An August Update

I have been out of town for a while. Drove up to Maryland to pick up a generator for John at the Castaway. It was nice to get off the rock for a few days and nicer to get back. Driving in heavy rain through construction zones was not fun.

Fishing is still good from what the guys have told me. The nighttime snapper bite is falling off but that just means the day bite is getting better. Don't have many offshore reports since there are very few customers in town. With school starting before Labor Day the season ended early.

The Florida Lobster season is great for quantity but the price is so low that many of the commercial guys are at their wits end. The price at the dock is down to $3.00 a pound. So if you want some great deals on lobster come on down or leave me a comment. I may be able to ship you some.

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

My Alter Ego

With the season nearly dead until the last tropical cyclone threat is over I assume my alter ego. Many of you may not know I spent a lot of the government's money attempting to get a higher education. The whole global warming thing that suddenly became climate change piqued my curiosity. I actually spend way too much time following papers devoted to this subject.

With our government poised to commit multi-billions of dollars to solve a problem that may not exist, and since I have too much time on my hands, I am writing a series of articles on things that make you say huh, related to climate change. If this is not your cup of tea bear with me until the fishing season resumes.

For a fishing report, it is all good but there is no one down here to take advantage of the situation. Damn weather channel!

If you care to read my latest article, here is the link.

I will be out of town for a few days shortly so no posts probably. Got to make some rent money.

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

The Season Winds Down

After Labor Day the Keys can become a ghost town. It is not that the fishing is bad. Just that the kids are back in school, the potential for disruptive weather increases and the heat runs many off. That is when many local captains take off their fishing hats and put on their construction hats.

This year I was really worried that there may not be any off season construction jobs. Things are starting to look up though. A few contracts have been signed on big projects that may make things get back to normal. Heck, I may even have a good off season job coming in the first of September. That is a good thing. I may have to wear real shoes and long pants, but the rent may get paid.

Fishing wise you can have your way with most anything other than dolphin which are still a little hit or miss. Some captains are coming in with good to great dolphin catches while others are scratching their heads. The tuna though are very consistent as are the snapper.

I haven't talked to any of the flats guys, but snook at long key are biting great. Then the season is closed, so what else is new.

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

Planning your Trip

Life is real and some times it sucks. This week I lost a ton of money because people set their dreams based on their agenda and not the weather. What is going to happen weather wise is beyond your control. I don't care how much money you make. The weather will always over rule your bucks. If you want to have a kick ass trip, you may want to listen to someone like me.

That said, if people were not so authoritative, I could have made many people satisfied and possibly ecstatic with their trip to the Keys. But everyone wants to be the man or woman. If you trashed a prop, tore up a lower unit, didn't catch squat, perhaps you should have called me.

The locals in the Keys call clueless vacationers Googans. Googans are basically dumb shit vacationers that would rather pretend they know what they are doing than admit they are clueless. Not a sign of intelligence. ETA: You don't even have to book a guide to be less of a googan. Just calm down and listen to local guides.

The next time you try to save money on a do it your self vacation, think of some one like me that can save you money. You know who you are. Think about it.

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 bunch of Little Stuff

Some of you may have noticed that there is a lot of spammy comments on the blog of late. That is just one of the trials of being popular. That is the blog is popular. So be careful what you click on until I can clean things up. ETA most of these comments are on older posts. I managed to clear out a few today, but it takes forever.

Lobster season is a notoriously slow time for me because buggers like to do their own thing. Possibly, because I stick to the legal limits. So someone I though I liked sent me a link to Mafia Wars on Facebook since neither he not I are fishing much. I am not going to mention any names, but he has a tackle store in Key Weird. Thanks to him I pissed away 6 hours between yesterday and last night.

As I mentioned D J landed a nice 45 pound dolphin/dorado/Mahi Mahi on one of the Dallas Darts. D J mates on one of the high end charter boats out of Marathon. It is kinda funny that he brings the darts on the boat in the morning and takes them home with him at night. His little secret weapons of mass tuna destruction.

