Jakes and Macks, plus a few other critters

As is often the case, a beautiful day is not always super productive.  Still, Fishing 101 Oceanside for the Jakes was not too bad.  With no bird action to speak of and only one dolphin and one skipjack in the box, we hit the reef for intro Yellowtail which turned into whack the macks.  The Jakes and Dave had fun using their various fresh water chuggers to fire up surface strikes from the mack while I tried to entice a mutton snapper out of a swarm of nice yellow tails. The water was clear and flat so you had to really let the lines back for the 'tails.  That is boring compared to surface striking Cero Mackerel, so the Macks became the main event

With the clear water though, they could see all the fish they weren't catching as well as the ones that they did catch.  More than enough for dinner, but no monsters today.

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

Niles Channel with the Jakes

The pair of Jakes looking forward to a fishing adventure in the back country of Big Torch Key.  This was billed as a tour more than a catching trip.  Niles channel is not really that hard to navigate, but Dave, dad of one of the Jakes thought it was worth inviting me along.  Thanks to wind against current, the first couple of fishing spots I tried along the tour were not all that productive.  With the wind and current lined up or in the same general direction, chumming is much more productive. 

I did find a little island that will remain nameless with a nice drop off right next to the Mangroves.  Not the son of Dave Jake, found this Baracuda which up until today is his largest catch Evah!  I am pretty confident that will change since that 'cuda and the nice size Jack that the Dave's son Jake caught will make primo shark bait this evening or in the morning. 

I am take the day off tomorrow, but if the winds cut us some slack, the Jakes should experience a bit of offshore dolphin and tuna action the day after.  That will be a fishing trip not a back country tour.

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

Deposits - Refunds and other Bidness Stuff

Now that the weather has improved I am getting more reliable bookings.  Since I have never done a real post on my business policies, such that they are, here ya go.

Deposits:  To confirm a date I request a small deposit on Paypal, the Captain's tip jar button on the blog.  When you make a deposit, include a brief note on the date(s).  This deposit automatically provides me with your email, address, full name or the credit card holder and phone number if available.  It makes my life simple.  I only ask for a small deposit for two reasons, first, Paypal takes their cut.  Second, if there is a cancellation for whatever reason it simplifies refunds.

Refunds:  Paypal policy allows simple refunds for 60 days from the time of the deposit.  I am into simple so I have the same policy.  I am also forgetful.  If you think you should get a refund, let me know, but with the small deposit amounts, ~$20 US, my forgetfulness generally doesn't create much heartburn on the deposit side.

Payments:  I don't much care how you pay.  Since I am basically a day laborer or glorified mate with local experience in your temporary employ, cash is nice, checks dandy and credit cards via Paypal hunky dory also.   Both checks and Paypal have some added expense, but not enough to write home about, provided the checks don't bounce.  Paypal is very convenient though for most folks and even has policies where if you think I am some kind of scammer, you can get your money back.  It is a bit tough to get cash out of my hands, just ask anyone that knows me, so if you have concerns, Paypal is a great option.

Extended Dates:  Since there is a lot to learn down here in the Keys I get a lot of requests for an extra day or two.  That is a first come first served kind of thing.  In the winter I generally try to keep a few days open for weather delays and extended dates.  That works most of the time, but can create issues when I have late bookings trying to fit one day in here or there.  This can come down to what kind of fishing you will accept instead of what you want.  Dedicated offshore anglers have the smallest weather window so I often take inshore and bridges guys when offshore is closed due to sportier than normal conditions.  The boat size and type is a factor as is crew stamina, so sometimes we just have to wing 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

 After doing something to change his rotten weather luck, I believe he performed a Sage cleansing or some other ritual, Mark finally was able to brave the 20 plus knot winds with some hope that the rains had stopped and the winds would drop as the day progressed.  We dipped the bow of the boat about 20 times while trolling out to 400 foot of water, missed the first chance with line tangle cluster, then struck Dorado!

Another nice gaffer around twenty pounds with lock jawed companions.  Even the small legal size swingers (about 4 pounds) were not into a bailing mood, so we had troll up all the fish with lures, mainly the blue/silver Dallas Darts (similar to jet heads but cheaper since I know the guy that makes them).  Along with the dolphin, a trio of Black Fin Tuna mugged us on one pass.  Then the Little Tunny took over making it difficult to find anymore fish for the freezer.

The fish were all in the 320 to 400 foot range after the fairly stiff South to SouthWest winds for the past two days.  Weed lines were completely broken up with only tiny patches here and there which seemed to be enough for the fish.  The Sooty Terns were working over time spotting fish though, which makes life easier.

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. not

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

Andrea, the Tropical Storm

The tropical depression that never got any respect finally has a  name, Andrea.  For the past two weeks we have been watching the weather radar close to find gaps of good weather to sneak out for some fishing.  Now that there is a little circulation, that weather is predicted to move out fast which should mean a week or so of great fishing weather.  The winds right now are near 20 with gusts to 25 and according to windfinder, should drop to the 10 to 15 range tonight and tomorrow and stay below 20 for a while. 

I think windfinder will get a pretty good test this afternoon because I am planning a half day starting around 11:00 am once more of the nastier stuff heads North.  The strong south winds for the last day or so should have the fish pushed in close which would make life easier. 

This year, in case you haven't noticed, has had a bit more unpredictable weather than normal.  The fishing has been pretty much above normal, provided your timing is right.  So I have been trying to get people to roll with the flow more than normal and get into other types of fishing than they are used to this time of year.  That includes the bridges, Hawk Channel and some of the back country for bad weather days and being ready to head offshore at the drop of a hat. 

Named storms generally turn people off when it comes to longer term vacation planning  They aren't a lot of fun while they are in your area, but once they pass through they can kick the reef fishing and offshore action up several notches if you can take advantage of a quick fishing getaway.  There are still a couple of weeks left that are limited due to the buggers, the last week of July and the first two weeks of August are booked solid as far as accommodations and rental boats.  From now to the middle of July is prime time for the reef and offshore Dolphin/Tuna.  There is a little shift after that where the reef bite gets a little more inconsistent and the peanuts or small dolphin move in, but still a lot of respectable to larger fish to be had.  The hard part is planning your off time with the catching on time.  So weather (whether) or not something exciting is happening, this is the time of the year when I tend to be more active blogging just to let folks know what to expect.

To that end, Windfinder.com for the Marathon area and the NOAA Gulf Water Vapor Loop are two links that you might want to add to your favorites in case you haven't all ready. 

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