Thanksgivings Day Week Report

I got some outstanding reports from yesterday. Bobby on the Pips 36 got into nice size wahoo to 40 pounds or so plus some nice snapper and a keeper red grouper. The wahoo were caught in 100 to 150 feet of water right out front. Paul and Dave on the Papa Pips when offshore and got a nice dolphin and some blackfins so offshore is still a bit slow but some fish what to play out there.

Down to the west near Bahia Honda the sailfish action picked back up for the guys with live bait. They were sight fishing for the sails in the 100 plus foot range. Bayside James a commercial fishing friend reported that the Spanish Mackerel are showing in good numbers. So that fishery should really start cracking with the next cool front.

At the bridge Jeff Knapp and Sam Nelson guided the Wild Welshman to a nice 120 pound tarpon plus a couple of juvies. That is pretty good for this time of the year indicating a great tarpon season should be on the way. I have already been seeing mullet in the boat basin and the pilchard are pretty thick as well. Bally hoo are just about everywhere as long as you can get the wind with the current.

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

Plenty of Snapper but Sailfish Were Missing

Friday was a great day with Dan a fairly regular client. Dan wanted to learn a few things like how to throw a castnet and catch sailfish. The plan was to catch balleyhoo on the reef then hit the 100 to 200 foot range for sailfish. That was the plan anyway.

Well the wind was against the current so we couldn't get the balley hoo behind the boat at the first spot. We tried another with the same results. balleyhoo were everywhere except where I could get a net on them. Finally, I moved further to the west where we had a little more forgiving current. Dan wasn't into catching mangrove snapper but did enjoy playing with a good size Goliath Group AKA Jewfish. So I caught nice size mangroves for bait.

Dan hooked the Jewfish up twice but couldn't get him off the bottom. The first time the Jewfish pull his mangrove off the hook and a small amberjack hit the bear hook. Dan was pretty amazed at the bear hook thing and the fact we could have caught nice size mangroves all day long if he had wanted to. Anyway we finally caught a few live balley hoo and headed for the sailfish zone. We had an almost immediate strike but didn't hook up. With the cloud cover we could not identify what kind of fish it was but the bait was still intact. Then another strike on the same bait. The second strike was a toothy critter.

We finished that drift with no more action then came back for another drift after seeing a Frigate bird working on the edge of the reef. No strikes this time until we got ready to try another drift. Then Dan spotted something behind one of the baits. It turned out to be a Mola Mola or sunfish trying to eat the balley hoo. This was the smallest Mola I have ever seen only about 20 inches long. It was pretty comical watching the Mola try to catch the live bait. Dan got a picture which I hope he will email me.

After a couple more fruitless drifts we called it a day and headed back to the barn. After getting in I got some reports that the sails were biting good way to the West and way to the East. So Marathon got the short end of the bite on Friday. Things change every day so with any luck Dan should get a shot at a sail this week. I just hope they move into the sand again for him. It is a pretty amazing sight seeing sails busting bait in 30 foot of water.

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

Sailfish in the Sand

The sailfish bite has fired off in Marathon. Bob Manske on the Pips 36 had a couple shots but the clients wanted to bottom fish so he spent a couple hours beside himself as the sails crashed bait all around the boat. Been there done that so I know the feeling.

While Bobbby was watching sails I discovered that a shovel really doesn't fit my hand anymore. But to help cover a small debt I back filled a ditch. About thirty years ago that would not have been a big deal. Now I am just a touch slower. So come on down and go fishing so I can get back to what I do pretty well. 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 Neatherlands Sportswriter Nico J. de Boer in the Keys

Yesterday was a short guide trip to show Mr. Nico J. de Boer and his lovely lady the Marathon area and Captain Pip's. We targeted fish that would hit artificials and flies during a short half day trip as he had another appointment in the afternoon. With the cold front the fish were a bit lethargic so the bite was slow. The afternoon would have been better as the sun warmed the waters up a bit around the flats. As it was we had to head out to the reef to get the barracuda for his photos.

