Piddling and fishing

 Been doing a lot more piddling around the new "house" than fishing.  Looks like most folks down here are doing the same, but people that are getting out are doing good.

The snapper bite has been exceptional while the mackerel and winter species have been a little slow this year.  That should have changed thanks to the real cold front last week and the return to more normal temperatures for this time of year.

In case you are wondering what I have been up to,

that is a photo of the kitchen floor in the new RV a few weeks ago.

This is what it looks like now.  Not really happy with the molding, but it will do until I get a little more money in my clothes.

It has only been three months since Irma so there is still considerable construction going on around town.  Because of that, some of the rental properties are not available so I have had a few cancellations.  Most of the hotels and resorts are back in business and available to tourista traffic, but rentals have been commandeered by homeless locals.  That is going to slow things down for me until affordable housing comes back, if it does come back.

So instead of sitting around watching the grass grow, I planted some winter squash and a few other things.

Another project was a security camera for "Monte" which allows me to check the progress of "projects."  I have a much larger area to clutter up this time.

Speaking of clutter, might as well upload some photos off the phone.  All of the fishing photos are of
Cash and fam who go a little addicted to the Keys.


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 bit more like it should be.

The new place called Monte is set up and we are mostly moved in.  Monte had a few issues but those are mainly resolved.  Once Monte was set up we finally had a place to stash salvaged stuff from the old RV and are collecting some stuff to keep and some to donate to people really hammered by Irma.

 With all the moving stuff I did managed to slip in one fishing trip.  Kind of surprised we didn't get into more mackerel action, but we haven't had a real cold front yet.  In any case, the mangroves and lane snapper made sure we had plenty for dinner. 

Finding a place to stay this season will be more of a challenge than usual.  That is because many locals are having to rent vacation rentals while things are being repaired.  We had to rent as vacant lot and install electric, water and still have to install a more permanent sewer line for the Monte.

There are still quite a few businesses closed, like Winn-Dixie, so shopping is a lot more of a contact sport than before.   Most of the debris removal is complete so you can get around better.  Street signs aren't replaced yet so missing turns is a new local hobby. 

Since things aren't completely back to normal I expect a few cancellations, but if you can find a place stay Marathon is open for business.

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

Hurry up and wait - Irma Recovery

Things are slowly getting back to normal but much of the process is extremely slow.  We have a new RV but getting in down here and finding a place to set it up has had several delays so far. 

On a sad note, Lady Catherine of Lady Catherine Charters has passed and will be greatly missed.   She lost a long battle with cancer and passed quietly in the night.

The Keys are trying to get ready for this years Fantasy Fest which will be a challenge for the local homeless.  Many have been staying in local hotels but will have to vacate in order to house tourists.  That means more couch surfing for your local servers so tip accordingly.

If you are a rental boat regular most of the companies seem to have survived well.  Captain Pips across the marina from where we are couch surfing has a new office trailer and most of their services are back in action.  Most of the Charter Boats are back but there are a few that will take a bit longer to repair. 

Fishing of course is fantastic for anyone able to find the time.  Offshore is especially good with plenty of gaffer dolphin hitting the docks.

Many local wrecks will be difficult to find but there are new ones thanks to the storm.  So if you are planning a wreck trip expect to do a bit more exploring than normal.

Booking wise, November and December are filling up faster than I expected.  In addition to fishing, this year will have a bit more entertainment with construction and destruction crews.  It is all part of living in the Keys.  Come on down.

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

Update from the zone

Back in Marathon but internet service is not up to par yet.  So this is my first ever smart phone post.

Still looking for a place to park the new RV but have a good view from our temporary quarters.

As soon as I get internet service I will make a better post

Lady Catherine though is ready to go and most of the boat rental companies look ready as well once the internet is back up and running.

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

Irma was a bitch

I don't know if y'all have heard or not, but hurricane Irma paid a visit to the Florida Keys.  My first rule for cat 3 and above hurricanes is plan a spontaneous vacation.  So Michele and I vacated on vacation and have had a lovely tour of Florida rarely seen by others. 