If you are looking for Dallas Darts they are available at The Tackle Box, MM48 Marathon and at Big Time Bait and Tackle, MM55 or something near Vaca Cut in Marathon. I will try to get them online but I have to protect my retailers. Local captains can get them direct from me at a discount.

Today I am probably headed down to Big Pine to plan our trips on the 11th and the 14th. Whenever serious planning is required a pool, big screen TV and adult refreshments are required if all bases are to be covered.

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

Another August Update

Today I was just out getting bait to trade for a few smokes. My mutton trip got canceled because my client has to deal with business. Totally understandable.
After struggling to get bait, I was relaxing with a Scotch and smoking a cig made in some third world country when D J calls me to say he got a 45 pound dolphin on one of my Dallas Darts. I thought it was a Black Fin Tuna at first when he called which would be a new record. But it was just a nice dolphin. Still I am stoked for D J, my Darts and Marathon fishing in general.

I will try to get a picture of the fish 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

My New Niche

There are a lot of folks in the Keys that make mistakes. The down on vacation back on probation thing. They have to do a little community service. One of the things they can do is catch fish for the birds at the wild bird center. So if you want to reduce your community service time contact me. The more you catch the less time you spend. That's my new niche.

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

August Fishing Report 2009

The Tuna are still hammering small lures like my Dallas Darts offshore and especially the humps. Dolphin or Mahi Mahi if you prefer are still a little erratic, but there have been good catches brought to the dock. This full may moon put the whammy on the dolphin bite again, but so far so good.

The snapper, both mangrove and mutton are relocating after their spawn to their normal areas. Nice mutton are being caught at the Seven Mile Bridge mainly on ballyhoo either alive or dead. The Hawks Channel rock piles should start getting loaded with nice size snapper of all varieties now that the spawn is ending.

Yellowtail snapper of the reef are chewing provided you get the current with the wind. The East winds we have been having is just strong enough to screw up the deeper water bite. So the shallower areas of the reef is a better bet for those Jonesin' for 'tails. One nice surprise from the reef was a triple of Cobia hooked up by Bill Alch on the Catch 'em Up at the rubble pile. Good eats those Cobia.

The Bayside reports have been pretty good with plenty of Mangroves and the usual summer suspects like Spotted Seatrout and sharks. The larger 'grovers are coming on fresh ballyhoo tubes.

Flats action is still pretty hot from the reports I have been getting and the full moon should not change that other than you have to pick your tide a little better.

The Last Hurrah Pig Roast is still a go. It would be nice to get a few more side dish volunteers and pig sitters. The pig will be about 120 pounds and slow cooked for about 12 hours. Pecan and hickory will be the smoky flavors used in this roast. Should be a great time.

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

The Real Lobster Season is Coming

I am a bit of a local now after ten years. Not a Conch by any means, but maybe a local. That means I can probably out fish your butt, drink you under the table and spin a hellava lot better yarn than you can, unless of course you are a local or a
Conch. At ten years I have not graduated to Keys icon status, though someone called me a legend the other day. With all the new slang terms being bandied about, I am not sure what that means. An older woman that likes younger men is a Cougar. So maybe a legend is an old fart that chases younger women. In that case I am a legend, at least in my own mind.

Being a legend, I have no problem getting all the Florida lobster I want. I have a former mate that does not eat spinies that owes me money, lots of newbies I can Tom Sawyer into getting wet and well an eye patch if I have to.

I don't know if any of you guys have noticed, but the economy is a bit weird. On this blog there is this adsense stuff. If you click on an ad I make money. Now technically, or is it legally, I can't tell you guys to click on ads because I get paid if you do. That is a conflict of interest, my mentioning that I might make money if you click on an ad. So don't do that.

Fishing is pretty good. Now the dolphin can be hit or miss, but the tuna are hot. This time of year we catch lots of Black Fin Tuna. Great fighters but they taste like crap. Don't worry, I will take them all off your hands for no extra charge.

I have a mutton trip in the works, a Gulf Wreck trip and a family fun weekend coming up with what may include the pork barbecue of this millennium. With the economy the way it is I may even be taking a sailboat fishing trip. That should make the local papers, me guiding a WAFI. Next thing you know I will be doing plumbing.

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