
Captain’s Blog – January 4, 2010 – Marathon Florida Keys – You’d never guess it by the way they’re dressed, but this group of Minnesotans was fishing in the Florida Keys!
Peter and Becca Krause fished with me while on their honeymoon a couple of years ago and returned to the Keys with some friends for a little fun. They certainly never imagined they’d be fishing in the same cold weather gear they wore to the airport back in Minnesota!
I pushed their trip back a day in hopes of more moderate temperatures. We set out for what was planned as a three-quarter day charter. The Krauses had already proven their angling abilities on their first trip with me, so I took them to the patch reefs where I knew the action would be non-stop.
As I thought, the bite was excellent. They caught all major snapper species, including mangrove, lane, yellowtail and dog and broke off a big mutton. They also put a couple of nice Spanish mackerel in the box. Along the way, they caught a couple of small red and black grouper, which would have had to be thrown back even if they were legal size due to our four-month grouper ban.
On our way to our second spot, I found a new coral patch which I’ve named Krause Patch. It was loaded with fish and we had a blast on it. When the winds kicked up to 25 knots, I moved in to Sisters Creek for some relief. But the water was too cold and the bite was slow. We got only a couple of small mangrove and dog snapper.
The whole group was feeling the cold, but it took the girls to admit it and toss in the towel. I dropped them off at the new Lazy Days South on 11th Street, where they warmed up with some libations and appetizers.
So, we called it at a half day charter. In all, the group kept 30 fish and must have released another 50 or 60. They had their mackerel cooked at the Conch Republic at the A&B Marina in Key West and say it was fantastic. Already planning their return, Peter says they’ll most likely come back closer to spring time! Whenever they do return, I look forward to having them on the SeaSquared again. Great customers such as the Krauses are what I love most about my job!
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