Back in Marathon, it appears our stuff also planned a spontaneous vacation not long after we left.  Since communications are down and a little over half of Florida is without power, it might take us a few days to finish vacationing.  We are probably homeless which means a bit of shopping for new to us digs.  Not to worry, this is not our first natural disaster.  We'll be back.


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

Rain, and More Rain

 August and September are the prime rainy season months in the Keys so nothing very unusual about all the rain.  As long as there isn't a named storm, you can normally avoid most of the worst stuff and catch fish.  Right now, Mangrove Snapper are moving back to their usual spots so there are more opportunities to catch dinner when the weather doesn't look great for running offshore or fishing the reef. 

Hogfish is closed in Federal Waters but you can still keep one per person over 16 inches in state waters.  Over 16 inches though is going to be tough.  Hogfish are way to delicate for catch and release, even with circle hooks, so I am not sure how this barrage of new Hogfish regulations is going to play out. 

Mrs. Cathy of Lady Catherine Charters is having a tough time battling the big C right now so I want to steer more traffic to their charter business.  Lots of people I know are battling, which is just a reminder that anytime you can is a great time to go fishing. 

Texas is getting more than their fair share of rain thanks to a stalled Harvey.  When the skies clear, they will clean up and get back to business, so planning a fishing trip there can help get the local captains back in the black.  You can donate to plenty of charities, but getting people back to work is the best way to get things back to normal.

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

Yep, Fish are still biting

While I am screwing around with domestic nonsense and plumbing repair, David has been fishing is the light and variable conditions offshore.  David Heberholz is the lead captain on the Lady Catherine and also does a little fishing consulting on private boats.

A 54" bull dolphin is a solid 30 pound fish and called a slammer down here.  The 53" cow dolphin should be between 25 and 30 pounds.

Other boats have been getting good numbers of gaffer fish and the occasionally Wahoo.  Not bad for August.

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

Windy Full Moon

 I had three days with a crew I have fished with for years and of course the only time they had available was on the full moon with 15 to 20 knot winds. 

 Everyone had a fairly good time but when Grant's bragging fish is a Nurse shark, fishing was off.  We did manage a keeper Red Grouper, some nice Porkies, a few Cero Mackerel, Yellowtail Snapper and some Mangrove snapper, but the bites were short lived with the full moon current often against the wind. 

The boat they rented was a Sea Fox from All Aboard Rentals.  Pretty nice new boat, 24 foot with a single 250 Yamaha.  All Aboard has moved to the end of Avenue A and has new owners who are Sea Fox dealers.   Since the windy, full moon fell on the the first week of lobster season, they had the only boats left in Marathon to rent.  They had just moved in to the new place and had lots of work going on.  I should have taken more pictures, but the boats are rigged for fishing and cruising around.  Good size live well and fish boxes plus lots of seating in the back that really wasn't in the way fishing.

Now that they are back home, the winds have laid down and the offshore bite has picked up.  There is a storm that may develop over the next week, but after that fishing should be good and the buggers will mainly be gone.  

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 secrets of successful offshore trolling

 A full day of offshore trolling on a charter boat is expensive.  On the Lady Catherine, it costs almost as much as a ticket for drinking coffee or soda while operating a vehicle in New Jersey.  So a smaller boat offshore trip cost about as much as a liberal's idea of a fair traffic ticket.  On a large sport fisherman, you might be set back two traffic tickets.

To avoid the same emotions you might have after paying an $855 dollar fine for having a sip of coffee on the way to work, you need to think of the overall experience of sport fishing.

Since it is rare to have trophy Marlin bite every hour of a sport fishing trip, refreshments, music and cleaver banter are common on offshore expeditions.  Instead of planning on a meal at some traditional time of day, consider grazing.  Finger foods and salty snacks increase the odds of having an enjoyable day. Munch often,

First, according to Murphy's Law, fish tend to bite at unexpected moments.  Every time you open a drink or grab a handful of chips, the odds of a fish striking increases.  Set out a party platter of cheese, fruit and crackers and it is almost guaranteed the boat will be mugged resulting in fish in the box and food on the deck.  However, if bananas are part of the fruit tray, it is more likely that there will be food on the deck and stories of fish that got away. 

