The is no such thing as too much good information.  I wanted to take this opportunity to walk you through the steps involved in booking a trip with Florida Keys Reel Adventures and what to expect.  The most common way is to fill out the “contact” form on my website.  This is the preferred method because I have your information and can recall all of your trip details with no chance of error.  This contact form is sent to my email, where I reply as soon as I get home from fishing and begin my secretary work.  I reply to your inquiry with details and basic instructions, asking you to agree and confirm.  Following your agreement and the confirmation of the details, the trip is booked into my day planner and we have an ocean date!

But what if you have questions because your not sure?  Call me!!  I can be reached in the evenings most times after 6pm.  I do not answer my phone when I am on the water with respect to my time with my customers.  Please leave me a detailed message and I return my calls in order received.  All trips are booked on a first come first served fair basis.

I pride myself on going the extra mile to build a trip around your specific needs.  Some people want to just go catch fish and are happy to leave the details to me.  Other people want more or have special needs and this is where good communication plays an important role.  I work in an environment of infinite variables, so the more I know about you, the better I can prepare for your trip.  I see a few surprises customers throw at me at the dock that put me in an unprepared scenario.  For example, passengers that are unable to walk, sit, stand or have serious medical issues or injuries that prevent mobility are a critical consideration that may override all plans that I have made for your trip.  Once we are all on board, we are a team and work democratically to achieve a goal of some sort that satisfies everybody.  Ultimately, I work within the  abilities of my customers.  I do not place anybody in a position to perform above their abilities or comfort level, nor allow the learning process or the activity to become a chore that defeats the purpose of having fun.  Your job is to have fun and my job is to make it happen.

Once your trip is booked, I require you to make contact with me 2 days before your trip date.  This is our time to discuss the latest weather forecast, current conditions, what to expect, where to meet and what to bring.  Everything is spelled out so you are prepared as well as I am prepared.  I try to eliminate any surprises.  I know boating is not routine to you, so this is a great time to ask questions and anticipate any unique scenarios or needs for your group!  There is many more surprises coming my way, but it sure is nice to have a heads up!!

Now that we got some of the business out of the way, here is the latest news from the water.  This time of year the majority of my trips are fishing.  The past two weeks we have seen the clearest water conditions in recent memory.  This makes for excellent snorkeling and spearfishing, but a wetsuit is required for the 74 degree water temperatures.  I can arrange for all the necessary equipment to outfit your trip A-Z for a small additional rental fee.  Also exceptional has been the migration of the baitfish we call a ballyhoo.  There has been so much bait on the ocean side, I believe it has been somewhat of a too much bait scenario if there is such a thing.  Fishing has been good, but a little more work than what is common for this time of year.  The clear water, abundance of bait, marauding packs of bait stealers in the chum slick and a healthy shark population have kept my days interesting.  We have made great catches, but it has come with some effort in fine tuning techniques and moving around to find the right balance of factors that work in our favor.  The fish are there and the theme is adjusting to succeed.  I see fishing improving as we move away from this new moon and water temps are trending up.  As we transition into Spring, more doors open for a wider variety of fishing trips.  As of now, shallow patch reef fishing is the hot ticket, along with bayside mangrove snapper/Spanish mackerel trips.  Lots of action and catching dinner has not been a problem.  Just check in with my Facebook page for Florida Keys Reel Adventures to see the latest catches made by my customers or see what I do on my “play days.”  February has plenty of openings for charters, so don’t hesitate to find out how you can spend a day on the water.

 

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