Today Mike and I had two half day charters on the Lady Pamela IV. On the morning charter we had retired NFL quarterback Elvis Grbac and his family out fishing for a four hour trip. We caught a few live baits then went to a shipwreck about 5 miles north of Port Everglades inlet. We baited the rods and on the first drop on the shipwreck we hooked a massive fish. Elvis's son had a great fight on his hands, but he finally brought in a huge amberjack. We trolled around for another hour or so with no more bites, and then tried a few hours of sharkfishing. The amberjack ended up being our only bite but at least we caught a nice one.
Afternoon
On the afternoon charter Mike and I caught some more live baits and then trolled for a few hours with no bites. We moved out into 350 feet of water and sat there for three hours, again with no success. It was just about time to reel everything up and go home when the mid bait rod bent over and we were hooked up.
Caitlyn, our 17 year old angler out with her father fought the mystery fish for a good 30 minutes before we caught a glimpse of a huge Mako shark. These are open ocean sharks that are only occasionally found closer to shore, so this was an exciting catch. Makos feed on swordfish, and we have been catching some swords during our nighttime swordfishing trips, so that may explain the presence of Makos in the area. This fish was a beauty, tipping the scales at 300 lbs and measuring over 8 ½ feet. Way to go Caitlyn!
