Florida Keys, Marathon June 8-16

[Christopherkeene9]

Here's the low down written from my Dad's Perspective.

We left Oviedo at 0350 on the 8th. Stop for Coffee and we're rollin'.


Stop in Florida City for the Bait load up at Capt. Jacks.


Get to Marathon with some calm winds and small seas in the early afternoon. Got Fin Loco backed into her slip.


But a storm system rolls through and messes up Friday Night and most of Saturday.


June 9, 2007
Get out on Saturday Morning through the slop in an attempt to find some Yellowtail on the reef only coming up with a spanish mack caught on the sabiki.

Came back in and hung around the condo. Christopher and Ryan went out on the Chum Runner while I took Nick and Tony up to Robbie's to feed the Tarpon. Nick got his hand ripped up by the tarpon. No worries I bandage it up and he's good to go.

June 10, 2007
Calm seas arrived again with clear weather.


We head out in search of dolphin. Hit the Marathon Hump along with 30 other boats with nothing to show there. We hook up with Deep Dreaming out there and and headed deeper in search of the stream.


On the way out we spot a pack of birds about 5nm. from us. We veer off course and set-up shop there.

We get one hook-up, a nice cow 18lbs. Ryan gets on this rod.


During this fight the flat line goes off with the bull hook-up and putting on an aerial show.


Nick gets this rod and is straining to turn the handle with his tarpon bit hand. He wants to give up but with encouragement from his older brother he gets the fish to the boat.


But not without the Capt. going overboard after a dropped gaff. The crew gets the Capt. back in the boat and the fish is put in the boat also.


We turn and burn on home for a 30nm. ride back to the cut.

We later recieve word that a sword drift would be happening tonight. We rig squidies and get locked and loaded. Making the 40nm. run to Floyd's Wall. Only one out of the 3 other boats stay with us.


We set-up just as the sun begins to set.


Nothing to show for the drift other than a hit while setting up a line and a squid missing when we pulled lines at 0030. On our way out we lost our main electronics. But on the way home we lost our back-up. I and Christopher navigated the last 12nm. in and Reel Busy guided us through the channel back into Vaca Cut.

June 11, 2007
Today we tried to figure out the electronics problem with no fishing. Turns out to be a blown fuse and some other wiring problems. We fished the Marathon Lady a local head boat. We did their night Snapper trip.


Bringing home a stringer of feesh.


June 12, 2007
We woke up from our trip last night and set-up to do some dolphin fishing. But we also brought the 80W along for the ride with a later use ;D.

On the way out to the hump we spot a patch of weeds. We pitch some jigs around it for about 10minutes and as we were about to pull up lines and start moving again a school of 6 cows swim out from under it. We pitch jigs and livies taking the whole school.




We then rolled on out to the Hump for the use of the 80W. We dropped a big pinfish down on out and started drifting across it. As Christopher was throwing out a flat line livie the 80-100lb. bent butt doubles over, hooked-up!! Christopher reels him the 600ft. off the bottom.
A 32lb. Amber Jack.




After that fight we come back in.

We have some fresh fried AJ for lunch/dinner then head back out for some snapper off of our boat. We grabbed a couple grunts and yellowtail.

June 13, 2007
We take Today easy with a snorkel/reef trip. We head down to the Sombrero Light House marine sancturary for the snorkeling.




As soon as we moored up a school of Yellowtail swarmed the boat. But there's no fishing allowed here :'(


We then went out to the reef for some fishin. Pulling in Snappers, Grunts, and 2 grouper. One a Graysby (undersized) and a Gag (just barely makes it). We moved around looking for some more fish adding a few snappers to the box at each spot.

When we got back to the dock while I was cleaning fish Christopher caught this 3lb. Mangrove off the boat in the slip.

And a parrot fish


We head back out for another night snapper bite with the Chum Runner.

[Christopherkeene9]

June 14, 2007

We headed deep again Today in search of more dolphin. On the way out we find the mother of all weelines along with the rest of the fleet. This weedline went on for miles.





We drew a few schools of short peanuts out of it. But nothing big. Christopher was able to catch his first Dolphin on the Fly.













We head to the hump in the attempt of pulling another bottom critter off of it getting caught on the bottom on the first drift and getting rocked up on the 2nd. Durring the second drift another school of short peanuts swim up to the boat and we we play with them before turning in.


We tagged and released 3 of the dolphin.



We headed down to Key West for the rest of the day.









June 15, 2007

We headed out Today with the Chum Runner for some reef fun.





We set-up and started chumming getting a nice big school behind the boat but they wouldn't bite. As Mark is in the water snorkeling around Christopher gets in too. While in the water he proves that flurocarbon is not clear or invisible >



We then headed back in to Sombrero Light House to do some more Snorkeling with Christopher spotting 9 nice size snook hanging out on the sandy bottom between reefs.



We then headed in and went up to Robbie's to feed the Tarpon again.

















Also Christopher was able to shoot some pix of Fin Loco from the Chum Runner.

















June 16, 2007

Back Home :'( :'( :'(





Some other pix















Fin Loco









P.S While down there I looked at a new boat ;D

[JB]

Awesome pics!

[zooker]

your dad wants a 65 footer?? is he nuts?? that looks like a viking norsman. and ya think twin 225 drink gas that beast has twin 880 cat's under it..top speed 40 knots -in a tail wind-

zooker

[flfireman]

What's a million?? Pocket change. Sounds like a great trip.

[Christopherkeene9]

No he was just kindin' on the boat, but she sure is purty. We saw her coming through Key West Harbor.

[zooker]

hose holder a million would not even be a down payment..
price tag on one of them start at 7 mil..

zooker

[Wishing2BFishing]

Awesome pics. Looks like a great fishing trip.

Just curious, what is "went up to Robbie's to feed the Tarpon again"? Is this a restaurant or something? Do the tarpon just stay there and hang out waiting for the free meal?

[Christopherkeene9]

They've been hangin' out there for 30yrs. + and now it is a tourist attraction to feed them like that!

[lizardsrule]

Sweet Trip Chris. Man your mom has it rough, 5 boys around all the time rotfl.

Lizards

[Christopherkeene9]

Originally Posted by lizardsrule

Sweet Trip Chris. Man your mom has it rough, 5 boys around all the time rotfl.

Lizards

Around all the time If that were the case there would be no fishin'

[islandflyfisher]

Awesome trip! Nice AJ and Dolphin! I am glad my flies worked!
I have been bit at Robbie's too.