Anybody ever gone after Sailfish?

Let me first say that I love my wife. Love her.


No really, I mean it. I've got a big birthday coming up (one of those that ends in a 0) and she wanted to surprise me with something I'd remember forever, so she booked a charter to go after sailfish in Ft Lauderdale. I have no experience chasing after bill fish of any sort and I'm assuming the captain will have a lot of experience and will be doing all that he can to make the trip a big success. That said, I believe in learning all that I can about such a special species and I thought I'd lean on the community here to see if anyone could provide me any advice on what to expect.

Thanks in advance!

First off, Happy Birth day!
Bill fishing can either be REALLY boring, or, balls to the wall .
The capt and deck hands will try to get you on fish, if they do you WILL be coached on the what 4s and how comes by the crew.
The biggest thing to do right off the bat is let the crew know you are nooby at this type of fishing and they will handle the rest, your job is to hang on and learn.

Of course ....... TAKE A CAMERA and get lots of pictures.

Little secret , Tell the skipper there will be an extra $20.00 or $50.00 in the tip for every Sailfish caught and released ALIVE, they will work a little harder for ya.

Remember the crew works for tips on most of those sport fishers, I usually tip 15%/20% Minimum on chartered trips.

one100grand said:

Let me first say that I love my wife. Love her.


No really, I mean it. I've got a big birthday coming up (one of those that ends in a 0) and she wanted to surprise me with something I'd remember forever, so she booked a charter to go after sailfish in Ft Lauderdale. I have no experience chasing after bill fish of any sort and I'm assuming the captain will have a lot of experience and will be doing all that he can to make the trip a big success. That said, I believe in learning all that I can about such a special species and I thought I'd lean on the community here to see if anyone could provide me any advice on what to expect.

Thanks in advance!

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When and who are you going to fish with - Let me know and I most likely will be able to provide you with some "reel" good tips. Sails are great fun to fish for and put on a great jumping show. If they are not around sharks are also fun to play with.

I have. We have done pretty good out of hatteras, nc. If its a charter, you will be fine. Take a camera and adult beverages if u like them. Take some dramamine or equivilent just in case. I now take a chewable before I go offshore as does our capt. I got seasock the first time a couple years ago (mostly a hangover) but do jot want to do it again. U will have a blast.

If you are on a good boat,the mate and capt should put you right on the fish. Never let any Billfish have slack......he will likely spit the hook......a good charter will do most of the work for ya and hand the rod off to you for the fight. If you get the chance ask them to fly a Kite for you......nothing like a pissed off sail eating a kite bait......especially if you tease him. Gogle eyes are my favorite live bait for sailfish.

fool4fish1226 said:

When and who are you going to fish with - Let me know and I most likely will be able to provide you with some "reel" good tips. Sails are great fun to fish for and put on a great jumping show. If they are not around sharks are also fun to play with.

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I'm going out on the Lady Helen with Capt. Jeff next Friday, Jan 11.

Nope, but hope you catch a big'un!!!

I just thought I'd follow up on this story a little bit since we've gone and come back to FL (now I understand what you guys mean about not wanting to leave Florida).

My wife's first trip on a boat into the ocean did not go well.
We were in 10' + swells the entire time and the wind didn't help me any either. We only had a couple of solid hits and one run on a bait - other than that it was a lot of rocking in the ocean. One of the real highlights was listening to Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb while drifting at sea.

Pink Floyd is always awesome while on a boat