The Duval Crawl Claims Another Trip

Marathon is pretty laid back. Guest that come to Captain Pips enjoy the quiet laid back atmosphere of the area. But sometimes they have to check out the wild side of the Keys. My crew from yesterday mentioned that they were heading to Key Weird er. West for the evening after our fishing trip. They had booked me again for today, but I kinda thought things may not go as they planned.

Just as I thought, they got toasted and didn't hit the rack until after four in the morning. Bravo for them! They had a great time. I on the other hand waited for them to decide what they were going to do. Being a nice guy or friggin' stupid, your call, I didn't request a deposit. So I basically lost a productive day waiting on guys that over indulged.

I don't want to change my policy because it is a pain in the butt doing refunds and figuring out why a trip should be canceled and the deposit refunded. So here is the deal. If you book me and can't fish for what ever reason, buy me a bottle of the brown stuff for sitting at the dock for five hours waiting for you to sober up. If I am unable to run a trip, I bust my butt to find a qualified replacement or make whatever arrangements to make the customer happy. Just part of the job. Every captain down here that is worth fishing with will do the same thing.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

Sporty Weather

Fishing a crew from New York we chose the Bayside because of 15 plus knot winds and a crew member or two that has issues with rough seas. Even on the Bayside it was a bit too much for one of the crew. Until the Mal de Mar set in the Bayside bite was building nicely with decent mangrove snapper and a couple of larger fish that manage to get away. Bait was everywhere including plenty of ballyhoo. Ballyhoo chunks turned out to be the best bait.

While fishing we had a great display of mother nature with a huge thunderstorm about 15 mile to our east. Plenty of lightning and water spouts to view from a safe distance. We even saw a clear air water spout. One were you could see the water spinning a few dozen feet in the air with no funnel cloud to cause the commotion.

We tried a few closer in spots and had decent action for a while but the anchor kept breaking loose spoiling the bite. We will give it another go today. With the winds a little lighter than yesterday we should be able the keep the whole crew well and fishing.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

Half Day on the Reef

Well so much for having the camera phone figured out, got a great pic of my finger. Was supposed to be a photo of a nice 18" Mutton caught by my crew today. They only wanted to catch and release so the mutton is still there for next time along with lots of yellowtail. A half dozen yellowtail were gut hooked, with circle hooks by the way, that were donated to Omar.

The radio was dead quiet and we had the reef pretty much to ourselves. There was about 8 knots of breeze, very little current and clear water. Still, the 'tails bit like they haven't eaten in weeks. One block of chum in a fine mesh bag lasted three hours with no break in the action until the current changed at 11:30. Talk about cheap catching! The ballyhoo got real brave since I didn't bring the castnet.

It looks like the early summer is going to be great for loading the boat with tasty reef fish. Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

Memorial Day Weekend Fishing

The weather for the weekend was perfect. Possibly a little too perfect since the dolphin bite slowed down and the reef water was gin clear. Despite the clear water the yellowtail snapper were chewing. Sunday we limited out with a block and a half of chum and Monday it only took one block to load the box. No flag snapper but respectable 15 inch average size.

Action in Hawk channel was slow, but we did pick up a keeper Red Grouper on the reef. Mangrove snapper should be showing on the reef but they appear to have not gotten the memo. Big mangs are at the bridge, but with the new moon tide only the first hour of the incoming tide has been productive for me.

Tarpon are still biting at the bridge. The incoming tide is still the better bet with live mullet the bait of choice.

Offshore should be picking up as there are plenty of big dolphin being seen just not biting. We even had a few 20 pounders crash our ballyhoo on the reef Saturday. So the fish are here, just moving too fast to catch up to.

Have a half day trip this morning and I think I have the camera phone figured out, so maybe I will have a photo to post.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

Captain Gator Kicks My Butt.

I had a dolphin trip this morning that turned into a bayside bridge trip because of a 19 foot boat and a lousy weather forecast. After getting my butt kicked in 8 to 10 foot seas Saturday I was up for a rematch in 3 to 5s in a smaller boat. With the forecast I did a snapper trip that was about as much fun as watching grass grow. Don't get me wrong we caught a few nice snapper but the emphasis is on few. The bite sucked but the fish were there.

Mean while, the larger boats made it offshore to calming winds and bigger critters. Gator managed a 46 pounder dolphin to lead the Captain Pips fleet in '09. I hate being anything other that the lead dog. So somebody needs to come down ready to open a can of whoop ass on Captain Gator.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

Dolphin Tourney and Boat Races

Saturday I guided a crew from Miami for a small corporate dolphin tourney out of Hawks Cay. The weather reminded me why I don't fish many tourneys. With the winds over 20 the seas were pretty sporty. We and every other boat fishing took quite a few waves over the bow. We found fish everywhere, but the biggest we got in the boat was a 15 pound bull. The other boats had trouble finding the bigger fish due to the conditions. The winning fish was 34 pounds with second a 28 pound cow. Our 15 pounder was the third or forth largest brought to the dock.

