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Shark Fishing

Experience the Biggest Thrill of All

Shark Fishing in South Florida Aboard the Hooked Up

South Florida offers a wide variety of coastal sharks ranging from the Black Tip Shark, Hammer Head, Mako, Thresher, Bull Shark, Tiger Shark and the list goes on and on. Some of these sharks like the Bull Shark and Spinner Shark take up residency on some of the hundreds of ship wrecks off our Florida coast. Most sharks can be found in water as shallow as 60 feet and as deep as 400 feet. Some sharks will cruise the depths of 300 feet near our continental shelf looking for a meal, while other sharks can be seen skimming the surface with their infamous dorsal fin out of the water searching for a quick meal. Because of South Florida’s warm waters, healthy reefs full of life, and all kinds of delicious shark food, Fort Lauderdale offers some of world’s best shark fishing.

The Hooked Up’s Method of Ft. Lauderdale Shark Fishing

When fishing for these pelagic monsters we like to set up in about 350 feet of water with 4 baits suspended from our kites, 3 of which are live baits and one big dead kingfish of bonito. We also like to put big dead bait on the bottom and a last dead bait about 150 feet down connected to a balloon for a bobber. When a shark comes in after one of the kite baits it truly is a sight to see with its ever so perfect circles around its prey getting tighter and tighter with each turn and then BAM the water explodes. With our mid bait connected to the balloon it just about as exciting as watching the kite bait getting eaten. All of a sudden you see the balloon skipping across the surface and then it’s gone; the rod bends over and hang on! The bottom bait is always the biggest surprise of all.

Everyone is sitting around watching our very nervous kite baits and with every passing wave, you start to question yourself, “did the balloon just move”? Than out of nowhere and without any warning, the deep rod bends over and line just starts screaming off the reel and you are Hooked Up. When you get in the fighting chair, hanging on to this huge fishing rod, and the line is just peeling off the reel as if it’s never going to stop, the rush is like no other you have ever experienced

A few of Our Anglers Favorite Sharks to catch in Ft. Lauderdale include…

Hammerhead Sharks

One of the most distinctive looking fish in the world. Clearly showing off their prehistoric look, other sharks have been known to avoid the great hammerhead out of fear of being eaten. Aboard the HookedUp, we catch and release a larger number of Hammerheads year round. After a fun battle fighting a Great Hammerhead, we can land the shark, take measurements for a beautiful Wall Mount, take some pictures, and release the shark to fight again another day. Even though we catch these sharks year round, the hammerheads tend to take up residence in the Spring time. During the months of March, April, May and June with just a little bit of murky water and the current flowing northward, our odds of getting you Hooked Up with one of these bad boys is as good as it gets!

Mako Sharks

Known for being one of the fastest sharks in the world, Mako’s would be a welcome patient for a dentist with their set of razor sharp crooked teeth. With speeds of over 20 mph, the Mako is a prized fighter that can put on a spectacular air show when Hooked Up. These huge sharks can fly out of the water like a rocket and head for the depths like a submarine. You would never guess that these magnificent game fish would be very tasty to eat. A nice fish could feed a couple of football teams but we all know enough family and friends to share some fillets with. As good as these sharks are to eat, they are one of my favorite trophy’s to mount on the office wall. Oh yea, we can land this shark, take measurements with some pictures, and release this bad boy to battle again another day. Mid-March to Mid-April with a deep blue water and a hard flowing north current is the time to strap you in and battle this awesome game fish!

Thresher Sharks

Thresher sharks are a common catch for the Hooked Up off the coast of Ft Lauderdale. Unlike the Hammerhead, the Thresher looks to be from the future as an alien visiting from outer space. Easily identified with its super long tail that can measure as long as their body, purple in color, and baseball size eyes, the Thresher Shark is truly a catch of a life time. This shark uses its tail to “thresh” at the bait fish and stun it. The Thresher then circles its prey in almost perfect geometric measurements which get tighter and tighter until there is a huge explosion on the surface and you are Hooked Up! The Thresher is very powerful and the fight is like no other. Like most sharks in south Florida, we catch the Thresher year round. The best months to improve your odds to catch this brut would be March and April. Throw in clear blue water with the infamous north current flow and we’ll all be counting the minutes until this monster pays a visit!

Shark Facts

  • The hammerhead shark has the best sense of smelling.
  • Bull Sharks have been seen swimming up the Mississippi River.
  • No one has ever seen a Great White Shark give birth in the wild.
  • Sharks have the most powerful jaws on the planet.  Unlike most animals’ jaws, both the sharks’ upper and lower jaws move.
  • A shark may grow and use over 20,000 teeth in its lifetime
  • One of the reasons that sharks are such successful predators is that they have such super senses.
  • Two-thirds of a shark’s brain is dedicated to its keenest sense — smell.
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