The Wellcraft Project

Every transom I have rebuilt I did after removing the boat cap and floor since all that was pretty much trashed.  The V20 though has a solid enough floor and the cap is not in bad shape.  So instead of ripping the boat a part I am going to slide in a new transom core from the top.  The original transom core was only 1 inch thick and nearly completely turned to powder so I just vacuumed out most of the old stuff.

As I said the floor is in pretty good shape and the boat has saddle tanks instead of a below floor gas tank which is a pretty nice way to do things.  I think this old gal will be a pretty Bay/Reef boat after I am done.

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

Grouper Season Opens May 1st

That is a picture of a closed season Black Grouper.  In just a few days that could be an open season grouper since that one was safely released not far from where I am now typing.  This post is just a reminder since adding grouper to the fishing 101 checklist can greatly enhance the appearance of the fish box.

The first few days of May I am going to be fishing with some local buds that are Jonesing for Grouper sammies.  After that I am trying to hold out for more Grouper oriented anglers.  In preparation I have avoided a number of productive grouper spots that should be happening.  So if you are Jonesing for grouper you might want to book early.

 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

Too Much Weed?

Yesterday was a planned Marathon Hump trip.  On the typical Marathon Hump trip we never make it to the Hump because we find so many fish on the way we just don't have the time.  Yesterday was probably a too good day with gorgeous weather, calm seas and more Sargasso weed than I have seen in a few years.   With that much weed the fish were scattered and moving fast with so much bait to chase.  We managed a single dolphin under a frigate bird and another single under the classic "shitload" of birds.  We made it to the Hump and lost a nice Blackfin Tuna (BFT) on the first pass for some lack of proper Karma situation, then had a drought while the live bait boats started chumming.  The live bait boats didn't stay very long so we picked up four BFT and lost a few more to Karma after they left.

We tried the Permit on the Thunderbolt reef to finish the day but they too were enjoying the day more than our live crab baits.  The crew did at least get to see the fish that wouldn't bite so on the whole it was a good day.
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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 little Offshore Report

With plans of a box full of dolphin we headed offshore yesterday.  Since Windfinder missed the front that was moving or at least trying to move through, we did not head all the way to the wall.  With winds just under 20 knots the seas were fishable but a little confused and bumpy.

Skipjack tuna were the only fish interested in eating.  There were plenty of Sargasso Weeds in the 600 foot area with fliers and a fair number of birds.  The fish under the birds though were not fired up.  Instead of the normal mugging where every line gets bent we only picked up single fish.   That reduces the catch considerably so instead of eight of ten fish in the box we only ended up with two by noon.  Luckily we had chum and live shrimp to fall back on and added some yellowtail to the box for appetizers in the afternoon.

Today Winder is calling for mainly calm conditions with the wind shifting to the west in the afternoon.  West winds are not good down here if they are strong enough to screw the currents up.  Calm or near calm though should still produce plenty of snapper so that will be the game plan, patches in the morning to catch snapper and bait then trading the bait in on bigger snapper in the afternoon.  Since the guys want action, the Seven Mile Rubble pile will get tossed in there some time 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

Amazing Car

The bus needs newer tires and I have been watching craigslist for a few months trying to find a deal.  I had planned to borrow a pickup for the tire pickup, but it was committed to a move and the tires would likely not be around if I waited.  So figured I would give the Camry a shot.  After removing the rear bench seat and clearing out the trunk, I managed to get all 6 8R19.5 Bridgestone tires in the car that doesn't quit.

8R19.5 are rather large in case you didn't know and extremely expensive new, between $200 for cheapos and over $300 for top of the line.  Thanks to the Camry, the bus now has 6 newer tires for the cost of about one new tire.

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

Dallas Darts 2014

Every year around April I make my trolling lures Dallas Darts.  Quite a few people like to use them so it seems I never make enough for me and everyone else.  A lot of people make their own and there are similar lures for sale that work about as good.  The Dart is just a bullet head lure with an Octopus skirt and a vinyl insert in order to stiff rig the hook.  Back when Billy of Billy Baits fame was making his lures in Marathon he was experimenting with a stiff rig for his lures.  I kind of beat him to the punch with the vinyl insert in the lure head instead using an after the fact modification.  The only thing particularly original about the Darts is that vinyl insert.

