Richard and his family fished with us last Friday  and we caught plenty of mahi that day so today they wanted to experience something different.
We started with the yellowtail snapper, catching about 30 of them  and  then went out to a deeper spot where we caught the nice mutton and large vermillon snappers. Caught a couple rudder fish at the Islamorada hump and a wayward mahi on the way back. All in all a very successful change from the usual mahi fishing most people want to do this time of the year.
Had a great time with this folks and hope to see them again sometime.

Hard to believe but we have had both good weather and good fishing the last few days and Bill's group (deservedly so) got to experience both this year. Bill has fish with us for many years and has been on board for some great  fishing days but has also seen some nasty weather and tough fishing at times. He always fishes this weekend which add to my stress level due to the addition boat traffic and competition from them.
Today was fairly easy, we  were catching a few fish out of each school that we found until we had 35 or so fish and then toward the end of the day I found a very large school that were eating everything we threw in the water. We caught a few more and then we headed back home to get those fish cleaned up so the guys could get the packed for their trip back to PA.
Always a pleasure Bill!

With the wind down and the keys filling up with visitors we expect to see a lot of small boats out there vying for the same mahi we are. We were  not to be disappointed today although by 12:30 I could hardly find a small boat on the horizon, not sure if they caught and went home or got frustrated and went home!
Took us a while to find any numbers of fish and we ended up 22 miles from home but we finally found a couple good schools and ended up catching over 25 nice heavy lifters. Bill and his guys will be back tomorrow to do it all over again, hopefully with similar success.

Richard and his family flew  in yesterday from the west coast  and understandably everyone was a little tired today but they were able to rally once we got into the fish. We caught fish at various distances, no big schools for us but plenty for the guys' dinner tonight with some fresh tuna  for the appetizer. They will be back on Monday to do it all over again.

Doug, Jim and Steve didn't need a lot of fish but they did want to see some different styles of fishing, so we started with the tunas, caught some mahi and ended up back on the reef catching 20 yellowtails. The guys loved the changes and learning different techniques. At the end of the day they took enough fish for a couple meals which left plenty for Dave and I to split.
The guys will be back, promising to make this an annual event. See you next year guys1

Ken and his son Dillon got all they wanted today with the fish and the weather.
Went to the hump and caught our limit of tunas, then went looking for the mahi, around 600 ft the seas really started to build but Ken and Dillon had no problems with the increase wave height. Caught a handful of fish off the first group of birds and later found a turtle that was loaded with fish but we couldn't keep them behind the boat long enough to catch all that we needed so we  had to push on and find two more schools of fish to get our limit.

Cody was last man standing today as the rest of his family succumbed to the motion of the sea and we had to end the day short of a 3/4.
Still some wind but getting better hourly as we headed out this morning although not fast enough for our group. We caught a mahi on the way out, 8 tunas at and around the hump and a mahi on the way home so there was a fresh fish dinner to look forward to.
Hope to see these folks again and I'm sure Cody will be pushing for it!

Finally able to get away from the dock today after 25 to 30 knots of wind kept us at home the last few days. We did have to return to the dock once to drop of a few but we went back out and Shannon with son Patrick caught their limits of snapper on the half day.
First time I have seen Patrick in 2 years so it was good to be able to catch up with him. Shannon is always a  joy to be with and she got to fish this time as apposed to watching everyone else get to fish and catch fish first.
Good people, glad we were able to get them out and fish with them again.

Took a beating today as the wind got up around 20 knots and the current picked up slightly and our guys from GAF handled it pretty well although it was definitely a challenge. Saw quite a few small fish today which was different than it has been but there were enough legal size fish available that we were able to put together a decent rack of fish.

Caught 20 fish today but I was able to steer around most of them for a good part of the day, it was only at the end of our shorten day that I found a decent school of mahi. We did catch 5 tunas while on the hump which added to the catch for Karen and David and we had more than enough fish for our folks for the couple dinners they were looking for.
Always a pleasure to have Karen and her husband out with us even when the wind is making things difficult. See you next time folks!

Beth and her group were not to be discouraged from going this morning even with a 20 knot east wind, so off we went.
Started great, catching a couple mahi as soon as we got to 250 ft and a few more when we got to 350. We had more then a hand full at by 8:00 and hearing that the hump was fishable (not a lot of weed) and that there was a tuna bite happening there, we made the turn and headed towards it.
We never left it once we got there as the fish (both tuna and mahi) kept biting on every pass. We ended up with 25 mahi , 12 tunas and 6 very happy people on our 3/4 day. Our only casualty was young KK  but he quickly recovered once we started for home.
Good times with good people!

