorie from Texarkana Texas and brothers Francois and Jean from Switzerland.
Once again we went right to trolling the reef and yes once again there were some king fish and bonitos biting.
After everyone had caught plenty of kings and bonitos we tried slow trolling a live bonito over a ship wreck and BAM we were Hooked Up. This time Lorie got the rod and after a good 15 min of back and forth fight she gat this nice barracuda to the boat.
At this point we had worked our way about 7 miles south of our inlet so we had to run back toward home. As we got to our inlet we decided since we still had one live bonito left in our live well that we would just take a couple min to see if any fish were around the ledge that is just outside of Port Everglades inlet.
It only took about 2 min till BAM we were Hooked Up again with another big barracuda. This time James jumped at the shot of fighting one of these big fish on light spinning tackle.
James fought his fish for about 10 min and just after J.J. grabbed the leader and was about to bring this big barracuda aboard the hooks pulled. (RATS) O well it was still considered a catch since J.J. had the leader in his hand.
I would like to thank all of our anglers today for fishing aboard the Hooked Up and Francois and Jean we are looking forward to fishing with you guys again on Saturday.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

(Click to enlarge)

Sep 10

Today we were in search of good eating fish and as much action as possible. So we loaded up Larry from South Carolina, Wayne from Tampa Florida, Craig from Houston Texas and Wilbur from Ohio a cooler full of beer and we were all set all we needed now was just a little luck.
As it turned out we had plenty of luck on our side.
We started out trolling the reef catching plenty of king fish and bonitos. As we got to a ship wreck off the coast of Holly Wood Florida we brought in all the trolling gear and sent down a live bait right down on the wreck and BAM the rod bent over and we were Hooked Up.
Wayne jumped in the chair and the fight was on. At first we did not know if Wayne had a fish on or if a fish had Wayne on. (LOL) this fish had no intentions of being caught but after a good 15 min of back and forth fight Wayne finally got this 40 to 45 pound greater amber jack to the boat.
Way to go Wayne and FYI we never did see to much more of Wayne after this fight he seemed to spend the rest of the trip relaxing on the couch in the AC.
After a few laughs and some high fiving we went back to bottom fishing only this time we dropped what we call a chicken rig which is 5 hooks in a row with a lead at the bottom.
We were trying to catch some snappers and that’s just what popped up after our first drop.
We did a few more drops catching snappers and having some laughs.
We ended the trip by going off shore looking for some dolphin fish but sorry to say we never did find any dolphin.
I’m not sure why but this has been the slowest year for dolphin fishing I’ve ever seen. The only silver lining I can think of is that maybe next year will be twice as good.
Guys thanks again for fishing with us aboard the Hooked up and hope you guys enjoyed your fish fry.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

Sep 11

Today we had a shared charter with Francois and his brother Jean from Switzerland who had fished with us a couple days ago and Andy from Atlanta Georgia who now lives down here in South Florida and Danny and his son Cody from Lexington Kentucky.
We started out trolling the reef just trying to get a few fish in the box to break the ice but as it turned out trolling the reef was just not producing any fish.
We were talking about switching up and trying something different as I trolling over a ship wreck when all of a sudden we got a bite. Cody jumped in the chair and the fight was on. This fish was pulling harder than a king fish or a bonito. We figured it was a foul hooked fish so I slowed the boat down almost to a stop when all of a sudden I seen something way back on the surface and it was brown so I knew it was not a king or bonito. As Cody got his fish closer to the boat we could not believe what we had on. It was a 20 to 25 pound grouper. Holly cow a grouper ate a silver spoon. (A spoon is metal artificial bait)
This was the first time I’ve ever caught a grouper on a spoon. Never the less we were all happy about this strange catch. Way to go Cody.
We were all talking about our catch and joking around about it and I said we do this all the time aboard the Hooked Up as a matter a fact I said watch I’ll do it again. (I was kidding) As we trolled around I made another pass over this wreck and I was more shocked than anyone else when BAM the rod bent over again and the fight was the same as the last one. This time Andy jumped in the chair and son of a gun another 20 to 25 pound gang grouper. Way to go Andy.
Well if it worked twice what the heck lets go get another one BUT that was not to happen as you can image I made about 1,000 more passes over this wreck but that was all it was giving up was the two big groupers.
Ok back to trolling the reef. Now it seemed as if the reef came to life Cody caught a big barracuda Francois and his brother were catching bonitos and king one after another and now things were clicking good aboard the Hooked Up.
We ended up with a box full of fish and everyone ate well today.
Thanks again to all of our anglers today. Today will be one of those fishing trips I will always remember.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

(Click to enlarge)

Sep 12

Today we had Rob, Paul, Ray and 12 year old R.J all from Pompano Florida out for a morning of deep sea fishing aboard the Hooked Up off the coast of Fort Lauderdale Florida.
We started out trolling the reef catching a box full of king fish and bonitos.
After catching plenty of kings and bonitos we decided to try a little bottom fishing. We dropped a chicken rig (a chicken rig consist of 5 hooks in a line with a sinker at the bottom).
We were trying to catch some good eating snappers. While they were not biting real well we did manage to catch a good hand full of snappers for their dinner.
Guys thanks again for a fun morning of fishing and we hope you guys enjoyed your fish fry for dinner.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

