Feb 3

January was a great month of fishing and we hate to see it go. But February can also be one of our best months and with the cold fronts we’ve been having we are looking forward to a banner month.
We came to work today with no trips on the books but this all changed once our phone rang. Some guy named Magnus asked if there was any way they could book a last min trip with us. I don’t know who was happier about the fishing trip today Magnus or us? You see fishing conditions were perfect and the sails had been biting all week so we were just as eager to get out there as Magnus was.
Magnus got to the boat and brought along his wife Annelie and the rest of his family Eva, Peter and Tore all from Sweden.
Once we got out into the ocean to 150 feet of water we set out both kites with 2 live baits suspended from each kite our wait started but not for long. After about 20 min of waiting we seen a big splash by our right long kite bait the rod bent over and our first battle of the day was on.
Peter jumped in the chair and reeled in a nice black tip shark. Ok not a monster but the skunk was out of the box and they had a ball catching their first shark.
Once we got the baits all back in place BAM another bite on the same right long bait but this time line was peeling off the reel like a freight train and all of a sudden out came this monster sail fish dancing all over the surface. (YAHOO WERE OUR ANGLERS EVER HAPPY AND EXCITED)At first it was a little hectic trying to get Tore in the chair and trying to get everyone to settle down so we could explain to him how to reel this sail fish to the boat. Finally everyone settled down and Tore got into the grove of lifting the rod up and reeling his way down again and again and before we knew it he had his first salt water catch to the boat. As it turned out Tore did a lot of fresh water fishing back home and we had no idea that it had always been his dream to catch a bill fish.
I’ve got to say I have been involved in thousands of sail fish being caught over the years but every once in a while it takes someone like Tore to remind me why I love what I do so much and I don’t think it is for watching these beautiful fish light up like they do I think it is sometimes more to watch someone who has never do this before light up like a Christmas tree.
After a couple of quick photos of this sail fish next to the boat we cut the leader as close to the hook as possible and watched him swim away in great shape and got the baits right back out there.
Just as we got all the baits set back out there BAM another one of our baits was attacked on the short left kite bait this time. Another black tip shark and now Eva jumped in the chair and reeled her first shark to the boat.
Just as we were letting our second shark go I seen a big swirl out on our right long kite bait and once again a big sail fish started dancing all over the surface.
This time Magnus jumped in the chair and the fight was on. Sorry to say that after about 5 min of fighting this one got away
What a great morning of fishing everyone said that we had made their whole vacation and that this was the best day of their vacation.
Thanks again guys and have a ball on your cruse.
While the rest of the country is freezing right now sunny South Florida is a cool 61 degrees out right now and fishing is RED HOT so give us a call and let’s get you HOOKED UP.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

Feb 4

Today we had and old costumer or should I say good friend aboard Tim Bridges from Champion Ill who has been fishing with me for over 18 years now.
I still remember his first trip with me how we caught a monster hammer head shark that is still hanging on his wall today. I also remember that my son Luis was on that trip and so was Tim’s son Timmy and I don’t think ether kid was over 3 feet tall back then. TIMES have changed both kids are over 6 feet tall today and I guess we are a lot older. (LOL)
Anyways today Tim brought his son Timmy to try to catch him his first sail fish. We were a bit concerned about the weather but as it turned out we decided to fish a day earlier then we had scheduled to beat the bad weather coming. We had made the right choice. The weather was great and we had nice blue water with a good north current so hopes were high for catching a sail fish today.
Ok so enough of the BS we picked up some live baits on our way out and went right to 150 feet of water and set out both kites with two live baits suspended from each kite and the trap was set.
After waiting over a half an hour we had our first strike and a dolphin fish came jumping out of the water. Timmy jumped in the chair and the fight was on. After about 5 min Timmy reeled in dinner a 5 pound dolphin fish.
Ok not a monster and not the fish we were after but the skunk was out of the box. We got the baits all set right back out there and then it happen. BAM the bite we were waiting for a BIG sail fish came out of the water dancing all over the surface a Timmy wasted no time jumping in the chair. The fight was on. It was a big back and forth tug a war for over 20 min but at last Timmy’s first sail fish was caught.
Nice going Timmy and Tim thanks again looking forward to your next visit and my next hang over (LOL)
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

