Serving the Keys Fishing Community Since 1998 Vol. XI Issue 34

Transcription

1 Volume XI, Issue 34 Feb. 25th, 2009 Serving the Keys Fishing Community Since 1998 Vol. XI Issue 34 Alicia Generes caught her first gag grouper on a ballyhoo while fishing with Capt. Lain Goodwin on the patch reefs in Key Largo. Contact Us: (305) 766-BOAT (2628) 02/25/09

2 Pg. 2 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since In This Issue... Special Features Shimano Fishing Tour New Conservation Measures Benson & Teper New Fly Fishing Movie KBE - Featured Boat th Annual Key West Boat Show th Annual Leon Shell Memorial Tourney Key West Fishing Tournament Miami Int l Boat Show Recap Regular Features Fishing Reports , 5-7, 9-11, She s at Sea - Elizabeth Jolin Tournament Listings (through March 09) Tide Tables Captain & Guide Directory SHIMANO FISHING TOUR Visit with Reps and Pros from Shimano, Maverick Boat Company, Costa Del Mar, Sebile Lures, Power Pro and Better Bait Systems. Attend Meet the Shimano Pros Cocktail Reception pre-event tour party sponsored by Bacardi, with drinks & hors d oeuvers. Meet special guest & TV host Rick Murphy as well as local Shimano Pros. Listen to the latest techniques from flats to offshore with our resident professionals. View and test the latest products from Shimano and other tour sponsors. Enter to win thousands of dollars in prizes from Maverick, Shimano, Costa Del Mar, Power Pro, Sebile Lures and Better Bait Systems. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO WIN FEB 27 th, 1-7 pm FEB 28 th, 8-7 pm CUDJOE SALES OVERSEAS HWY. MM 22.5 CUDJOE KEY Advertisers Barefoot Baits Bluewater Tiki Bar BC Capt. Ron Wagner Capt. Steve Murray Cudjoe Sales BC DJ s Reel Repair Fish Tales Charter Boat - Islamorada Fish til You Lose It Tournament Flying Dutchman Productions Kev s Café Keys Boat Exchange Keys Custom Rods Keys Magic Charters Keys Plastics Shop Key West Bait & Tackle Key West Marine Hardware Main Attractions Charters Over Under Adventures The Beeson family shows off their catch of muttons and mackerals while fishing with Captain Mike Biffel on the Big Dawg. Published by Hot Toddy & Family All Rights Reserved. No photographs, descriptions, art, or other items submitted to, or produced by, The Weekly Fisherman, may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission. Contact Elizabeth at (305) 766-BOAT (2628) or, by info@weeklyfisherman.com for ad sales and other information. Printed at Southeast Offset (305) Hialeah Weekly Fisherman s Captain & Guide Directory reaches 1000 s of locals & tourists each week via our distribution sites from Florida City to Key West, plus, of course, Your info is available worldwide, as folks plan their Keys vacation! Call (305) 766-BOAT (2628) to start your listing today! Each Listing: $5.50/week ($286 annually) Send your pix to photos@weeklyfisherman.com NOTE:.com Pg Feb. 25th, 2009

3 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Pg. 3 Welcome to the Sportfishing Capitol of the World and the Fabulous Florida Keys. In this week s edition of the Weekly Fisherman you will find everything you need to know about what is biting, who is catching, and what fishing events are happening this week in the Keys. Make sure to check out the area detailed fishing reports for more details. Here you will find my roundup of what is currently happening in our fishery here in the Keys. If I can help you get hooked up with a local guide or crew to do some fishing during your visit please contact me at the above information. The Sailfish bite was a bit slow last week for the Poorgirls Sailfish Tournament. More than 90 ladies turned out on 37+ boats to chase the sparse Sailfish in 15 to 20 knot winds. Team Yabba Dabba Doo lead by Captain Steve Leopold took top honors for the second year in a row with 2 releases. We are currently experiencing a bit of a gap in the Sailfish migration here in the Keys. While it has been slow fishing for the Sails the last week; I feel that we are still due some good days in the near future. It has been an excellent season this year for the Sails and when the Spring winds from the East fire up I believe that we will still see some good numbers of Sails traveling by our reefs. Fishing for bottom fish along the edge of the reef has been excellent. Several areas along the reef that are historical gathering spots for Yellowtail Snapper and Black Groupers are starting to collect good-sized schools of these fish. Yellowtail to five lbs and a few Groupers to 30 lbs have been part of the daily catches from the boats targeting these areas. This fishery should continue to improve as we experience longer gaps between cold fronts and warmer water temperatures during the month of March. The Cobias have been showing up with regularity the last ten days. Several schools have produced fish in fifty pound range. These hard fighting fish are best taken on live baits such as grunts, cigar minnows, and pinfish. They can be targeted near the gulleys and sandy areas along the edge of the reef. They are found more often than not in the company of the large black southern stingrays that frequent these areas. February and March are the best months to catch Cobias in the Florida Keys and the early signs for this season look exceptional. The King Mackerel bite has continued to be excellent. Crews Keys-wide have been catching their daily limits of these speedy predators. They have ranged in size from five to 30 lbs lately. The bulk of the schools are laid up on bait concentrations in 90 to 135 feet of water. The inshore fishing on the Gulf has been excellent this past week. The warmer weather has allowed the water temperatures to increase rapidly and several species of fish are biting well in the backcountry. Snook, Redfish, and Trout fishing has been excellent. There are also Spanish Mackerel, jacks, pompano, and a variety of other fish that have benefited from the increasing water temperatures. Some early season Tarpon fisherman enjoyed some excellent fly fishing back off the Cape last week as the fish moved inshore and took advantage of the warm weather and water temperatures. March is historically a great month for fishing in the backcountry waters of the Florida Keys - make sure you get back there and enjoy the great early Spring bite this area is famous for producing. This is an amazing time of year to fish the Florida Keys and experience some of the best fishing we have to offer. Whether your pleasure is chasing fish along the reef or a wide variety of fish in the backcountry you couldn t be here at a better time. We have one of the greatest collections of fishing captains and crews in the world here in the Keys, so make sure you take advantage and go fishing during your visit. Enjoy your week and feel free to contact me if I can help you with questions or arrangements. Great Fishing! Capt. Greg Roberto Magistri from Rome, Italy and his group caught this fine sailfish on their very first offshore charter! Another great catch aboard the Fish Tales (Whale Harbor Marina MM 83) with Capt. Ron Allen and Mate Jeremy Pfaffendorf. The Pagano clan with thier first encounter with sailfish, a double header! They were fishing with Capt. Joe Petrucco on the KILLER INSTINCT from Fiesta Key Campgrounds. Feb. 25th, Pg. 3

4 Pg. 4 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since New Conservation Measures Proposed for Snapper-Grouper Fishery NOAA Fisheries Service has published a proposed rule to implement Amendment 16 to the Fishery Management Plan for the Snapper-Grouper Fishery, as prepared by the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. This proposed rule would establish a seasonal closure of the recreational and commercial fisheries for gag and associated grouper species, as well as a seasonal closure of the recreational fishery for vermilion snapper. It would also reduce the aggregate bag limit for grouper and tilefish, reduce the bag limit for gag or black grouper combined, and reduce the bag limit for vermilion snapper. The captain and crew of a vessel operating as a charter vessel or headboat would be prohibited from retaining any fish under the aggregate bag limit for grouper and tilefish or the vermilion snapper bag limit. In addition, this rule would establish semiannual quotas for the commercial vermilion snapper fishery, establish a quota for the commercial gag fishery, and establish restrictions on the possession, sale, and purchase of gag and associated grouper species after the gag commercial quota is reached. Finally, it would require possession of a venting tool and dehooking device onboard a vessel when fishing for South Atlantic snapper-grouper and use of such tools as needed to accomplish the release of fish with minimum injury. The intended effects of this proposed rule are to end overfishing of gag and vermilion snapper, protect shallow-water grouper during their spawning season, and reduce bycatch of snapper-grouper species in the South Atlantic. Comments may be submitted at until 5pm on March 9, For more information, read the fishery bulletin, John. McGovern@noaa.gov, or go to Local Film Makers Will Benson and Dave Teper Showcase New Fly Fishing Movie When most people think of fly fishing films, they recall Hollywood s 1992 adaptation of Norman Maclean s A River Runs Through It, or the hard-to-watch Sunday morning television programs that do little to capture our imagination. For years, sports such as surfing and skiing have had independent films showcasing the fun and creative lifestyles associated with these outdoor sports. Think of Warren Miller s ski films and Bruce Brown s The Endless Summer. Well, it s finally happening with fly fishing. Local film makers Will Benson and Dave Teper have combined efforts with other emerging film producers and the Drake Magazine, to bring a new image of fly fishing to life on the big screen. For one night only, the Tropic Cinema (614 Eaton St. - Key West) will be hosting this exciting event. This year s Film Tour includes pieces from such exotic locations as Kamchatka (Russia), Kashmir (India), Belize, British Columbia plus Will and Dave s latest film Drum, shot in southern Louisiana. Join us on March 17th at 7:00pm as we celebrate the new faces of fly fishing, and experience the sights and sounds of the beautiful destinations fly fishing can lead. For teasers and other information visit: or Tony Garza shows off his prize Swordfish caught while fishing with his family aboard the Main Attraction out of Marathon. Quick Note on Photography... Please submit your photos as attachments to an , with the largest pixel dimension (pixel count) set to at least 1600 in any one direction (1600x1200, for example). Please do not place the photo directly in a PDF or Word document. Please do not adjust (or Photoshop) files before sending them. Photos from camera phones generally are not big enough. We do our best to include all photos, but unfortunately, some aren t high enough quality. We strive to publish the best reproduction of your beautiful catch for everyone s enjoyment... Thanks! Send your to: photos@weeklyfisherman.com Pg. Feb. 25th, 2009