Fishing in 5 to 7 foot seas was very wet which my cellphone couldn't handle. It was a good phone. The crew I had had very little fishing experience so I will call the trip a tourney fishing 101. They did well and learned a good deal.

After Saturday's soaking, I enjoyed a relaxing day waiting out the rain to watch the boat races. The 7th annual Marathon Superboat Race was today and very enjoyable with a few rum and cokes. The start was delayed an hour and half to let the rain which we sorely needed, to pass. My thanks to the crews of the Blue Magic and Celia Pearl for great drinks, snacks, music and company.

Tommorow is supposed to be another dolphin trip if the weather cooperates. A lot of rain is in the forecast so we will play it by ear.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

Dolphin are Thick, But I am Fishing the Bay?

The Dolphin and Tuna are thick off the reef from 250 foot out, but my last two trips have been on the Bayside and Bridges. My job is to show the customer what they want, so that is what I do.

With the full moon the bridge currents have been ripping making fishing them a chore. There are plenty of snapper at the bridges. It is just hard to get the feel for the bigger fish in the strong current. Back in the Bay there are plenty of Mangrove Snapper in the 3 to 5 pound range. The water is very clear in most areas so the bite is slow but the fish worth the wait.

Tarpon at the Bahia Honda bridge are nearly thick enough to walk on. It is hard to boat tarpon at Bahia Honda, but the sight is worth a visit. Permit are still hanging on the wrecks, but getting blue crabs for bait is difficult. You may need to catch your own as most bait shops are selling out fast even at 3 bucks a crab.

My crew yesterday wanted to play with Barracuda. They were really thick around the flats near the 7 mile bridge. Cuda tubes in hot pink and chartreuse got the most action.

With the dolphin in so close I haven't had many reef reports. Now that the moon has passed, they should begin chewing.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

Long Day in May: Dolphin, Tuna and Tarpon

I finished my Marathon trip just a few minutes ago. Started at 10:00heading offshore for dolphin and tuna. The crew didn't want to keep much fish so we just took a small cooler. Found the Dolphin around 11:30 in 325 feet of water. Released a few schoolies and keep one cow between 15 and 20 pounds. The cow didn't jump much so it took nearly a half hour to get her in the box. Also keep a blackfin tuna. We came back to the dock around 2:30 to clean fish and get ready for the evening tarpon trip. Tarpon fishing was slow but we managed to get one about 80 pounds to the leader. Had 2 more pickups but the fish dropped them. We didn't see anyone else hook a fish.

The morning tarpon bite has been much better. The crew is going to try it on their own tomorrow morning. Sorry no pictures but my cellphone died this morning.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

A Brand New Record!

Today I set a brand new personal record for my stay in the Florida Keys. I went 20 days without a paid trip. I and a number of other local guides/captains are going down in a blaze of glory.

To borrow a line from from a Clint Eastwood movie,Josie Wales, "We will endeavor to persevere". Between the wind and the economy, this is the worst year I have experienced. Talking to Jeff Knapp today I told him of my new record. He freaked. He had just told me he had nine days coming with no bookings when I told him of my new record.

On the bright side, I do have a trip tomorrow. I will do my best to make this trip worthy of many photos. Having relatively good weather, I plan to set the bar a little higher. That may not be the smartest thing to do but I am doing it anyway.

As far as fishing goes it ain't bad. Dolphin are pouring through, permit are a no brainer, tarpon are biting, the reef is hot, but there are not many people coming down to take advantage of the situation.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination if you have any disposable income. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

May Second Fishing Report

Fish seem to love making me look like a liar. As soon as I report the tarpon bite is slow, as I did yesterday, they turn on again. Jeff Knapp boated three and fought a few more. The night before he caught nada.

For the dolphin, yesterday I only saw dinks brought to the dock. Today there were a few nice gaffers. No really big fish, but a few health teenagers. So things may be getting back to normal. Keep an eye on the weather and my blog to plan a quick trip to do some catching.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

May First Fishing Report

The winds are still making things a challenge. So I have mainly been at the dock trying to kill what is left of my liver. The boats braving the seas are catching a few dolphin and other critters but nothing exciting. Mainly schoolie dolphin and the occasional tuna and wahoo. To the West there were a few boats getting gaffers and an occasional slammer.

Tarpon, which have been hot and heavy at night, are on the slow side the last few days. Hawks Channel is producing a few nice cobia and snapper but it is still pretty chunky. Bayside, surprisingly, a few Spanish Mackerel are still biting along with the usual suspects.

When the winds lay down so I can cover some ground, it should not be a problem getting into some bigger offshore fish. The question is when it will lay down?

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

General Boat Rental Information

This is a list of most of the boat rental companies in Marathon. There are a couple I have missed that I need to visit to complete the list. Addresses change, but I have the list pretty current for now.

Last Update 24 Dec 2011

Marathon has a large selection of boat rental companies. They are all good businesses with good boats. All of them have long lists of satisfied customers and a short list of unhappy campers. Unless you are familiar with the local waters, I recommend a local guide so you don't end up on the short list.

Captain Pips Marina and Hideaway.

