Offshore fishin' in the Florida Keys

Jim and I chartered a 48' fishing boat, complete with captain and first mate, to take us fishing a few weekends ago. We had a spectacular day! We left the marina at 7AM, so had the pleasure of watching the sun come up over the Atlantic.

To be continued...

 

First stop: fishing for the bait fish. An enormous turtle showed up for free breakfast. The captain and first mate took turns casting the net for the schooling fish we would use to catch the big guys.

To be continued...

 

We caught a bunch of dolphin, aka "mahi-mahi" for all the people who panic over eating Flipper. They're fun fish to catch, because they put up a pretty good fight. And they are GOOOOOD eatin'.

To be continued...

 

By far, hands down, no question about it, the most fun of the day was fishing for SAILFISH! This is why fishermen come to the Keys! I was totally stoked when the First Mate told us they were running now, because I haven't hooked one since I was a kid. And we were lucky this day, because we hooked FOUR, and on light tackle, no less! Two for Jim and two for me. These fish are not good for eating, just for sporting; so it is expected that if one is lucky enough to get one, he lands it and then releases it. We each brought our first one (with the help of the First Mate) onboard, took a picture, and then set him free. The other two we brought alongside the boat, and then released them.

My arms were rubber by the end of the day, but what a fantastic time we had!!!