Our Daily Fishing Reports
Dancing Sail28 March 2010 Today the wind was blowing, but Brandon brought his friend from London fishing anyway. We went right out front and popped the kites. The current was ripping to the north. Before we knew it, we were up past Oakland Park. After about 45 minutes of drifting north with the kites up, and the goggle eyes deployed, a beautiful Atlantic Sailfish piled on the right long. The fish came up out of the water and was dancing all over the place. Brandon jumped in the chair and expertly fought the fish for about 20 minutes. Brett grabbed the leader and pulled the fish into the boat for some quick pictures and a safe release. Since the boys weren’t feeling so well by now, they decided to make their way back home and call it a day. When the conditions are right, the sailfish show up and make their presence known. Thanks for the trip and we look forward to seeing you guys soon.
Bonitos, Cudas and Jacks galore!27 March 2010 AFTERNOON TRIPSteve brought his family for the afternoon on the Miss Bonita 2. Since the fishing was decent this morning, and we found fish down south, we chugged our way back down. We put out the bug lines and caught several small bonitos pass after pass over the shallow wreck. Joey deployed one of the fresh live bonitos on the down rigger on a 20# spinning rod. WHAM! Hailey fought the first fish, a 40 pound amberjack on the light tackle! What a fight! They brought the fish boat side for pictures and sent it back. On the next pass, it was Sarah’s turn. Joey put out another live bonito and we made another pass. BOOM! Another killer bite right on the up current side of the wreck. This time it was a really nice barracuda. Again, we took quick pictures and we released the fish. Now it was Dad’s turn! We continued to fish the live bonitos around the wreck. Dad caught another big barracuda. All in all the family had a great time. The weather was excellent, the seas were calm and we found some real nice fish to fight. It was a beautiful ride home heading back up the coast line. Thanks for the trip. See you next year! Giant Rainbow Runner27 March 2010 MORNING TRIPMitchell joined us from New York for a birthday present from his wife, Lisa. She chartered the boat for him alone. What a great gift! We went right out to 350, hoping to take advantage of the big bite early. After a few hours, with every bait in the world out, we couldn’t get a bite. It was a beautiful day, the seas were calm and Mitchell was having a great time anyway. We picked up and ran south to a couple of our well known ship wrecks. It was great! The current was moving and the bullets were popping in front of the wreck. It didn’t take long to catch 4 or 5. We put one out on top and one out on the down rigger. The first pass, BOOM! A giant explosion right on top. It chopped the bait in half and Joey free-spooled the rest of it right on top of the wreck. This is a little risky. The fish turned around and inhaled the rest of the bait. Joey came tight and hung on. I can not believe we were getting this fish out of the wreck! Mitchell fought this fish for about 15 minutes up to the boat. It was a giant barracuda… the saber tooth tiger of the sea. This fish was 50+ inches long and well over 25 pounds. Nice catch! We went back to catching more bait on top of a shallow wreck. The long rod doubled over and we knew we hooked something bigger than a bullet bonito! Mitchell took his time winding this fish up to the boat. Joey got the leader and finger-tipped the fish hand over hand up to the boat. He dumped the leader 4-5 times before finally landing one of the biggest rainbow runners we have ever seen! He was about 8+ pounds. These fish are common, but definitely not this size!! That’s a cool catch! The boys had a few other chop-offs and a few pulled hooks on some other fish today. Everyone had a great time and Mitch had a great birthday! Thanks for the trip! “True South Florida fishing!”26 March 2010 Barry and Al joined the crew for an afternoon of Ft. Lauderdale fishing. These guys have fished out of Ft. Lauderdale many times in the past. Since there have been a lot of big game sharks migrating through the area, the boys decided to deploy a full spread out in 350.  It didn’t take too long and the bottom rod doubled over to the water. It was a great scalloped hammerhead! We brought the fish up to the boat side for a couple of killer pictures, a measurement and a safe healthy release. What a nice fish! It was fun watching Joey pulling on him on the wire. The boys had a little time left, so they chose to move their way towards the northern wrecks.  