Is there life after the “Mr. Z?”

Well, for Capt. Darrel Hale, you move on to Captaining your own 41 foot Egg Harbor and fishing off of Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. 

Many of you that have fished with us for years and years remember Capt. Darrel Hale working the deck on the original “Mr. Z.”  Yep, there was another mate working the pit before Capt. Steve took over, but you will have to go back more than a dozen years to find him!  He’s the tall, skinny guy in all the early pics that you can find on the Key West Fish Tales Photo Gallery.  There have actually been less than 5 deckhands in the entire 20 year history of the “Mr. Z” and in a business where boats change mates on a weekly basis, that is reallys saying something.  So, is Darrel just resting on his Key West fishing laurels after moving to Miami?  No way!

On a recent trip off-shore fishing the Gulf Stream between Ft. Lauderdale and Bimini, Darrel and Owner Gary managed to catch this 250 pound Blue Marlin, tagging it and more importantly (at least for us the reading public) got some pretty amazing photos.  Can you imagine Capt. Darrel running around the deck, clearing rigger lines, guiding the angler, wiring the fish, and taking pictures with his cell phone?  We like to think he learned it all from the back deck of the “Mr. Z”    As we always say, “If you don’t have a picture, it didn’t happen!” 

Pretty work Darrel!

Don Kendig spent a couple of “challenging” days with us off-shore this past week.  We like to use words like “challenging” or “bumpy” when discussing wind and weather that might normally be referred to as fierce to frightening!  Anyway, Don wasn’t ’skert…  and neither were we

And it was worth it

We don’t let much grass grow under our feet here in Key West…  In fact, where we do our business, I’m not sure exactly what is under our feet!

170 feet of water was the key depth of what-ever-it-was yesterday when Dennis Greaney reeled in this fiesty Sailfish and several schoolie Dolphin.  It sure feels good to be out of the boatyard and back to the GRIND

Yes, pretty much my whole life/career is one long sunny flat-calm weather day with lots of big fishing jumping in my cooler.  Topless girls sunning on the bridge next to my feet as I drink mojitos and chat with my high paying clientele.  The Reel Life.

However, in the Real Life of a charterboat Captain, occasionally you have to do something called maintenance.  Clean the coolers,  fix the steering, paint the deck, defrost the freezers, shampoo the carpet, change the oil in the engines… and sometimes change the engines themselves! 

Usually once a year, we will pull the boat out of the water and paint the bottom with a good barrier coat of paint and wax the sides.  It is, after all, a charterboat and people expect a certain amount of wear and tear (Beware a charterboat that is too new and clean!) but there is a big difference between an “experienced” boat and one that is just in plain bad shape.  I think it shows the attitude of the crew.  If they don’t care enough to keep the boat decent, then you won’t be surprised if your charter is less than satisfying.

So, last Friday, during the coldest day on record for Key West, we put the ”Mr. Z” in the yard and did all those mundane chores that most fishing guides wouldn’t bother telling you about. 

I’m kinda proud of it

As usual, the last week of December came on strong both with great business and outstanding fishing!

We found an interesting trend this year among our charters.  A lot of repeat clients came up with the idea of beating the usual busy week between Christmas and New Year by planning their vacation the week before Christmas.  This worked out great for us!  We ran the last 12 days straight in December and pretty much no one had to be referred or turned away.

The fishing/weather was steady and predictable.  The holidays in Key West are known for some wicked cold fronts and can shut down the fishing for days at a time.  This year, there were no surprises.  We did get the cold fronts with temps in the 50’s, but nothing the big Bertram couldn’t handle and few if any, anglers got seasick.  There were, however, a few cases of “rum flu” but that’s just one of the chances you take when burning the candle in Key West

Fishing was the most consistent on the reef with some great catches of Grouper, Mutton and Yellowtail Snapper, Cero and Spanish Macheral, big Crevalle Jacks, and of course, GROUPER!  Another great surprise was Blackfin Tuna in 40 feet of water.  Chasing bait up into the shallows is a normal occurrence this time of year for Blackfin, but to see them running the Ballyhoo across the top of the water and then hooking them in the short water where they have nowhere to go but out is about the most fun you can have as an angler with your clothes on…

Heather and Todd Kramer spent their 5th consecutive Christmas with the Mr. Z crew and got their holiday dinner of Tuna, Dolphin, and Macheral.  A special thanks to the Kramers and all of our repeat clientele…  without them it would have been a lean Christmas for some Key West families!

Mutton Snapper became our target species as we spent quite a bit of time trolling the sand ridges on the North side of the reef.  The Muttons like to forage for crustaceans that live in the sand but can be enticed by dragging a Ballyhoo (size large, mono leader, with something bright on its nose) along the sand just outside of the coral heads.  At one point, we boxed four Muttons in an area about the size of a swimming pool, just slow trolling in a tight circle, before actually feeling some guilt and moving on.  Talk about fish in a barrel!

Black Grouper were an expected catch this season on the reef.  Contrary to what the Federal Fish and Wildlife thinks, the Black, Red, Snowey, and Warsaw Grouper fisheries are all healthy.  Any guide worth his salt can guarantee to catch one.  There is a Grouper species called a “Gag” that is fairly rare in the Florida Keys. Rare only because it likes cooler water, so will be more likely found in the Gulf of Mexico from around Tampa to the Panhandle.  We just don’t get them down here.  They aren’t over-fished, they just don’t like our climate!   But, try to tell that to the Feds.  “Hello, we’re from the U.S. Government….and we are here to help you.”