Still Here

Tropical storm Issac was bad for business but not too bad other wise.  My RV sustained nearly $5.00 work of damage due to the wind and about $50 worth of damage from me trying to stop the $5.00 worth of damage.


With the storm past, fishing should be outstanding since blows tend to fire thing up.  I am not sure if my Labor Day Weekend trips are still on or not, but should they be, then I will have some reports.  This week even the paper didn't have reports since the weather shut things down.

Tom's Mangrove Snapper from before the blow has turned into a fairly popular photo.  The Keynoter online has it on their August 22nd fishing page.  It is pretty rare for me to remember to take a photo much less take one that actually turns out decent.

Anywho, the winds have laid down so if you can sneak down for the weekend, give me a shout.

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

Grant with is first Goliath Grouper about 60 pounds - just a baby :)

Joe Got a Kick out Watching Grant get his Workout

No, Tom's arms are not that long.  Nice Mangrove

Guy with a nice 22 inch red grouper

Not a monster but a tasty keeper. 

Yes, fishing is still slower than normal.  Fishing on the full moon didn't help.  There are plenty of fish with generally gin clear water.  If you happen to actually find not gin clear water and get a current not running up your anchor line, the fishing is better.  Today we had good conditions long enough to get a taste of what the fishing should be like.

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

Maybe Normal has Returned?

Chatting with some buddies there seems to be some return to normal fishing conditions.  Quite a few respectable dolphin and a few Wahoo have hit the dock.  While I have a weather eye out for the swirl that is in the Gulf, there are a few customers in town and I may be out Friday for an eye witness fishing report.  With Bug season starting soon, I was a little surprised by the number of calls I have had for the next few weeks for guide trips.  The weird fishing conditions had my phone ringing pretty good at the end of last month, but the better weather didn't match the vacation/ day off schedules, so no fishing.

One of the guys scheduling a trip mentioned that fishing up his way has been a little off this year, so I don't feel that most anglers should take it to heart if things are not like normal.  The warmer than normal water temperatures early seem to have gotten the fish all frisky for spawning a little prematurely.  That's my story and I am sticking to it :)

Some of the seasonal regulars have taken my advice and shifted to more laid back fishing instead of burning fuel chasing fish offshore.  They have been bragging about very respectable mangrove snapper at and near the bridges.  Also the guys that I took to the patches in Hawk Channel and the inside reef have been crowing a bit when the weather has let them get out there.   They did listen when I mentioned that you can trailer boats to different spots when the weather picks up and find other spots, so the Old Wooden Bridge Fish Camp boat ramp did get a few extra visitors last week.  BTW, the Content Keys area is a short run from the OWB and has fine fishing and great scenery.  There were even a few that opted for the Pizza fishing special.  That's fishing the Old Wooden Bridge while munching on a No Name Pub Pizza.  So there is always some spot down here to wet a line.

The game plan for the next trip is more of the local basics, but it the weather holds, I should get a good crew for some Gulf Wreck fishing which can be pretty awesome.  Until then,

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

Getting up to Speed

As some of you may know, there has been a tropical storm Debbie in the Gulf of Mexico.  Debbie has made fishing conditions less than perfect meaning I have been sitting on my butt solving all the World's problems on the internet.  Some of the World's problem are a little closer to home than normal.

I recently was cited for not wearing my seat belt.  The friendly officer wrote out the citation while I sat about 30 feet from my home.  That kinda miffed me.  Instead of paying the fine, I actually took the time to go to court to see the powers that be.  I mentioned that having to pay a $116 fine for not wearing my seat belt in a 25 mhp speed zone because I had reached into my pocket to retrieve my lighter, requiring the temporary removal of the seat restraint that would probably save my life should a golf cart strike my vehicle, was a bit steep for someone on a rather tight budget.  The judge recommend that I contact my congressman and charge me an additional $90 for the privilege of speaking with him.  So I have been toying with the idea of doing the Gandhi thing and spending so time in jail to see just how much the state would like to punish and old fart for having a brain fart.


Just as I was ready to do my time, it appears the code enforcement lady from the city has determined that a "Work Bench" is not socially acceptable in paradise.  Noting the irony of my neighbor's bar that is completely visible to the public, I thought it would be best to convert my "Work Bench" into and "Bar" so that I might be socially acceptable.  It appears that old farts that have brain farts are also not allowed to have hobbies other than the consumption of alcohol in paradise.  


So the next time you get a chance to vote, try to figure out just what else old farts might do that would be socially unacceptable so that it can be made illegal.  


We will return to our normal fishing broadcast as soon as I figure out what normal really is.  

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

Toying with an Idea

Since a friend is trying to sell his home I did some basic picture uploads and stuff so they could email things to different agents.  Once that is done, it is nothing to creating a new blog, so I created one.  Water Front Homes for Sale in the Florida Keys.  For someone interested in selling water front homes in the Florida Keys, the title is kinda appropriate :)  So if you know of anyone selling or buying water front homes in the Florida Keys, let them know.  I can add listings or other stuff.  Since I am not a real estate agent, there is squat little else I can do, but who knows maybe someone knows someone that knows someone.

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

Elijah Catches Mutton and Some Other Stuff

Ken and his son Elijah are staying on Little Torch Key for summer vacation.   I showed them a few tips for catching with a smaller boat.  Most vacationers load just about every thing they can think of on their boats when they come down to the Keys.  Elijah's  first mutton snapper was caught on a 15 pound spinning outfit, with clear mono, a size 2/0 hook with a 1/2 ounce weight and live shrimp for bait.  No chum, no 45 foot leader, no gold plated reel on a high dollar rod.

Elijah's Cero Mackerel was caught on an eight pound spinning outfit, with clear mono, a size 2 hook with 10 inches of size 4 wire leader and a small live ballyhoo he caught at the same spot.  That is only about a 4 to 5 pound Cero, but on 8 pound test, Elijah seemed to have fun.

This is Elijah and his dad Ken on their boat.  Small boat, small angler, nice fish, nice time.  You really don't have to spend a fortune to have fun and catch dinner in 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

Opps!  I forgot some of the other stuff :)