They caught a few bullets and went right to it. After the 2nd drop, WHAM! They had a great bite, sending the rod tip to the water. WOW! What a beautiful gag grouper. Unfortunately, grouper season is closed, so this one got decompressed and sent home to the deep. We did get great pictures right before the release.  I hope they open the grouper season soon! I would like to thank Barry and Al for joining us again on the Miss Bonita. We look forward to seeing them again next year. Sharks, a few bonitos caught, a couple scattered black fins and some dolphin24 March 2010 Tony joined us from New Jersey, along with his family and friends, to fish out of Port Everglades for a 4 hour trip. There wasn’t much going on today. The morning bite was slow for everyone. There were few bonitos caught, a couple scattered black fins and some dolphin. We decided to go big or go home. We ran out to 350, deployed 2 bottom baits and a slab out of the kite. We knew there wasn’t much going on, but we had a real good shot at catching a nice fish. It turned out to be a really long wait, like watching grass grow. About 1 hour into the trip, Brett hung a few bonito carcasses over the side of the boat.  Out of nowhere, this beautiful silky shark came from the east and bee-lined for the carcasses. There he is! Brett wound in the kite bait quickly as the shark was still circling under the boat. When the kite bait made it to the transom, Brett quickly pulled the carcasses in. All that was left was out baited hook.  The shark quickly turned on the bait and ate it. Brett fed the fish. We were tight! Tony’s son, TJ, jumped in the chair. This was the perfect size shark for this tough 10 year old to fight. In about 20 minutes, with a little help from the family, TJ had the shark boat side. Since this was his first shark, we decided to pull him in the boat for quick pictures, perfect measurement, de-hooked him and sent him back home unharmed.  It wasn’t the most productive day on the Miss Bonita, but we stuck it out and caught the family a cool catch. Thank you for joining us. We look forward to seeing you guys again real soon! South Florida fishing is heating up again!18 March 2010 The last 4 trips aboard the Miss Bonita 2 have been really quite productive. We have been catching several black fin tuna, skip jacks, and mahi mahi on the troll anywhere from 180 all the way out to 400 feet of water. Starting with trolling early in the morning has been our best bet. Then we have been switching over to live bait kite fishing with goggle eyes and blue runners. Also, we have been deploying a few large fresh baits on top, mid way down and on the bottom. These baits have been producing some unbelievable catches of our migratory big game sharks. These fish are a thrill of a life time to catch. You really never know what is going to bite. Our weather pattern has been getting better and better with each passing day. The NW winds have been keeping the ocean quite calm and enjoyable for all of our groups and their families. I am looking forward to the rest of March. I have a few days open, so please give us a call. Let's do some fishing!! Thank you to all of my customers for sharing our wonderful sport.
Fred strapped on the harness and fought this sea monster for 45 minutes22 March 2010 Well, the weather cleared up just in time for Fred and his wife to enjoy an afternoon of South Florida fishing. We headed out to 350 feet of water and set up 3 large bottom baits. After about 90 minutes, there was no action. We decided to give ourselves 30 more minutes when …WHAM! The rod doubled over and the top bait got bit! Fred strapped on the harness and fought this sea monster for 45 minutes. Finally, the fish got up to the boat. It was a gorgeous hammerhead shark!! The gang couldn’t be more excited!! The final tally for the afternoon was 1 hammerhead, dolphin and a black fin tuna. Thanks for the trip! See you guys next year!
4 hours of fishing in Fort Lauderdale22 March 2010 Bill joined us with his father and his 2 sons for 4 hours of fishing in Fort Lauderdale. The weather was a little bit overcast today, but that didn’t stop us! We headed out and went right to it. We started heading north for the bite. Brett sent the kites flying with a large shark bait on the bottom in about 125 feet of water. The rain started to pick up making it a little bit difficult to fly the kite. However, Brett managed to keep them up. After about 30 minutes of soaking the bonito, the bottom rod doubled over! Bob, one of Bill’s son’s, jumped in the chair and started the battle. With a great big fight, they brought a nice big bull shark boat side. Pictures were taken and the shark was released. Unfortunately, the rain was relentless and impacted the fishing. On the fortunate side, this was the first shark and the biggest fish that this family has ever brought in! Thanks for the trip! See you guys tomorrow!
