Just a Quickie

Okay, so I have been neglecting the blog. I have been fishing but no photos. Offshore before the front came through we manage some good size dolphin and a few tuna. Lost some nice fish due to an unnamed angler and being out gunned tackle wise. Needed fifties for the tuna which is a nice problem to have. The dolphin we kept were in the 8 to 15 pound range and lost one about 25 due to a tip wrap, bummer. Still it was a nice trip and they will bring the heavier trolling gear next time for the hump.

All the fish hit the darts I make except for one that hit a Billy Bait.

Bayside is still a little warm for the Spanish but getting there. If this front actually pushes down, things should get fired up in the bay. With the full moon things were a little off at the bridge and reef. That is changing quickly so I am looking to hit some serious flag fishing this week and next. November normally means the grouper will move around. Looking for a few bigger blacks and reds for Thanksgiving dinner? That is a great time to pick a fight with the bottom fish.

Booking wise things are starting to pick up. The after Thanksgiving week is booked, and the rest should fill up when the Spanish bite starts.

Tight lines,
Enjoy some Marathon Heart of the Florida Keys Fishing

capt. dallas

Yellowtail for Dinner

With the slow season in full swing I haven't been out much but I did have a great trip Thursday. My crew wanted to run offshore for tuna and dolphin but I talked them into starting on the reef first. Good thing, one of the crew started getting green in the one foot seas.

We hung in long enough to catch a mess of yellowtails for dinner. We only kept the ones in the 14 plus inch range and got close to their limit in about an hour. Since we had plenty of fish for dinner and a sea sick crew member we headed into the bridge.

We had plenty of live blue runners in the 4 to 6 inch range for bait. The action was pretty hot once the current changed to incoming. Plenty of jack crevalle in the ten pound range for fun on light tackle, tons of mangrove snapper, a black grouper that just missed the size limit and a couple of mystery fish that we couldn't turn.

Other than that trip, I have been building bars and starting to get the proline ready for the Fantasy Fest week fishing trip. November bookings are starting to pickup and the Bayside reports are getting better. I am really looking forward to cobia for dinner and smoked mackerel dip appetizers.

Tight lines,
Enjoy some Marathon Heart of the Florida Keys Fishing

capt. dallas

So What is Happening?

Other than a fun trip with some old customers that are more like family than customers, there hasn’t been much going on the past week. The trip Monday was fun, we caught fish and my crew did a little spear fishing. With the clear water I thought that the spear fishing would have been better than the hook and line, but we had a fair catch of yellow tails and porgies. Spearing brought a couple of tasty hogfish home to boat.

The picture by the way is me with Cal Sutphin on the show before the great breakfast. Reelininthekeys.net has a simile-cast if you don't have a life.

This time of year is always slow so I am staying occupied with the Conch Tiki stuff. The radio show is a hoot and the groceries that go with the show are pretty awesome. Wednesday’s show was at Michael’s in Key West. That was a great time and Michael’s version of eggs Benedict was awesome!

Since fishing is slow I plan to write a few posts about the guys you may fish with if I am busy. Believe it or not, I tend to stay booked in season so I have to recommend a few captains to fill in for me. Some used to mate for me and some are captains I just like to compete with. They are all good.

Most will do a guide trip like I do, but they tend to want the charter only deal. That’s fine, the reason I am in Marathon is the diversity. You have a tons of fishing options in the middle keys. So I will showcase a few of my buds and their specialties so you can mix up your trip.

Enjoy some Marathon Heart of the Florida Keys Fishing

captdallas

Just an Update

Here is what’s happening lately. Fishing, not much, the customers are pretty thin since the kids went back to school. I have been using the time to help start a new business down here selling Tikis and replacement thatch along with some other stuff. Check out the new site at www.conchtiki.com.

Involved in the new business is a weekly radio spot on 1300 AM. The “Reelin’ in the Keys” show with Cal Ripkin. We were thinking TV, but they decided I have a face made for radio. The show is fun and I will try to find a web link if anyone wants to listen in.

