Tarpon on a Cuda Tube?

One of the biggest things I teach people is to take advantage of what opportunities present themselves.  I get customers that load the boat with rods and tackle but don't have a single rod rigged and ready to go.  Less than half a mile from the dock is some of the finest fishing in the world.  If you ain't ready, you ain't catching.

One of the reasons I love the Keys is the diveversity of opportunities.  On a trip I had last week the guys just wanted to hook big stuff.  After convincing them to catch a couple of fat mangs for dinner we targeted the big jacks and toothy critters on the rubble pile.  They had a ball and could have spent the whole week getting their butts handed to them by big fish on light tackle. With the bite slowing and time running out, I took them to the flats to play with some 'cudas.  "Cudas are underrated by lots of locals 'cause we been there done that.  Newbies to the Keys though like their first encounters with those toothy critters.

On the flats with 'cuda tubes it can be a lot of fun because they strike hard and everyone sees a lot of stuff in the shallow waters that are clearer than most places.  Well, on this day we had a lot of short strikes and follows with no hook ups.  That is until a 60 ish pound tarpon inhaled the tube.  About 30 minutes and 10 jumps latter Eddied boated his first tarpon of his trip and his buddy Jerry held it for the picture.  Of course they never emailed me the picture.  Anyway, that was the first tarpon I have ever seen caught on a 'cuda tube.  Hey, I would rather be lucky than good.

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

On the Oil Spill

Thus far there has been no impact on the Florida Keys from the BP oil spill other than media hype that is getting into my wallet.  Normally, I would be fishing every day in May, but due to fears of oil I am sitting on my butt.  Not a good thing because when I am not busy I tend to stir the pot and the pot is boiling over.

Any who, the latest from the powers at be is that the impact on the Keys will be minimal and mainly only tar balls which we already have anyway.  While I would rather not have any more tar balls, last time I checked I wasn't in charge.  There are no predicted fishing closures in the Keys so everything is normal other than tourists freaked out by the main stream media not booking trips.

Otherwise, the offshore bite is pretty hot for dolphin and tuna with a billfish released by someone nearly every day.  Marlin are being hooked up more often than normal for the area which is a good thing if you want to tangle with a blue.  Good size fish too with several over 300 pounds being reported.

The tarpon bite is still in full swing and the snapper spawn is building.  For you divers the vis has been over 40 foot for a while and getting better with a weak current.  The high vis and weak current is not a good thing for the Yellowtail snapper lovers, but the lane snapper bite has really picked up lately plus grouper are now legal to keep again.  Fishing for the lanes and grouper requires a bit more effort and local knowledge than chumming up 'tails but is not that hard.

Haven't heard much from the local flats guys but this is the time of year things get heated up.  So if you like the skinny water plan a day or two just for fun.

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

Oil, Sun and Stuff

Most of you are aware that there is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that may impact the Florida Keys.  I have no clue how much of if the spill will screw things up.  I do know thqat there is federal money coming to those impacted.  So send me an email at captdallas2@aol.com if you are considering postponing or canceling a trip so I can get some of that cash.

I am not fishing today because a buddy of mine captain Howard Kelly let my customers (due to legal advice that should read Howard did it on his charter not me, I would never let this happen) get sunburned on a trip with him.  Yes, I have been busting his chops and will in the future suggest they fish with him after fishing with me.  Hopefully, they will heal quickly so I can get back on the water.  Until then I will be making my Dallas Darts for the offshore fishing guys. 

There is a superstition in the Keys that hanging a bull shark from the bridge cuts down on the number of tarpon eaten by sharks.  Well, if you take one out of the mix it has to help, but it is a bit odd to see a 300 pound plus dead shark dangling from a bridge.  Since the sharks have been winning the last few days expect to see some odd things at the bridge.

The bite on the whole is pretty hot with dolphin and tuna leading the list plus the snapper spawn is starting and the tarpon are thick.  Good times for them that can get down here.  I will be offering a discount tar ball collection special for the eco-friendly types that want to come down to see the show. 

After listening to the media hype it is a great time to book that one last trip to the fabulous Florida Keys before BP owns them. So if you want to fish, drink or try your hand at tar balling get your butt down here!
 
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

Offline but I Am Back!

The hard disk in my 'puter crashed, but thanks to a buddy I now have a laptop to fill the void until I get a new hard drive.  It has been windy the past several days so I haven't been able to take advantage of the dolphin bite that has finally kicked into high gear the last few days.  Lots of slammers hitting the dock!  Now that the bite is on if it don't quit with the wind, I may have so nice pictures pretty soon.