Round 3! Aboard the Miss Bonita 2 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL17 March 2010 Amy and the gang showed back up this morning for a quick 4 hour to get one more day of fishing in. They were hoping to change their luck. We had lots of fresh baits from the day before, so once again we went right to it. We headed out to the deep to about 350 feet. We out a full spread out with live bait and big dead bait everywhere. To no avail, the crew was unable to get the BIG fish bite. After a few hours, we cleared the spread and went on the troll. There were a few other boats getting in on some dolphin action, so we decided to join them. The gang caught about 4 nice dolphin, a couple small black fin tunas and a bonito or 2. Again, it wasn’t the most action packed morning, but it was still a beautiful day and the seas were calm. Don’t give up Amy… next year we will hit it just right! I look forward to seeing the pictures and seeing you guys next year!
Repeat expedition on The Miss Bonita 216 March 2010 Amy and her family returned to fish with The Miss Bonita for their 2nd time. This has to be one of the nicest families that have joined our crew. They brought their 8 year old son this time. We stopped at the marina and purchased some baits, anticipating an early morning bite. I ran up north out to 210 feet. We set up just in front of a large ship wreck. Capt. Brett deployed the kites from the cockpit and put a beautiful spread of live baits and some big dead bait out. Unfortunately, it was a slow bite. We waited a long time for our first bite. The left long got bit… it was a beautiful mahi mahi. We decided to stick it out, thinking this would be our best shot at a big fish. Then… we waited some more! After about 35 minutes, the big bait out of the kite got eaten quickly. I went ahead with the boat and Wes jumped in the chair. We had a killer black tip shark on. Wes made short work of this beautiful creature. Carefully, we brought him into the boat for pictures and a measurement, then sent him back on his way. Once again, we set back up with anticipation of another really big bite. It didn’t sound like it was happening for any of the charter boats today. Unfortunately, it was a slow bite and a little frustrating not to keep the action going. It was an absolute beautiful day with the wind out of the northwest. It kept the seas calm and the whole crew happy. Thank you guys for joining us again down in South Florida!
Day of Jacks in Fort Lauderdale Waters14 March 2010 My crew took a trip with some folks that usually fish down in Miami. They had some business here in town, so they decided to fish with us. It was a beautiful day and we started out by trolling down to the south. We caught a few black fin tunas and a couple really nice big bonitos. When we got to the “stink hole,” or “the bubbler” as we like to call it, we noticed lots of bait popping all over. We switched over and put the bug lines out. After a few passes, we had loaded the bait well with several beautiful small baby bonitos, aka “bullets.” We picked up and kept running south. It was great! There was no one on the wreck! This particular spot is very popular with the divers. My guys deployed a bonito down to the bottom and BOOM! They were tight! The gang caught several really nice Almaco’s and 2 really big Greater Amberjack. Some real quality fish! This rounded out the day in a fun way! Thanks for joining us and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
The rain finally stopped and the seas laid down... time for some South Florida fishing13 March 2010 Thankfully, today started off much better than yesterday! We had some guests from Minnesota join the crew for a 4 hour trip this morning. The wind was blowing straight out of the southwest and the South Florida’s Atlantic Ocean was calm again.  We started the trip out with the standard trolling spread, looking for some kings to jump on. After about 45 minutes we decided to pop the kites, deploying the gog’s and the shark baits.  We sat in 350 for the remainder of the trip, finally getting one really nice bite on the bottom. We released a beautiful scalloped hammerhead.  On the way in, we stopped on the inside northern ledge of Port Everglades catching a couple of barracudas.  All in all, we all had a great time and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Couldn’t be better conditions to be out on the water! The wind started to pick up and the rain rolled in12 March 2010 Today was my first day back behind the helm since my beautiful baby boy was born. We had a trip planned for a multi-boat convention this afternoon. The morning started off looking a little on the overcast side, nothing unusual for South Florida. As the day progressed, and the trip went underway, the weather worsened. We poked out front of Port Everglades, noticing that the seas were 4-6 feet. The wind started to pick up and the rain rolled in. The rain was followed by nasty thunderstorms. Unfortunately, the trip was cut short without a catch of the day. Hoping for better weather tomorrow!