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Feb 5

Today we went out fishing with David from San Francisco, Mike from Kentucky, Jayson from South Carolina and Rick from Tampa Florida.
Once again we picked up some live baits and went right to kite fishing in about 170 feet of water. Our first bite was a good one and David jumped in the chair. No sooner did he get in the chair when this sail fish was trying to get out of the water. This fish was in the air more than he was in the water. It was a back and forth tug a war for a good 20 min but at last David got his first sail fish to the side of the boat.
After some high fiving and some hand shaking the baits went right back out there. And once again BAM we got another bite but this time this fish did not come jumping out of the water it was just digging down hard. Jason jumped in the chair and his fight was on. He ended up catching a 45 inch black tip shark.
Ok we were two four two and it seemed we could do no wrong when all of a sudden BAM another sailfish jumped on one of our baits and now Mike jumped in the chair and once again we were Hooked Up. But sorry to say that after about 4 min of fighting this was the one that got away.
Thanks again guys had a ball fishing with you and looking forward to fishing with you guys again soon.
Captain Taco (9540 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

Feb 10

Today we had David from Vardley Pa., Jim from New Town Pa. and peter from Montclair New Jersey out for an afternoon of deep sea fishing.

Everything seemed pretty much normal we had our 2 kites out with some live baits suspended from them and hopping to find a sail fish. We had even managed to catch a couple of little silky sharks that had been eating our baits. When all of a sudden I noticed another shark hanging around the boat. I yelled down to J.J. that this one was a bit bigger than the others that we had been catching. J.J. ran and got a steal leader or should I say a real light steal leader and casted out a bait. But by this point the shark had swam away from the boat and was heading for one of our kite baits that had monofilament leader on then. So J.J. reeled the baits up in the air and I hooked another kite clip to our kite rods and set out the bait with the wire leader and dropped it right in front of the shark. The second it hit the water he was all over it and we were Hooked Up.

At first we thought nothing of it but all of a sudden this shark came about 7 feet out of the water spinning and twisting all over the place. We had hooked a spinner shark and we had him on a real light leader so things did look good from the start.
I can’t recall who was fighting the fish but I do know that every time we would get the shark close to the boat he would just take off at will and we would have to start all over again. This went on for a good 30 min and we were trying to get a measurement of this shark to have a replica trophy made of him. Finally we got him close enough to the boat for J.J. to try to get him in the boat. That’s when things went from bad to worse the shark darted under the boat and now the line was wrapped around our rudder.
I figured that was it and this was going to be the one that got away. As I looked down I noticed that J.J. had taken his shoes and his shirt off and he was planning to jump over the side and clear the line from the rudder.
We all looked at him as if he had lost his mind but then just as he was going over the side the shark turned again and got untangled from the rudder. (TALK ABOUT LUCK) Buy this point the shark was getting a little tired and J.J. did manage to get him into the boat for a quick measurement and a couple of quick photos. But once he hit the deck he came back to life and man did he ever make a mess of the cock pit.
But once it was all said and done we got our measurement and the fish swam away in great shape.
Guys’ thanks again for a trip I’ll remember for a long time.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

