| January |
Sailfish, Wahoo, Tarpon (canals) |
Kite fishing offshore, canal night fishing |
Peak sailfish season; tarpon in the urban canal network year-round |
| February |
Sailfish, Blackfin Tuna, Tarpon |
Kite baits, chunking, canal fishing |
Sailfish continue strong; blackfin tuna on the color changes |
| March |
Sailfish, Cobia, Mahi |
Kite fishing, sight-casting cobia |
Final sailfish month; cobia appear; first mahi on weedlines |
| April |
Mahi, Cobia, Tarpon |
Weedline trolling, live bait |
Mahi arrive in force; tarpon migrating through the canal system |
| May |
Mahi, Tarpon, Swordfish (daytime) |
Trolling weedlines, live bait, deep drops |
Mahi peak; tarpon in canals; daytime swordfish deepdrop trips begin |
| June |
Swordfish, Mahi, Tarpon |
Daytime deep drops 1800 ft, trolling |
Fort Lauderdale pioneered daytime swordfishing — peak in summer |
| July |
Swordfish, Mahi, Wahoo |
Deep dropping, offshore trolling |
Offshore at full peak; swordfish, mahi, and wahoo all available |
| August |
Wahoo, Mahi, Tarpon (canals) |
High-speed trolling, weedlines |
Wahoo builds; tarpon in canals very active in summer heat |
| September |
Wahoo, Sailfish (early), Blackfin |
Trolling, chunking offshore |
Fall transition; wahoo peaks; early sailfish starting to appear |
| October |
Sailfish, Wahoo, Blackfin Tuna |
Kite fishing, trolling |
Sailfish season builds strongly; wahoo still excellent |
| November |
Sailfish (PEAK), Wahoo |
Kite fishing live baits |
PEAK sailfish season; one of best ports in Florida for winter sail |
| December |
Sailfish, Kingfish, Tarpon |
Kite fishing, live bait |
Sailfish at full stride; kingfish nearshore; tarpon in canals |