5 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Pg. 5 The fishing adventures of the Average Joe. Since I am just passing on these fishing reports, stories, or tales; there is no way I can validate them. I will say this though, There is no way I would ever question the integrity of a fisherman or fishing lady. As far as I m concerned, what ever you say... is gospel. Last week.... calm seas.... Randy and Linda Schmitt and Linda s sister Sandy from Omaha aboard the Bloody Gaff, fishin 2 miles west of the Islamorada Hump when they spotted the Golden Log loaded with Mahi Mahi. With dolphin everywhere it s really a no-brainer... bait a hook and toss em a treat. After bailin, gaffin, and flippin Bulls and Cows until their arms burnt (Oh, Boo Hoo, we all should be so tormented), our spent trio headed home with 4 gaffers, and their limit of flippers (what most folks call lifters anything under 10 pounds, if the leader and hook-sit are up to it). Without a doubt Sandy had the most fun of all; being the guest, she sat back and cooled it while Randy spent 3 hours cleanin up the blood bath that the boat had become, and Sis spent 3 hours just a cleanin fish. Yum Yum!!! Grilled Dolphin on the Barbie! CATCH OF THE WEEK --- Two days earlier.... not so calm; let s just say they practically had the ocean to themselves.... Randy and Linda, minus Sandy.... anchor in 5-8 foot seas (not me) west side of Alligator Reef to catch bait.... with zero luck. Moved inside, tucked in near Long Key and were catchin Pinfish as soon as their lines hit the water. With and one lost and confused Ballyhoo in a very short time; they headed back out to Alligator to try the bottom with Pinfish and shrimp. Randy s first bait down produced a nice Gag Grouper, while Linda s first drop begged a keeper AJ. With Randy droppin and catchin on the bottom with Pinfish; Linda set a rod in the rod holder with the lone Ballyhoo tied on. After a few minutes line started screamin off the reel. She counts 7 Mississippi s, closes the bail and starts to reel like a mother (I swear that s just what she said - picture below). The next thing she hooted was, Sail on!!! He tail walks and keeps peelin out line. They had to clear the other lines and get off the hook ast... Yeah, right minutes later she gets Mister Spindlebeck alongside the boat for a quick Kodak Moment... hook out... off he swims to live for another Fabulous Keys Moment! Linda s 7-8 foot Saildog was proudly displayed with her high-flyin Pink Sailfish Flag!!! Don t forget the soldiers, they keep us fishin free, God bless the peacemakers. To support our troops go to Forgotten Soldiers Outreach: I welcome disagreements, corrections, or comments; along with your favorite fishin adventure. I m always looking for fishin reports, stories, or tales. them to me at: danielsreelandrod@comcast.net, phone (305) , or come by my shop: Daniel s Reel and Rod Repair, 8347 Overseas Hwy, Marathon. God Bless and keep smilin, even when the fish don t bite. Daniel Kern Vacation Opportunity... Every Day s a Holiday Fishing in the Keys! Fishing, Skiing, Travel to Europe or Overseas... Go Anywhere! If you think the fishing is good in the Fabulous Florida Keys, why not try Belize, Costa Rica, Mexico where s your dream fish? Retail value - $3,500 for 7 days, now offering for $800. Can also be an all inclusive (meals, drinks, etc., but not airfare). Send to: vacation@weeklyfisherman.com for more information and details... Feb. 25th, Pg. 5

6 Pg. 6 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since This past week was a great reprieve from one of the worst winters that we have seen around here in some time. We ve had what we here in the the Keys would call a cold winter. You visitors laugh when its in the 60 s here and you see a local bundled up, but it is cold to us simply because we are more accustomed to warmer surroundings. The same applies to the locals that call the waters home that surround the Keys. The snook, bones, tarpon and others that call the flats, channels and island moats home like to be warm and cozy. When the water temps hit the 50 s like they have around here, the fish react just like us locals and they hunker down and wait out the cold. There s been alot of hunkering and waiting going on this winter for both types of locals. The waters of the Gulf get deeper than those of Florida Bay and won t catch a chill as fast as the Bay. So the Gulf will act as a refuge to fish around the edge of the Bay. When the cold fronts hit sea trout, snappers, reds and anyone else who isn t comfy will head out to the warmer Gulf waters. When you find depths of 10 or more feet and some bottom structure its time to start chumming and slinging live shrimp on a jig. If after 15 minutes or so you haven t had much action its time to break camp and make a move. It won t take much time to get things going and soon you will have a good bite of Spanish mackerels and snappers of all kinds going on. Area guides have been doing well with pompano and cobia as well. That is why you will find a wide variety of rods and rigs waiting on the boat as you board in the morning for your trip. Out in the Gulf just about any thing can swim up your chum line to pay a visit. We saw waters in the 50 s 60 s & low 70 s this past week and it made for interesting fishing out back in the Flamingo area. Black drum love the cooler waters and they will school up in good numbers, you will also find some big girls out there. Capt. Brian Premeza has had very good catches of these hard fighting fish and even had a few hit the 20 pound mark. Live shrimp on the bottom will do the trick, chumming with diced up shrimp will help get their attention as well. Bonefish have been a hard target as of late with the cold waters around town, but when temp hit the 70 s up on a flat these guys will put on the feed bag. Islamorada guide Capt. Dave Big D of No Politics Charters fishes out of Whale Harbor Marina and Big D long ago figured out how and where bonefish like to eat no matter what the time of the year it is and in just about any kind of weather. He has them pretty dialed in and has guided many to their first bonefish. Capt. Dave also has come to realize that you don t need to go poling around on a flat looking for bones to cast to. Not everyone can see the bones and then there is the issue of making the cast hit the mark, not the fish! Cont. on pg. 14 The offshore fishing is fantastic here in sunny Islamorada. The reef edge has been full of life with king mackerel, yellowtail snapper, vermillion snapper, mutton snapper, grouper, mahi mahi, sailfish, and wahoo present from Conch reef down to Tennessee reef. There have also been some cobia moving up the reef on the backs of rays. The sailfish were slow this week but northeast winds have been forecasted all week and lower temps are sure to fire them back up again. We may have tailing conditions any day this week so be prepared. If the sails don t show, there are still plenty of king mackerel around to keep the rods bent and reels screaming. Kings are great fun and excellent battlers on light tackle. They are also delicious to eat after they have been smoked. Kingfish dip, crackers, and a good pinot noir is reason enough to leave the dock and head to the reef for some fun. The hump areas have been producing tuna and amberjacks with some mahi mahi starting to show. The southeast wind days are the best to target the mahi mahi. On the pre-frontal days, the tunas are feeding well on trolled feathers; as long as there is a little current. I still like the black and red or blue and orange colors best. The ½ ounce size works well for me too. The amberjacks are falling to live blue runners on a dropper loop system with lb leader. A vmc 10/0 nemesis circle hook will work like a charm and rarely misses a bite or loses a fish. I like to place a small super strong 330 lb swivel 18 inches from the hook to help with tangles. A slow and angled decent will also help to deploy your offering properly to an awaiting jack. Watch for signs of life to and from the humps and a school of mahi might show up. There have been some nice fish working through the system every other day so tomorrow may be your chance. More and more dolphin will be coming as the season changes over to spring. A good run of large fish always comes early in February or March so look for them when the wind swings to the east. I just moved my boat down to Fiesta Key campground at MM70. What a great place! The people here are wonderful. Rob, Jack, and the rest of the staff have made me feel so welcome and at home. There is also a great cantina called Santiago s right on the ocean with an awesome view and a killer margarita! It is like the old keys. The atmosphere is laid back and relaxing. Come on down and check it out I am really glad I did. I am happy and proud to call this great place home! Pg Feb. 25th, 2009