It was a struggle today to find the mahi and many of us overran them on the way to find them. Tried the hump for the tunas  but it was covered with weed and the tunas were not biting once again.
We caught a mahi here and there but no more than two at once and usually just one. Tomorrow the wind is back so we will see if we get out and for how long.

Only one chance at a tarpon tonight and we did not get it but we did catch a big lemon and a bunch of other sharks.

Kristine and CJ got married a couple days ago and today they took their families fishing. We had two boats so there was some competition between us and the other boat.
We tried the hump but couldn't get a bite and since the wind was coming up and Kristine had expressed an interest in reef fishing we headed back in and set up for the tails. The bit was good and we ended up with 38 yellowtails, just 2 shy of our limit. Good times were had by all!

Brett and his pays just wanted to catch some fish so we started at the hump with the tunas and although there was a lot of sargassum floating across it the tunas still bit fairly well.
Caught our limit  of tunas and then went looking for some mahi. We did catch a couple but after spending quite a bit more time looking, I decided to go back to the reef try for live bait and then a sailfish. Not getting a lot of cooperation out of the bait we decided to finish up with the yellowtails and managed to catch a dozen of them in a short time.
The guys had fresh tuna for lunch today and shipped the remainder of the fillets home for future meals. See you next time guys!

Took a couple days off to get a few things done that needed doing and to sleep in a couple mornings before another long run of booked days. Today started the way you want with frigate birds down on the water in front of us and cooperative fish once we got there.
Had 20 fish in the boat by 8:30 and although the final 10 were difficult we kept catching one here one there throughout the rest of the day.
Caught one tuna to add to Bart and Greg's pile of fillets that they are sending back to PA and their return to the KK for another trip is already in the works.

Yesterday we took David and his two sons out for a 3/4 day. The tunas bit for us at the hump and once we had our limit we headed off to find some mahi.  We caught seven but had 5 or 6 more on that we didn't get to the boat. Some days are like that with no reason for it but the way the luck runs that day.
David just wanted the experience for his sons and to catch some fish to take to a restaurant so it was perfect for his needs. He said they would be back soon.

Joe picked the right day for this trip, getting the right weather and the right fishing, it was awesome!
We started at the hump and caught some tunas before the traffic got bad, from there we stayed pretty much at hump depth as there were mahi being caught on the hump and it seemed like the depth to be.
Found 6 or 7 schools of mahi while following the weed and caught better out of some, worst out of others. Found one big fish of 20 lbs or so in the weeds and  few nice gaffers also.
Ended up with 40 nice mahi at the end of the day and it couldn't have happened to a nicer group of guys, Joe the organizer, CP the quiet one and Frank who answers all legal questions as they arise.
Looking forward to doing again sometime, maybe August if Joe can get it altogether in time,

It's getting better and better for tarpon fishing as we get into late spring. Gene and his son Joshua enjoyed the sharks but really wanted that tarpon, so after missing a couple of tarpon early things were not looking good for the guys.
Last fish of the evening was the one we needed and at 60 lbs it was a good one to catch with that incoming tide. Congratulations to Josh on catching his first tarpon at 16 years of age.

Another good day on the water catching Tunas, mahi and yellowtails with our new friends from PA. We kept Bob and Cam busy while Laurie  gave moral support through out the nice day.
Bob told me before they left that they would be back next year to do it again.

Jill was there in spirit today although she didn't catch a fish all day. and thus Red had to do the heavy work which included catching their limit of tuna and later their when we found a yellow log, their limit of mahi.
The good people of Texas are having their fish shipped back to their home so that all the grand kids can enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Jacob last trip on the KK was back in 2015 (although he was here a couple years ago but we were not available then) so it was nice to get him out for a little reef fishing once again.
The yellowtail fishing was not good as the conditions were pretty ridiculous with an off shore current and crystal clear water. Caught a few but it was obvious we needed to try something else. Tried the 200 ft ledge and caught the black grouper, tried another spot and caught the red grouper, kingfish and a mahi that swam up. Had a permit on for quite a while though we were going to get him but ended up pulling the hook. One undersized mutton snapper and a sail that cruised by the boat was all the excitement at the end of the day.
Tomorrow Jacob is taking his fish back to Wisconsin to enjoy with BFF. I hear it's still cold up there Jacob, enjoy!

We had an afternoon open today and the dynamic duo of Joe and CP decided to take it. It was fairly normal with one exception.
I have seen thousands of flying fish while running the KK but I have never had a flying fish caught on our boat by hook  and line. Joe did it today while yellowtailing, winding the flyer up while it was still trying to get airborne.  Just when you think you have seen it all!
Caught our limit of tails and another large shark and while we don't fish with them tomorrow we do see them later in the week.

Last day for the Doyle gang as once again we stayed close and caught the tails. Caught a big shark on the bottom rod but no grouper for us this trip.