1410 Overseas Highway Marathon, Florida 33050
(305) 743-4403 http://www.captainpips.com

18 to 24 foot center consoles most with four stroke Yamaha engines and full electronics. Several of the guest boats have Bimini tops that are a pain to fish around. They are fine if you need the shade, but tough to handle big fish. Fly guys like them because they can lay the Bimini down. For most fishing I recommend upgrading to a larger boat with a Tee top if you want to tangle with big fish. For more detailed information on the boats available at Captain Pips see this link.

Big advantages: Most of their fleet are Cape Horn boats that are built like brick outhouses, have large live wells, teetops good electronics and fuel efficient newer motors. Their weather policy is if there are small craft advisories, they want their boats at the dock. So you don't pay if the weather won't let you play. For most that is a good thing.

Vacation Boat Rentals

Located on the causeway to Key Colony Beach

1-(866)420-1515 http://vacationboatrentals.com


20 to 29 foot center consoles with four stroke engines. Good selection of serious fishing boats. Some of their boat are just amazing fishing machines. All the bells and whistles with sizes over 26 foot for braving the stronger winds to catch fish. Range is not specified, they determine how confident they are in your ability to get the boat back in one piece. With a local guide you can normally do 25 miles or more given weather conditions. On your own, how big a check can you write?

Big advantage: They have big twin engine boats for offshore.

Maybe a Big Disadvantage: They have big twin engine boats for offshore.

To keep it an advantage, make sure you know how to handle a bigger high performance boat in the Keys.


Quality Boat Rentals

(305) 743-2895 or 1 (877) 743-2895 http://qualityboats.net/

20 to 29 foot boats with full electronics powered by mostly four strokes with a couple Yamaha HPDI engines. Solid fishing boats with good live wells. Range is limited to 25 miles.

Quality has a new owner that is an outboard mechanic. That is a good thing!

Into the Blue Boat Rentals
50 Coco Plum Drive
Marathon, Florida 33050
(305) 289-0285 or (305) 587-3333 no website yet e-mail patandstacy@bellsouth.net

Brand new to the boat rental business. Boats available 20 and 22 foot Triumphs with 150 four strokes available with tee tops out riggers and full electronics. These Triumph boats look like they will fish just fine. The deck design is definitely non-skid, but may be a challenge to clean.

I need to pop in to see how things are coming along. They are nice folks so I am pretty sure they are doing well.

Harbor Point Marine Boat Rentals


4681 Oversea Highway
Marathon, Florida 33050
305-289-0505

WWW.keysmako.com

Nice Makos and Seacraft to 32 feet. Everything is pretty new. Total electronics and four stroke engines. Their smaller boat may have a Bimini top but the real beef of their fleet is serious fishing machines. Larger boats require a local captain or guide to evaluate your performance. Not a bad thing because it is easy to turn a vacation sour with one brain fart. Allowable range can vary pending the captain's evaluation of your abilities. BTW, the captain or guide is included free of charge for first time customer. A smart move considering the high performance of their fleet.


Harbor Point is no longer in business.
Captain Hooks Boat Rentals

1 (800) 278-4665 right at the west side of Vaca Cut.

20 to 24 foot boats all have Bimini tops. Good for snorkeling or diving but a bit of a challenge fishing for bigger fish. They do have four stroke engines that will save you money and full electronics. Range is limited to really what the smart captain would limit them to. Nice folks with a lot of local knowledge to help make your vacation safe and fun.

Tropical Boat Rentals

http://www.tropicalboatrentals.com/

(305) 481-7006

Located on Avenue A off Cocoplum Blvd.

Nice selection of 2008 and 2009 Sea Chaser boats by Carolina Skiff from 18 to 27 feet. All have four stroke engines and are fully rigged. Some have Bimini tops for shade lovers while most have tee tops. Tropical will deliver boats from Key Largo to Key West but is based in Marathon. The boats are very clean and well maintained.

For the high rollers, Tropical has added a few boat over thirty one with triples.

I am really emphasizing the higher fuel efficiency boats. My last dolphin trip on a twin engine 24 foot boat with Merc EFI's burnt 101 gallons. That is a pain in the wallet big time. The same trip on twenty two footer with a four stroke would have been less than fifty gallons. The twenty two footer fishes just fine compared to the 24 footer. It also costs less to rent. Bimini top boats are a big thing for people that need maximum shade. Also there are fly fishermen that like the openness with the Bimini removes or down. All of the above are rigged for what I consider Keys fishing, meaning versatile with large raw water live wells.

There are other boat rentals covered in related posts below. Fish 'n' Fun is one that has great boats but at the time of the post they didn't have raw water live wells. So if someone is not on my list that does not mean they have anything wrong, just that either I hadn't got around to checking them out or they may not meet my expectations for my style of fishing. As always, I will try to update things as often as I can. BTW, Fish 'N' Fun was scheduled to get a few new Parker boats with built in live wells. Any Marathon area boat rental company should feel free to add a comment if they have new boats or want to add any extra information.

Tight lines,

Captain Dallas