It's common to see a Great White Shark caught in Florida during the winter. They're like water snowbirds, escaping the cold weather up north. But normally they're found in the Gulf, not off the coast of Fort Lauderdale.
Captain J.J. Logan of Marlin My Darlin Sportfishing was on charter with a guest from New York. They were fishing for sailfish and mahis until the last hour of the charter when they spotted the Great White approaching the boat. They baited a hook, cast into the water and then spent the next several hours reeling the beast in.
All in all, they battled the shark for 2 and a half hours before they were able to collect it.
They took some pictures and video and then released it back. The Great White Shark is federally protected, so they had to release it. It's also a good idea to have the release on video in case you're questioned. Here's another video of the catch.
The shark was male and estimated to be 13 feet long and over 1,000 pounds. That's essentially the weight of a concert grand piano. Or 7 kegs of beer, however you choose your unit of measurement. Logan told WSVN "“It’s pretty much the coolest thing you’ll ever see off the coast here. It’s the rarest fish you’ll ever see in your life, and to catch one in a lifetime is pretty remarkable.”
With the extreme cold weather up north, it's normal for so many sharks to migrate down to Florida. Just not usually around Fort Lauderdale. Southwest Florida and the Keys much more so. If you're on Fort Myers Beach and you wade out into chest deep water - yeah there's sharks. I never really knew how many until I flew 'low and slow' in a seaplane over the gulf. You can see all the little black specks in the water. Those are sharks.
As for this Great White Shark caught off Fort Lauderdale, this happened two miles offshore.
That's far away from the beaches. Really, it's too cold this weekend to go swimming, anyway. Tomorrow's high is only 65 degrees. Here's some better ideas.
Florida Has 3 Of The Top 10 Bass Fishing Lakes In The Country
The state of Florida continues to show as a top destination for fishing in the latest "Top 10 Best Bass Lakes of 2023." The annual rankings come from the highly regarded Bassmaster. Theyshow that when it comes to bass fishing lakes, Florida is a clear choice. And with winter approaching in the north, many will be flocking down here to Florida to fish.
In a press release, Roger Young, FWC Executive Director stated, “We take a tremendous amount of pride in managing our freshwater fisheries. The recognition of multiple Florida waterbodies in the Best Bass Lakes is a testament to our commitment to preserve the well-being of our aquatic ecosystems while promoting recreational fishing in Florida,”
Fishing is a big part of the Florida lifestyle. Whether you're out in the gulf fishing for grouper, or just passing the time at the retention pond at your Fort Myers condo. People here love to fish. But sometimes you want to hit a lake and do some bass fishing. Fortunately for us, 3 of the top 10 lakes in the U.S. for catching bass are right here in Florida.
If you're up for a road trip, number one on the Bassmaster list is the O.H. Ivie Lake. The lake is a reservoir on the Colorado and Concho Rivers, 55 miles east of San Angelo, Texas. The reservoir was formed when a dam was built in 1990. They're seeing a lot of double digit bass being pulled from there this year. Some of these spots will be best if you wait until spring. Do your research, but here's some ideas to get you started.
Here's the Florida lakes that made the top 10.
5. Fellsmere Reservoir
Sometimes known as Headwaters Lake or Lake Egan, this is a 10,000-acre manmade lake in Indian River county. This place was made to be a bass fishing lake with underwater features and am ideal habitat. Recommended lures are topwater lures and weedless soft plastic jerkbaits or stickbaits. When the lake was originally flooded, it was stocked with 1,000,000 Florida bass.
8. Orange Lake
This lake is 20 miles southeast of Gainesville. A lot of vegetation on this lake, making some areas inaccessible. The deeper areas are good fishing for largemouth bass. This lake also features a handicap-accessible pier with a fish attractor to provide for good fishing.
10. Lake Okeechobee
In the Seminole language, this literally means 'big water'. Because Lake O is so heavily affected by rainfall, it's levels vary. The current restriction "For largemouth bass only one may be 16 inches or longer in total length per angler per day, with no minimum length limit. The bag limit remains the same, at five." Because the releases of Lake O always make negative headlines here in SWFL, it's easy to forget that it's a really good spot for bass fishing.
Some Florida lakes that just missed the top 10.
Lake Tohopekaliga
Lake Toho is an 18,810-acre lake located southeast of the city of Kissimmee. The FWC has installed fish attractors, so check here for locations of the best spots.
Lake Seminole
A reservoir at the juncture of the Florida, Georgia, and Alabama state lines. 80% of this lake is in Georgia, but Florida fishers can fish up to an imaginary line. More details on that here. Beautiful place.
Lake Placid
Lake Placid has 27 freshwater lakes. Cool small town. I like it because it's not too far from here. My neighbor has a place on one of those lakes and it's a really nice change of pace from Southwest Florida.
Lake Panasoffkee
This place is more well known for it's trails, but four spring-fed creeks enter the lake which provides for some solid bass fishing. Bass as big as 8 pound on up to double digits. Just to the northwest of Orlando.
Lake Istokpoga
Lake Istokpoga is five miles northeast of Lake Placid. There's fishing resorts on the lake with accomadations. Excellent largemouth bass fishing can be done from the bank near the canal.
Lake Rousseau
West of Ocala, this is a man made reservoir on the Withlacoochee River. A real old Florida feel out here. You might even see a manatee.
Rodman Reservoir
This one comes as a recommendation from Captain Debbie Hanson, host of ESPN Reel Talk Radio. This man made lake is a premier largemouth bass fishery located in Putnam County in Northeast Florida. North of Ocala.