Second, select a productive play list.  Classic rock mixed with some newer country and a splash of "who the hell picked that" is great for a mixed bag catch.  For billfish only you can try classical music and opera, but avoid blue grass and rap.   Fish will bite while blue grass and rap music are playing, but finding a crew help land the fish becomes an issue.

Third, don't get in a hurry.  When a larger fish pulls line off the reel, that is the fun part or the "Sport" in sportfishing, savor the moment and don't wind against the drag.  If a smaller fish happens to strike, casually bringing the smaller fish in might inspire a larger fish to munch.  In the case of Dolphin, aka Mahi, the whole family of fish might visit the boat if you don't rush the first fish into the boat. 

Fourth, for some odd reason, Mozzarella cheese, summer sausage and Ritz crackers tend to produce more Dolphin, while ham and cheese mini sandwiches produce more tuna.  Cold pizza tends to be more of a bottom fishing menu.  Cover all bases and have a good mixture :)

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

What mini-season?

 Mini Lobster season is a zoo which I try to avoid each year.  This year though Lady Catherine booked a couple of family fun half days.   So Wednesday we fished a couple of hours and caught dinner including two nice Hogfish and then let the crew snorkel at Sombrero Reef for a couple of hours.  Today we did the same thing on the Bay Side but let the crew try their hand at chasing bugs after putting a dozen Mangrove Snapper in the box for dinner.

The buggin' newbies managed three keeper spiny lobster, which isn't bad for a couple of hours in the water.  All in all it was a pretty good week.

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

While the ladies had a pool day the guys took a hump day, Marathon Hump that is.  Since this is mini season week, the Hump was a parking lot with at least 25 boats chasing fish.  We managed almost a dozen tuna, mainly black fin and lost more fish than we caught.  So it was a good day given the conditions but a slower than normal day other wise.

We did find some undersized dolphin and almost traded one up to a big fish, that looked like a medium sized Marlin, but no one got a great look at the fish.  Since we missed it, it can anything they want.

Here is the one the water photo.

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 very good photos but we managed three Hogfish along with a Yellowtail Snapper dinner for the family fun day.  Tomorrow these anglers get a pool day while we head offshore.

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

People like Pictures, I like catching fish

After three trips where my cellphone battery died pre-maturely I have mental pictures but not real pictures to post.  A couple of customer promised to email me photos but that is pretty unlikely.

Yesterday, we did a combo offshore and reef trip on the Lady Catherine.  but we only put a handful of keepers in the box.  Offshore was slow for big dolphin even though we found a prize floater.  Lots of undersized fish.  On a full day offshore we probably would have found some bigger fish a little deeper, but  we can back to the reef.

The reef proved to be interesting.  There was a big shark encounter that blew wind up a few skirts plus some nice 'tailing.  One 26 inch Yellowtail and we lost a few that were bigger thanks to the bottom and Mr. Shark.  When your biggest dolphin and biggest Yellowtail are the same size, it was an interesting day. 

Prior to yesterday we had a few family fun trips and fishing 101.  Good fishing with 'cuda/shark encounters that made a few people's day.  Not lots of big bragging fish, but solid 'tails, Porgies and Mangrove depending on the location. 

It is just a bit hot out so plan on bringing plenty of water and me talking you into heading out early and getting back 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

Hogfish and Porgies are playing again

 Ldy Catherine in booking more family fun half days than anything else lately and luckily, the Hogfish and Porgies are back to normal along with the mystery fish that get new comers to the Keys excited.

This was a pretty good catch considering we had a few barracuda and big shark changes during the morning half.  Had quite a few not quite legal mutton snapper releases that would have been legal last year.  Good thing they haven't raised the Hogfish size limit or these would have been released.

Speaking of regulations, the kindhearted idiots are back in action wanting to "protect" more species that aren't in any particular danger.  This "legacy" style of regulation, you know getting your name on some piece of crap that costs working folks money while proving to the world you are a visionary, needs to be nipped in the bud.  If species are doing fine without regulation, then leave them alone.  Hook and line isn't depleting Hogfish, spear fishing is depleting hogfish, so I think we should make the Keys a no spearfishing zone if spearfishing start impacting my livelihood.  Ouch right?

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

Its 'Tailing Time

Yellowtail Snapper bite all year long but in the summer you have more calm days to get out there plus most folks have vacations in the summer.  Most of the time, catching more than enough "tails for dinner is a piece of cake, but they can make you look bad and like doing it.  So basic refresher course tips are in order.

Clear line/fluorocarbon -  when visibility may be over 100 feet you get the opportunity to see the fish that aren't biting.  Clear line tends to spook fish less and while fluorocarbon isn't required it can make a difference on clear, calm days.  Avoid braid and colored lines unless you are trying to make a sales pitch.

Smaller hooks and baits can make a big difference and help combat the Filefish.  For some reason people like to protect things that drive other people nuts.  Scrolled Filefish are one of those things.  They aren't endangered, but since small ones look good in aquariums, the FWC has size limits for aquarium collectors.  Filefish over 20" are common on the reef and officer friendly might think that they are illegal to keep he/she is confusing hook and line fishing with collecting tropicals.  So if you keep filefish, which are pretty tasty if you like trigger fish, the guys in polyester may or may not cite you for illegally keeping oversized tropicals.  Yes, this is one of the main reasons I tend to be politically outspoken, because the brain dead have become part of the system.  Extremely nice and caring folks without a clue irritate the hell out of old farts like me when they can write citations without using common sense.

Oats -  There is a lot of confusion about chumming with oats.  Dry oatmeal floats more and sinks slower so the fish tend to get closer to the surface.  Wet oats since faster and create a little cloud of oat milk that people like to hide their hooks in.  In the summer on a calm day with clear water I want the fish near the top and close to the boat so I use dry oats.  That way you can bail fish without them taking you into the coral.  Wet oats make a spectacular mess in the boat which some people like.

Cheap or not Cheap -  legal to 15 inch 'Tails are easy to catch so you require less chum, so you can probably catch your limit with two blocks in a half day using a medium mesh chum bag.  Hero 'Tails or flags, are fish over 20 inches and are typically found in deeper water requiring more chum in a landing net size mesh chum bag.   You will probably burn a case of chum at around $7.50 times 6 = $45 for about 6 hours of fishing time.  A 15 inch 'tail makes a good filet and is pretty tasty, just not very impressive at the cleaning table.  If you want impressive, it will cost more and require more attention to details like fluorocarbon, steady line release, various hook, jig and bait combinations, and something that is more difficult to find, patience.

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

What a difference a few knots makes

 The winds are still a little high for small boats on the ocean side, but at 16 to 20 instead of 20 to 25 it is a lot easier to find fish on the bay side.

This is from this morning's half day on the Lady Catherine just fishing a couple of spots near banks.  With the lower winds we were able to hold anchor most of the time and the ballyhoo actual came close enough to the boat to hook and line a few for bait. All of these were caught on fresh ballyhoo and pinfish chunks to avoid the thousands of tiny fish in the chum slick.

This catch doesn't come close to what is going on ocean side but we picked up a crew that had already got beaten up chasing dolphin and want something a little less adventurous.  Now the Cindy has been given a name and moved north, the weather should be back to normal this week, so ocean side here we come!

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

Wind woes

 Given the option, it would be more fun doing laundry.  25 knots gusting to 30 doesn't make for a full fish box.  Well, unless you are into barely legals.

First problem is holding an anchor and the second is mobility.  On a calm day you can say goodbye to the mini-mangroves and cover some ground to find better conditions.  In any case, my guesser appears to be broken.  Not really skunked in two days of fishing but close enough for me.  One nice Hogfish was the showcase along with mainly gut hooked barely legal snapper. Normally, June is frolicking fish time with nice photo ops back at the dock.  It calmed down enough to sneak out to a rock pile, but no luck on the one I picked.  

Sadly, quite a few folks picked a bad week to visit the Keys for fishing.  Wind surfing though looked fantastic.  All I can say is I sucked this week and am looking forward to some redemption once the winds drop below 20 knots.

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

In the Reef to 250 foot range

This trip yesterday could have been fantastic if we had not managed to miss two really big fish.  One was big bull dolphin which we got a good look at and the other was most likely a really big tuna.  By really big, I mean over 25 pounds not a giant or any thing.  We fished all day in the 100 to 250 foot depth range right off the reef.  Most of the tuna were smaller lil Tunny which some folks like and some don't and one was a respectable black fin.   There were tons of peanut dolphin with about half legal, but when you have bait size dolphin you always have a shot at the larger fish that likes eating them.   So working the peanut schools can produce trophy fish provided you manage to not lose the $%stard!

These are from a June 1st trip in search of Muttons.  The bite sucked as soon as the current shifted but we did manage a nice black grouper and porgy on the first two drifts before the shift.  I like porgies so I drop a chicken rig with shrimp while my clients drop live bait for the big fish.  We did get one undersized Mutton, which is abnormal when dropping on the deeper wrecks, so we tried a couple of patches for the Mangroves.  The three we caught were in the 17" to 18" range to provide some perspective on the grouper.  That grouper was a personal best for Manny who fishes the wrecks all the time.

We will have a bit of rain for the next few days which is much needed down here then I should have more fish to show off.

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

Reef May 26

Beautifully calm day and unfortunately calm bite.  We hit two spots yellowtail snapper fishing and both started off great and then died out with bait stealers.  The yellowtail we got were nice sized, 16 to 18 inch fish, but the fish that made the day were the 19 to 20 inch mutton snapper identifying as yellowtails.

The bait stealers, Scrawled Filefish, made it a challenge to get baits back to the good eating fish.  Plus there were some smaller Cero Mackerel cutting hooks off.  We tried offshore for a couple of hours, but didn't find any magic floaters or a solid weedline.  Had a few smaller fish in the lures but nothing like a couple of days ago.

So it was a slow day, but more than enough quality fish for dinner thanks to the two nice Mutton
Snapper.

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

Offshore 23 May

 The weather guy lied a bit but we were able to troll out today in confused three plus footers to see what was going on offshore.  We missed two fish then boated these two gaffer dolphin.

Added a Blackfin Tuna appetizer trolling back in.  We had plans of fishing the reef but it was too sloppy for the crew, so I showed them a Bay Side spot and called it an early day. 

Winds are supposed to lay down Friday for a few days so we might get some more offshore fishing in this weekend. 

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

Poor photos but happy customers

The photos suck, but that was part of a half day Shark/'Cuda trip.  I love bucket lists because there are so many people that still have a Shark or 'Cuda to scratch off.  Most of my regulars are caught up there, but I know one crew that is pretty ticked off at Barracuda still :)

In spite of my "trash" fishing adventures there are "family" fun adventures that involve snorkeling, beach combing and some fishing.  These don't produce many good fish photos but they do help with the bills.

"Real" fishermen have been slaying Grouper, Snapper and Tarpon when the weather permits plus getting a few nice Dolphin aka Mahi.  Tuna have been a little slow since I wrote about how good they were :)

The real good news is it is May, so you can keep grouper which opens up a few areas I don't like catching grouper when you cannot keep them.  May should also mean better weather, so with any luck today might be my last over 20 knot day for a while.

My last half of May bookings look pretty good and July is starting to get more interest, but June is lagging. 
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

Wicked Tuna - Keys Addition

 While the Tarpon bite is on and the Sailfish have been thick, the big news is big Bluefin Tuna making people look bad.  200 plus pound Yellowfin and 500 plus pound Bluefin tuna do wander through the Keys now and again.  I have had a solid 200 pound Yellowfin Tuna eating Yellowtail on the reef is 32 foot of water.  It was great to see, but chances are slim and none with yellowtail spinning tackle.  You get spooled if you hook up and that warm feeling of burning drag is all you get to show for it.

