Ben's Fishing Story

Sometimes as parents we get caught up in all of our adult responsibilities and forget how easily our children's lives can be impacted. It's really important we all remember to look through their eyes as often as possible to keep us in touch with what is really important.

This email came in this morning and I thought it would be a good reminder for us all...

"Hi There!!!!

Dave from Chicago again....
I just wanted to share with you the story that Ben wrote for a school assignment about our recent offshore trip with you.

You have no idea of the positive impact that you made on Ben!!!!
There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't bring up our trip with you and how awesome a time it was for all of us.

Thanks again and keep doing what you are doing, hope to see you soon.

Best of Everything,

Dave"

Tarpon Jumping in Charlotte Harbor

Recent Catches

Hi all,
Things have been busy for the Captain so I decided to post a few photos for him. Here are some recent shots of Goliath Grouper and Tarpon from the past week or so. Enjoy!
-Jennifer

My pet dolphin...

A few photos of this week...

Mason's First Snook

After the last charter of the day, Mason enjoys helping his Dad get rid of the left-over bait from the livewell. Most days this is accomplished by feeding the various birds which enthusiastically greet the boats return, or, by feeding the Snapper and Jacks at the dock. Yesterday, however, Capt Tom decided to help Mason put a line in the water to reel one in. We have done this before, and Mason usually really enjoys seeing the fish come to the surface and having a chance to touch it before it goes back in.



Well, Mason and Tom dropped in the whitebait, stood staring at the surface for about 15 seconds and then, whoosh... off went Mason's bait into the mouth of a giant Snook. When the fish was finally retrieved from the water (with a significant amount of help from Dad), Mason was rather frightened by the size of this "sea monster." It was almost as big as him! It ended up being the largest keeper Snook Capt Tom has seen all season! 14 pounds and 32.9 inches! Way to go, Mason. I'm pretty sure you made your Dad proud.

--Jennifer McLaughlin

Family Fishing Days!

Some nice inshore Snook and Redfish action this week!

Redfishing with the Keidels

On Monday, Dale and Vivian had great action from the start. They finished their morning half-day trip with 30 overslot Redfish and two slots for dinner. Thanks guys! Look forward to seeing you later this month when we go after some nice slot-size Snook before the close of the season!

Dear Captain Tom;

Over the past thirty five years I've fished with Florida Guides from the Keys to Everglades City and numerous other locations up and down both the East and West Coasts. You rank with the very best. My wife and I caught thirty two Redfish in our four hour trip yesterday, only two of which were small enough to keep. By then we were both saying, "Uncle!".

You are an excellent Guide and companion. You answer questions happily and have an abundance of knowledge. We have been looking for a Captain in your class for the six and a half years we've lived here and now that we've found you we don't plan to let you go. You are an A+ Guide and Gentleman.

Dale & Vivian Keidel

Offshore Adventures

I recently had the pleasure of taking out Dave VanDenburgh and his family for an offshore excursion. Grouper season wasn't open yet, but we found more than enough to keep us busy, including a 300 lb shark. Thanks Dave for the kind words...look forward to fishing with you again sometime soon!

Hello,

Dave from Chicago here back home in the frozen north, still don't know why I came back!!!
I just wanted to let you know what an awesome time my family and I had offshore fishing with you.
You are the BEST Captain I have fished with in all my years offshore fishing in all the places I have been blessed to visit hands down. Your attention to detail, concern for my kids having a good time and "speaking the truth" all added to making the confimation of my earlier statement.
I have enclosed some pictures of our trip.
Thanks again,

Dave VanDenburgh & Family

Sinker wielding Goliath Grouper attacks fisherman!

Another month has gone by, and its hard to believe that Tarpon fishing is right around the corner. A lot happened this past month, both as far as fishing goes as well as exciting new things for the future. The water is warming up fast and the fish are reacting accordingly. The Goliath Grouper bite is back in full swing, with several fish over 250lbs taken this month and a couple that bested the 300lb mark. I was even attacked by one wielding an 8 ounce egg sinker!

The water warmed from the 50s and 60s to the upper 60s and about 70 on the right tide in Boca Grande. This had the Goliaths feeding in full swing. The big fish bite picked up towards the end of the month, with several trips scoring big fish. One particular fish in the 100-150lb range came boatside and while I was leadering and unhooking the fish I didnt notice one of the egg sinkers that one of the egg sinkers slid up the line and hung on a frey in the line. It was sitting right about the same level as my head. The fish gave one good head shake and that 8oz sinker came crashing into the side of my mouth and split my lip right open. Luckily I had my mouth shut and didnt end up looking like a hockey player. I ended up with a pretty fat lip, but we managed to catch a few more fish before the day was out. We also managed a 300lb+ fish right before sunset (it may have been approaching 400lbs but I didnt get a good tape measurement on it) which made for a great afternoon. The guys on the trip were really keen on learning how to fish for these monsters, and managed to get out in their own boat under less than ideal conditions later that week and nail a few themselves (their picks included). Great job Scott and Tanner! Its always great to get good feedback like that.