We spotted several 'cuda's, sharks and some permit, but they just wouldn't take the artificial baits. So I had to resort to live bait to produce a decent size fish. Despite the slow bite they seemed to have had a great time and spoke highly of the Pip's experience. The clear water that it took me a while to find showed them the potential of the area's fishing.

The drop in temperature should push the Spanish Mackerel down withing the week and as mentioned in my last post the Mangroves are fat and hungry in the Bay. So later this week the bite should really heat up.

We saw several other boats fishing yesterday which has be a rarity of late. So things seem to really be picking up. No reports yet from the other guys out yesterday. I will fill that in later. 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

Finally a Fishing Report!

Photo thanks to Ray.

The wind cut us some slack yesterday and we actually got to fish. The water was still churned up around the bridge so the bay side was the only place to go. About eight miles back in the bay the water was clear enough to get a decent mangrove bite. Closer in the water was still off color with a weak bite.

The mangroves we got were very respectable in the 2.5 to nearly 4 pound range. We lost several larger fish to the wreck which would have made it a great trip had we boated them. Other than the Mangroves we had a few porgies, cero mackerel and jacks to pull the lines. The balleyhoo were thick and that was the bait that caught the bigger fish as usual.

We did have a first yesterday. One of my clients fell overboard. While there was abundant beer on board the cause of the MOB appeared to be more excitement related that alcohol related. Scott of course had his cell phone in his pocket.

The bite that we had ended as soon as the current started to slow down and the wind shifted to the west. So the afternoon part of the trip sucked other than poking fun at Scott.

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 Blow is Nearly Over.

We have had a blow for the past few days that should be over hopefully tomorrow. I lost one trip to it but may be able to get one in tomorrow. The we can a real fishing report for a change.

Because of the blow nobody has been fishing. The lack of fishing is stressing the liquor supplies in town. Bored is not the word for it. The bad thing for the fishing guys is that there are actual people in town that want to fish and willing to pay. Anyway the blow should get the fish moving and chewing.

If you are in town this Thursday there will be a tweet meet at Porky's Bayside from 5 to 7 o'clock. RSVP by calling Pip's at 743-4403. Barb is planning a little social for the social network.

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

More On Captain Gator

We got captain Gator loaded up for the trip to his new home near Hernado, Florida. He will be coming back to run fishing trips in season. That's one heck of a long commute, but that what he is going to do.

We have a windy weekend in store, but it is bringing a nice drop in temperatures. The temperature drop should fire the bay side up and hopefully start the Spanish Mackerel moving to our area. That is a fun time if you like a lot of action and fish dip.

There is a late season hurricane that has a chance of messing up a few days next week. It should stay well to our west but you never know with these storms. I have a trip scheduled for Monday that I really don't want to miss. At least we have a fall back day just in case.

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

More Full Moon Weirdness

This blog is supposed to be about fishing in the Keys but sometimes life in the Keys trumps fishing. I woke up at some ungodly hour this morning and craved a smoke. So I went over to Dion's to get a pack of the cheapest smokes they had and had I guess an alien encounter.

First homeless Steve was sitting on the curb playing his guitar. Since I didn't have much to do I talked to Steve for a while and played some blues while he told me about his getting thrown in jail for a few days.

Steve is one of those people that could really benefit from Chris Rock's how to not get your ass kicked by the police video. Steve was given a new medication that was a little more potent than he anticipated. A cop showed up and asked him if he was all right. Steve being from Jersey and not in full control of his faculties, told the cop that he was not all right, he was F'ed up and needed to be taken to F'ing hospital pretty F'ing fast. There is something about southern cops and the F bomb. Any hoo Steve got free room and board with grits and baloney for a few days.

Now Steve's tribulations with life is not that unusual, at least in the Keys anyway. The weird part was when this kid asked to bum a smoke off me. Smokes have become a pretty valuable commodity of late and bumming a smoke off a stranger normally results in a less than desirable result. My response was a simple hell no. The kid was persistent though so I gave him the last couple of drags. Then he couldn't get his car started. That is a bit abnormal. So he asks me to start his car. That is also abnormal. Anyway, after asking him what the hell he was on and how long he has been brain dead I started his car for him. Real difficult, put the key in, turn, start. So I am trying to figure out if the youngster was capable of driving. He appeared to be sober, but not the sharpest tack in the box. So I let him drive off after a cursory grilling.