7 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Pg. 7 Although it seemed to tail off as the week went on the mutton snapper bite was red hot for a bit. I saw charter boats coming in with lots of them in the ten pound range and up. The Fishin Pole out of Robbie s came in with a fish in the 18 pound class while one of the many muttons the Capt. Michael brought in tipped the scales at 20 pounds. Capt. Ron put his angler Bob Hofstetler on the fish in about 150ft of water at night. The fish ate a ballyhoo plug fished on a long leader, which is basically the party boat standard mutton rig. Most of the boats in town came up with at least one or two muttons from what I heard. It s a bit early in the year for them to really be schooling up and feeding heavily but none-the-less we will take what they give us! These fish are one of my favorites because they can be caught everywhere you go. Bayside, under the bridges, in channels, on the patch reefs, on the reef and on wrecks or other structures in water as deep at 300 feet. I have even seen them on the flats before. This is a pretty rare site today but from what the old timers tell me it used to be that when you went looking for bonefish you had a good shot at muttons too! Whenever I hear these kinds of stories I always tell myself man, I was born just 50 years too late. I would be in hog heaven if I could go out and sight fish muttons on the flats a few days a week! Other than that nice mutton bite I must admit that this week was pretty slow. The kingfish didn t bite as well as they have been, the yellowtails were absent, the porgies kind of shut down a bit, the sailfishing was terrible and the groupers were very few and far between. The only thing that I really heard was biting well were the deep water snappers. Many captains are finding the vermilion, yellow-eye and red snappers to be biting like crazy in waters deeper than 250ft. The nice thing about these fish is that they are all fantastic on the dinner table. When you come in with a box full of deep water snappers you should be as happy as when you catch a limit of mahi-mahi because they are better eating and last longer in the freezer. Cobias are a big interest this time of year. They are found on the reef and especially on the sand inside of the reef following stingrays. There have been a few great days for targeting cobes but for the most part it has been a really weak year for them. But don t panic, it s very early in the season and at anytime the flood gates could open up and you will see these tasty monsters hanging on scales all over the Keys. If you read my reports frequently you will probably recall me talking about bait a lot. This past week the bait was very hard to come by in my neck of the woods. When you get out there and have a hard time catching ballyhoos or cigar minnows where you almost always catch them you know already that it s most likely going to be a tough day for Cont. on pg. 16 This has to be the coldest winter we have seen in years. Maybe not cold by some peoples standards, but extremely frigid from what I m used to. These silly fronts continue to creep down here and keep the water from warming up. Does this affect fishing? I would have to say a little bit. Although, fishing has been pretty good in some areas if you know where to look! Reef fishing has been mostly what charter captains have done lately. It is what our clients enjoy doing this time of year anyway; Anchoring down and popping up the kite has been very effective as far as getting the rods bent. Kingfish have really been the go to species the last couple of weeks. They are eating anything right now and the numbers have been big. Schools of kings are scattered up and down the reef line from 100 feet of water out to about 180 or 200 feet. The size of the fish varies from 4 to 5 pound fish up to 30 plus pounders. AKA slime dogs, kings are a great fighting fish that love to blast surface baits and the runs are blistering. Live anything will work and you can catch these mackerel on jig rigs and even spoons or lipped plugs. However, make sure you add some wire to your rig to compensate for their terrible dentures and treble hooks are great too. Along with great king action we are also finding plenty of snapper and an occasional grouper on the bottom. Ballyhoo, prepared either as a plug or butter flied, attached to a 30 foot 50 pound leader fastened to a 7/0 circle hook has worked just fine -- although a live pilchard or cigar minnow will get eaten equally as well. The mutton s haven t been giant fish, but the majority have been over the 16 inch minimum. The yellowtail snapper have also been chewing well this week and there have been good fish in as shallow as 20 to 30 feet where we catch bait. Sailfishing has picked up a little since the Poor Girls tourney and I expect another wave of snooters to show up considering the amount of bait fish that s out their. Mahi have been showing a little lately also and schoolie size fish are popping up out side of 200 feet with more regularity. Along with these scattered dolphin we are catching a steady supply of black fins and bonito. Small feathers and bubble jets are fine for these guys, although most of the tuna are 4 to 5 pounds. Amberjack and almaco jacks are holding on good reef bottom and some of the offshore wrecks. Live, high speed baits, like blue runners will work perfect for these fish and the jacks are 20 to 40 pounds on the average. Inside around the shallows we are getting some better reports on keeper hogs, muttons and porgies. Hook up lure jig heads and live shrimp work great for this style of fishing and live ballyhoo will get chomped by nice cero mackerel on these spots. So although fishing isn t red hot, it is pretty darn good. Go get em! Capt. George Clark Jr. Feb. 25th, Pg. 7

8 Pg. 8 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since I would rather be lucky, than good, she quips through a smile stretching from ear to ear. This is the humble explanation Joanie Follmer gives for her fantastic haul of a 46 pound cobia during a recent spear fishing adventure. The way she tells the story, she had target fixation, training her eye on a hogfish, when something swam in her way. She said, It was a gift! But she proceeded to accept the generosity of the present enough to take a shot that made perfect contact. Fellow divers Peter Mayclin and Tom Kavney moved in to assist and as a team, the three successfully boated this prize. Joanie s latest ocean passion is free diving and spear fishing. She was promoted in to the sport by a persistent Tom Kavney who ignored her initial protest that she wouldn t be able to hold her breath long enough or clear her ears efficiently enough to dive without a tank. But Joanie has made a slow and steady study of this sport and her skills have bloomed. She gets on the water almost weekly to spearfish but to build lung capacity and overall fitness she also swims at Founder s Park, runs, and practices yoga and tai chi. In trying to tease out what it is that makes this sport so appealing to her. She explains, This is the first sport I have pursued where it doesn t work if you muscle through it. You have to learn to rest, recover, pay attention to efficiency, swimming, breathing and form. She describes a sport where less is more. The less hyped up you are the more energy you can save to be able to stay under water longer. She recalls a mantra used by her mentor Kavney, If you got the fish, the fish made a mistake. And she goes on to explain that no one out swims a fish. So she has to hone skill, efficiency, and intellect to reach her free diving goals. This philosophy of slowing down to find success spills into her real life too: as we talk it becomes clear that there is a thin line separating her land and sea life. Joanie is no stranger to the world of watersports. If you dig around in her history you will uncover the fact that in the early eighties she motored herself and her boat Lady Cyana from New Jersey to Florida to eventually make her mark on the development of the diving community in the Florida Keys by founding Lady Cyana Divers: a mainstay in the dive business in Islamorada for years. Over the years, Joanie has spent more time in the water than out, and she continues to handle boats and boating scenarios with expertise. You get the feeling that she has seen just about everything out there. From a distance, her adventures seem a little intimidating - but ironically, that is exactly what she said at the start of this odyssey. Contact me, Elizabeth Jolin, at info@bayandreef.com for more info about Joanie or if you know of an amazing woman who does noteworthy things in, on, or near the water who needs to be featured in this paper! Joanie Follmer proudly manages her cobia with the help of Peter Mayclin (left) and Tom Kavney (right). Pg Feb. 25th, 2009

9 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Pg. 9 This week s weather did a 180 from last week, when it felt more like summer than mid-february. Last week, water temperatures reached the high 70 s, but have since dropped back down to the 60 s because of the cold fronts. But despite those fronts, fishing has remained steady and there s always something to catch, here in the Florida Keys. If you are a live bait fisherman, there s plenty of finger-mullet and pilchards around the backcountry, plus the reefs are loaded with ballyhoo. That s right ballyhoo! This time of year is great for getting out to the patch reefs in my 22 Shearwater bay boat. The patches have been providing my anglers with plenty of non-stop action off of the Upper Keys. The variety of species include mangrove, yellowtail, mutton snapper, hog snapper, gag groupers, cero mackerel, bar jacks, blue runners and the list goes on. The rule of thumb is: generally, the deeper the patch, the bigger the fish. I like to work patches in the foot range. Bring along plenty of chum and a bunch of live shrimp the rest of the bait can be caught at the patch. For the mangroves, yellowtails and hogfish react to a live shrimp on a ¼ oz HookUp lure and medium action rods. For the muttons and grouper use medium heavy action rods with 30 lb Spiderwire Ultracast and about 4 feet of 60 lb Vanish fluorocarbon leader weighted with about an ounce of lead, using a 5/0 circle hook. For bait, I like to cut ballyhoo into plugs about 3 inches long you can also use the sides of small blue runners. Drop them to the bottom and hold on for the bite. Work the fish away from the reef with short pumps to keep its head turned. In Florida Bay, the trout bite is as good as it gets. Keep an eye out for the patches of dirty water which is an easy giveaway of the trout s location. A good place to start is the deeper basins with grassy bottom around Flamingo. Also, many of the channels will hold trout especially at low tide when they are forced off the flats. There s plenty of keeper sized trout mixed in with the schoolies. You can bounce baits off the bottom or suspend the baits under a Cajun Thunder popping cork. The snook and redfish bite has fired up again after the cold fronts. They are moving down shorelines and hanging in the channels along with the schools of mullet. You can pole or use the trolling motor to maneuver down the shore or along the edge of the channel. As you blind cast keep an eye out for puffs of mud created by redfish feeding on crustaceans in the bottom. You will also find some nice-sized jack cravelle in the 5-15 lb range busting through the bait schools. These jacks will eat just about anything you throw at them as long as you retrieve it quickly. Until next week, tight lines and light winds! There are still a few cold fronts moving through our area which have the winds at a pretty steady clip right now. If you are fishing in between the cold fronts, the weather has been absolutely beautiful with more game fish prowling the flats. As far as the big three go, permit was definitely the most consistent. I wouldn t say the fishing was red hot because of the fronts I just spoke about, but on the right day you were getting the shots to get it done. We have also had a really weak tide week with not a lot of water moving which doesn t help either. I actually just got back from a trip and we were seeing some schools of bonefish around, which is always a welcome sight. I have been saying the past few years writing this report that I see more and more bonefish throughout the whole year and this year is no different. I just feel that since I have been in Key West that the bonefishing keeps getting better and better as the years wear on which adds another notch in the Lower Keys fishing belt. I saw some big boats tarpon fishing in the channels but didn t see anyone catch any. It s probably just a bit too cold for them, even in the numerous channels around Key West. We ve been having an extremely cold winter which has the normal February fishing a little delayed, but there are enough permit out there to make a day of it on the right day. The main fish this week was the barracuda. It seemed like every flat I stopped at whether I was permit fishing or actually barracuda fishing was loaded. I have always said that barracuda is the most under rated game fish on the flats and actually have convinced some people of that fact this week. They are really a blast on a fly rod and are not as easy to catch as one might think. You have to strip the fly extremely fast to catch a barracuda because that s how they like it. This means you have to also make a decently long cast so you can allow the barracuda to follow the fly and then eat it. The good thing about barracuda, especially for a beginner, is that you usually get many more opportunities than say permit fishing all day. This will make you a better caster for when that trophy permit comes swimming by the boat. There have also been plenty of jacks behind stingrays and sharks which are always a blast. We had one get destroyed by a bull shark this morning which I think is better than catching them. Not that I condone killing fish but to see a shark eat a fish that is ten feet from the boat is an awesome sight. We are also getting to the season of cobia on the backs of sharks and rays so keep a close eye out. Looks to be a bit windy and cold this week so go out barracuda fishing and have some fun. All you die hards can look for permit along the way. Hope everyone has tight lines and fish boat side. Feb. 25th, Pg. 9

