Broward County, Florida
FORT LAUDERDALE FISHING CHARTERS
Private charter pickup for Fort Lauderdale guests. Half, three-quarter, and full days on the 32-foot Contender out of Cox Landing.
Fort Lauderdale fishing charters out of the Cox Landing put you on the Gulf Stream in under twenty minutes. Captain Jason runs the 32 ft Contender out of the same docks the local tournament boats use. Same-day options include Fort Lauderdale offshore fishing over the edge or inshore fishing up the Intracoastal toward Whiskey Creek. Pickup is steps from Bahia Mar Yachting Center and the 17th Street Causeway, so most groups walk to the boat from their hotel.
The 15th Street Fisheries dock sits at the south end of the Lauderdale Marina basin, a short idle from Port Everglades and the New River cut. From the slip, a half-day offshore run hits 250 ft of water in about fifteen minutes and the deeper sailfish ledges past 600 ft inside half an hour. That short run is the single biggest reason Fort Lauderdale fishing trips out-fish charters running from anywhere else on the southeast coast. More time with lines wet, less time burning fuel.
The Gulf Stream pushes within five miles of the Fort Lauderdale beach, closer than almost anywhere else in Florida. That ribbon of warm, fast-moving blue water is what brings sailfish, mahi, blackfin tuna, wahoo, and kingfish within reach of a half-day trip. Captain Jason has been working these waters for over a decade and times the morning departure around the tide push out of Port Everglades, when bait stacks at the inlet and predators follow it offshore. Groups looking to keep dinner can switch to bottom fishing over the local reefs and wrecks at 80 to 150 ft, where snapper and grouper hold up year-round.
Inshore trips run the opposite direction. The Intracoastal Waterway between Las Olas Boulevard and the Stranahan River fishes well for snook around dock lights, tarpon during the spring run, and jacks any month of the year. The Rhodan trolling motor lets the boat slip up on mangrove edges and seawalls without spooking fish.
North of the city, Hillsboro Inlet is the other deep cut. It comes into play when wind pushes seas hard against Port Everglades and the bite shifts. Anglers staying anywhere from Las Olas Beach down to John U. Lloyd Beach can be at the dock in under fifteen minutes.
Trips run year-round with no slow season, only different target species. Captain Jason fishes the same water the local tournament fleet fishes, including teams competing in events out of Bahia Mar and Pier 66. Most groups stay closer to Pompano Beach or Dania Beach for the boat ride, then catch the morning bite a few miles offshore. Review the full charter inclusions list before you book.
Where We Pick You Up
OUR NEIGHBORHOODS IN FORT LAUDERDALE
LAS OLAS & DOWNTOWN FORT LAUDERDALE
Hotels along Las Olas Boulevard, the Riverwalk, and the New River put you a five-minute drive from the 15th Street Fisheries dock. This is the easiest pickup for guests staying at the W, Pier 66, or the Riverside. We have run plenty of half-day offshore fishing trips for downtown bachelor parties and corporate groups.
BAHIA MAR & THE BEACH STRIP
The stretch from Bahia Mar south to Sunrise Boulevard and north to A1A is the densest cluster of fishing-friendly hotels in the city. Walk the bridge over the Intracoastal and you are at the boat. Most weekend offshore trips out of Cox Landing get booked by beach-strip guests who watched the charter fleet leave at sunrise.
CORAL RIDGE & EAST LAUDERDALE
The Coral Ridge canals and the deeper basins north of Sunrise hold snook, tarpon, and jacks year-round. This neighborhood is fifteen minutes north of the dock and a common pickup point for repeat clients booking dawn inshore trips along the seawalls and dock lights.
RIO VISTA & 17TH STREET
Rio Vista runs along the south side of the New River, directly across from the marina. It is the closest residential neighborhood to the dock, walking distance for a few of the houses on the river. Groups in Rio Vista often run combo half-day trips, starting offshore for sailfish and finishing on the reef for snapper.
Local Knowledge
WHAT MAKES FORT LAUDERDALE FISHING UNIQUE
Fort Lauderdale fishing has one big advantage over almost every other Florida port: the Gulf Stream sits about five miles offshore here, not twenty or forty. That means the same fish a boat in Tampa needs a full day to reach, we hit in twenty minutes. The downside is the boat traffic.
Port Everglades is one of the busiest inlets in the country between cruise ships, container vessels, and the charter fleet. The cut gets sloppy when an outgoing tide meets an east wind. Captain Jason runs the inlet on the right tide window every trip and reroutes north to Hillsboro Inlet when sea state demands it.
The water clarity along the Fort Lauderdale beach is a real benefit for sight casting and live-bait kite fishing for sailfish in the winter. But it also means picky fish. We run light leader and quality bait, hand-selected at the dock that morning rather than what is left in the freezer.
The reef structure between 80 and 150 ft holds snapper and grouper year-round, but the productive numbers are not the ones on public charts. Ten years of running these reefs has built a list of spots that out-produce the public marks by a wide margin. Groups looking to expand their range can also book backcountry inshore trips up the Intracoastal toward Hollywood and Dania during the right tides.
Where We Fish
KEY FORT LAUDERDALE FISHING LANDMARKS
- 15th Street Fisheries
- Bahia Mar Yachting Center
- Lauderdale Marina
- Port Everglades
- Las Olas Boulevard
- 17th Street Causeway
- Hillsboro Inlet
- John U. Lloyd Beach
Trip Types Available
FISHING CHARTERS WE RUN FOR FORT LAUDERDALE GUESTS
OFFSHORE FISHING CHARTERS
Sailfish, mahi, tuna, and wahoo on the Gulf Stream just minutes from the Fort Lauderdale shoreline.
INSHORE FISHING CHARTERS
Snook, tarpon, and redfish on the flats, dock lines, and creek systems closest to Fort Lauderdale.
BOTTOM FISHING CHARTERS
Snapper, grouper, and amberjack on the reefs and wrecks running offshore of Fort Lauderdale.
We Also Pick Up From
NEARBY AREAS WE SERVE
POMPANO BEACH
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View Pompano Beach chartersDANIA BEACH
Broward County fishing charters with the same Captain Jason boat.
View Dania Beach chartersHOLLYWOOD, FL
Broward County fishing charters with the same Captain Jason boat.
View Hollywood, FL chartersDEERFIELD BEACH
Broward County fishing charters with the same Captain Jason boat.
View Deerfield Beach chartersBook A Fort Lauderdale Charter
Half, three-quarter, and full-day private trips for Fort Lauderdale guests. We pick the route, the depth, and the species based on the morning conditions.