Miss Bonita is excited to announce the newest addition to our crew, Austin Dane Covitz!10 March 2010 Miss Bonita is excited to announce the newest addition to our crew, Austin Dane Covitz! My first baby was born yesterday weighing in at 5lbs 15oz and measuring 18.2 inches. A nice healthy baby bonito! .jpg) The crew has taken over the boat for the past few days while we start our new family. They say the fishing has been great with lots of shark hook-ups and king mackerel snapping on the troll. The weather has been beautiful typical Fort Lauderdale conditions. The Bahia Mar fishing dock has had every boat out all week long. Call today to reserve your spot on the Miss Bonita 2! Hot trolling bite for the South Florida sailfish1 March 2010 Josh and Beth joined us for a few hours this afternoon. They work here, in Fort Lauderdale, on a private boat named “The Inevitable.” Josh is a chef and Beth is a steward. It was a gorgeous afternoon and we decided to start the day by doing a little trolling in front of Port Everglades. Our first bite was a big bonito on the planer, and while we slowed down to fight this fish, both high lines came snapping down. They were 2 beautiful sailfish! I couldn’t believe it… it was so exciting! I came forward hard to help set the hooks. We were on! The fish both screamed off a few hundred yards of line in the same direction. We got the bonito into the boat quickly and then the chase was on to catch up to the speed demons. After about 30 minutes of chasing these guys down, we finally managed to get to one of them. We grabbed the leader and released the fish quickly. I spun back around and chased the other fish down. Once again, we reeled the fish right to the leader with another excellent release. Josh and Beth were having a great time! They plan to get a few more crew members together for another day of fishing aboard the Miss Bonita 2. The crew and I look forward to seeing them again! Thanks for coming out!
Swords are snapping in the Straights of Florida2 March 2010 The Miss Bonita 2 has been running a few night time sword trips. Our recent trip produced some really nice fish. We had multiple catches and several hook-ups. This fishery is one of the most interesting and exciting fisheries around. You never know what is out in the deep blue.  Deploying baits at the 100 foot mark, 200 foot mark, 300 foot mark and sometimes one even deeper have been really doing the job! Whole squid and large live goggle eyes and tinker mackerel have been the baits of choice. The spring time is a great time to target these fish, especially when we have beautiful calm sea conditions. So, lets get out there and slay some swords! Prevailing northwest winds are keeping the seas flat and calm5 March 2010 Well, down here in South Florida, we are still getting wave after wave of this beautiful cool weather. All the “snowbirds” are truly bringing it with them! Even though the temperatures are cold, the fishing has been heating up. The sailfish bite has been phenomenal with daily catches. The black fin tuna are busting bait anywhere from 400 to 600 feet of water. I know that we have been continuously talking about it, but the large migratory sharks have been really pouring through Fort Lauderdale. Using fresh king mackerel and small bonitos to target these large game fish has been working extremely well. Deploying baits on top and near the bottom has been the best way to go. The deep ship wrecks continue to produce some great catches including amberjacks, cobia, African Pompano and some decent snappers. We have also been targeting some grey tile fish on a few of the deeper rubble and rock piles that are found right out front of Port Everglades. I am looking forward to fishing the end of March and getting into April. Come on down and check us out. Lets get you out on the rip!!
We headed off shore out to about 500 feet where we found a big school of small black fin4 March 2010 Mark, from Nebraska, brought some of his employees down for a 2 boat charter. Mark owns several carpet and flooring outlets. The guys had a great year! Mark is rewarding them by a wonderful trip to South Florida for some fun in the sun and a great day on the water. It sounded like the boys had a great time the night before at the infamous Elbow Room on the corner of A1A and Las Olas Boulevard. So, to say the least, it was a rough start in the morning for some of the gang. Everyone showed up and we were ready for our morning adventure. We started the morning out by trolling south down the reef. There was not much going on.