10 Pg. 10 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since This year s sport and game fish season for the flats and backcountry is shaping up to be a good one. The past weeks fishing has showed me great things in the way of tarpon and permit, March should be off the hook. We received a dry air front on the 20th that stalled the game fish activity, but sparked the barracuda, jacks, snapper, sea trout and ladyfish. If it s one thing these northern fronts provide its hungry fish: hungry fun fish during, and hungry game fish following. I love poling a flat a few days following a front and seeing all those hungry permit happy to return to their warm water stomping grounds. This month s post frontal fishing has been great, with huge numbers of permit, while more recently showing large green back tarpon making their way into our backcountries channels and basins. Baby tarpon and bonefish have also been hanging out in their favorite little spots up and down the Lower Keys, for as long as the water temps have held around 71 degrees. All more fuel for this year s upcoming shallow water sport and game fish wild fire. Prior to the front we received on the 20th, the shallow water surrounding the Lower Florida Keys was in true form for this time of year. I was able to get on the water for a couple of days during this past week s more primo conditions and had no problem in putting several permit and tarpon beside the boat, all of which were on bait, as fly fishing did not interest any of my past week s anglers. The permit were caught atop gulf side flats during the higher points in the tide, using live crab for the larger fish and live shrimp for the smaller. Floating finger mullet and small shrimp down gulfside channels and holes using fluorocarbon leader and small pieces of cork for flotation caught the tarpon. Never use Styrofoam for flotation, tarpon are often broken off when hooked thus leaving hook, line, and bobber behind. The hook and line are bad enough, but a Styrofoam bobber will float in our water for as long as you are alive. Natural cork, like a wine cork will bio-degrade in less then a year. The water temps are still holding a good amount of oxygen, thus not forcing the tarpon to the surface to gulp it from the air. This makes fishing for them a little harder as they don t make themselves blatantly obvious by what is known as rolling, though never think they are not there, especially if you have a warm day and southern winds, patience certainly pays for tarpon fishing during this time of year. Bonefish are out there, though I personally feel we need a few more weeks of warmer weather before they make their way back into a predictable position. There is no doubt in my mind that the Lower Keys flats will be crawling with them by mid-march or even earlier. A great method for catching tarpon on fly in the upcoming weeks would be what is known as channel dredging. This is when you use an intermediate or full sinking line depending on the depth and repeatedly cast and let your fly sink, while pulling or dredging it across your favorite gulfside channel. Remember to approach your destination quietly, prop noise will let them know your there. And work your entire channel from atop it s edge, this allows you to cast across and dredge your fly from your channels deepest point to it s shallowest. Most of my hook-ups result 5-7 feet from the channel s edge, use the brighter tarpon flies during the morning hours and move to the darker patterns once the sun is high. Long, slow, and steady strips once your fly gets near the bottom tends to work best for me. Use a 12 weight; because you never know the size of fish you will hook when using this more or less blind fishing method. Catching tarpon on fly will only get easier as the weeks progress and water temps warm. This year s tarpon season should be a great one. Capt. Adrian La Sorte took his 86 yr old father (retired Thoracic Surgeon from Binghamton, NY) fishing on the ocean flats. Dr. La Sorte hooked a rather large bonefish using shrimp, resulting in a long battle. Pg Feb. 25th, 2009

11 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Pg. 11 A little bit of this, a little bit of that, but nothing consistent from one day to the next. The wrecks have been stacked with amberjacks and more grouper activity; it s the grouper bite that got my attention though. We were able to wrestle a few from the rocks but I haven t gotten any big ones yet. At least the black grouper have started to bite, a little late but better than not at all. I like to use 80-pound gear for the groupers but that can be tough for some clients, so I also have a 60-pound gear at the ready with 80-pound leader. It is really important to get the fish out of the bottom fast because otherwise he will go home and you ll never get him to come back out to play. Well, now that I am thinking about it, if you have a grouper on and he gets back to his house, it s best to give him some slack. Two things could happen: 1) he will get deeper into the hole and you ll never budge him; or 2) he will think he s free and swim out. BUT if he does, you better lift hard and keep reeling fast, don t give him any slack. You usually only get one shot at that. My grouper rig consists of enough weight to hold the bottom with a simple long leader rig which changes depending on what kind of structure I am fishing. On the reef I prefer shorter leaders (6 feet) so there is a less likely chance that your bait will swim into and under a ledge. Then be sure to wind up about five feet to keep the bait from swimming into a rock. When I am fishing wrecks I tend to use a 12-foot leader and sometimes shorter if there is a lot of debris around it or if I am just a little close to the wreck. When anchoring up on a wreck your boat placement is very crucial. If you don t get it right, keep resetting it until you do. I like to start up current from the wreck about feet away from it. I do this at first in hopes of luring the fish out from the structure so you re not in it when you hook the fish. The further away you can get the bites the better because that gives you more space to work with if you hook a big one. There was pretty decent dolphin bite this week out in feet. I was able to find some in 135 feet while we were sailfish with live threadfin herring and little blue runners. The hot zone for the sails, well, I actually didn t find one, but I know they are there. The wind died and with it the sailfish bite died off too out beyond the reef s edge. The tunas are still small from what I ve heard except a few in the pound range out at the hump. There was a little bit of a swordfish bite out there when the winds calmed down. I have been doing very well with the wahoo along the outer edge. Some really big kings have been cruising around if you care to test your tackle. I like to use tinker mackerel or speedos if I can get them; but big blue runners or threadfin herring will work too. The bigger the bait, the bigger the fish you can catch. Because kings are slashers they can eat pretty big baits. Itt just takes them a few passes with their razor sharp teeth moving around 30 mph; they can inflict some severe damage to larger baits and your gear. To target these monsters I would recommend using no less than #6 wire and no more than #7 wire. Good luck out there and don t forget about being safe while you re out there. Do Not drink and operate a boat, you just might ruin your vacation and your life or someone else s. Featured Boat! Ocean Super Sport Boat Detroit s JT 450 hp diesel engines with 1825 original hours; 8 KW Gen Set-Galley maid 200 gpd R/O Plant; all new GPS electronics; radar-fathometer; (Furuno)-2 VHF radios; one single side-band radio; KVH- 6 Satellite track TV system-2 color TV s with built-in DVD players; 1 Salon/1 main Stateroom; central Vacuum system; 2 Staterooms/2 Bathrooms; Galley down Salon up; Fresh water flush system; 2 central A/C s; Washer/Dryer and a lot of extras! All refurbished interiors - must see all the teak and wood work! 12 ft. fiberglass Boston Whaler on bow with a 15 hp Johnson-Electric hoist crane. Boat is well maintained - Ready to Fish and Travel! Was $199,500. Priced reduced to $159,500. Fabulous Boat at a Great Price! Call: Jack Sweeting: Home: (305) ; Cell: (305) /18 Feb. 25th, Pg. 11

12 Pg. 12 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Feb : Backcountry Fly Championship. Islamorada. This new flyfishing competition is to target snook and redfish in a region of the Keys that is famous for them. Contact Charlotte Ambrogio at (305) Feb & Mar. 1: Captain Leon Shell Memorial Billfish Tournament. Key Colony Beach. Anglers pursue sailfish in honor of the late lure maker who made the Middle Florida Keys his home. The tournament benefits Hospice of the Florida Keys. 27th - Captains Meeting / Late Registration; 28th - first day of fishing; 1st - second day of fishing / banquet; phone: KCB Marina (305) ; website: March 6-7: Backbone Lures Fish Til You Lose It. Islamorada. Anglers compete to catch the finned denizens of the flats and backcountry, fishing with one lure until they lose it. Contact Paul Tejera at (305) , captbackbone@gmail.com. March 13-15: Key West Fishing Tournament Kick-Off. Key West & Lower Keys. Targeting multiple species, this annual challenge starts a season-long tournament that awards certificates for outstanding catches and prizes in a host of categories. Contact Doris Harris at (800) or (305) , director@keywestfishingtournament. com, visit February 27, 28 & March 1, 2009 Key Colony Beach Weight Divisions for Dolphin, Kingfish, Tuna & Wahoo Cash, Prizes, Awards & Trophies Junior Division for Anglers - 9 to 152 years of age Academic Scholarships, Cash Prizes & Trophies Awards Banquet at Sparky s Landing, Key Colony Beach Marina Dinner, Awards, Prize Drawings & Auction Angler s Marketplace Key Colony Beach Marina Tournament & Sponsor Merchandise Guest Appearance by Noted Marine Artist, Joe Suroviec $500/Boat for Captain & 1st Angler Ea. Add. Angler $150 Reg. Deadline Monday, Feb. 23 $100 Late Fee Applies Registration Forms Available at all Sponsors & most Marinas & Tackle Shops, plus Key Colony Beach Marina (MM 54 - Sadowski Causeway) (305) Cash Prizes for 1st & 2nd Runners-up Also! Pg Feb. 25th, 2009

