Big mutton snapper caught by Ryan on our drift boat trip
There’s a good bite happening now on our drift and anchor fishing trips. Mutton snappers are adding some bigger fish to mix of our regular catches of yellowtails, mangroves, grunts, porgies and triggers. I’ve noticed a trend that the fish are biting better later in the day and into the night more so than the mornings the past few days. That is typical in the winter months, so try to shoot for afternoon or night fishing trips if you can, the bite might be a bit better. We’re also into our last few days of grouper season this year (they go out of season on January 1) so get out there and get your 2023 red, black or gag grouper. It’s a long offseason for grouper, closed all the way until May 1, so this is the last shot saloon to get one. December is usually one of the best months of the year for groupers.
Nice kingfish caught by this young angler out of Fort Lauderdale
Pelagics such as kingfish, blackfin tuna, mahi and sailfish are also out there and ready to be caught. We catch these on both our drift fishing trips AND our sportfishing charters, but the sportfishing charters definitely have the advantage in going after these big guys as they go trolling where the boat is moving and you cover a lot more territory. These larger pelagics love the cooler ocean temperatures and sometimes snap when the conditions are right. General rule for these bigger game fish is that the strong East winds (the roughest/choppiest wind direction) gets them hungry and frisky for us. Whichever trip you’re going on, good luck out there and may the force be with you!
Sea you on the water,
Capt. Andy Roydhouse
www.FishHeadquaters.com
754-214-7863
Mahi-mahi caught on our sportfish charter out of Fort Lauderdale.
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