More Fishing 101

Considering the full moon, we had a good trip yesterday. I was disappointed with the yellowtail bite though. On two of my favorite spots the tails were all mixed up with shorts and barely legals. Normally, we would have plenty of fat 14 to 18 inchers with very few shorts. We could have kept a bunch of 12 1/2 to 13 inchers, but that's like robbing the cradle. Still everybody caught fish and there was enough for dinner with the snake king mackerel thrown in.

The rubble pile was pretty hot but the big fish won. We lost six or eight bigger fish to the wreck and/or toothy critters. The bigger tails were biting when we first got to the rubble pile, but the king mackerel moved in and ruined the tail bite. Still, it was fun hooking up with the Kings even though most of them managed to either bite above the wire leader or got ate by something else. Brandon, boated the King for dinner (about 28 inches) and his brother Dillon managed to get in an 18 inch tail. A big wake broke the anchor loose or we would have stayed longer to try and even up the score with the big critters that were making us look bad.

We missed the current in Hawk Channel so we didn't get any big lane snapper. Still there was plenty of action for about 45 minutes with short red grouper and one just short mutton snapper (Dillon's first which he was pretty proud of).

Anywho, the crew caught fish and learned some new areas to fish and eat here in Marathon.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

So Where's the Gaff?

I have been doing the fishing 101 thing for nearly eight years now out of Marathon. In that time I have gotten pretty good at making do with whatever is at hand to catch fish. While I have a pretty good checklist, sometimes the crews bring so much stuff that I don't get everything. Today, about 12 miles off the beach I noticed that we didn't have a gaff.

About ten minutes later we hook up a thirty pound dolphin. While my angler Troy fights the fish I am trying to figure out just how the heck am I going to get the fish in the boat. I make a tail rope for the fish just in case I can get the fish to play nice.

The fish of course doesn't want to play nice. So I start thinking I am going to have to lip the fish. Normally, I have a pair of pretty heavy gloves in my bag, but since the boat was so overloaded with gear, I left my tackle bag at the dock.

Grabbing a hand towel, I lip my first thirty pound dolphin. This is not a technique I recommend. While it worked, it was not exactly fun. Anyhow, here is a photo of my first bass handled dolphin.



Back at the dock, a buddy uses his Bocagrip to weight the fish. Twenty-nine pounds at the dock. I mention that the Bocagrip could have come in handy. My angler Troy, says, "Oh! I have one of those on the boat."

Oh well, Troy has now ordered a mount for his personal best dolphin which was fifty-seven inches long. Troy seems to have enjoyed fishing the Florida Keys even without a gaff.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

June So Far Report

It has been a little weird for June so far. The dolphin are more of a challenge than normal. Peanuts are every where, but keepers are tough to find. More of the captains are taking deep drop gear to help ensure no skunk trips. I have been heading to the reef early if the dolphin bite sucks.

On the reef the tails have been biting good if you have a desent current and we have been getting a few nice mutton snapper. So use a little heavier tackle tailing because many of the muttons are hitting the yellowtail baits. With the price of fuel right now I have been steering most of my customers towards reef fishing and keeping an eye offshore.

Some pretty good size Cero mackerel are on the reef so have some short whire leaders if you want mackerel for dinner or fun.

Ballyhoo are showing up in the chum slick most days on the reef. If you cast net a few dozen livies, try slipping off to the color change and do some live bait drifts. A few good dolphin are being picked up this way and even some sailfish.

The grouper bite at Marathon sucks! I am going to have to check out some Bahia Honda numbers to see if they are still around.

Tight lines,

capt.dallas

P.S. Big mutton snapper love live ballyhoo. Drop one back in your slick to see if they are chewing.

Finicky Dolphin Bite

The last few days the dolphin bite has been very finicky. It may be due to the wind changing out of the Northwest, or the abnormally high tides, but it has been tough. While there are plenty of big fish out there, they seem to be staying down and moving fast.

Magic floaters have been the ticket for a few captains, but even some great floaters are just not producing. Live pilchards have helped the captains that have them onboard.

On the bright side, the sailfish are biting and the Hawk channel rockpiles are holding nice lane snapper and a few mutton snapper. Yellowtail on the reef are biting, but only well on the out going tide when the water is not too clear.

The big tides are making tarpon fishing at the bridges more of a challenge with all the bay grass and gumbo moving through. The permit bite has been a little hit or miss, but definately worth the effort. Most of the permit on the wrecks are big so make sure your tackle is up to the task.

On the whole the fishing is great if you go with the flow. That is the great thing about Marathon, you have plenty of options.

With any luck, this front will change the dolphin bite around when we get a little Southeast wind. While I would rather be fishing, the front is bringing some much needed rain.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

Is the Camera Really a Jinx?

It is amazing how superstition and fishing get intertwined. The last three trips I have been on, big fish have been hooked and a soon as someone get a camera ready the fish gets off.

Today, my crew hooked up a nice sailfish. We got a great show! This fish was hot and ready to show its stuff. After a couple of tailwalks and a two great flip jumps, I get the camera to make a short video. The fish runs to the boat, make a great head shaking jump and game over.

We weren't fishing for sailfish, just saw an opportunity and jumped on it. Still while the crew and I didn't care, the photos would have been nice.

Then after catching some tails for dinner, we try the permit. One got in the wreck on light tackle, no big deal, but then my customer breaks out a thirty pound test boat rod. We hook a brute! After twenty minutes, the fish is near the surface about twenty yards behind the boat. I turn the camera on, the fish takes offs, the line parts, game over.

My customer's drag was completely smoked. That is why the forty plus pound permit broke the line. Equipment failure or is it the camera curse?

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

May Fishing

Sorry I haven't had a recent post, but I haven't had many trips. This is a weird season for sure. Things are picking up though.

Tarpon are in thick as theives. The night bite is best of course, but mornings are pretty good. Jumped one yesterday on the first drift in Key Weird. We got a few great jumps.

Finally will be doing a little dolphin fishing tomorrow in decent weather for a change and will stop to play with a permit or two later. I have some regulars in town after that so it looks like permit and sharks will be the ticket.

Reports from the other boats are picking up. Dolphin and tuna action is much more consistent, the mutton bite out KW is getting hot, yellowtails are feeding, grouper are a bit slow and more big blue marlin are being spotted.

Tight lines,

Should have a more detailed report tomorrow. Come on down for a fishing vacation in the Florida Keys.

Capt. Dallas