13 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Pg. 13 s Jake and Ben ventured out with Capt. Richard Burson to fish the Key Largo area. They ended up scoring this toothy Barracuda! A guest of Capt. Schugar during the APM Retreat last week. t s Bob & Chuck Grouper-fest! Bill Kunkel (Wellsville, PA) caught his s life-long quest; this Swordfish with Capt. Steve McAnally a Keys picture-perfect day offshore. s Kids score a good catch aboard The Trophy Hunter with Capt. Jack Blades (Sugarloaf Key). Snapper, Amberjack and Mackerel caught by Teddy Fuller, Jackson Major, Drew Major, Charlie Fuller, Copeland Fuller, & Willy Major. Bluefin season in the Carolinas! s Saturday, March 14th & Sunday, March 15th 15 Different Species Worth $5,000 in Cash Awards Most Marlin Releases Most Sailfish Releases Most Tarpon Releases Heaviest Dolphin Heaviest of Mutton Snapper ~ Kingfish Blackfin Tuna ~ Grouper ~ Cobia ~ Wahoo Most Barracuda Releases Most Permit Releases ~ Most Bonefish Releases Win $150 & Trophy for Heaviest Mangrove Snapper & Heaviest Grunt Junior Division ~ Farthest Traveled ~ Hard Luck! First 50 registered boats receive a Dexter-Russell filet knife! Registration & Captain s Meeting ~ Friday March 13th ~ 6 to 8 pm At the DoubleTree Grand Key Resort, 3990 S. Roosevelt Blvd., Key West *** Registration is $200 per boat up to 6 anglers *** For information, contact Doris Harris, Director at (305) Feb. 25th, Pg. 13

14 Pg. 14 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Organizers Release Miami Show Numbers Despite a drop in attendance at this year s Miami International Boat Show, organizers say it was a success in terms of the quality of buyers and the overall mood of exhibitors and customers. I m getting some really positive feedback. The quality of the customers seemed to be really good, Cathy Rick-Joule, show manager and vice president of southern shows for the National Marine Manufacturers Association, Attendance at this year s Miami International Boat Show and Strictly Sail Miami fell 26 percent, to 96,736 from 130,496 in However, Rick-Joule said most of those who came to the show were already financed and knew what they wanted to buy. At the end of the day, that s what it s really all about, she said. We moved some boats and that s really, really important, especially now. This year s show featured 2,800 new boats and more than 1,000 accessory exhibitors. Another positive note coming from the show, Rick-Joule added, is that exhibitors sensed a more positive attitude among customers. They said many consumers are starting to feel more encouraged and hopeful about the new president and the federal stimulus package. Rick-Joule said her staff is already gearing up for the 2010 show, scheduled for Feb Capt. Chris Morin, shows off a Mutton Snapper caught while fishing off of Marathon. Cat. Bellinger cont. from pg. 6 Big D has the method of soaking baits for bonefish down to a science, he knows where and when to be at certain places around town that have the likelyhood of holding fish. This past Sunday afternoon his anglers caught and released two bones, one was 6 pounds and the other tipped the scales at 10 pounds. Capt. Dave will also get sharks, permit, tarpon and barracudas showing up in these waters and they all put up a great fight. If you are looking to get in a fight with a local while on vacation here in the Keys give Capt. Big D of No Politics a look at Whale Harbor Marina and you will likely get in a tussle. Mike Spatenga with a nice black fin tuna, caught on the Killer Instinct. Capt. Don Reichert shows off a couple of nice grouper caught while fishing off Islamorada. Pg Feb. 25th, 2009

15 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Pg. 15 Ben Douglas shows off a monster Redfish caught on a fly in the Flamingo area with Capt. J.T. Gabriel. A nice Red Grouper caught while Fishing off of Marathon with Capt. Mike Biffel Capt. Dave Schugar was reelin in the fish, both for clients at the APM Retreat (left) and with another fine group of folks caught in the middle of a bunch of Wahoo (above). Feb. 25th, Pg. 15

16 Pg. 16 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since As we move into March we should start to see the cold fronts become slightly weaker and less frequent. This will keep the water temperature steady and the fishing will remain good throughout the month. Water temps outside the reef are running around 74 and slightly cooler inside the reef. Offshore should be in prime season for Sailfish, Kingfish, Tuna and Wahoo. Look for all of these species to be feeding on the large schools of bait that will be moving up and down the reef and anywhere from 30 feet out to around 250. The current is moving pretty good to the east and we should see color changes, rips and breaks all along the reef edge. Ballyhoo trolled plain or behind a blue and white islander will cover all your bases. One rig trolled deep on a downrigger will find any Wahoo that are around. Look for the Wahoo bite to be better around the full moon. Dolphin have been steady since October and don t seem to be letting up. Most boats are finding a few Dolphin every day. Bonito and Blackfin will hit small dark lures trolled on flat lines closer to the boat or way way back. The reef is in prime season for March. Look for large Grouper, Mutton Snapper, Mangrove Snapper and Kingfish to be on drop-offs and ledges in feet deep. You will have best results if there is a small current. Keep the chum flowing and you will have many different species show up along the bottom. The top of the water column will produce Yellowtail if you keep enough chum flowing. Whole squid, live pinfish, pilchards, ballyhoo, thread herring and shrimp will all work great for bait. Gulf fishing will also be in its prime for March. Cobia, Kingfish, Grouper, Snapper, Sharks will keep the rods bent. Any rock-pile or wreck will have good action. The same baits will work here as well. I usually keep a ballyhoo on a stinger rig back in the current and chum with cut thread herring to get the Kings active. Most of the Gulf Kings will run in the pound range. Deep dropping is always a good bet and you will find Snowy Grouper, Tilefish and Rosefish in feet along ledges and rocky top edges of big drops. Tilefish tend to be more on the top of the humps and Groupers right along the edge. If you patiently work deeper ledges you can find barrellfish and Golden Tiles but I have best results in feet. Red Porgy, Vermillion Snapper and Silky Snapper can be found in range. Capt. McCadie cont. from pg. 7 you. This is because the big predators that we tend to target this time of year are here for the bait as well, and if you can t find it they are probably having a tough time, too. When the bait moves up or down the reef the bigger game fish tend to follow suit. Your bottom fish aren t quite as affected because they live a bit of a different life style than a sailfish or king mackerel does. This is why you will see the charter boats doing a lot more bottom fishing this time of year. The dolphin aren t here yet and the sails and kings have been tough. That means it s time to beat on the muttons, groupers and yellowtails. By the time this is in print everything could have changed completely, so get out there and see if you can t do some damage! Capt. Brian Great day of mixed bag fishing aboard the Best Bet. With yellow tail snapper, mangrove snapper and some kingfish, what angler wouldn t be happy and smiling? Pg Feb. 25th, 2009

17 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Pg. 17 The fishing report from Long Key was very good the past week and lets be thankful for the excellent weather the Island is now experiencing. And it looks like we re going to be in for another week of good times. Out back whether you were after Snook, Trout, Redfish or Tarpon, they were being caught by some area guides keeping their clients happy and contented. Poling the edges of banks in the backcountry on falling tides and sight fishing for Reds and Snook was what I was doing a lot of this week. I spent most of those trips in the Sandy Key area throwing buck tails tipped with shrimp or gold spoons. There were more Redfish caught then Snook on my boat but this area has always been a favorite for them, and I think it s the most beautiful area in the park. My family and I use to camp out a lot on Carl Ross key, once connected to Sandy years ago. I remember back in the late 60,s and early 70,s watching the tide come in as I walked along its shore, seeing more Snook then you can imagine patrolling the beachfront and slamming the schools of mullet and pilchards that happened to get in their path. I could throw at leisure to a particular group and was assured of a following battle. The best day I had Snook fishing, we caught 47 of them and I really say, none were under 10 lbs. It most likely will never happen again but that s what keeps you out there, those amazing times. Tarpon were showing out in the gulf and they should be appearing very soon in all those places we go to seek them out. As long as we continue having warming waters, Silver kings will become the talk around town. From the flats to the bridges, many of us are ready as it certainly ranks as one of the greatest fish the Florida Keys has to offer. If you ve never had the chance to battle a Tarpon, I strongly advise you to do it this year and plan a trip here to do it. You can thank me later for encouraging you. The gang down at Seabird Marina reported a good time by all their customers that have been leaving the dock. Plenty of nice-sized Mangrove Snappers, Spanish Mackerel and Grouper. As usual, I leave you with this: A smart wife has the pork chops ready, when her husband comes home from a fishing trip. Until next week, I m still... Capt. Ron What a week. For the first time in recent memory weather conditions in the Keys allowed boaters and anglers to get out on just about any given day. That s not to say it was perfectly calm every day, but definitely doable. Warming air and water temperatures coupled with relatively light wind and a waning moon provided for some great fishing around Marathon. Just about every type of fishing was productive this week, as reported by Marathon Charter captains and private boat owners alike. Even Gulf fishing was good this week. The water temp raised enough to wake up all of your favorite bay species. Many fishermen targeting mangrove snapper this week had great success on bay structures, banks, and bridges. Live shrimp is always a winner in the bay and around bridges for all snapper, jacks, hogfish, and Spanish mackerel. Along with the live shrimp, make sure you have some decent current to complete the recipe for success. Farther out in the Gulf, the cobia seem to be on the move as well. Capt. Mike Biffel of Big Dawg Charters in Key Colony reported putting his customers on numerous large schools of cobia, catching more than 20 fish with some in the 30 lb range! That s a heck of a day of fishing. Plan on running 20 miles or better to find them though, and if you re not sure where to go for hot cobia action in the bay, call a local guide in Marathon to put you on the fish. Just about everything oceanside seemed to be biting this week. Patch reefs and channel humps in Hawk Channel were especially active with many boats putting together nice catches of yellowtail and mangrove snapper, black and gag grouper, and cero and king mackerel; all within earshot of the beach! These areas are great places to investigate when it gets a little rough on the reef in a northerly or northeasterly wind. There is some great fishing right now in the channel that can be had while not having to deal with rough seas. Captain Jimmy Gagliardini of High Caliber Charters had his customers into some kingfish in the 30 pound range on light tackle in Hawk Channel this week, so be ready for those smokers with a 20 pound spin outfit with a live bait and a trace of wire. We are finally starting to see some good catches of yellowtail snapper on the deep reefs! Reports out of Duck Key of some nice tails in foot keep coming in, and we had a great catch of yellowtail aboard the Best Bet on Saturday at the West end of town in 70 feet. As always, it s about having the right conditions, and we had them on Saturday. The water had warmed slightly, and we had decent current going with the wind. Chumming heavy brings them to the boat, and from there it s a test of your angling skills. Large yellowtail snapper are very smart and very wary. You have to find the right combination of line, hook, leader, and bait to number one, get the bite, and number two, land the fish. And let s not forget the predators! Sharks, Goliath Grouper and Bottlenose Cont. on pg. 21 Feb. 25th, Pg. 17

