When the fishing is slow, Neal Laue knows he can count on the shallow Tenneco wreck off Hallandale. But he never expected to catch a potential world-record African pompano.
Laue, who had never caught an African pompano, landed a 43-pounder using 20- pound spin tackle. The current International Game Fish Association line class world record for the species is 41 1/2 pounds, caught off Fort Lauderdale in 1979. The IGFA must still approve Laue’s catch to be an official world record.
“There was no current, so I just went over and dropped the line,” Laue said. “I was fishing for kingfish. I figured I usually get something around the Tenneco. I didn’t figure to catch this.”
Laue, of Pembroke Pines, was fishing by himself on his 20-foot open fisherman Happy Pappy. He used a live pilchard with a monofilament leader and a 2-ounce weight in 105 feet. He needed “at least 20 minutes” to land the fish.
“That made my day,” he said. “After that, I didn’t want to catch another one. It wore me out.”
Freddie David of Hollywood is off to a good start in defense of his Metropolitan South Florida Fishing Tournament junior men/resident master angler title. David, 11, added a 51-pound kingfish on 20-pound line to his impressive collection of catches and releases in the 58th annual MET.
David was fishing with his brother, Jimmy, on Fish Finder in the Dry Tortugas Saturday. The kingfish ate a dead ballyhoo while the boat was anchored in 60 feet. David needed 20 minutes to land the fish.
“I’ve never caught one that big. That’s the biggest kingfish I’ve ever seen,” said Jimmy David, 18. “It looked like it was going to take all the line, but somehow it stopped. Freddie just had to work it back in. Luckily, he got him.”
Freddie leads the junior division with a 30-pound yellowfin tuna. He also has a 22-pound bonito awaiting MET approval, 29 bonito releases, 12 kingfish releases and 12 sailfish releases.
While the David boys were in the Dry Tortugas, their father, Bennett David, caught and released a 250-pound hammerhead shark Saturday fishing with their grandfather, Bob Tesher. The 10-foot shark ate a pilchard in 500 feet off Port Everglades. David landed the shark in 45 minutes using 20-pound line.
Diane Cortese experienced the unpredictability of shrimping Thursday night, her first attempt at pursuing the tasty crustaceans. She, Tony DeVincentis and Jeanie and Ron Hanson started off in Fort Lauderdale around 10, but there were no shrimp. A few hours later, they moved up to Pompano Beach, where Cortese managed to net a shrimp every five minutes or so. By 4 a.m., she had 30 shrimp, and started to go into Hillsboro Inlet.
“All of a sudden, the shrimp were all over,” she said. “Nice big ones, too. We filled about three-quarters of a 5-gallon bucket.”
Tad London and his family celebrated his 13th birthday in style with Capt. Bouncer Smith recently. Fishing dead bait on the bottom, Tad, of Knoxville, Tenn., released a 125-pound tarpon; his brother Jay, 9, released a 105-pound tarpon and an 18 1/2-pound snook; and their father, Jim, released a 105-pound tarpon and a 10-pound jack. Saturday night at Haulover Inlet in North Miami Beach, Joe Lucas of Devon, Penn., caught six of nine tarpon 12-35 pounds using live shrimp and 8- and 12-pound line.
The Fish City Marina fleet reported Hof Wilfried of Langenfeld, Germany, released a sailfish and caught a dusky shark on Naughty Girl with Capt. Jack Ferguson Friday. Kim Ernst had a 30-pound wahoo on Quetzal with Capt. Tim Schonborn.
The Dragon II drift boat of Fort Lauderdale reported excellent snapper fishing. On day trips, anglers caught yellowtail, mutton, vermillion and mangrove snapper in 200 feet. At night, yellowtails, muttons and mangroves were biting in 70-90 feet. Saturday, two yellowtails over 5 pounds were caught, along with a 6-pound yellow-eye snapper and muttons of 14 and 9 pounds.
Anglers on the Flamingo drift boat of Fort Lauderdale continued to catch kingfish 3-7 pounds in 180 feet off Dania. They also caught yellowtail snapper 1-2 pounds in 120 feet and 40 vermillion snapper Sunday morning.
Patrick Falowski, 11, caught his first sailfish Sunday on Floating Bail. Mike Costast of Hollywood caught his first sailfish in 200 feet off Port Everglades.
Dan Ornato, Robert Ramirez and guide Jack Gorre of Everglades Bassmasters of South Florida reported spotty bass fishing at Lake Okeechobee. They caught 10-15 keepers on plastic jerk baits around Bay Bottom, Grassy Island and Winnie’s Cove.
Greg Norling of Southern Bass in Margate reported good fishing for shellcrackers 1 1/2-2 pounds using worms and crickets, and for specks and oscars. Peacock bass fishing has been exceptional in the Miami C-14 canal using Rapalas and Tiny Torpedos. Bass were biting in the flats at Loxahatchee.