We headed off shore out to about 500 feet where we found a big school of small black fin. The gang had a great time reeling these frisky tuna in. We caught about a half of a dozen and decided to go back in on the reef to try our luck at kite fishing. Brett expertly deployed each kite, with a beautiful spread of goggle eyes out with one shark bait down deep. As always, we were set up for a drift right over one of our great shallow ship wrecks. We waited about 45 minutes and finally a big Atlantic Sailfish popped his spindle out at the right short. He ate the bait! Brett fed the fish and we were tight! We fought the fish for about 20 minutes and got a really good look at him at the back of the boat. Unfortunately, the fish gave one last good head shake and, somehow, managed the throw the hook. It was a little disappointing for the gang, but at least they all got to see him! We were all a little discouraged about not landing the fish to the boat, but the gang enjoyed the moment. This was their first experience out on the Atlantic Ocean. The guys were great and I really look forward to seeing them again next year! Thanks for the trip. See you soon! A well full of goggle eyes and a couple of fresh king mackerel21 February 2010 Tony Sr. and Tony Jr. made their way from NY down to sunny South Florida for an afternoon 4 hour fishing trip. We already had a well full of goggle eyes and a couple of fresh king mackerel from the trip prior. We decided to go right to it. The wind was coming out of the SE with a pretty good north current. I ran down south a ways out in front of Dania Pier to 350 feet. Brett launched the right kite and deployed 2 live goggle eyes out on it. He then launched the left kite with a slab of king fish on the long, a live goggle eye for the middle bait and another gog for the short... now there were 4 livies on top and a slab for the shark. Brett then rigged a big king mackerel head for the bottom bait. We waited a while with no success. Brett decided to put another bait together for an entertainment rod with consisted of a 3 way with a long leader and a plug of fresh ballyhoo. He fired it down to the bottom and set it in the rod holder. We waited a few minutes when all of a sudden the entertainment rod doubled over to the water. We were on! We thought we had a nice grouper, snapper or who knows what! The leader was all mono with no wire... so when we got this beautiful 30lb black tip popped up, we were all really surprised that it didn't cut us off! We brought it up to the side for a quick picture and sent him free. We reset and Brett rigged another king mackerel head for the bottom rod. He put it back down on the bottom. I was watching the rod closely and it looked like it was getting nervous. Brett went over to the rod and said "O yea! Something is goin' on!" I went forward with the boat a little bit and the rod came tight. Tony Sr. got in the chair and brought up a beautiful 50lb amberjack from off of the sea floor. We brought the fish into the boat for a quick measurement and some great photos of the guys. We reset one more time but to no avail. It was getting late and it was time to head back to the barn. Tony Jr. and Tony Sr. had a great time. They never really experienced fishing quite like this before. They said they would be back. We look forward to seeing you at the end of March.
Port Everglades Sportfishing Report28 February 2010 The last few days of fishing in South Florida have been producing quite a variety of species. The weather has been classic early spring weather with westerly winds and calm seas. The common bites have been king mackerel early in the morning on the reef. Trolling planers with rigged ballyhoos down deep has really been producing some great quality kings. The shark fishing has been picking up with quite a few catches of hammerheads, silky sharks and, most recently, a couple of real nice tiger sharks have been caught migrating through South Florida. Finally, our shallow and deep ship wrecks have been consistently holding large amberjacks, cobia and snapper. Fishing with live bait on and around these ship wrecks seems to be the best producers for these beautiful game fish.
Call now to book a spring time fishing trip on the Miss Bonita 2. Dates are starting to fill up for March through May!! recent posts
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Miss Bonita 2 Sport Fishing Charter
801 Seabreeze Blvd
(Bahia Mar Resort & Marina - Dock " A")
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
Call Us Today At: (954) 815-6991
VIEW MAP HERE
Captain Stu Covitz
22 Yrs Experience Fishing in Florida