18 Pg. 18 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since December and January are GIANT BLUEFIN TUNA Time in North Carolina. These monster tunas typically start to show up at Cape Lookout Shoal around the end of November and early January. At times, the fish come in as close as only one or two miles out of the Inlet, but typically you will travel 5 to 15 miles to find them. They are feeding mainly right off the edges of the shoal in 40 to 100 feet of water. The season, started off, as it quite often does, with a decent early bite the first week of December. Some fish were brought back to the dock, and everyone had high expectations for a great winter Bluefin Season. This fishery is primarily a commercial one, and the price per pound ( cored with head off) ranges from $8 to $25, depending on the condition of the fish and the overall supply-demand situation at the time the fish goes to market. Most all of these tuna are flown to Japan and go to auction. The fish range in size from 250 pounds right on up to 800 pounds. In order to be legally boated, the fish must measure 73 inches or greater. A typical fishing day begins at 3:00am, as you make your way out the inlet in the dark, trying to be on the fishing grounds well before first light. Trolling begins immediately, and the normal spread is 3 to 5 lines, all pulling horse ballyhoo, with a variety of skirts over top. The most common skirt is a Hawaiian Eye/Islander Lure. Pink works well, as does Silver and various other color combinations. The baits are trolled way back, quite slow, and at least one is usually run down deep on either down-riggers or planers. Penn 130 VSX s are our choice of weapon, and allow us to apply the proper amount of drag, and have enough line capacity to deal with double or even triple headers. After fishing half the season, we had only boated one fish and things were looking bleak. We wouldn t say that things ever got hot, but at least they improved. The week of New Years, things turned on for a few days and probably a third of the fish caught for the season, were taking during this week. Unfortunately, we were not fishing, so we missed out on that bite. After that, there was never a consistent bite, but we were able to put three more fish in the boat, over the last three weeks of the season. Our first fish of the second half of the season, came on January 6th, near The Knuckle. It measured 79 inches, weighed 366 pounds, and took the crew about 40 minutes to bring boat side. Now we were 2-2 for the season. But that was it for a long stretch a very long stretch. Going into the last week of the season, we had two fish to our credit for our efforts. The fish gods smiled on us however, allowing us to boat two fish in the final week of fishing. The first of the two final fish came January 26th, and this one was a 91 incher, that weighed in at 424 pounds. With only two people on the boat, the crew had their hands full, and got the job done in a little over an hour. The final fish came on our last day of fishing! Cont. on pg. 19 Pg Feb. 25th, 2009

19 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Pg / Stamas 31 Twin 350 s fresh H2O cooled (aprox. 450 hrs). Full Tower with steering station & electronics. 2 Furuno Color fish finders; Furuno GPS; Furuno radar. New Eisenglass enclosure. Immaculate Condition Inside and Out. Asking $77,500. Call (305) or (716) / ActionCraft Totally rewired, new tank, incredibly light/bare hull, superb boat for the flats specialist or first-timer, shallow/deep water capabilities that match any $30K boat! One Owner, equipped with hp YAMAHA perfectly maintained (only 500 hrs), 2005 custom trailer. Only $8,000. Call (305) leave message. 03/ Hydra-Sports Vector 2200VX This is a Brand New Vector 2200VX with a Yamaha F250hp Outboard Motor. Fully Loaded with all the options. Please call or joliver@johnsonmarine.com for all the details. This boat must sell. $61,999 Ask for (909) /04 Call (609) Egg Harbor Sport Fisherman Asking $265,000. Original owner. Pristine Condition! Low hours. Full electronics: GPS, Radar, Autopilot, VHF, Depthfinder. Teak interior in NEW condition. Professionally maintained and Seasonal Usage only. Located in Islamorada. 03/ Hydra-Sports Vector 2900CC This is a Brand New 2007 Vector 2900 CC with Twin Yamaha F250hp Outboard Motors. Twin Raymarine C120 screens; radar, auto pilot, windlass, two large bait tanks. This boat must sell! $116,899. Call or joliver@johnson-marine.com with all $$$ offers. Ask for (909) / Angler 2600 Twin 200hp 4-stroke Johnsons; clean boat; dry racked its entire life (exc during use). Dive ladder & tuna door; less than 250 hrs on engines; Garmin 3210 GPS; linked Garmin GSD Sounder; Uniden VHF; head; lg. live well; add. outriggers; anchor w/line. Asking $38,000, obo. Call (305) , or hydroslider@hotmail.com 03/ Aquasport Tourney 290 Sportfish 02 Twin Mercruiser V-8 s w/450 hrs, freshwater cooled. 02 B/W velvet-drive transmissions. 09 elect.; head; full tower w/dual cont; windlass; trim tabs; sleeps 4; fighting chair; outriggers; Triaxle trailer. Call (305) or (860) or mwalexander@cox.net.ing $29,500. Located in Cudjoe. 04/ Key West 19 D.C. 115 Yamaha & Alum. Trailer. Runs A+, extra-clean, low hours. 2nd owner, fresh water use, Many Extras including: Bimini, Full Cover, C.G.E., Live Well, Cooler, Fish Box, etc. Great, allaround fun little boat - Ready for the Water Now! $7,800 (neg.) Call for more info & pix, or bucknrosie@aol.com. 03/ Hydra-Sports, HP 4-stroke Yamaha, 110 hrs, recent service, extended warranty. T-Top; fishbox; bait well; self-bailing cockpit; trim tabs; twin batteries; swim platform w/ladder. VHF; AM/ FM/CD; Garmin GPS; port toilet, galley sink, yellow hull. No trailer. $35,000. Tavernier. skellyre@aol.com, or phone: (772) / Parker 2510 Walkaround 2003 Yamaha stroke; mod. V-hull; swim plat; kicker bracket; full-enclosure curtains; bimini; Garmin GPS; depth finder; marine radio; AM/FM/ CD; live box; fresh & salt water washdowns. Cust. stg. cvr. Low hrs. Alum. trailer incl. $44,500. Jim (305) or jimjanewatermolen@msn Feb. 25th, Pg. 19

20 Pg. 20 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since / Action Craft 1720 Flats Master Comes with stroke Yamaha outboard with 175 hrs; poling tower; push pole; GPS; VHF radio; aluminum trailer. This boat is in pristine condition & ready to fish. See it at Action Marine MM 102. $15,995 Call (305) , or 03/ Proline 2700 cc Upper station w/controls; great electronics; super heavy-duty windlass; console cover; leaning post cover; engine covers. Twin 250 Mercury engines low hrs.; head; T-top w/slide-out enlargement. This boat is a steal. See it at Action Marine MM 102. Call: (305) , or actionmarine102@aol.com 03/ Grady White Islander One owner, inside-stored boat w/low hr. twin Johnson 200 outboards. The boat is pristine. Radar; GPS; galley; sleepers; head. Roomy rear area. As close to new as you can get & priced to sell. See it at Action Marine MM 102. $25,995. Call: (305) or actionmarine102@aol.com 03/18 Jaguar 35 Catamaran Smooth Ride! Easy on the gas, planes@15mph, cruises@45mph, tops@65mph. Evinrude E-Tech Twin 250hp Outboards warranty til Jan Health forces sale; Best Equipped Center Console 35 on the market. Includes custom 6 wheel, 3 axle Trailer. Call Frank Piku (305) or fpiku@comcast.com 04/ ChrisCraft 372 Sundeck Cruiser Xlnt condition modern cruiser or comfort live-a-board. 2 staterooms w/heads. Total pro refit all systems; refit twin 454 s; 7.5 Westerbeke genset. Fully insured. Ready to fish and cruise! Live-a-board slip avail. in best sunset marina. $80k value, SELL $59,900. (561) , or (954) Poss. owner financing, poss. long-term lease. 04/ Grady-White 265 Express Twin stroke Yamahas with trailer. All options. Hoist kept, 95% fresh water use. Raymarine GPS, radar, auto pilot, and (2) VHF radios. One owner boat, looks and runs like new. Located in Islamorada. $68,000. Call Randy (586) or a_schmitt@comcast.net. 04/ Topaz Express Fisherman Twin 3208 Cats at 375 hp; less than 2,000 original hours. 8kw gen set kobota, 2 staterooms, tower, swim platform, new bottom paint. Ready to fish or cruise. Valued at $120,000 Sacrifice for $85,000. Located in KCB. Call: (912) / Spencer Center Console 270 hp turbo diesel inboard. Asking $10,000 obo. Call: (305) / Hydra Sports 21 Walk Around w/ 200 HP Ocean Pro Johnson. Must see. Like new condition! Less than 50 hrs. 8-8 beam, electronics, cover. Live-well, fish box, foldout rear bimini & More. Asking $17,500. Call owner (305) In Tavernier 04/ Boston Whaler Outrage Mercury 225hp four-stroke. Can t go wrong with a Whaler. $19,000 obo. Call Xavier at Pg Feb. 25th, 2009

21 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Pg /07 Grady White 222 Fisherman 225 Yamaha 4-stroke 115 hrs & extended warranty til Color Chart/Sounder; VHF; Stereo; Full cushions, covers & curtains. 07 Galvanized trailer. Good as new - $54,950. Call (443) /08 04/ Pro Line 23 Sport Twin 150 Merc Salt Water Series dual axle trailer; new rotors & pads; 5 new tires. S/S props; fresh H2O shower/wash down; Lowrance GPS; Porta Potty in console; live well & fish boxes; console canvas encl; trim tabs. $34,000. Call (305) , or (973) , or marinaguy@aol.com. Boat in Tavernier. 04/ Lifetimer Welded aluminum hull, lifetime warranty. 115 hp Yamaha 4- stroke low hrs. Twin Oddysey batteries, VHF, 2002 EZ Load Trailer w/new LED lights/tires. Asking $19,500 obo. Located in Keys till April 1st. Call 231/ / Grady White 28 Sailfish Walk Around Twin 200 hp Yamaha 2- strokes. Half Tower, outriggers, downrigger; EZ anchor puller, full canvas cover. New Garmin 12 GPS, Raytheon Auto Pilot, head, microwave, frig. Low use, great condition, ready to fish. Asking $59,000. Call Al at: (616) or melgersma@wmol.com 04/ Wellcraft 23 Center Console New t-top w/rod holders; leaning post; live well; wash down; bow cushions; fish finder; GPS. No Engine. $2,500 Call: (305) Advertise your boats, engines, etc. here in the Keys Boat Exchange Your ad will reach up & down the Keys! Call (305) 766-BOAT (2628) info@weeklyfisherman.com Borraccino cont. from pg. 17 Dolphin will wait to take your hooked fish, making it even more of a challenge. But if it were easy it wouldn t be fun, right? Catching yellowtails and mangrove snapper on light tackle is one of the most fun and challenging types of fishing, and is one of my personal favorites. And at the end of the day, having a box full of snappers is a great reward. Up until the end of the week there was minimal and varying current beyond the reef, making deep wreck fishing less than spectacular. But you never know when you might find hungry fish, so it never hurts to try! Despite still having good numbers of ballyhoo on the reef, there seems to be a bit of a drought as far as sailfish goes. Granted, on any given day you could run over a pack and catch four, but for the most part catches are low for the past week or so. This is not good news for those fishing the Annual Leon Shell sailfish tournament out of Key Colony next week. But I suppose that it could be good news having fewer fish around could level the playing field for some boats making pure luck a bit more of a factor! Well, good luck to everyone fishing the tournament next week, and good luck to all of you doing your own fishing this week! Bob Redenius (Janesville, WI) went out on the Freedom Charter with Capt. Chuck and caught a 30lb. yellowmouth grouper along with a 20lb., plus a good size bar jack and king fish at Molasses Reef. Feb. 25th, Pg. 21

22 Pg. 22 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since KEY LARGO (Ocean Reef) BIG PINE (West Side - Pine Channel) High Low High Low High Date Day Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Feb 25 Wed 02:23 AM / ft Feb 26 Thu 03:00 AM / ft Feb 27 Fri 03:37 AM / ft Feb 28 Sat 04:16 AM / ft Mar 1 Sun 04:59 AM / ft Mar 2 Mon 05:47 AM / 0.14 ft Mar 3 Tue 12:41 AM / 2.22 ft Mar 4 Wed 01:44 AM / 2.14 ft 06:43 AM / 0.32 ft 07:50 AM / 0.44 ft 08:35 AM / 2.36 ft 09:11 AM / 2.37 ft 09:47 AM / 2.35 ft 10:24 AM / 2.30 ft 11:03 AM / 2.24 ft 11:49 AM / 2.16 ft 12:42 PM / 2.09 ft 01:48 PM / 2.04 ft 02:42 PM / ft 03:17 PM / ft 03:54 PM / ft 04:34 PM / ft 05:19 PM / ft 06:12 PM / ft 07:13 PM / ft 08:24 PM / ft ISLAMORADA (Whale Harbor) 08:54 PM / 2.38 ft 09:34 PM / 2.43 ft 10:15 PM / 2.43 ft 10:59 PM / 2.39 ft 11:47 PM / 2.31 ft High Low High Low High Date Day Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Feb 25 Wed 05:41 AM / -0.05ft Feb 26 Thu 06:05 AM / -0.03ft Feb 27 Fri 06:31 AM / -0.01ft Feb 28 Sat 12:06 AM / 0.68ft Mar 1 Sun 12:53 AM / 0.58 ft Mar 2 Mon 01:47 AM / 0.47 ft Mar 3 Tue 02:56 AM / 0.37 ft Mar 4 Wed 04:30 AM / 0.31 ft 06:59 AM / 0.03ft 07:30 AM / 0.06 ft 08:04 AM / 0.10 ft 08:44 AM / 0.13 ft 09:36 AM / 0.16 ft 10:31 AM / 0.68ft 10:57 AM / 0.73ft 11:24 AM / 0.78ft 11:53 AM / 0.81ft 12:26 PM / 0.83 ft 01:05 PM / 0.84 ft 01:57 PM / 0.84 ft 03:06 PM / 0.83 ft 05:35 PM / -0.04ft 06:16 PM / -0.08ft 06:59 PM / -0.12ft 07:47 PM / -0.15ft 08:40 PM / ft 09:43 PM / ft 10:59 PM / ft CUDJOE KEY (Pirates Cove) 10:42 PM / 0.82ft 11:22 PM / 0.76ft High Low High Low High Date Day Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Feb 25 Wed 03:09AM / -0.16ft Feb 26 Thu 03:46AM / -0.16ft Feb 27 Fri 04:23AM / -0.14ft Feb 28 Sat 05:02AM / -0.09ft Mar 1 Sun 05:45 AM / ft Mar 2 Mon 12:13 AM / 1.33 ft Mar 3 Tue 01:07 AM / 1.27 ft Mar 4 Wed 02:10 AM / 1.23 ft 06:33 AM / 0.06 ft 07:29 AM / 0.15 ft 08:36 AM / 0.21 ft 09:01AM / 1.35ft 09:37AM / 1.36ft 10:13AM / 1.35ft 10:50AM / 1.32ft 11:29 AM / 1.28 ft 12:15 PM / 1.24 ft 01:08 PM / 1.20 ft 02:14 PM / 1.17 ft 03:28PM / -0.16ft 04:03PM / -0.22ft 04:40PM / -0.26ft 05:20PM / -0.28ft 06:05 PM / ft 06:58 PM / ft 07:59 PM / ft 09:10 PM / ft MARATHON (Boot Key Harbor) 09:20PM / 1.36ft 10:00PM / 1.39ft 10:41PM / 1.39ft 11:25PM / 1.37ft High Low High Low High Date Day Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Feb 25 Wed 01:32 AM / 1.26ft Feb 26 Thu 02:11 AM / 1.21ft Feb 27 Fri 02:51 AM / 1.13ft Feb 28 Sat 03:35 AM / 1.01ft Mar 1 Sun 04:22 AM / 0.86 ft Mar 2 Mon 05:16 AM / 0.70 ft Mar 3 Tue 06:25 AM / 0.55 ft 06:43 AM / -0.10ft 07:07 AM / -0.06ft 07:33 AM / -0.01ft 08:01 AM / 0.05ft 08:32 AM / 0.12 ft 09:06 AM / 0.18 ft 09:46 AM / 0.24 ft Mar 4 Wed 12:01 AM / ft 02:00 PM / 1.00ft 02:26 PM / 1.08ft 02:53 PM / 1.15ft 03:22 PM / 1.20ft 03:55 PM / 1.24 ft 04:34 PM / 1.25 ft 05:26 PM / 1.24 ft 07:59 AM / 0.46 ft 06:37 PM / -0.07ft 07:18 PM / -0.16ft 08:01 PM / -0.23ft 08:49 PM / -0.28ft 09:42 PM / ft 10:45 PM / ft 10:38 AM / 0.30 ft KEY WEST (South Side Hawk Channel) 06:35 PM / 1.23 ft High Low High Low High Date Day Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Feb 25 Wed 03:08AM / -0.21ft Feb 26 Thu 03:31AM / -0.13ft Feb 27 Fri 03:54AM / -0.03ft Feb 28 Sat 04:18AM / 0.09ft Mar 1 Sun 04:43 AM / 0.21 ft Mar 2 Mon 12:20 AM / 1.03 ft Mar 3 Tue 01:20 AM / 0.81 ft Mar 4 Wed 02:44 AM / 0.66 ft 05:10 AM / 0.32 ft 05:42 AM / 0.41 ft 06:25 AM / 0.50 ft 09:10AM / 1.39ft 09:37AM / 1.53ft 10:05AM / 1.66ft 10:36AM / 1.77ft 11:10 AM / 1.86 ft 11:51 AM / 1.90 ft 12:41 PM / 1.91 ft 01:43 PM / 1.88 ft 03:01PM / -0.12ft 03:41PM / -0.23ft 04:24PM / -0.31ft 05:11PM / -0.35ft 06:05 PM / ft 07:12 PM / ft 08:32 PM / ft 09:55 PM / ft 09:20PM / 1.70ft 10:01PM / 1.59ft 10:44PM / 1.43ft 11:29PM / 1.24ft High Low High Low High Date Day Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Time / Height Feb 25 Wed 03:19 AM / -0.12ft Feb 26 Thu 03:43 AM / -0.07ft Feb 27 Fri 04:09 AM / -0.01ft Feb 28 Sat 04:37 AM / 0.06ft Mar 1 Sun 05:08 AM / 0.13 ft Mar 2 Mon 12:34 AM / 0.98 ft Mar 3 Tue 01:43 AM / 0.77 ft Mar 4 Wed 03:17 AM / 0.64 ft 05:42 AM / 0.21 ft 06:22 AM / 0.29 ft 07:14 AM / 0.35 ft 09:18 AM / 1.39ft 09:44 AM / 1.51ft 10:11 AM / 1.60ft 10:40 AM / 1.67ft 11:13 AM / 1.72 ft 11:52 AM / 1.73 ft 12:44 PM / 1.73 ft 01:53 PM / 1.71 ft 03:13 PM / -0.08ft 03:54 PM / -0.18ft 04:37 PM / -0.27ft 05:25 PM / -0.32ft 06:18 PM / ft 07:21 PM / ft 08:37 PM / ft 10:02 PM / ft 09:29 PM / 1.69ft 10:09 PM / 1.57ft 10:53 PM / 1.41ft 11:40 PM / 1.20ft Moon Phases First Quarter: 03/04/09 Full: 03/10/09 Last Quarter: 03/18/09 New: 03/26/09 All Tide predictions may not be accurate. The Weekly Fisherman accepts no liabilities associated with any referenced use of the above-listed tidal information. Pg Feb. 25th, 2009