For fishing reports, the bay is starting to show a few small cobia, but few keepers. Once they get thicker, you need to get your butt down here for some fun and great eating. The Grouper are starting to show on the reef in the yellowtailing areas but that should peak in about six weeks. ‘Tails are a little finicky with the water clear, but to the east a little there are some nice flags being brought to the boat along with a few very sexy mutton snapper and the occasionally keeper grouper.

Offshore is hit or miss. I have been lucky the last couple of trips and caught plenty for dinner. Very few large dolphin are being reported. Some nice blackfin and wahoo are being caught, but not on every trip. Until the water temperature drops a little it will be hard to target much offshore except around the humps.

The ultra-deep droppers are having some success. I don’t do deep drops in two thousand feet of water. If you have an 80 wide and a few sash weights I can take you to a few spots to try it out. Electric reels are definitely in order for this kind of fishing.

Anyway, hopefully I will have better reports soon. Until then tight lines,
Capt. Dallas

Another Day in Paradise

Had a fun trip Friday with some regulars. We found plenty of dolphin for dinner less than fifteen miles off. They bit very well to start but started getting finicky around 1:00. We left the finicky dolphin only to find crystal clear water on the reef so no yellow tails. We caught and release a few short grouper then got rocked up by a big one.

We quit fishing around three and I took them on a tour of likely lobster holes for them to do some bugging. Just a very relaxing trip. The dolphin were caught on light tackle so the crew had a blast.

Right now there is not much going on so I am working on the Conch Tiki project. Check out the website at Conchtiki.com. We still have to get some better pictures loaded, but the project is coming along. I am designing a tiki hut fish cleaning station right now. Plenty of shade and the roof will be water tight. Should be the sharpest looking cleaning table in the Keys.

Enjoy a Marathon Heart of the Florida Keys Fishing Vacation this year.

Capt. Dallas

The Charter Business Thing Again

All right it’s that time of year again. New 2008 boats are hitting the showroom floors so the 2007 demo’s will be available. If you haven’t read the charter investment plan, here is the deal in a nutshell.

Five partners invest in a 26 foot Panga for a charter business. The Panga which gets nearly four miles to the gallon, rides smooth and dry, drafts only 14”of water and happens to look sharp is a perfect boat for the variety of fishing out of Marathon. The partners get use of the boat two weeks each a year for vacation. The rest of the year the boat runs charters to cover the cost of the boat. Every two years the boat is traded in for a new model, so there is always a reliable boat.

Estimated return on the investment ranges from 15% to 30% per year if the investors do their job. Their job is to promote the heck out of the charter business.

Some investors may want to use the boat more than two weeks per year. Not a problem if properly scheduled. That investor just has to kick some money back in the general fund to make it fair for the other investors, about $700 per week.

Rough estimates of total cost and returns a listed in the charter business link. The cost estimates are a little on the high side because of dockage. With a trailer and/or using my dockage which is not much to look at, initial cost can be reduced.

The contact with Cristal Clear Charters is still open plus there are a few others that can be used on a commission basis to book charters. Cay Clubs may be heading south, but CCC’s is hanging in there.

This past charter season was pretty slow. That means the income estimates might be a little high, but the cost of the charters being extremely competitive, I doubt by much.

Judging from the current boat prices, the cash per investor will be between 10and 15 grand for the Angler and 15 to 20 grand for the Andros Panga. I recommend the Angler for the first two years and rolling profit into the Andros in the third year.

With the two year replacement instead of yearly replacement some extra money will need to be held for maintenance and repair.

If you like to fish the Marathon area here is what this works out to if the cost is fifteen grand per investor:

If you rent a 26 foot boat for two weeks a year that is about $3900.00 per year so over three years that’s $11,700 bucks. So even if the charter income stinks, your not really out of that much money anyway. If the charter business makes half of the estimate, you get back your money while still getting the use of the boat. If the charter meets estimates, you make enough cash to pay for the rest of your vacation expenses. So this is not a get rich investment it is a fun vacation investment.

If you own a vacation home in the Keys and try to maintain a boat during the off season, add up your storage and other costs. Then talk to your accountant about potential tax advantages of this deal.

Oh, don’t forget that a charter boat with captain normally has a few numbers or tricks to improve your fish productiveness. You can enjoy fishing the Florida Keys without dealing with the expense of maintaining a boat.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas