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