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

No the Oil Spill Has Not Killed the Keys

The Keys are still alive and well.  Fish are still frolicking, the water is still clean and I still need to work.  I have been getting some of the weirdest calls from customers worried about the oil spill.  Will it get here and cause permanent damage to the Keys?  How the heck would I know?  I don't think so since the loop current and winds are not favorable for a massive spill in the middle and upper Keys.  A hurricane could change that, but the counter clockwise flow would most likely push the spill away from the Keys.  So let's not be pessimistic but optimistic.  If you are going to cancel a trip because of oil spills, global warming or anything else outside of my control it would be nice to give me a call so I can try to find a fill in  

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 Miracals of Modern Medicine

I have been battling high blood pressure and low finances for a while.  I finally got enough money in my clothes that I could go to the clinic to get my blood pressure medicine adjusted so I could afford to take it.  So I have a new lower cost script that seems to be effective with one minor issue.  The medicine has a warning on the bottle that it may cause dizziness.  Boy was that and understatement!  Thursday I was in la la land.  The solution since I fish in the day and drink at night is to take the pill in the afternoon instead of the morning.  This results in more buzz with less alcohol.

Fishing wise it is a weird bite.  The dolphin are in fairly close but the big slammers are way the heck offshore.  So boats are bringing in some nice 15 to 25 pounders, but not the normal 50 plus pounders common for this time of year.

The reef bite is just fine when you have a favorable current and the mangroves are stacking up in the bay.  I have been seeing a good number of cobia on both sides, but they are a bit picky on what they want to eat.  So take a few live crabs with you if you want cobia for dinner.

The tarpon are out in full force at nearly every bridge along with the big sharks that like to eat them.  Mullet and crabs are the bait of choice though I did have a couple of pick ups with pinfish Thursday.  The daytime bite at Bahia Honda bridge is hot and cold from day to day but there are so many tarpon playing around that it is worth a visit.  Bring your video camera for some pretty awesome footage.

Sorry I have been offline for a few days.  Fishing out of Big Pine cut into my computer time.  If you want a change of pace Big Pine is not a bad place to stay.  It has easy access to the Content Keys which I think is one of the most beautiful places to fish plus the Bahia Honda bridge.  The canals on Big Pine are not for the faint of heart so hire a guide for at least a few hours if you are not familiar with the waters.  I still prefer fishing out of Marathon, but a little change of scenery is always a welcome 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

Monkey Business

The Brass Monkey and Winn-Dixie got together and threw one heck of a party yesterday.  People I haven't seen in years turned out for the free feast and feast it was. 

I have never seen so many people at the Brass Monkey during the day in my life.  It was a good time and I am glad that the Monkey is still in business.  Now off to Tavernier to get drug tested.  What a waste of 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

A Wild and Wacky Week in Marathon

It has been a wild and wacky week in Marathon, the heart of the Florida Keys.  Monday I found out that the Winn-Dixie asked to buy the liquor license from the Brass monkey.  The Brass Monkey is a local watering hole that I can actually afford to visit from time to time.  The Monkey owners declined their offer and was given six weeks to get out.  Kinda of rude I thought and so did a few hundred other locals that started returning their Winn-Dixie reward cards with so to the point comments.  Friends of the bar organized a protest and the Monkey ordered save our monkey t-shirts.

Tuesday I picked up a half day trip and about half way into my half day I started belching, coughing and had chest pains.  I kinda sorta thought I was having a heart attack.  I cut the trip a little short and headed back to visit the clinic.  At the clinic I was dizzy as all hell and red as a beet.  Evidently I looked so bad the clinic called an ambulance to take me to the ER.  I didn't want to put them out so I took a cab instead.  The ER did chest x-rays and other stuff and figured out that I had an ear infection that was the cause of my predicament.   They prescribed some fancy antibiotics and ear drops plus they cleaned my ear out.  Now I can hear again out of that ear.

Wednesday I was still a bit wobbly so I had to cancel a trip.  So the not a heart attack episode cost me about five hundred dollars that I really could use.  On the bright side though, I found out that day that the
Winn-Dixie changed their mind and offered the Monkey another year's lease and maybe 27 more.  I want to go up there a celebrate, but opted to stay in bed since walking was a bit of a challenge.

Thursday I was able to walk and sick of being in the house so I did the monkey for lunch.  The wind was blowing pretty good so I didn't think I would get a trip anyway.  Since I was the fancy antibiotics I was a good boy and didn't over indulge.

Friday I slept in and missed most of the excitement that I can't really talk about.  Anywho, a friend of mine ended up in jail and Tim, Mark and I tried to bail him out but to no avail.

Nothing much happened Saturday other than my friend getting out of jail and I found out than the Winn-Dixie is throwing a free lunch today at the Monkey.  So my afternoon is planned.  Next week things should be back to normal and I will be back on the water.

Until then, 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