23 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since Pg. 23 Capt. Rhyne and it was game on. Again, with only two guys on the boat, they had their work cut out for them, but by now they had it figured out! Only 40 minutes later, this final fish, measuring 81 inches and 325 pounds, was lying in the boat. It certainly wasn t a great season, but patience and attention to detail were crucial, and allowed our crew to capitalize on literally EVERY BITE! We ll be back next season, and hopefully things will get back on track allowing for a fish season, which is really what we hope for fishing the months of December and January. Capt. Trey Rhyne Visiting from Detroit, Capt. Frank Piku s Grandchildren, Phoebe and Alex Piku, caught their limit of Snapper and Grouper, plus a few Sharks, too. Great day to have your Grandchildren enjoy fishing with Grandpa. Capt. Rhyne cont. from pg. 15 Persistence, Persistence, Persistence this one came at The Big 10, another popular Bluefin hangout. At 8:07, this one took the bridge rod, This Directory is a comprehensive list of the best shallow water flats guides & offshore charter skippers from Key Largo to Key West. Flats species of fish include: Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon, Redfish, Snook & Trout. Offshore species of fish include: Dolphin, Sailfish, Wahoo, Kingfish, Tuna, Snapper & Grouper. Gulf species of fish include: Kingfish, Grouper, Snapper, Cobia & Tarpon. Middle Keys Captain / Charter Listings in this Directory are available for only $5.50/week, = $286/year print and web. Long Key to Marathon Contact Info Capt. Nick Borraccino OFF/REEF/WR (508) Best Bet Sportfishing Capt. Pip s Sportfishing OFF/REEF/TP (305) Capt. Butch Hewlett Live Bait Tarpon Only (305) bnbfishing@bellsouth.net Capt. David Schugar OFF/REEF (305) Capt. Paul Suarez Licensed Captain (305) Any Boat Main Attraction OFF/REEF (305) Capt. Ron Teke OFF/REEF/WR/Bay (305) Keys Magic Charters Lower Keys Captain / Charter Big Pine Key to Key West Contact Info Capt. Chris Lembo OFF/REEF (305) incognitocharters@comcast.net Capt. Kevin Wilson OFF/REEF (305) Lower Keys (cont.) Captain / Charter Big Pine Key to Key West Contact Info Capt. Brad Nowicki BC/FL/OFF/REEF/GF (305) Sightfish Charters FL (305) Capt. Sandy Horn BC/FL (305) shorn2979@yahoo.com Capt. Steve Lamp FL/OFF/WR/GF/FLY/TP (888) Capt. Frank Piku OFF/GULF/REEF (305) Daytime/Nightime Swordfishing Trips Andy Griffiths Charters OVN/MD/OFF/REEF (305) Night Swordfishing Capt. Bo Sellers BC/FL (305) Capt. Andrew Tipler BC/FL/OFF/REEF (305) Last Cast Charters Capt. Tony Taverna OFF/REEF/INSHORE (631) Morning Star Sportfishing Capt. Luke Kelly FL/FLY/LT/BC/TP (305) keyflat@mac.com Capt. Barry / Capt. James OFF/REEF/WR (305) Eva Marie Sportfishing bgandrews18@aol.com (305) Feb. 25th, Pg. 23

24 Pg. 24 Serving the Keys Fishing Community since This Directory is a comprehensive list of the best shallow water flats guides & offshore charter skippers from Key Largo to Key West. Flats species of fish include: Bonefish, Permit, Tarpon, Redfish, Snook & Trout. Offshore species of fish include: Dolphin, Sailfish, Wahoo, Kingfish, Tuna, Snapper & Grouper. Gulf species of fish include: Kingfish, Grouper, Snapper, Cobia & Tarpon. Upper Keys Captain / Charter Listings in this Directory are available for only $5.50/week, = $286/year print and web. Key Largo to Islamorada Contact Info Upper Keys (cont.) Captain / Charter Key Largo to Islamorada Contact Info Capt. Greg Eklund OFF/REEF/WR/FL (305) Cloud Nine Charters Key Largo Fishing OFF/BC/REEF (305) Adventures Capt. Scott Keller OFF/BC (305) captscott@badhabitfishingcharters.com Capt. Ron Moore OFF/REEF/MD (305) Miller Time Charters Capt. Matt Bellinger BC/GULF/REEF/WR (305) Capt. Joe Petrucco OFF/GF/WR/REEF/BC (305) Capt. George Clark, Jr. OFF/REEF/BC (305) Capt. Jef Pfister BC/FL (877) Capt. Mike Makowski BC/FL/FLY/LT (305) Black Foot Charter Capt. Wells Gable BC/FL (305) Killer White Charters OFF/REEF/TP (305) Capt. John Kohler BC/FL (305) jdkohler@bellsouth.net Capt. Ann Holahan BC/FL/TP/FLY (305) Capt. Lain Goodwin BC/FL (305) captain@dirtywatercharters.com Capt. Tad Burke BC/Fl/GF/OFF (305) (305) Capt. Kevin Brown Golden Reserve Charters (305) Capt. John Taskowitz OFF (305) Capt. Ted Benbow FL/BC (305) Capt. Bill Wert FL/BC/LT/GF/FLY (305) Whisper Charters mrbill54@bellsouth.net Capt. Stephen Murray BC/FL/LT (305) stevemurray126@comcast.net Capt. Ron Allen Fish Tales Charters (305) Capt. Butch Green Sassy Lady Charters (305) sassyladycharters@comcast.net Capt. Jeff Van Derflue BC (305) flatitudecharters@hotmail.com Capt. Don Clark OFF (305) Capt. Richard Burson BC/FLY/LT/GF/REEF (305) R-U Fishing Yet Charters Capt. Juan Garcia BC/GF/REEF/OFF (305) Beats Land Charters Capt. Skip Bradeen OFF (305) Capt. Steve Friedman FL/BC/FLY (305) Capt. Larry Wren OFF (305) A Pirates Choice Charters Capt. Dave Purdo FL/BC (305) Capt. J.R. OFF or captainjr@bellsouth.net Capt Mitch Mitchell BC/FL Capt. Kerry Wingo BC/LT/FL/FLY Klcaptkw@aol.com Capt.Augie Wampler s OFF (305) captwamp@yahoo.com Capt. Ron Brack OFF (305) (305) Capt. Jeff Frasier OFF (305) Genesis Charters Capt. Donny Lange BC/FL (305) whereisdl@yahoo.com Capt. Ron Wagner TP/LT/FLY/BC/FL/GF/REEF (304) fishwithcaptron@hotmail.com Capt.Paul Hunt BC/FL/LT/FLY (305) captpaul@finhuntercharters.com Capt. Bruce Andersen OFF/WR (305) Capt. Easy Charters Capt. Skip Nielsen BC/FL/LT (305) skipcyd@bellsouth.net Capt. Robert Mathias, Jr RESTLESS TOO (305) capt@floridakeysfishing.com Capt.Bruce Pollock FL/BC/LT (305) Edge Charters CaptainBruce@florida-keys-fishing-guides.com Capt. Jack Falcucci OFF/REEF (305) Custom Ocean Sportfish ranked #1 on Google for Keys boats for sale. Pg Feb. 25th, 2009