The crew and I took a camping trip to Key Largo for the weekend. We knew it was going to rain but took our chances and it turns out...it rained, it rained a lot! We were able to fish on Saturday and we landed several mangrove snapper, jacks, and even a trout. Not the greatest fishing report but for our first trip and considering the weather it was successful. The winds were our of the east switching to southeast at about 20mph with higher gusts. Water temps and air temps were about the same around 75 degrees. We noticed that fishing edge of deeper channels worked produced more fish. I dont know if that is typical or just due to the water temps. We camped at KeyLargo Campground and fished in the Blackwater Sound and the creeks.

Hit the seas at 7am after a bad start to my morning. I will always remember the plug from now on though i can guarantee that!! After having the lines in for a half hour the free line starts screaming and the mahi starts jumping. After a short battle, Luke lands the 33 incher for his first Dolphin! Then Luke the Sea Warrior begins to feel a little sea sick so we head to Peanut to get his sea legs back under him. Bound and determined we head back out and trolled in 30-80' of water for some mackerel. We had a King hit a Ratlin Trap and spanish macks hit a Rapala Dolphin plug and Yozuri Crystal Minnow. With 4 fish in the cooler we head in to cook up our catch. Water was much clearer after a few days with Southeast wind and water temps are rising quickly. Winds were out of the south/southwest and picked up as the day went on. Slightly overcast conditions with temps in the mid 80's.

Luke and I headed out around 9am to find rough seas and a strong southeast wind so we fishing around Munyon most of the day. We used soft plastics, cut bait and top waters. We got a lot of bites and saw a lot of jacks chasing our lures but no hits. There were a lot of turtles on the flats and we had one manatee pop up right by us. Not many days we get skunked but today was one of them. After catching a fish every time we went out for over a year, we now have two goose eggs on the board this month!

Well the East wind really started to howl overnight creating very sloppy seas in the morning. We hit the water around 7am and started trolling deep diving plugs out to 400'. We did not have a single bite while trolling partly because seas were tough to navigate and we were getting beat up. After we got fed up getting tossed around we drifted and landed a small grouper, snapper, bonito and blue runner. I spoke to a guy at Peanut and he said they didnt have a single bite the hold day trolling or bottom fishing so all in all i guess it could have been worse. Seas were sloppy 2-4'+ however atleast some blue water is finally getting pushed in tight so hopefully the mahi and kings will begin working back closer to shore in greater numbers.

The bossman let us out of work at 1pm today so we hit the waters planning for a Peanut Island Adventure but Bridget wanted to go fishing out in the ocean since she has never been. Within minutes of putting a line in the water she caught a Grunt Fish while Jackman caught a huge "bottom" fish. We also landed a good size Bonito. Nothing great but considering no one is coming home with much these days we will take it especially for Bridget's first trip on the boat. East wind had just started so it was blowing lightly and the seas were perfect for fishing. Water temps continued to be in the low 70's and there was a color change in 150' holding some Bonito but not much else.

Well we must have used all of our luck last week because we did not catch a single fish today. We had several bites on the bottom although none that yeilded any screaming drags. Winds were blowing from the E/NE and water temps were colder than the week before with no blue water to be seen until 300'. We decided to try trolling with a new spread with no luck. Winds and seas really kicked up during the afternoon so we headed to Peanut. Great day on the water despite no fish but really hope the water warms up soon and the fish start coming back in large numbers. Heard the Kingfish bite was in about 150' off Lost Tree but mostly snakes being caught. Too rough for us to head up that far for just Kings. Will be back out next weekend in full force!

As the winter continues to be windy and cold keeping us in port more often than not, we got a break in the wind and got out for Chris's birthday with his Dad. Hit the water around 8am and headed out to 105 feet ready to drift north. The seas were calm for the most part with a big swell but not much of a chop. Winds were variable but mostly out of the east picking up out of the Southeast as the day wore on with temperatures climbing to near 80. Mr. Calabrese started the day off with a nice 5lb Mutton. After a long drift with not many bites and about to troll we hit a school of Dolphin and the frenzy began. Everyone caught one with a couple being caught on cut ballyhoo, and a couple being caught on sardines. The water temperature was about 73 degrees and semi clear in about 130 feet where we hit the dolphin. Most were in the 28 inch range but they still taste good on the dinner table. After the fishing trip we headed up the ICW to Guanabanas for a nice dinner and cruise.

After a three month hiatus the weather finally warmed up and the winds/seas calmed to what is typical in South Florida. The water temperatures are 5 degrees colder than last year which i must say seemed to impact the quality of fishing drastically. We had some kings, bonito, grouper, and random bottom fish hit however fishing was overall extremely slow. The water temps did not get above 73 even at 4 miles out. Hopefully some east winds push some warmer water in for the next weather break. We trolled ballyhoo and artificials for miles with only a few boneheads to show for it. We drifted with sardines and cut bait with minimal success. Overall the fishing was not great but it sure was good to get out and enjoy the calm seas once again. Light winds and little current also made it quite difficult for the bottom fishing. There had been reports of manta rays with cobia however none were to be found on the weekend. Looks like the weather is going to kick back up this weekend so hopefully we will be back out the following week!!

After a 2 month hiatus, ReelsGood, Calabrese, and me braved the 25mph winds and choppy seas. The wind was west/northwest which kept the seas at bay up to about a mile or so out despite gale force winds. We managed one Kingfish but it was just good to be out in the ocean again. Hopefully the weather breaks eventually and we can return to fishing every weekend! Not much to report about conditions because wind was the predominant condition and we could not do what we really wanted to do. Fish did seem to be in the 50-90' depth range.

Doug and I hit the water at 6pm after the Browns got blown out again! I started the evening off by landing a Snapper and a Grouper, then Doug finished the evening by catching a couple of snapper, trigger fish, and a monster Bull Shark. After a 30 minute fight, Doug finally got the beast to the surface. It was about 7' and our guess was 125 lbs. We were able to get these pictures but without being able to keep it on the surface due to its weight, this was the best we could do. Water was very clear but a little choppier than I expect with a light southwest wind. There were some clouds and light drizzle and temperatures were around 80 degrees at sundown. There was a fairly strong current but we were able to keep our bait on the bottom with 1 and 2oz sinkers. We didnt get any bites on the flatlines or the bonito strips with all action coming on the bottom.

Hit the water early so we could get back to the dock in time to watch some college football. Doug wanted to throw the cast net a few times. We caught a tropical grunt fish that resembled Nemo, blue runner, and a triggerfish. We cleared the inlet around 7am. We Trolled, bottom fished, drifted with livies and managed to come away with a few AJ's, kings, bonito, skipjack, and random bottom fish. All in all a great day on the water. We did find a nice color change in about 300' but only produced a skipjack and a bonito. I now owe Doug lunch because he caught a fish with Nemo. Bottom fishing has slowed considerable but hopefully the first cold front of th year and the strong winds will bring the Sails and Dolphin back in.