If you go out loaded for bear with bent butt 80s and big live baits, more often than not you have a shark encounter which gets old after an hour or two on the rod.  I am pretty sure someone around Marathon will hook up a big bluefin with the right gear and eventually bring one to the dock, but I am not going to hold my breath.

I have been spending most of my time in the kiddie pool with fishing 101 trips and a few hiding from 20+ knot wind trips.  Even on a slow day we are getting dinner and more often than not, some bucket list fish for someone in the crew.   The near shore action though is far from hot.

Permit were on the artificial reefs if you have the weather and the Tarpon bite is better than normal for many right now, mainly at night but there have been a few early and late daytime bites.  We have another 20 grouperless days until that opens back up and a few larger dolphin are being picked up here and there.

If you are into sailfish, you are likely to be a hero or a zero.  Last week one boat released 28 of 32 while many other boats were talking about yellowtailing to make a trip.  That is fishing.   Finding a day when the wind lays down a bit is the biggest trick this time of year.  The great thing about this time of the year in the Keys, is you never know what you might get into.

 Whatever happens, spring is here and the Frangie Pangies are showing off, so if you get a chance you might as well try your luck.

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 Fishing 101 - Yellowtail plus

 Got a call at 8:30 yesterday from a vacationer in town from the UK.  They had rented a house, a boat, had all the gear, read the required magazines and were catching nothing.  So they gave in and asked me if I was busy.

About an hour and half later they were catching Yellowtail snapper, cero mackerel, lil' Tunny, Baracuda and missing a few fish that once lost, could be anything they liked.  All they had to do was dial the number on the blog.

Right now you just about have to hide if you want to bait your hook.  Permit are on the wrecks, sailfish are just off the reef, Tarpon are at the bridges, Snapper and mackerel are just about everywhere so if the wind isn't blowing over 30 you can find some fish.

With all the great fishing, it is just about a sin to be wandering around aimlessly like a ... well, tourist :)  You can hook up with loads of great local captains for your bucket list fishing trip of a life time or an old fart like me so you can learn how to do it on your own.

The crew that called were easy, catch some Yellowtail, maybe a Baracuda and learn a few tricks.  While Yellowtailing you can put out a live bait and who knows what will show up.  We had lots of fish busting baits in the slick within an hour and they could have made a day of it right there.  But I took them Bay Side in case the wind picked up and they caught Mangrove Snapper, Bluefish, Blue Runners, Porgies, while Baracuda and sharks showed up.  Its the Keys.

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

Tuna at the Hump

After a long blow and with a nearly full moon, it was a bit of a guess yesterday, but we picked the Marathon Hump and Tuna to target.  Plenty of other boats picked the same option.

The Blackfin were smaller than normal but still tasty.  We actually caught bigger Blackfin in 300 foot off the reef, but there were no birds to help us hone in on them.  West of the Hump there were plenty of birds working Skipjack tuna, but since we have a taste for Blackfin we passed.  That might have been a bad choice, but we stuck to the game plan.  One lost Dolphin wanted to get a lift back to the dock, but the Hump was all Blackfin other than that lost soul.  

Sixteen fish is below normal but certainly beats a skunk which unfortunately happens from time to time.  The crew was happy, which is the main thing.  If I had to do it over again, I think the 300 foot range would have provided bigger fish and a larger variety albeit with a slower bite.

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

2-24 Slow Day

After having a string of better than average days catching you have to get a slow one.  What was supposed to be a quick half-day fun eating fish trip turned into an over time half-day trying to get enough for the crew's dinner.

Instead of Mackerel we had Bonnet Head Sharks get in the slick at a spot I doubt we have ever caught one before.  We caught a few decent Lane Snapper and then the tiny fish took over.  Second spot marked up great but was dead so we headed out to the reef.

The reef bite was slow because of a very weak current, but at least the Yellow Tail Snapper were big enough to filet. 