The redfish and trout have been cooperating on most days, with the reds still hovering around the 10lb mark, and believe it or not the trout have been right on their heals with a couple in the 6-10lb range. Now THAT is a big trout.

One of the exciting things this month is that we are adding another boat to our charter service the likes of a 32 foot Flybridge Sportfish. Powered by brand-spankin-new twin MPI 350s she will get you to distant fishing grounds dry, comfortable, and you can even catch a movie on the flat screen TV on the way out. With enough fishing room for 4-6 people we now have the capability to reach far beyond our previous grounds, and on days that are less than ideal for a smaller boat. We will be focusing almost exclusively on 8h and longer trips at 30-85 miles offshore. These grounds are home to some of the largest Grouper, Snapper, Amberjack, Blackfin Tuna, etc. to be found in the Gulf. From bottom fishing exclusive live bottom, jigging huge deepwater wrecks, and fishing for sharks, tuna mackerel, and more behind culling shrimp boats, I am sure we can make even the most discriminating angler happy. With the ability to adapt years of experience fishing the heavily pressured waters of the Florida keys, its like shooting fish in a barrel in the wide open and fertile grounds of the deep Gulf.

Other than that, there is not much going on. April-june are filling up fast for Tarpon, shark, and Snook fishing. If you were thinking of holding off on vacation plans be sure to contact me soon or you might miss out. Here are few photos of some of this months trips that I managed to get photos of. I do have some decent videos that I should post soon. Until then be safe and courteous out on the water...that way at least there is one person doing it!

Capt. Tom
PS
Yes that little black creature is a dog and not a pig...a face on a father could love!

Its not exactly a cafeteria...Think "Chicken Nuggets"

Well you sure couldn't have come up with more varied weather than we had over the last month or so. With only a few days off in the last two months (and even fewer in the near future!), I ran trips from spectacular 80 degree days with light winds to a stint of 30s and 40s with winds to match! We literally had three days of fishing during a cold front with gale force winds all day. I think all five of us on the boat those days suffered from severe wind burn (even INSIDE my ears). Our reward was that we put the hurt on some fat Redfish from 9-12lbs and some gator Trout to almost 8lbs. The calm days provided some offshore deep jigging action on light tackle that really lit up the Amberjack. We had a couple nice days with at least several dozen AJs to 1-2 anglers. I even managed to land one! Those of you that know me will understand how strange that is considering I never wet a line on a trip unless goaded to the point of tears first.

The weather definately plays a huge part in when, where, and how we fish. More importantly it can dictate what we fish for as well. Its tough to be in a position where people plan a vacation around a fishing trip several months (or even years!) in advance and they arrive at the dock and you have to burst their bubble about some rotten weather. I think most people realize it, but you know fishing is not exactly a cafeteria. You don't get to walk through the line and choose: Giant Tarpon.....in January....in Boca Grande....on Fly...on Sunday....at 3pm....you get the point! Being on the water everyday, coming from a diverse fishing background, and loving what I do really makes me a pretty versatile and flexible guide, but there are just some days there is not much you can do.

I had some folks in from Ohio who really had their sites set on offshore, inshore, and the infamous Goliath trip. They planned their trip well in advance and we talked several times in preperation. We were all pretty excited. They arrived to find temps in the 30s, winds at 25-30knts, and a tide that just wouldn't budge. It was pretty obvious that we werent going to get the offshore trip done, but we banged out heads against the wall that is Mother Nature and tried the Goliath trip. We slogged our way across Gasparilla Sound to BGP and tried a couple drops, but it just wasnt going to happen in that mess. The trip ended up pretty good, and I think everyone had a good time. So all is well that ends well I guess as wel did manage to get into some really nice Reds all three days, with an average of around 9-10lbs, only a few slot fish, and some monster trout. We did put a hurtin on a few of the close spots to keep from getting frozen and blasted by the wind, but that is what they are there for!

I am pretty tired from chasing Goliaths around the docks all day, so I will just cut to the chase. Fishing is definately not a cafeteria, but is a lot like a drive-through window at a fast food resteraunt. You have a plan going in, you place your order exactly as you had seen it in your mind, you pay for your food, but then after you drive away and open the bag you realize you were given chicken nuggets instead of a Big Mac and what was supposed to be a Diet Coke was a Hawaiian Punch!!! You get pretty flustered and upset, then remind yourself...hey, chicken nuggets and Hawaiian Punch sure beats working at the office!

So next time you find yourself in the middle of a double hookup on 10lb redfish and wishing you were catching Goliath Grouper or Amberjack...just think "Chicken Nuggets."