tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35402645127765881002009-07-15T17:58:00.033-04:00Let's go fishing in the Florida Keys! The only Caribbean Islands you can drive to. Home of the third largest barrier reef in the world, the most diverse fish habitat in North America.Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.comBlogger189125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-21604852707711365442009-07-14T19:38:00.004-04:002009-07-15T06:14:08.697-04:00

It is fishing. I haven't been out in a few days thanks to this robust economy. I have been weighing my options. Dave Navarro weighed his and put a gun to his head. I am a little more conservative and decided it was time to break out the last of my Cuban cigars. Nothing like a 20 dollar, oh now that the morality police are in office, a hundred dollar cigar to make life a little more tolerable

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-20884432211631875682009-07-10T12:29:00.000-04:002009-07-10T11:08:52.623-04:00

I am taking a break from Captain Pips to decompress for a while. I will be hanging out at the Seven Mile Marina if you want to stop by and shoot the breeze about fishing, charters, whatever. Dan at the Seven Mile said he has no problem with me working on my lures in the mornings. I will probably get a coffee pot so you can get a free cup of Joe.Now this doesn't mean that I will not be fishing

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-59701558013943759052009-07-10T10:26:00.002-04:002009-07-10T11:02:55.751-04:00

The Florida mini lobster season is the last Wednesday and Thursday of July. This is a big time of the year for being in and one the water in the Florida Keys. It seems that every year someone over does it and gets into trouble. So don't leave your common sense at home, be safe.For those of you planning a late trip for bug season, you may be too late. Most of the rental boat companies are sold

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-35121134110838404342009-07-10T07:11:00.002-04:002009-07-10T07:29:27.442-04:00

The July full moon was pretty brutal for the offshore fishermen. The dolphin bite dropped off to nearly nothing. There were football tuna and a few billfish to fill the void. This time of year though many Florida residents come down to fill their cooler with dolphin fillets. The yellowtail bite on the reef has been strong as well as mangrove snapper mainly at night, but good numbers in the

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-77652872804511735882009-07-03T07:10:00.004-04:002009-07-03T07:26:21.727-04:00

One thing about July fishing is that the Dallas Darts pictured will catch a bunch of dolphin and tuna. With the calm winds hump trips will be on most people's minds and the dart are great for blackfin tuna, especially the darker colors. More than once I have filled the box with nice sized tuna in July and never used anything but the darts. Dolphin and sailfish are not uncommon by catches when

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-33047283296873396702009-06-26T17:55:00.002-04:002009-06-26T18:09:28.168-04:00

I went down to the Seven Mile Marina early today because I needed to make some Dallas Darts. The best performing Dallas Darts are made within 20 feet of water, just the way it works. When I showed up everyone in the marina that had a boat was getting ready to head out on charters. They all take off to fish while I work on my lures. 30 minutes later they all come back to the dock. Despite the

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-1046235314692065842009-06-26T06:27:00.002-04:002009-06-26T06:44:34.393-04:00

Now that this silly front has moved out of the way we can get back to the true meaning of life, fishing. The fish are chewing too so it will be fun. Some of the guys that came down and got stymied by the weather should be able to get out and do some catching. Alex, if your adults can't put you on fish let me know dude.So what is biting? Dang near everything. Even though the bridge fishing

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-13984191094646287602009-06-23T16:02:00.002-04:002009-06-23T16:12:19.948-04:00

I went down to the seven mile marina this morning and ran into a guy looking for a half day charter. I turned him on to a few boats to fill his needs plus a weather forecast to plan his trip. While I sat there drinking some coffee, a crew that reads my blog shows up with a bottle of 15 year old single malt Scotch looking for a few tips. Sweet! Alex and his adults got some advice and know

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-10280127473222132872009-06-23T03:40:00.002-04:002009-06-23T04:01:26.266-04:00

The Mutton, Mangrove and Yellowtail snapper bite is about as good as I ever have heard for the Marathon area. Nice muttons are being caught from 100 feet out to the 200 foot wrecks pretty consistently. The Mangroves are up on the reef as are the Yellowtails. Night fishing is especially hot for the mangroves but the day bite has be pretty good as well.Finding people that want to go fishing has

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-8143047399662428782009-06-18T16:23:00.004-04:002009-06-18T16:41:35.804-04:00

The first Marathon Florida Sportsman Fishing Forum Get Together appears to be a big success. Lots of forum members had a good time and got to meet local and not so local members. It was held at Rum Bums mile marker 47.5 and appeared to go off without a hitch. Captain Spider was there with the casting contest that the kids loved. Spider has a way with kids and a good joke. I have talked to

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-68549842890682783362009-06-14T08:05:00.004-04:002009-06-14T08:24:32.367-04:00

Now that the moon has passed the fish have kicked it back up to high gear. Even during the last moon the bite never got bad, just a little slower with most people still having very good catches. Dolphin offshore are plentiful. There are a lot of smaller fish you will run into, but if you keep hunting you should find respectable school fish and a few gaffer size dolphin. Most of the larger

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-58659652903219117912009-06-10T07:15:00.003-04:002009-06-10T07:25:32.165-04:00

Had my second trip with Joe, Jordan and they brought along Grant and Donovan. We tried for Mangrove snapper first thing. We got a few but they were biting so slow we went back to the Yellowtail spot. Even the yellowtail snapper bit slower than normal. We limited out but it took three hours and three blocks of chum. The ballyhoo didn't cooperate so the Cero Mackerel bite was slow. Jordan did

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-26889936845371605922009-06-08T18:50:00.004-04:002009-06-09T06:33:38.188-04:00

