I did a little back reading on my previous updates before I began to write this as to prevent any repetition. I have a challenge here to keep this fresh! Fishing and diving this time of year can be spectacular, but we are always at the mercy of the conditions on the water. It is all about the wind this season. I understand your trip with me is about fun and a comfortable day on the water. The entire success of Florida Keys Reel Adventures is my ability to find the right combination of customer wants in contrast to what conditions we have to work with. Luckily, we have so many options if you have a little flexibility and understanding. It has been cold and blowing down here, just as it has everywhere else this winter. Day to day trips have been built around finding the warmer and clearer water in an area that doesn’t literally rock the boat too much! The easy option has been to fish in the Gulf of Mexico (a.k.a bayside) where the mangrove snapper, spanish mackerel and catch and release grouper bite has been good. This is a safe bet for young kids or anybody that is prone to motion sickness.
Fishing on the reef has been really good from shallow to deep. One day we’re focusing on a variety of reef fish just a mile or two off of the beach in 15′ of water and other days we are beating up on giant yellowtail snapper in water over 100′ deep. Just a matter of matching my groups up to what they want to catch and the size of the seas they are willing to ride out.
In between our consecutive cold fronts and wind events there have been a handful of beautiful days. With so much turbulence and changing tides and wind directions, the visibility on the reef has been unpredictable for my spearfishing trips. I was really lucky to jump in the water with a customer on a recent bluewater trip to target specifically wahoo. Wahoo, tuna and sailfish are the fastest fish in the ocean. To catch one on rod and reel is a major accomplishment, but to spear one is the ultimate challenge. This is something that requires proper preparation with specialized gear, attention to detail, the right conditions, a ton of patience and even more luck! Within a couple of hours Tim had shot his first wahoo weighing in at 49.1lbs and and 10 minutes later I shot my first wahoo at 53.6lbs. It is pretty special to shoot a wahoo, but when your first one is a monster….it drives home the meaning of what we had just done! It is this kind of special experiences that keeps what I do for my business and pleasure fresh to me!
Kevin

Comments are closed.