Sep 14

Today we got a last min fishing trip when Geno from Michigan and Nicky from Ft Lauderdale walked up to us and decided to spend a few hours deep sea fishing aboard the Hooked Up.
We started out trolling the reef with our two planners running about 45 to 50 feet down along with three surface baits skipping across the surface. We had trolled for about an hour but all the reef was producing for us today was one nice king fish. Ok time for plan B. So in came our trolling gear and we took off headed for a ship wreck that lay in about 210 feet of water.
Once we got to the wreck J.J. hooked a live bait to the hook and down went the bait. Within 30 seconds of the live bait hitting the bottom BAM the rod bent over Captain Greg went ahead with the boat and we were Hooked Up. Geno jumped in the chair and the fight was on. It was a BIG back and forth tug a war for a good 15 min but at last up popped this big amber jack. Way to hang in there Geno!
As we were heading back for the dock we decided to try one last trick before calling it a day.
Once again J.J. hooked a live bait to a hook only this time he used a wire leader and we slowly trolling this live bonito down a big ledge that dropped from 12 feet of water to 45. From there it did not take long before the water exploded line was peeling off the spinner rod and once again we were Hooked Up.
This time Nicky got the rod and the fight was on. Nicky ended up catching a big barracuda on 20 pound test rod. Way to go guys and thanks again for fishing aboard the Hooked Up.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

(Click to enlarge)

Sep 15

Today we had Greg, Mike and Mike all from New York out for a little deep sea fishing aboard the Hooked Up.
Once again we started out trolling the reef picking at the king fish and bonitos.
After catching plenty of kings we brought in the trolling gear and set out some live baits along with a couple shark baits. While we never did see any sail fish we did manage to hook into a monster shark and the fight was on. It took a good 25 min to finally reel him to the boat. After catching and releasing this monster we are not sure who was hurting the worse Mike or the shark (LOL) I’m pretty sure Mike got the short end of the stick because the shark swam away in great shape but mike looked pretty beat for the rest of the day.
Thanks again guys for fishing aboard the Hooked Up.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

(Click to enlarge)

Sep 18

Ok so today we had a little batcher’s party going on with a total of 9 guys so we were going to need 2 boats for this trip.
We ended up fishing aboard the Shooting Star and the Hooked Up.
Aboard the Hooked Up we had Matt from ft Lauderdale, Dane from Boca Florida, Julio and Butch both from right down here in Ft Lauderdale.
And aboard the Shooting Star we had the Groom to be Greg from Dallas Texas, Jared from Denver Co, Brandon also from Dallas, and Mike and Sean from New York.
The shooting Star went trolling while the Hooked Up went for kite fishing with live baits suspended from the kites. I must admit that fishing was pretty slow today but both boats managed to walk away with some nice fish being caught. The Hooked Up ended up with a monster barracuda caught by Matt and the shooting Star did do a deep drop catching a nice amber Jack.
Thanks again guys and Greg best of luck to you and your new bride.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

(Click to enlarge)

Sep 25

Ok today was kind of a special trip for our anglers. The other day we had Steve from Boca Raton Florida pulled up and was asking about a fishing trip he wanted to plan for a surprise for his new bride Terry who was turning 39 years old and holding. Steve also thought he would surprise her by bring along her kids Kelly, Sean and Phil.
I’ve got to be honest here the last few days we have had fishing trips but due to the weather being windy and rainy and a full moon to boot fishing just has not been very good so I have not posted any fishing reports. Today Steve really wanted to try to catch Terry a sail fish and truth being told I really thought that the chances of that happening were slim to none.
But all the same we picked up a dozen live baits from the bait boat on our way out and we started running to the south about 5 miles off the coast of Holly Wood Florida.
Once we got to where we were going to fish I noticed the water had a nice green to blue edge and fishing conditions looked pretty good. So we set out both our kites with live baits suspended from them and the wait was on. Our first bite was on the short bait right next to the boat and Terry jumped in the chair. It turned out to be a big bonito. Ok the skunk was out of the box! As we got the baits set right back out there we seen a big splash by our right long kite bait and the line seemed to just start walking off. Captain Greg got Kelly in the chair and as she started reeling it in but then the fish just took off and we were Hooked Up again. This fish turned out to be a monster barracuda 50 inches long.
Way to go Kelly.
Once again we got all the baits set up when all of a sudden here comes this sail fish after our right short bait right behind the boat. Captain Greg just let him swim away with the bait. All of a sudden he came out of the water jumping. We went ahead with the boat the rod bent over line was peeling off the reel and we were Hooked Up with a sail fish. I don’t think I need to say who got in the chair but let’s just say that 39 and holding was fighting a big sail fish at this point. (LOL)
Holly cow we were so excited because first of all fishing had been so slow the last few days and second we actually got Steve what he wanted to hook Terry up with a sail fish. While everyone was hooting and hollering and Terry was fighting her sail fish Captain Greg yelled up to me to look and see if I seen anything next to our left long kite bait? As I looked for it up came anther sail fish jumping all over the place. Now we had two sails on at the same time. Sean jumped in the chair and now the double fight was on.
After a good 15 min we got Terry’s Sail close enough for Greg to get him into the boat for a quick measurement and a couple photos to have a replica trophy made of her B Day sail fish. After another 5 min we got Sean’s sail next to the boat. We got a few photos of his fish next to the boat and watched him swim away in good shape.
Holly cow what an exciting fishing trip. Once again happy 39th Terry!
Steve thanks again for fishing aboard the Hooked Up.
Captain Taco 99540 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

(Click to enlarge)