Joe Hobbs and his son Jordan have been fishing with me for years out of Captain Pips. Jordan is about 12 now and has become quite a fisherman. The last time he was down he wanted to catch some Cero Mackerel. Conditions were not that good last time so I made it up to him today. Jordan caught 10 Cero mackerel with the smallest about 6 pounds and the largest about 12 pounds. All but the first

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-26916929452642571002009-06-06T07:02:00.002-04:002009-06-06T07:15:39.689-04:00

This was a very slow week for most guides and captains in the Keys. Gator and Bobby both got a couple of trips and did well whether trolling or on the reef. There are still plenty of larger dolphin offshore and plenty of legal school fish. The reef is still very hot for yellowtail snapper with a few legal grouper and mutton snapper to round out the day. Tarpon are still biting at the bridge

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-38698196683254429222009-06-01T06:13:00.005-04:002009-06-02T16:58:41.253-04:00

The photo sucks but I will try to get a better one of the darts.Since Memorial Day weekend it has turned to deadsville in Marathon. Now that the kids are getting out of school we should be getting some more almost locals down for some fishing vacations. To occupy my time and hopefully make a little change, I have started making my fishing lures again. Some of you have used my Dallas Darts

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-24150926768176423642009-05-30T14:58:00.002-04:002009-05-30T15:12:49.861-04:00

Marathon is pretty laid back. Guest that come to Captain Pips enjoy the quiet laid back atmosphere of the area. But sometimes they have to check out the wild side of the Keys. My crew from yesterday mentioned that they were heading to Key Weird er. West for the evening after our fishing trip. They had booked me again for today, but I kinda thought things may not go as they planned. Just as I

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-90145500798665226382009-05-30T07:09:00.002-04:002009-05-30T07:27:36.112-04:00

Fishing a crew from New York we chose the Bayside because of 15 plus knot winds and a crew member or two that has issues with rough seas. Even on the Bayside it was a bit too much for one of the crew. Until the Mal de Mar set in the Bayside bite was building nicely with decent mangrove snapper and a couple of larger fish that manage to get away. Bait was everywhere including plenty of ballyhoo

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-4397850956260070532009-05-27T14:52:00.002-04:002009-05-27T15:03:35.948-04:00

Well so much for having the camera phone figured out, got a great pic of my finger. Was supposed to be a photo of a nice 18" Mutton caught by my crew today. They only wanted to catch and release so the mutton is still there for next time along with lots of yellowtail. A half dozen yellowtail were gut hooked, with circle hooks by the way, that were donated to Omar. The radio was dead quiet and

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-15814282029431073692009-05-27T07:00:00.005-04:002009-05-27T07:18:53.635-04:00

The weather for the weekend was perfect. Possibly a little too perfect since the dolphin bite slowed down and the reef water was gin clear. Despite the clear water the yellowtail snapper were chewing. Sunday we limited out with a block and a half of chum and Monday it only took one block to load the box. No flag snapper but respectable 15 inch average size.Action in Hawk channel was slow, but

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-72414543764548253242009-05-18T20:05:00.004-04:002009-05-18T20:20:10.821-04:00

I had a dolphin trip this morning that turned into a bayside bridge trip because of a 19 foot boat and a lousy weather forecast. After getting my butt kicked in 8 to 10 foot seas Saturday I was up for a rematch in 3 to 5s in a smaller boat. With the forecast I did a snapper trip that was about as much fun as watching grass grow. Don't get me wrong we caught a few nice snapper but the emphasis

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-10022635185674266662009-05-17T18:59:00.003-04:002009-05-17T19:22:30.055-04:00

Saturday I guided a crew from Miami for a small corporate dolphin tourney out of Hawks Cay. The weather reminded me why I don't fish many tourneys. With the winds over 20 the seas were pretty sporty. We and every other boat fishing took quite a few waves over the bow. We found fish everywhere, but the biggest we got in the boat was a 15 pound bull. The other boats had trouble finding the

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-57735866344441417982009-05-12T06:22:00.003-04:002009-05-12T06:43:26.299-04:00

The Dolphin and Tuna are thick off the reef from 250 foot out, but my last two trips have been on the Bayside and Bridges. My job is to show the customer what they want, so that is what I do.With the full moon the bridge currents have been ripping making fishing them a chore. There are plenty of snapper at the bridges. It is just hard to get the feel for the bigger fish in the strong current.

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-85278036365665959722009-05-07T19:59:00.002-04:002009-05-07T20:12:11.842-04:00

I finished my Marathon trip just a few minutes ago. Started at 10:00heading offshore for dolphin and tuna. The crew didn't want to keep much fish so we just took a small cooler. Found the Dolphin around 11:30 in 325 feet of water. Released a few schoolies and keep one cow between 15 and 20 pounds. The cow didn't jump much so it took nearly a half hour to get her in the box. Also keep a

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-43503068076478858052009-05-06T17:01:00.002-04:002009-05-06T17:26:10.775-04:00

Today I set a brand new personal record for my stay in the Florida Keys. I went 20 days without a paid trip. I and a number of other local guides/captains are going down in a blaze of glory. To borrow a line from from a Clint Eastwood movie,Josie Wales, "We will endeavor to persevere". Between the wind and the economy, this is the worst year I have experienced. Talking to Jeff Knapp today I

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3540264512776588100.post-73148357959556784042009-05-02T16:39:00.002-04:002009-05-02T16:47:46.745-04:00

Fish seem to love making me look like a liar. As soon as I report the tarpon bite is slow, as I did yesterday, they turn on again. Jeff Knapp boated three and fought a few more. The night before he caught nada. For the dolphin, yesterday I only saw dinks brought to the dock. Today there were a few nice gaffers. No really big fish, but a few health teenagers. So things may be getting back

Dallashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07913299764512464597noreply@blogger.com0