 So no big fish stories, just more than enough fillets for a large family on vacation.

 At least a Manatee added something to the floor show, drinking water out of the motors while we were flushing them.

We had a West wind early in the morning that may be to blame for the slow bite or perhaps the weather was too good, in any case, slow shouldn't last long and even when it is slow you still eat pretty 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

Chum and Live Bait Tips

 If you are serious about reef fishing you know this style of chum net.  Chum bags, small to large mesh are like laundry bags and work fine for shallow water, but for deeper fishing go with a net.  Count on 3-4 blocks of chum per half day with a chum net and 2-3 blocks per half day with a large mesh chum bag.  We got tired of  the nastiness which is used chum nets and decide to put the Pin Fish to work.  David just puts the used chum bag in the bait keep and they clean up the mess.

So if you are planning a larger stay in the Keys, say a week or more in hopes of taken some fish back to wow the back home crowd, let's review some tips.

1.  Having a bait freezer is huge.  Buying chum by the case saves money but you need a dedicated freezer so check you rental for such a goody.  If you don't have a bait freezer, a smaller cooler even one of the cheap Styrofoam ones that will barely hold two blocks of chum can come in handy.  In any case, the smaller cooler is easier to decontaminate if things go wrong.  Put the left over chum in the small cooler and that in a larger cooler with whatever ice you can spare.  Note: the Syrofoam cooler has a very low life expectancy out in the open.  Sheltered in a bigger cooler or below deck fish box at least gives it a chance to be useful.

2.  If your rental has a bait keep, which is a pen of some sort to keep live bait in water at your dock, great, if not remember a cheap 30 gallon trash can with holes drilled in it will do a good job in a pinch.  Don't drill holes in the bottom or the bottom few inches so you can lift the can without stranding the fish.  Use large holes 3/4" to 1" for big baits and plenty of flow.  If you want to keep shrimp in a big bait keep put the shrimp in a mesh chum bag and that in the keep.  Or you can make a smaller 5 gallon keep bucket with shrimps size holes.  I have a drill and bits if one isn't hiding around your place.

3.  Don't overload your bait keep.  Pin Fish are hardy so you can keep several dozen in a 30 gallon keep if the water is fairly clean.  Mullet are dainty little beggars so a half dozen may be all you can get is a 30 gallon keep.  Pilchards are somewhere in between so 3 or 4 dozen in a 30 gallon keep might be pushing your luck in many canals.  Ballyhoo have zero chance in anything other than an Olympic size bait keep.  All live baits can be a PITA so just chill and adjust as needed.

4.  Feeding live baits just enough so they don't start eating each other is a good thing, but don't over do it.  One ballyhoo is enough to keep Pin Fish busy and since they will clean your chum net, let them have fun.

5. Candy size, 1.5 to 3 inch Pin Fish or Pilchards, are your go to Mangrove snapper baits and just about anything will hit them.  Bigger baits might mean bigger fish somethings, but even elephants eat peanuts, so don't knock candy size baits.

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

Still Steady Fishing

Almost had an offshore trip but the seas were just big enough for the crew to change their minds.  So instead of Black Fin tuna they settled for some little Tuny and lots of snapper including one 26" mutton. A Half day today near the bridge produced mainly Mangrove Snapper with a few nice Yellowtail Snapper, some Porgies and some very large grunts along with the usual shark encounter plus a barracuda cut off at the boat which seems to have made their day.

So every trip has had plenty of dinner fish with at least one shot at a bragging size dinner fish and all in the more sheltered waters. 

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

2/16/17 Half day on the rock piles

With winds gusting to 25 we eased out front to one of the closer rock piles in the Lady Catherine in search of lane snapper and anything else hungry.

 We expected Spanish or Cero Mackerel, but the King showed up.  Fun on light tackle.

 Nice Black but a throw back on Thursday or any other day until May.  Real challenge on 20 pound test.

I told them to act like they had fun but this was the best they could manage :)

Weather has been pretty good though there might still be a drinking day or two per week.  This time of year just about anything can be biting.

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