We have a lot of clients looking for a fishing charter near Boca Raton Resort & Spa. Our Boca Raton fishing boats are from the same fishing fleet the Boca Resort uses. We just charge a lot less.  VIP Fishing Charters never marks up prices.  So if you are looking for a Boca Raton Resort & Spa fishing charter, look no further.  We will set you up with the best available boats and captains in Boca.

Featured Boat

Tony's 53' Monterey out of Palm Beach deserves a little extra acknowledgement this week.  I've received numerous calls from overly happy and excited clients raving abou their day on the water with Tony.  So here is some well deserved credit for our outstanding Palm Beach Fishing Charter.

About Palm Beach's Best Fishing Boat

Make: 53' Monterey Sportfish

Number of Guest Allowed: 6

Amenities: 2 Heads, Full Galley, Saloon, Entertainment Center, Airconditioned

Fishing Gear: Full Tackle Station, Fighting Chair, Live Well, Large Fish Box, Top of the line Shimano and Penn Tackle

Specialty: Captain Tony isn't afraid to burn a little fuel to go where the fish are biting on a particular day.  Tony specializes is big game fish and isn't afraid to use techniques such as dredging, kite fishing, or trolling depending on the conditions.

About the Captain

Name: Captain Tony

Experience: Originally from Long Island Captain Tony has been running a succesful fishing charter operation out of West Palm Beach and Stuart for over 15 years.  His resume consists of tournament wins throughout the United States and abroad.  When Tony isn't sharing his local knowledge of South Florida sport fishing with clients he is fishing the warm waters of Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

We get asked all the time, "what should I tip the captain and crew?" Unfortunately, there's no right answer, but I'll give you a little background to help you make an informed and appropriate decision.

The general rule of thumb 15 to 20% of the price you paid for your charter if the crew did a good job. This is a service business after all and if you don't feel like you were treated well there's nothing wrong with witholding a portion or all of the tip you planned to give. Most mates know that happy guests equal big tips and will go well out of their way to make your trip enjoyable.

Keep in mind, many mates work nearly entirely for tips. Crew compensation varies by boat, some mates get paid a flat rate, others get a percentage of the charter fee and others get nothing except tips.

Who should I give the money to?

Again, there's no solid answer. A safe bet is to give the money to the captain and ask him (or her ocassionally) to divide the tips fairly amongst the crew. Many boats have a predetermined split. It is also fine to tip the mate directly, or if there is more than one mate, tip them together or separately. If there is more than one mate, tip as if there was only one and divide the amount between them. Again, they probably have an agreement already.

Do I still have to tip if we didn't catch anything good on my fishing trip?

Just because you didn't catch anything doesn't mean your crew didn't try hard or do a good job. This is fishing after all and some days just don't work out. But step back and look at the big picture. If you can't answer yes to at least one of these questions, you may consider witholding a portion of the tip:

1. Did the crew move the boat multiple times in search of fish?
2. Did the crew try to contact other boats in the area to see what they were catching and where?
3. Did the crew try different fishing methods throughout the charter?
4. Did the crew go out of there way to make the trip fun anyway?

A little off topic for our fishing blog, but today my father and I visited the Intrepid factory in Largo, Florida to see our new Intrepid 327 center console which is currently about a week or two from completion. My father and I own and operate Wycap Marine which is a yacht canvas and upholstery company in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

We are building this Intrepid together and since Intrepids are a custom boat, we've really spent a lot of time planning each and every feature. It was great to visit the factory, see how everything goes together and meet  some of the people who are actually building our dream boat.

Below is a gallery of the pictures I took today. Feel free to contact me with questions, or comments noah [at] vipfishingcharters.com or nchanin [at] wycap.com

We'd like to know what you think... what is the best fishing boat in Fort Lauderdale?

This month we're nominating Captain Mike on the sportfish Local Knowledge but we'd like to hear your thoughts too.

As a full service Fishing Concierge we book on a number of different boats in the Fort Lauderdale area. Your feedback helps us make sure we're always booking the best!

Take a look at this Sailfish caught out of Hillsboro Inlet in Pompano Beach!  We are starting to see sailfish season pick up and it is getting exciting

The saying" The early bird gets the worm" looks to have some truth behind it.  These beautiful dolphin were caught just off of Fort Lauderdale during sunrise.  It's always nice to drive back into Port Everglades with a full box of fish!

Kite Fishing

Invented in China and modernized in New Zealand kite fishing is not a new practice.  Originally kite fishing was designed to help fisherman deploy their bait further offshore than a traditional fishing cast would allow.  More recently in South Florida, anglers realized there were other benefits to kite fishing.  Kite fishing allows a fisherman to dangle his or her live bait in place at the surface of the water.  This keeps the most of the leader out of the water and the boat at an adequate distance helping not to scare off any fish.  The live bait often teases the predatory fish by popping slightly out of the water.  It's quite the irresistible meal for a predatory fish.  Boats often fly as many as two kites at a time with 3 baits connected to each kite.  The kites are flown from  short rods and and the fishing line from the fishing poles are easily disconnected when a fish strikes by an automatic clipping mechanism.  Kite fishing is exceptionally exciting because you can often times see the fish strike the bate because of its proximity to the surface of the water. 

