More colorful fish came out of 284 feet of water today:)

Well, our previous other Grouper pic (scroll on down) made the front page of one of the Marathon, Florida, publications…  that’s how rare they are…  at least in some parts of Florida.  And then we immediately hooked and landed another one, today.  This time, we refer to this fish as a “Black” Grouper.  Only because of its markings and color.  They both taste the same, fight the same, have the same attitude, just with different colorings…  and still $22.50 a pound retail!  I will refer to this fish as a “Black” and extol its superior fight and color contrast against the Mackerals, Yellowtails, and Mutton Snappers we already had in the fish cooler from previously dragging the reef.

Charlie Sode brought his family to Key West to experience what the locals call, “Fantasy Fest.”  They were a little bit tardy for showing up to the boat, but I think it was unanimous, in that it was worth the late hours of the previous night.  Fantasy Fest is like Mardi Gras Lite.  Same costumes, atmosphere, refreshments, food, entertainments, nudity, and general attitude without the stress of being harassed or robbed as you might have in the French Quarter.  Good times were had by all… and it ain’t even Saturday Night yet!

My country-rock group, “REO Station wagon” is set to open up for Jerry Jeff Walker this coming February…

Thank God I have an understanding wife…  Here’s what our bedroom looks like…

We are psyched!

Well, you get the idea, you never know what you’re gonna catch. 

We do alot of wreck fishing as a back-up to our A plan of off-shore trolling.  Fortunately, in Key West we have dozens of deep water wrecks and you can kind of connect the dots between them as you troll the blue water or even the reef.  As a charterboat Captain, you have to gauge the patience of your crew and when you notice the glazed look, bored twitching, or hear snoring coming from the cockpit, you know you need to do something to entertain.  Hit a wreck asap!

Yes, mostly we catch Greater Amberjacks on the wrecks, or “Wreck Donkeys” as we refer to them.  We try to release them all-although some get eaten by Sharks and some get eaten by less discriminating anglers, but occasionally, we do pull up something wonderful or unexpected.

For example:  Something wonderful.  A big Gag Grouper.  Don’t let the name fool you.  They are delicious!

Unexpected would be this 7 Pound Porgy, which is excellent table fare, pulled out of 240 feet of water.

It is always better to be lucky than good…  But we prefer to be both

Sorry, this entry is one of my few that isn’t about a catch, but more of a life experience.  I’m not writing it to be a bummer, just to give a little insight behind the scenes of having “the greatest job in the world”

What do you do when you are the Captain of a Key West charterboat running 225+ trips a year and you find yourself up at two in the morning, headfirst in the toilet, and generally not feeling so awfully good?  Oh, and you’ve got a full day charter in the morning and you really need to be getting up in a couple three hours and feeling spunky, witty, and ready to kick fish butt!

Now remember, you only get paid when you run, so giving away that charter isn’t the smartest business move.  Besides, these people have sometimes planned months ahead just to fish with you and you don’t want to let them down; this is their vacation.  Being a Captain, you are naturally a control freak, and if you are good, you are used to worrying every detail ahead of time.   Sure, you really only sit on the bridge, drive, chat on the radio or with the charter, and hope to catch lots of big fish.  Similar to being an airplane pilot, you need to be alert to monitoring the function of the boat, the people, and watching the weather.  Being coherent and healthy is extremely important.  90% of the time, it goes smooth and easy.  But you need to be ready for any development.

There are some things lacking on the bridge of the boat though and one major omission is a bathroom.  Now, most of the time, when you need to use the little boys room you holler at the mate, he takes the wheel, and you scurry below to quickly relieve yourself, breifly yuck it up with the customers, and then head back up top to take back the wheel.  All the time hoping you don’t get a strike while you’ve been otherwise occupied….  Literally being caught with your pants down :)  One year, during the Drambuie Marlin Tournament, the crew caught and landed a Billfish while I was down below!

Anyway…

Well, thank God for my wife, Lisa, because she took charge and started making phone calls as early as 5 in the morning.  She called Capt. Steve, my mate, and told him of my malady, by 6, she was on the horn with our (fortunately) very understanding charter, and finally called Dangerous Don the bait man.  We are fortunate that we dock down at the A and B Marina where, in my opinion, some of the best charter captains in the world run out of.   Capt. Steve took charge, lined up another Capt. and was off the dock on time, proceeded to catch the charter a Sailfish, and returned without incident.

Day two.  I still wasn’t up to working the bridge, so Capt. Tom ran the Mr. Z again with Capt. Steve catching three large Dolphin and a variety of other fish.  It was starting to look like maybe they didn’t need me after-all…

We have a couple days now without charters so I can recuperate and get ready for Friday.  Then we go on a six day in a row run. 

 I plan to be at the wheel.