Now it is not just the early morning derelict crowd that is weird. The fish have taken to weirdness too. The snapper have developed a case of the full moon lock jaw and the sailfish that have shown up are not feeding. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing sailfish follow your bait and not eat. Well, there is those times the significant other says, "we need to talk." I can handle the poor sailfish bite better than that.

In other news, the Native Son charter business is no more. Captain Pete sold the boat and returned to the real world. It is getting where I am one of the few idiots, er .. guides, still hanging out. Captain Gator at Pips is also pulling the plug and headed north. Little Chris with the walkabout charter boat is up north and may not make it back this season.

On the bright side some people are starting to invest some money in the Keys. Frosty's and Rum Bum's restaurants are both looking at new ownership by season. Herbie's restaurant which has been closed for three months is soon going to open again. The Rum Bum's location has a brand new tiki hut to expand their seating for a full liquor license which I highly approve of. Faro Blanco construction should start next year provided the sewer stays on schedule. We have a new West Marine building nearly finished and the number of for sale signs is starting to decrease. So things are starting to look up a bit.

As soon as we get this full moon behind us the fishing will pick up and all will be well in the Keys again. Until then I have a bottle of Scotch to tide me over. 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

Not Being Online Sucks

My current lack of internet access is really a pain in the butt. Especially when people are trying to get answers to Keys questions. So since I am not always able to get online I will put my phone number out there for guys with serious questions. It is (305) 395-1923.

A couple of recent questions are about where to stay in the Keys. The answer depends on what you and your significant other are looking for. Fishing up and down the Keys is fairly consistent.

The upper Keys has a large variety of top class restaurants and watering holes that attract many that want to party as does the Key West area. The Middle Keys are a bit more laid back party wise but offer easy access to all the Keys has to offer. Since I am kind of laid back I chose the Marathon area in the middle Keys for my home base.

One of the advantages of the middles Keys for first time visitors that want to do their own thing on the water is that it has the easiest water access. You can get to both the ocean side and bay side without having to navigate too much shallow water. In the winter when we have the most visitors and normally the worst weather for being on the water there are a lot of easily accessible areas to catch fish, snorkel or what ever on the water without getting you butt kicked in the process. Most of the Keys areas offer similar high wind fishing opportunities though it takes a little more training to avoided running aground and other boating mishaps.

The Key West area offers great foul weather fishing for a large variety of species. I chartered out of Key West for a couple years doing back country trips and it was hard not to impress the clients. It did take me a while to learn the area so I highly recommend a guide if you want to do the back country thing own your own. In winds over 30 knots you can still have a great day on the water. The scenery around the Bay Keys, Mud Keys, hell all of the uninhabited keys north of US 1 is pretty awesome as is the fishing. It is just a little tricky getting to them.

Going to the reef or offshore is not that hard out of Key West or any of the Keys really, if you pay close attention to the charts. I have seen times when the tides made it very difficult to fish out of the upper Keys in deeper draft boats. Generally getting to ocean side is pretty simple once you have studies the charts from where your boat is docked.

I do not recommend parts of the lower Keys for people that can't handle rough water and want their boat in the water. The Keys between Big Pine and Boca Chica have very limited access to the bay side for most boat operators. That severely limits your options in the winter season. If you are trailering a boat though this is a great area to stay. There is a link on my blog some where for the boat ramps in the Keys. For guys with a smaller boat this is the best way to experience the Keys. Do be careful though as the waters can be tricky.

The East side of Big Pine Key does provide easy access to both the bay and ocean sides. Accommodations though can be hard to come by in season. That is another of the reasons I like Marathon. You have a good variety of motels and rentals to choose from and easy access.

For the guys that want to sail I am not going to be much help. There are a few sailboats for rent in the Keys but I haven't a clue how good or bad they are. And the deeper keel of sail boats just makes it that much more difficult to navigate down here.

I want to thank the folks that hit my tip jar. It was a big help. I will try to lug the computer down more often to keep in touch with the world. Until then remember, 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