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Feb 11

Today we had a few boats booked for a fishing trip by Suzano Pulp and Paper for a few hours this afternoon and as it turned out everyone had a ball. We really can’t take all the credit the fish had a lot to do with it all coming together.
We had the Hooked Up the Marlin My Darling and the Fox Sea and the stage was set for a little competition between the boats.
Our anglers consisted of John from Dallas Texas, Eladio out of Miami Florida, Peter from Wilton Manners Florida, Jedson out of Coral Springs Florida and Ed from St Louis Mo. All aboard the Hooked Up
We knew all 3 boats were out to catch the biggest fish but we also knew that the wind was dying out and we barely had enough wind to fly our kites so I decided since the little bit of wind that we did have was coming out of the north west and the current was running to the north. So I figured if we ran to the south we could spend most of the trip slowly bumping the boat to the north against the wind to keep our kites up in the air flying. Also knowing that we had a little north current that the baits suspended from our kite would fare just fine being slowly trolled with the current.
Ok so this was our plan but now all we needed was a fish to show up and make J.J. and I look like heroes. Surprisingly enough it did not take long till we got our first shot. I seen a big splash near our left long kite bait and almost at the same time the rod bent over and line started peeling off the reel.
Peter wasted no time jumping in the chair and the fight was on. Peter did a great job putting it to this fish and it turned out to be a black tip shark. Ok nice fish but not the big one we needed to pull this off.
J.J. wasted no time getting the baits set right back out and his quick hard work paid off in a big way.
All of a sudden out of nowhere right behind the boat came this sail fish all over our short right bait and within seconds we were Hooked Up and this fish was peeling line off the reel like a freight train.
This time John jumped in the chair and now the real fight was on. It was a back and forth tug a war for over 25 min but at last John came thru and got this big sail fish to the side of the boat. J.J. reached over and grabbed the fish and sled him into the boat for a quick measurement to have a replica trophy made of his catch and a few quick photos then we all watched him swim away in great shape to fight again anther day.
Now I’ve got to say all this happen in the first hour and a half of our little fishing tournament so this was by no means over yet. We kept bumping the boat ahead trying to keep our kites flying but before we knew it the both ended up in the water so we knew we were going to have to try a new plan of attack.
We decided on trying some deep drops on a ship wreck hopping to catch a big amber jack or a grouper but at this point not only had the wind let us down but the current also had stopped and there was just no getting a bite on the bottom.
The good news was that we only had about 10 min left to fish and at this point we were in first place.
BUT I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. Captain Steve on the Marlin My Darling was trolling dead baits with a dredge out (a dredge is a teaser with a bunch of artificial baits) and was really working the reef and at the very last second he finally got his bite. I don’t know how he pulled it off but as it turned out his fish was 2 inches bigger than ours.
On behalf of all three Captains we would like to thank Suzano Pulp and Paper for a fun afternoon of fishing.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

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Feb 14

Today we had Garden and Chris from Salamanca New York out for a few hours of deep sea fishing off the coast of Ft Lauderdale.
We started out trolling the reef with very little success. We just could not seem to find the king fish today so we decided to try trolling outside the reef in deeper water and before we knew it BAM one of our rigger baits got hit popped out of the out rigger and line started pelling off the reel. Just as we seen a big dolphin fish jumping on the other end of the line BAM another rigger popped free and now we had line pelling off both reels.
We were HOOKED UP!! It was tough having both fish on at the same time because the two lines got so close together a few times that we were worried that they would cut each other off. But at last luck was on our side. And before we knew it we had two big dolphin in the fish box both of the between 25 to 30 pounds.
Talk about a trip saver. We still had a little time left in our trip and by the time we got both fish in the box we noticed we were right next to a ship wreck that was down about 210 feet deep.
So J.J. hooked a live bait on and sent him to the bottom.
The second this bait hit bottom BAM once again we were HOOKED UP. It turned out to be a 30 pound golden amber jack.
Guys thanks for hanging in there and I guess it is true what they say (it ain,t over till it’s over).
I’ve got to say that it sure makes a trip when we pull it off and the very end of the trip.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344

Feb 15

Today we had Steve, Sara and Julian from Fort Lauderdale and Mike, Gordon and Chris from New York out for some deep sea fishing off the coast of South Florida.
We started out trolling the reef with 2 planners running deep and 3 surface baits skipping across the surface. While the bite was slow on the reef we did manage to catch a few king fish.
So we switched fishing teckneaks and went from trolling to kite fishing with 4 live baits suspended from the kites and one dead king fish for shark bait on the bottom.
At first we waited and waited with no bites than out of nowhere our deep rod with the shark bait on it bent over and line was just cracking off the reel.
Gordon jumped in the chair and the fight was on. It was a good 30 min or better fight but at last Gordon got this big bull shark to the boat.
Thanks again to all of our anglers today for a fun day of fishing.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

