Recent Catch Reports
Winter/Spring 2005
(last updated 4/10/05)

PHOTO: Dan Dugo of Berwyn, IL beat this big black drum up on 10 pound spinning gear and a live shrimp up in Everglades National Park.

Happy New Year everyone. Here we go again, with another year of creating good memories with good friends... both the ones I've fished with over the years, and those I have yet to meet.

 It's still pretty humbling to think that I actually get paid to take people fishing in the Florida Keys. It's now been 18 years since moving my operation to Grassy Key Marina; somewhere during that time it occurred to me that the charter fishing business is as much about personal relationships as it is about fishing.

PHOTO: Here is one of the 8 spotted jewfish (goliath grouper) that Curtis Wyatt of New Symrna Beach, FL caught and released on a wreck out in Florida Bay. He also put a hurting on the spanish mackerel, keeping some of the bigger ones for the table.

For the most part, the weather was on the cool side in January through mid February. This meant we pretty much stuck with our winter staples (mackerel, snapper, redfish, seatrout, and sharks of varying pedigree).

Gerry Asch and Frank Arevelo of Boca Raton, FL did jig up 3 bonefish to about 4 pounds in about an hour's time one winter afternoon, following some successful action in the bay with mackerel, and at the bridges for mutton snapper and bar jacks.

PHOTO: Although it may look like a big fresh-water crappie, this is a big tripletail. These fish are caught by sight-casting to fish laid up behind crab trap buoys and navigation markers. Tripletail are good battlers on light tackle and fly; they are also one of the tastiest fish in the ocean.

Once the water started warming up in March, so did the flats fishing. On an afternoon half day trip, Matt Cadigan of Stow, MA had a pair of bonefish and a permit, while his father in law, Mike Schroeder of Cupertino, CA had a bonefish and a permit to his credit. With double grand slam potential in our sights, we headed to a bridge that had been producing good numbers of smaller 20 to 40 pound tarpon. Despite numbers of tarpon rolling behind the boat we were only able to get one bite out of these reluctant fish, and we pulled the hook on the one tarpon bite we had. The following morning, Matt did catch our largest tarpon of the year at that point, a 125 pound beauty that fell for a drifted crab right at the end of the morning half day trip. The fish fought long and hard (over an hour), creating concern among my anglers that were going to miss their flight connections up in Miami later that afternoon. After releasing the fish, I had to leave my anchor and buoy out in the backcountry, and race at full throttle back to the dock to get Matt and Mike on the road.

PHOTO: Catching jack crevelle on light tackle is fun, but catching them on 10 pound spin and a surface plug is a blast! This jack ate an all chrome Zara Super Spook.

By late March, we were staring to post some pretty good numbers up on our half day tarpon trips. Tom Roelke of New Berlin, WI. got four on an afternoon trip (two 100 pound class fish and two in the 50 to 60 pound range. Tom and his wife Mona also crushed the snappers on a morning half day trip, limiting out on 2 to 3 pound mangroves in less than 3 hours.

NEXT TWO PHOTOS: Bill Thomas Sr. and Jr. with a pair of tarpon caught in early April.

PHOTO: Will Friedberg of Cambridge, MA loves all things fishing. Although he and his family came in hopes for a for tarpon, the water temps were too low for a fair shake at the silver king. So we just tried to keep the rods bent and the action flowing. This gag grouper was part of a catch that included mangrove snapper, barracuda, and lemon and nurse sharks up to 70 pounds. Several of the larger snapper found their way to the frying pan. Will vows to get his tarpon next year!

You can check out last years' action and photos by clicking on the following:  
2004 Fishing Reports