In the bottom of the photo above you can see how the hook, a Mustad 3407 7/0 eye fits snugly into the back of the lure head.  In the next samples you can see how the skirt hides the hook.  Fish don't know squat about hooks, so the skirt is hiding the hook from weeds making the lure weed resistant.  They are not weed proof by any stretch, but the stiff rig does reduce weed ups and helps the lure shake weeds.

On the finished lures at the top you can see the brass lock Ferrell.  There is a Ferrell under the skirt to keep the skirt in place and an expanded Ferrell over the front of the skirt to hold the skirt in place for high speed trolling/chasing.  With a tight fit the lure can troll over 18 knots which is more for being able to get ahead of a school than actual fishing.   Most of the time you can get a boat on a plane with the lures out and not even have the pressure on the lures trip the outrigger release clips.  Fishing can get kinda competitive on the weekends down here and this little feature provides a slight advantage over the dead bait and big lure fishermen.  Most of the guys that make their own don't include the front locking Ferrell.

Some folks call the Darts "Plumber's Lures" because the heads are made out of brass and copper fittings.  Since salt water is an electrolyte, the combination of copper, brass, chrome and tin on the hook means the lures will corrode.  While they are corroding, they are producing a weak electrical voltage/current which some species of fish sense.  I have pulled Darts so corroded that there was no shine to the head at all and they still caught fish.  If you want to keep them shiny, a little fine grit sand paper (200 to 400 grit) will polish them back to close to brand new.

This year I am only making Blue and Silver Darts for general trolling and Black and Purple Darts for Tuna.  The blue and silver will catch tuna also but the dark colors are a little easier for the tuna to see.  I was going to make red and black but the quality of the red and black skirts sucks.  If someone wants another color combination I will try to find decent skirts.

Not everyone likes the stiff rig which does make the lures spin if not properly aligned meaning ball bearing swivels are recommended.  So I sell the lures unrigged for the local captains and rigged for everyone else.   Unrigged are $5.00 and rigged $6.00 each with some quantity discounts negotiable.

If you are looking for real Dallas Darts, give me call or leave a comment.  I will also try to keep some in stock at Pancho's Fuel Dock and The Tackle Box.  They both add a little to the price, but not enough to scare most folks away.

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

Mo' Fishing 101

A new crew is in town just in time for the full moon.  The full moon doesn't really kill the fishing but it does make catching a bit more of a challenge.  On the Bayside spot the wind and current where just a little off, normally not a big deal, but yesterday the bite just shut down.  Same at the bridge and the rockpiles.  Catching didn't start until we hit the patches and the reef proper.

Yellowtail in 65 foot were respectable but not monsters and stayed way back.  It took a while to get the crew into the subtle art of "tailing, but once they got the hang of it they could have limited out in a little longer than normal time despite the moon.

The patches where a bit slow as well but the slow bite fish, Porgies and Hogfish, are often worth a bit more wait than normal.  The crew is on their own today so we will see how well they do sticking to one flavor of fishing instead of the typical Fishing 101 whril wind tour of stuff.

Weather is looking great for the next week if Windfinder is to be believed.  That should open up the offshore parts of the Fishing 101 which are closed most of the winter.

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

Spring Cleaning Projects

The Florida sun did a major number on the RV clear coat making it look pretty shabby.  There is no easy way to fix that, at least that I know of, other than getting rid of the clear coat.  Three days and a dozen razor blades later;

 This is what the sunny side looks like.  I am going for the fish camp chic look.

Fish camp chic involves lobster in the Keys so what better way to make that statement and get rid of a rusty bunch of decorative metal work?  There are tasteful lobster work appointments inside also, which I may post in the future.

That takes care of project one, still a work in progress as all boats and RVs are.  Now for project 2.

This is a vintage Wellcraft V20 which next to the Grady Wet, is probably the wettest production boat ever built.  It is however a very stable fishing platform for bridge, back-country and near shore on suitable days.  I have a number of regulars that would like reasonably priced catching trips for those days that there is no boat really big enough for offshore.  I need to go through the hull to figure out just how big a headache this old girl will be, but I think I can lose the rail and windshield and have a pretty spiffy Po Boy fishing/bait boat that won't break the bank.  Anyone crazy enough to send donations will be credited with future Po Boy Fishing Expeditions(TM).

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