Trolling

Trolling is a fishing technique most commonly used off shore although it can be used inshore as well.  A fishing boat drags bait behind it through the water, which is considered trolling.  Larger sportfish boats use outriggers, "large poles" to spread out multiple fishing lines so they do not snag on each other.  Down-riggers are used to keep the bait at specifically desired depths where certain fish feed.  Trolling is extremely popular among anglers and fishing charters because it allows the fisherman to cover large amounts of fishing grounds in a relatively short amount of time increasing your chance of finding the fish you are looking for.  Fishing boats usually drag their bat about 25-50 yards behind them.  You can use live or dead bate and artificial lures.  When using live bait make sure not to put strain on it.

Wreck Fishing

Wreck fishing utilizes some sort of underwater formation such as an artificial reefs, rough bottom, or shipwrecks.  Off the coast of Florida anglers can find an abundant amount of wrecks especially in the Gulf Stream.  The type of fish usually found at the wrecks are bottom fish such as grouper, jacks, snapper and mackerel.  Jigs and live bait are usually the best options for wreck fishing.  There are different strategies anglers use when wreck fishing.  One is letting the boat drift directly over the wreck.  You can also anchor directly next to the wreck or troll around it.

Flats Fishing

Flats fishing involves fishing in shallow water often times less than three feet deep.  A special type of boat that has a shallow draft is required. One of the great advantages and most excited aspects of flats fishing is that the angler is able to spot the fish prior to catching it.  Flats fishing can be compared to stalking a fish or hunting.  Often times the captain stands on an elevated platform on the back of the flats boat.  This platform give the captain better vantage point to spot the fish and allows him to push to boat in silence with a long push pole.  Fly fisherman are particularly fond of flats fishing.  Flats fishing allows anglers to catch an array of fish that are only found in these shallow water habitats.  The fish very from location to location but include bonefish, tarpon, snook, and redfish.  Flats fishing is a great alternative to traditional deep sea fishing and is highly addictive.

Check out these Dolphin caught out of Haulover Marina in Miami Beach.  Definately a successful fishing charter.  Well done!!!

The first week of January should be an amazing week of Sailfishing from Boca Raton up to Boynton Beach.  If you really want to increase your chances of catching a sailfish we recommend catching or buying some live bait.  Everyone knows the sailfish can't resist those Goggle-eyes but any live bait should do the trick.  If you have the chance put out the kites and do some kite-fishing.  Besides being a great week for sailfishing expect to catch some dolphin, kingfish, cobia, skipjacks and blackfins.  Happy New Year and see you on the water!

Congratulations Derek and friends on a successful early morning catch.  These dolphin were caught trolling just offshore of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.  

Kudos to Jerred and his friends on a terrific day of fishing off Miami Beach.  The list of fish they caught is an extensive one including: Spanish Mackerel, Blackfin Tuna, Yellowfin Tuna, Sailfish, Bonita, and Mahi-mahi!  Everybody had an amazing time and we can't wait for them to visit us again down in Miami!

Featured Boat

Every few weeks we update our featured boat in each city.  Currently Captain Mike's 43' Hatteras is crushing the competition.  Mike has hit his stride this month with the beginning of Sailfish season.  Every day we are getting new testimonials from our clients about how many fish they caught and how good a time they're having on his fishing trip.

About Fort Lauderdale's Best Fishing Boat

Make: 43' Hatteras Sportfish

Number of Guests Allowed: 6

Amenities: 3 Fighting Chairs, Tuna Door, Air-conditioned Salon with Full Couch and Chairs, Clean Full Size Bathroom, Kitchen, 2 Staterooms, Stereo

Fishing Gear: Penn International and Shimano Tackle, 2 Hightech Fish Finders, 100 Gallon in Deck Live-well for Bait

Specialty: Sailfish, Dolphin, Shark, Swordfish, Kingfish, Tuna

About The Captain

Name: Captain Mike

Experience: Captain Mike grew up fishing in Fort Lauderdale on his grandfathers boat.  He began really honing his fishing skills when he got offered a job on a fishing charter in the Bahamas in 1994.  Mike resume consists of numerous prestigious tournament victories including the Blue Marlin tournaments in the Bahamas Billfish Championship Series.  Mike still charters trips in the Bahamas and the rest of the Caribbean but calls Fort Lauderdale his home to be near his family.

Our latest group of anglers on a VIP Fishing Charter in Miami made time for fishing and fun! They had a great time and the captain even showed off his singing skills with a smashing rendition of "Happy Birthday to You".

Prior to the celebrations they caught

• Mahi Mahi
• Kingfish
• Bonitas

Happy Birthday from VIP!