Saturday, March 31, 2018

Fishing Islamorada

This one is mostly a photo blog. My son Richie and I fished two days this past week in Islamorada - one offshore day and one day on the flats. Here are a few photos and videos from each of those fun days fishing.



Day 1 was a trip targeting Sailfish offshore.


Captain Charlie (R) and mate Austin (L)

Rods at the ready
VIDEO: But first, we have to "make bait." A net full of ballyhoo.

2 kites go up, holding a total of 4 lines.



VIDEO: Rich fights a sailfish (we each landed one)

Sailfish alongside!

Sailfish alongside!

Sailfish alongside!

VIDEO: Sailfish fight


And we even caught some Mutton Snapper and Yellowtail Snapper for dinner!

Looking for scraps from the cleaning table


Day 2 was a trip targeting Tarpon in the flats.

Back for another day at Bud N' Mary's

This couple sold Swordfish bills, painted or scrimshawed by the man

A wood carving at the docks
Tame tarpon are around all the docks. But we chase the wild ones farther away.

Still, they taunt us. Swimming around the docks.

I'd love to catch one of these 50LB "Silver Kings"


An iguana holds on for dear life

Captain Chris, Richie and me

First catch of the day? A rare sawfish.

We caught several sharks

This bad boy is a bull shark. We also caught a lemon and black tip.

VIDEO: Shark brought up to the boat... but not in!

Back at the marina, it's time for two beers

And some stone crab

We still had some fish from yesterday's catch, so we took them to the famous Fish House and they cooked them for us.

I got Richie on his way home and then headed south to Key West for a day of kicking back

Arriving at Key West with the setting sun

A great couple of days! I look forward to my next visit to the keys. Just a few days can really be a cure for a long winter.


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2 comments:

  1. How do you release sharks and sawfish and so on from an ocean fishing boat?

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    Replies
    1. Most fishermen are conservationists. For the Sailfish, we actually remove the hook most times since the sailfish lets you. For sharks and sawfish, we cut the leader as close as practical and safe. We use circle hooks which are virtually never swallowed, and almost always end up in the corner of the mouth. Because the hooks are steel they rust and fall out in a week or two.

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