Feb 17

What a great day of fishing today aboard the Hooked Up.
This morning we started out with Ross and Juliet, Mike and Janet all from Hot Springs Ark.
This morning there would be no trolling we went right to kite fishing with our 4 live baits suspended from the kites and one shark bait on the bottom.
Ok so the trap was set and now all we needed was for some big fish to come along and have himself a nice big lunch. So we waited and waited and waited. We were just starting to think about trying something else when BAM our deep line with the shark bait on the other end bent over and we were HOOKED UP.
Mike jumped in the chair and the fight was on. It took mike a good 25 min when all of a sudden this fish we never expected to be on the other end of the line popped up. A Tiger Shark holly cow we just don’t catch many tiger sharks around here. Nice going Mike.
Ok the thoughts of switching fishing plans all changed now. We went right back to what we were doing in the first place and it once again paid off. Now a sailfish popped up and we were HOOKED UP again.
It took a good 15 min to reel this one to the side of the boat and things were looking better for us every second.
We also ended up catching a nice black fin tuna not a bad way to start out our day and we still had another trip to fish this afternoon.
As we got back to the dock we had Chris and Ben from Miami and Hector and Ben from Chicago ready to try their luck at a bit of deep sea fishing.
This trip we were looking to just catch as many fish as we could so we decided to try some trolling on the reef with 2 baits running deep on planner boards and 3 baits skipping across the surface.
I’ve got to say that today lady luck was with we because we ended up catching 12 kingfish, 2 bonitos and one nice mutton snapper.
Thanks again to all of our anglers today and we’re looking forward to fish you guys again soon.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

Feb 19

Today we went fishing with a couple of 15 year old kids from Boston Greg and Nick.
We knew we had no current and that fishing was slow. We tried trolling the reef for a while but all that turned out to catch us was 3 little lizard fish so we decided to try a bit of bottom fishing to see if we could keep these guys into it.
Well by the looks of what all the other boats had caught this morning we made the right chose.
We picked away at the bottom right on top of a ship wreck and ended up catching a big jack a couple red groupers a one monster runner.
We may not have set the world on fire today but we sure as heck made the most of what we had to work with and I’ve got to say they all had a ball and that’s what we’re really out here for.
Thanks again Greg and Nick and we’ll see you again next year.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) Sea-4344

Feb 20

Today we have a batcher party on our hands it seems Jason is tying the knot and has decided to spend a few hours drinking I mean fishing with some of his closest friends Brett, Richard, .J.R., Alex and Shan all from parts unknown.
We all decided that it was not big fish they were looking for it was just for a bit of action. So we went trolling the reef with 2 baits down deep and 3 skipping along the surface.
Well a bit of action would be an instatement we had pretty much none stop action from start to finish. It was one king fish after another and before we knew it we had more than enough.
Thanks again guys for a fun morning of fishing aboard the Hooked Up and Jason best of luck.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

Feb 22

Today we had Amy, Corinne and Terry all from Florida out for a few hours of deep sea fishing.
We had little to no current today and just some action was all they were looking for so we decided trolling the reef might give us the best odds in bending the rod for them.
As it turned out we had made the right choice as we worked our way down the reef with our 2 planner board running about 45 to 50 feet down the hits started coming and just kept coming. We ended up with our limit of kings and a great morning of fishing.
Thanks again guys for a great fun filled morning of deep sea fishing aboard the Hooked
Up.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) Sea-4344

Feb 23

Today we went out fishing with Bill and Connie from Pa. Once again all they were looking for was some action and once again the reef fishing did not let us down.
We set out two planner boards with bonitos strips trailing behind them about 60 feet back and three surfaces baits skipping across the surface and once again the king fish were biting like mad dogs. I don’t know how many we actually caught because we were catching them and then releasing them because we had our limit. And we also managed to catch a couple of big bummer bonitos also.
Thanks again guys.
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344

Feb 24

Today we had Carolyn, Lonnie and Curtis from Chicago out for a few hours of deep sea fishing aboard the Hooked Up.
And yes once again the reef was full of fish and like my dad always told me don’t leave fish to find fish so that was just what we did. We went right back to trolling the reef with our planner boards and our 3 baits skipping across the surface.
And yes once again the reef did not let us down and everyone got to catch as many king fish as they wanted. We ended up throwing back more than we caught because we had our limit of 2 per person in no time.
Thanks guys for all the laughs today and enjoy the rest of your vacation down here in Sunny South Florida before you guys get back to that great weather up in Chicago. (LOL)
Captain Taco (954) 764-4344 or toll free (877) SEA-4344