6.13.2008 37 Dolphin Caught Aboard the Top Gun

As many of you know, I've had the privilege of fishing aboard the Top Gun with Capt. Nel Martinez this past month. After enduring several months of downtime for repowering, this 41ft. Hatteras is back in action. Sport fishing in Miami, in the offshore arena anyway, has produced some truly banner days over the last few weeks. The dolphin have moved in thick and we've encountered several schools in excess of 100 fish. With my Olympus 790 SW out for repair, I haven't had much opportunity to record my adventures these past few weeks...but i was motivated enough to break out the GzOne camera phone for this occasion.

Our crew for the day did an excellent job of bringing these delicious fish to the boat. We got pounded by a squall right when the fish were literally everywhere, and only one crew member stayed on deck to stick it out with me and the other mate as we fished through lightning, thunder, and stinging rain.All in all, the final tally was 37 dolphin caught, and nearly that many released in about one hour's time. Check out this blackened dolphin recipe and be sure to book your charter on the Top Gun soon to get in on this AMAZING offshore sport fishing action!

Tight Lines,

C.

5.24.2008 Fishing Sanibel Island

A beautiful Sanibel Sunrise

I've been fishing Sanibel and Captiva Islands my entire life. From Snook and Redfish to Tarpon and Shark, some of my fondest fishing memories are rooted in the fertile grass flats of Tarpon Bay, the winding mangrove roots of the Ding Darling Wildlife refuge, and the sands which now fill Blind Pass. The snook are still around and the tarpon are thick as ever. Although the redfish are a little more scattered than they were five years ago, it's not uncommon to see them cruising the edges of recovering flats and channels.

Sanibel and Captiva have taken quite a beating the last few years. The islands were decimated by Hurricane Charley in 2004, and runoff from Lake Okeechobee led to horrific destruction of the grass flats in and around Pine Island Sound. The islands, and the waters which surround them, are only now starting to show signs of recovery.

Capt. Ken at the helm of the Maverick

We made the run from the ramp adjacent to the Sanibel Marina to the flats around North Captiva Island. Our plan was to catch some lady fish for tarpon bait and to score some sea trout for dinner. We were successful on both fronts, catching a dozen or so nice trout and losing as many ladyfish as we put in the boat.

A classic North Captiva Sea Trout

With several ladyfish and pin fish swimming happily in the live well, we set up for a few tarpon drifts in North Captiva pass. We soon found ourselves drifting in a cluster of ~30 boats with the same idea. After several hang ups, four drifts, no hook ups - no observed hook ups, we decided to run back to Tarpon Bay and do some drift fishing for more sea trout. Capt. Ken pulled up this beauty before we made the run...

What a beast!

The intense boat traffic (why i don't typically fish on weekends) made it difficult to find undisturbed water. We poled the mangrove lines around the interior of the bay, pulling up trout and snappers, but didn't find the redfish we were looking for. We did manage to stumble across an estuary ripe with snook, but i left the trolling motor in Miami, which put silently stalking the mangroves out of the question. With the wind picking up, we called it a day and headed back to the ramp. More reports from Sanibel will be coming soon...hopefully snook in hand.

5.22.2008 Biscayne Bay Sharkin' and Tarpon

Eric battling his first Biscayne Bay Black Tip shark

The past few weeks have produced some of the best Biscayne Bay shark fishing i've seen in a long time. We've been successfully luring sizeable black tip, lemon, bull, and hammerhead sharks in and around Key Biscayne on the outgoing tide. Fresh bonito chunks for sharks and live crabs for tarpon has been the name of the game in the evenings. Boat side and grinning for the photo

The currents bring a mixed bag of shark action, but the tarpon have been holding pretty close to the bear cut bridge in the evenings. For every fish we connect with, on average, we jump at least two to three. A 80# - 100# silver king having a circle hook "realization"

The tarpon are still moving through in decent numbers, and we've been connecting well. To get ready for your evening tarpon adventure, be sure to read this article on Tarpon Fighting Techniques. Landing your first tarpon is no easy task, and you can count on being taken for quite a run!

Whoa! Big fish!

5.16.2008 Long Key

Lookin' out my backdoor.

Hey everyone! Sorry I've been away this past month. I've been out on the water and away from my computer...for better and for worse! I'll be posting pictures and reports from my recent trips over the next few days...a bit of catch up way past due. I'm still waiting to receive some of the incredible pictures from my back country trip to Long Key. We fished Florida Bay for two days, battling heat, excessively low tides, and a swarm of bonnet head and baby black tips. The pictures are worth the wait, and i look forward to seeing them myself! I've even made a few stops at Florida's finest road side stands...

Got fruit?