OFF THE WATER THIS WEEK
Just came off a solid two weeks of trips out of Cox Landing, and the water is starting to feel different out there. Surface temps are still pushing 84 degrees on the edge, but the mornings have a hint of that fall crispness. Weed lines have been scattered but productive, and the color change out past the 400 sits clean most days.
We ran a mix of half day reef trips and full day offshore runs on Cool Runnings. The Contender has been getting worked, and the fish box is telling the story of a bite in real transition. Late summer species are hanging on, and fall players are starting to punch the clock.
If you fish South Florida enough, you know September is a swing month off Fort Lauderdale. One day feels like August with flat calm seas and a lit up mahi bite, the next feels like fall with a north breeze and sails popping. That mixed bag is exactly what makes right now so fun to fish.
Book the right week, and you can put a bent rod on almost anything that swims off Broward County. Here is what has actually been coming over the rail on Cool Runnings this week, plus what to expect through October.
MAHI ARE THINNING BUT STILL THERE
The mahi bite that fed us all summer is starting to slow down, but do not write it off yet. We are still finding schoolies from 5 to 12 pounds working scattered weed lines out past 500 feet. The bigger cows and bulls, the ones we were catching in the 25 to 40 pound class in July, have mostly moved on with the water.
Frigate birds and terns are still your best indicator this time of year. Anytime we spot a bird pile working bait on the surface, we run to it hard and pitch live pilchards or rigged ballyhoo. Trolling small ballyhoo behind blue and white sea witches has been putting fish in the box in the top water column.
The magic depth this week has been 500 to 900 feet, especially where the color change stacks against any floating debris. One trip last Tuesday, we boxed 14 dolphin off a single palm frond that had a school of 8 to 10 pounders under it.
Not every day is like that, but the ones that are pay off big. If you want a shot at the last of the mahi run, book an offshore fishing charter now while they are still around. Once the water cools past 80 degrees, they push south fast.
BLACKFIN TUNA SHOWING ON THE HUMPS
This is the report I have been waiting to write. The blackfin tuna have started showing up on the local humps, and the bite has been picking up steam every week since mid August. We hooked our first solid class fish, a 22 pounder, on August 28th out on The Hump southeast of Fort Lauderdale.
Since then, we have been putting a few tuna in the box on most trips that push past 40 miles. Small ballyhoo pulled fast with a squid chain teaser has been the ticket in the spread. Live pilchards on a flat line back into the wake of a working bird pile will get eaten by anything with fins nearby.
The key is running fast enough to trigger the tuna, but not so fast you cannot get the spread down when a school pops up. Blackfin usually run 8 to 15 pounds this time of year, with occasional 20 plus fish mixed in for a real workout.
They fight three times bigger than they measure and eat like a dream on the grill fresh. If you have never caught one, they will change how you feel about tuna as a species. Full day trips out of Fort Lauderdale are your best bet to reach the humps and give them a proper working over.
REEF BITE: MUTTON, LANE, AND RETURNING KINGFISH
The reef has been holding up all summer, and September just makes it better. We have been anchoring on the 90 to 120 foot reef edge and putting steady mutton snapper in the 6 to 14 pound range in the box. A live pilchard on a knocker rig with 30 pound fluorocarbon leader has been the go to setup.
Fish it right on the bottom, be patient, and set hard when the rod loads up. Lane snapper have been thick between the wrecks off Hollywood and Dania. These fish are one of the best table species we catch, and a slow half day will fill a cooler on the right tide.
Bring cut squid and small chunks of bonita, and drop straight down to structure in 100 feet of water. The kingfish story is the one to watch closest. We started marking the first real schools out on the 200 foot edge two weeks ago running north.
Slow trolling live blue runners or drifting kite lines will get bit as the water cools through September and October. By month end, the king bite should be in full swing along the color change. If you want steady action with something for the dinner table, a bottom fishing charter is the smart call this month.
FIRST FRONTS ARE COMING, AND THE MULLET RUN IS ON
The first weak cold fronts are just starting to brush South Florida, and every one of them shifts the bite. When a front pushes through, we usually see a two or three day slow down while the fish reset, then the bite fires back up hotter than before. The water clears, the bait pushes down, and everything eats.
The bigger news for anyone fishing the beaches: the mullet run has started. Silver mullet have been streaming south along the beach in Hollywood and Dania Beach, and the predators are on them hard. Snook are stacked in the inlet and along the beach troughs, tarpon are rolling in the deeper cuts, and jack crevalle are crashing bait balls right in the surf.
We have been running inshore fishing trips specifically to chase the mullet run action. Sight casting a rolling tarpon on a live mullet is one of the top experiences in Florida fishing, and it happens right here in Broward County for the next six to eight weeks.
Snook season opens back up September 1st, so you can even take one home for the table within the slot limit. If you have kids or family visiting town, an inshore mullet run trip is my top recommendation. Short run, calm water, big fish, plenty of action, and photos in our Cool Runnings fishing gallery to prove it.
SAILFISH ARE STARTING TO SHOW
Every year the first sailfish singles start showing off the edge in September, and 2026 is right on schedule. We released our first sail of the season on August 30th, a small fish maybe 40 pounds, off Pompano Beach in about 180 feet of water. Not the January double digit days yet, but a real sign of what is coming.
Through September and October the sail bite builds slowly but steady. By late October we will be running full kite fishing setups on north wind days. By December we should be in full peak sailfish mode off Fort Lauderdale, chasing tournament class action.
Right now, we are prepping kites, checking rigger clips, and tying up plenty of circle hook leaders for goggle eyes and threadfin. If you want to sight fish sails as the season builds, book a full day trip on a north wind day. The bite gets better every week from here through the winter peak.
For the full fall season primer, our breakdown of fall fishing tactics for South Florida lays out how we shift the game plan as the water cools. Give it a read before you book if you are new to fishing this stretch of coast.
BOOK YOUR SEPTEMBER TRIP
September and early October are honestly some of my favorite dates to fish out of Fort Lauderdale each year. You get the last of the mahi, the first of the sailfish, a full reef bite, and the mullet run all overlapping in the same month. Weather is generally cooperative before the peak of fall front season kicks in.
Crowds thin out after Labor Day, which means less pressure on the fish and easier access to the ramp. Weekends are already filling up fast on the Cool Runnings calendar. If you want a specific date this month or next, do not wait to lock it in.
We fish out of Cox Landing on a 32 foot Contender with twin outboards, so we can cover water fast. That means we can reach the humps for tuna, the reef for snapper, or work the beach for tarpon depending on what is biting best that morning.
Call or text Captain Jason at (954) 806-0005 to talk through what you want to catch this fall. Or head straight to the Cool Runnings booking calendar to check open September and October dates. Get on the fall bite before the calendar fills up on you.
