East winds this week will bring in some warm waters and calm seas. The mangrove snapper bite has been very good with pilchards, pinfish and or cut bait. The jack crevel have taken over the gulf of America in strong numbers. The average size is 8 pounds with some 12 pounders mixed in. The Cobia are still hanging around the shallow wrecks. Fishing will only continue getting better later in the months coming.
East winds this week will bring in some warm waters and calm seas. The mangrove snapper bite has been very good with pilchards, pinfish and or cut bait. The jack crevel have taken over the gulf of America in strong numbers. The average size is 8 pounds with some 12 pounders mixed in. The Cobia are still hanging around the shallow wrecks. Fishing will only continue getting better later in the months coming.
Key West Sportfishing Delivers! A group of brothers from Miami came down for an unforgettable Key West fishing trip, and the action did not disappoint! The highlight of their three-quarter day private charter was a massive 40-pound King Mackerel (Smoker Kingfish)—an absolute beast! They also landed some solid Cero Mackerel, making for a day full of exciting fights and great catches. Sportfishing in Key West is on fire right now, and this trip was proof of it!
Key West Sportfishing Delivers! A group of brothers from Miami came down for an unforgettable Key West fishing trip, and the action did not disappoint! The highlight of their three-quarter day private charter was a massive 40-pound King Mackerel (Smoker Kingfish)—an absolute beast! They also landed some solid Cero Mackerel, making for a day full of exciting fights and great catches. Sportfishing in Key West is on fire right now, and this trip was proof of it!
The Warsaw Grouper of a Lifetime As part of my Big Fish Series, this catch represents one of the most incredible moments of my fishing career. Measuring over 84 inches, this Warsaw grouper is not only the largest grouper I’ve ever caught but also the biggest fish (excluding sharks) I’ve ever landed. This fish was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The battle was nothing short of epic, testing my skills and endurance. Armed with a Shimano Talica 50, the grouper put up a fight worthy of its size and reputation. Every second of the struggle was a reminder of the raw...
The Warsaw Grouper of a Lifetime As part of my Big Fish Series, this catch represents one of the most incredible moments of my fishing career. Measuring over 84 inches, this Warsaw grouper is not only the largest grouper I’ve ever caught but also the biggest fish (excluding sharks) I’ve ever landed. This fish was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The battle was nothing short of epic, testing my skills and endurance. Armed with a Shimano Talica 50, the grouper put up a fight worthy of its size and reputation. Every second of the struggle was a reminder of the raw power and sheer determination these giants possess. Landing this grouper will forever stand as a milestone in my journey as a fisherman. It’s a humbling yet thrilling reminder of the incredible encounters the ocean holds for those willing to test their limits.
This night they went out for a sunset, tuna trip and limited out on Black fin tuna this was one of the big butter balls estimated to be over 20 to 25 pounds on (light Tackle)
This night they went out for a sunset, tuna trip and limited out on Black fin tuna this was one of the big butter balls estimated to be over 20 to 25 pounds on (light Tackle)
Goliath Grouper is the biggest grouper in the grouper family. It can grow 500+ lbs, here is some I've caught I the past months. Usually found by rocks and wrecks so tough to get to the boat which make for a great challenge.
Goliath Grouper is the biggest grouper in the grouper family. It can grow 500+ lbs, here is some I've caught I the past months. Usually found by rocks and wrecks so tough to get to the boat which make for a great challenge.
Here are a verity of depths and big fish. 🎣 unfortunately I don't have any measurements of the fish. All are species I often catch, so I can say they are waaayy above average sized. The Mahi was on a slow slow day. 3hrs of trolling on our 35' Carolina Classic without a bite. Just as we were planning to "switch gears" and anchor up for some bottom fishing, we spotted one lone frigate bird. 🦅 as we passed under the bird, our downrigger got slammed. Its first run was long and fast, we immediately assumed it was a wahoo....
Here are a verity of depths and big fish. 🎣 unfortunately I don't have any measurements of the fish. All are species I often catch, so I can say they are waaayy above average sized. The Mahi was on a slow slow day. 3hrs of trolling on our 35' Carolina Classic without a bite. Just as we were planning to "switch gears" and anchor up for some bottom fishing, we spotted one lone frigate bird. 🦅 as we passed under the bird, our downrigger got slammed. Its first run was long and fast, we immediately assumed it was a wahoo. Our angler jumped up from half napping position and started cranking. After fighting for about 15min I got a glimpse of color from the bridge, it was one of the biggest bull mahis I've ever seen. Gaf shot from our mate Sam was perfect, and so were the tacos. One of my life long best friends was visiting key west and helping me with some boat and home maintenance. Luckily one of his last days in town, we had a perfect (2mph wind) day. We could not pass up the opportunity to run out deep. After some adjustments to our bottom reader we started marking fish on the bottom in 900'. Tommy attached the gator clips to 12v and down went the big lead to the bottom. Almost immediately our rod bent over and we knew it was the one we wanted. It was not the subtle bite we often see. After watching the electric reel do all the work, we got beautiful golden reflection of this massive golden tile.
Winter time fishing is amazing in key west. we had southwest winds, so we took it to the gulf side to see about catching cobia and snapper. As soon as we got to the spot, we spotted a pack of cobia on the surface.. we promptly got to work. Our anglers captured two beautiful cobia and a bunch of lanesnapper. Great bite and adrenalin filled action on this four hour morning fishing trip. I sent the boys home with several bags of fish for their cook your catch dinner.
Winter time fishing is amazing in key west. we had southwest winds, so we took it to the gulf side to see about catching cobia and snapper. As soon as we got to the spot, we spotted a pack of cobia on the surface.. we promptly got to work. Our anglers captured two beautiful cobia and a bunch of lanesnapper. Great bite and adrenalin filled action on this four hour morning fishing trip. I sent the boys home with several bags of fish for their cook your catch dinner.
Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.
Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.
Certified Damn Good Guides offer 10/10 trips. Guides earn this badge through quality reviews, quick and responsive communication, and low cancellation rates.
Our trip was with Dave. He was super knowledgeable and got my wife and I on some great fish. We had never fished before, so his patience was appreciated!
Jordan is an absolute Master of his craft. His understanding of fish is unparralled. Honestly its like he is one. The yellowstone was blown out due to heavy rains so we audibled to a 17 mile float on the Lower Madison. We fished a new and totally unique set of techniques fishing indicators with crayfish pattern followed by a nymph. He told me exactly when to mend, when to let the flies drag a hair, and when to re adjust with a new cast to get the perfect action on the flies. I missed a lot of big eats and landed some beautiful (and fat) rainbows and browns! Back at the ramp no one had the succes we did. I learn so much from Jordan everytime im out there. Can’t reccomend booking a trip with him enough.
One of the things I wanted to be dang sure I did while I was there was fish the Yellowstone in a drift boat, and was lucky enough to get it done. With lots of fishing travel under my belt you never know how it will go and in this case the plan came together and it was a good day to be alive.
The Boss and I met our guide Nathan at the ramp at 8:00 and it was not long before we were on the water. The Boss and I are really fly fishing neophytes with lots to learn and Nathan was a perfect guide and teacher for our day on the water. He has fished those rivers for 35 years, was patient, technically proficient, and just an overall good guy to spend the day with.
As I noticed in the park there were lots of grasshoppers and it turned out to be our plan for the day. In my case catching any particular fish on topwater is the bomb, and we spent most of the day fishing larger hoppers with a smaller floating “something or other” on a dropper around 8″ behind. And it was so interesting to see the fish react. A few smashed it, (At least for a trout.) most barely slurped it under, and others could not resist rolling on it, or just taking a look. It took me a bit to get the hang of setting the hook like you need to and after a while I managed to toss a couple of small rainbows completely over the boat. It really was a new way to fish for us and it took a while to get the hang of it but I intend to put those lessons to work in Colorado when I head there this fall. Since this was our 5 or 6th run at it the Boss commented that each place and method was different, it is all part of the learning process.
I probably went about 10 for 20 with one whitefish, the Boss struggled. So late in the day Nathan put us on a nymph rig with an indicator. (Or as we regular folks call it, a bobber.) He wanted to be sure the Boss caught a fish and she finally boated a rainbow and a native whitefish. But the Boss was happy just sitting in the back and enjoying the day and the view, but I give her credit, she kept casting like a trooper. He was so patient as we tangled, crossed, casted like the rookies we are, and he just continued to act like the professional he is. (Except we all laughed like crazy when at one point when we were thrashing multiple messes he said; “Stop casting!”) Of course I told him I would trash him here so let me do it now – One of the best guides to spend the day with I have had the pleasure to fish with. So take that homie. From the Great Barrier reef, Belize, Colorado we have fished with our share and today was one of the best all around experiences we have ever had.
The fishing was not fast by any means, but the bite was consistent. I was not surprised by the number of refusals with the traffic and it being late in the season. Nathan made several fly changes during the day until we finished the day with the nymph rig and put the last couple in the boat. He worked hard to put me on a little bigger fish and his efforts were appreciated. Probably if I would have bullshitted less and fished harder I might have boated one of the better fish I missed, but I could have cared less as numbers were not the reason for the day.
Being a Saturday there was quite a bit of traffic, but it is a big river, and when compared to Froggie’s on the weekend no big deal. Of course we had a few incidents where both guides and the public cut us off, or were just plain were clueless. (Sound familiar you coastal boys?) As you know one of my rules to live by on our busy waterways – Be nice, be the bigger man, and just because you have the right of way let them go. Nathan naturally lives and practices that making our day on the water pleasant and fun and he is a credit to the profession. I can be pretty hard on guides.
It really was comfortable fishing from the drift boat. The Boss loved the safe manner he operated and being able to stand up and cast from the leaning post, or whatever it is called. I learned a lot about the drift boat and how it preforms on the water. As we accelerate our search for our place in the mountains Montana has made the list. Of all the places I have fished Montana gets an A+ for the access available to the public. (So thanks Nathan for offering to be my new best friend and take me fishing all the time if we end up in the area. At least I thought I heard him say that!)
And a big thanks to Jonathan of Captain Experiences for booking and following up on our trip. The home of Damn Good Fishing Guides, this site has guides all over the country and they lived up to their name when they hooked us up with Nathan. Nathan guides out of Bozeman, Montana, fishing the Yellowstone, Madison, and a couple of other great Montana rivers. Nate, the owner, kept us informed with a full written itinerary, with constant follow up both before and after the trip. It was a professional job all the way around. So if you are looking for a guide anywhere, or wanting to fish the Yellowstone area, give Jonathan a call and he will put you with the best. Overall a first class trip.
So when it is all said and done it was a great way to spend a day along with our park expedition. And here is a taste of what is next, as soon as I organize all of the park stuff.
We saw almost everything we wanted to this trip and were so fortunate to see the wolves everyday along with enough wildlife to keep us happy. (For a while!) And to Nathan, I have added the Madison to my bucket list. Thanks for reading my stuff.
Had a really great time fishing the Yellowstone, Upper Madison on drift boats. Caught nice browns and rainbows. Wades the Gallatin and caught nice fish on dry flies. Our guide was Matt and he was great to work with not to mention he’s a trained chef so the lunches were fantastic. Highly recommend these trips. The booking process was simple and effective thanks to Captain Experiences.
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