Spent the week in New York for work, flew back into Miami and caught the Keys Shuttle back to BPK. Plug for the shuttle – it was clean, and those guys did a great job!
Was pretty tired, so we opted to stay in the back country and do some snorkeling and chase some lobsters around. So in the skiff we go! – I love this little boat!
We got to our first stop and in I went, and then realized that I forgot my weight belt! That definitely required a run back to the house, my wife got a good laugh at watching the fat boy pop back up to the surface like a cork!
We did ok for a half day and ended up with eight. It is getting harder and harder to find keepers, and they are also getting very educated down there! The tide was rising for us all day, water was fairly clear, winds S-SE around 10, water temp hung around 89. There are still plenty of bugs about! As you can see my dog Rebel is very pleased with his catch!
Sunday we headed offshore, leaving at daybreak with South Winds and into a 2-3 foot chop. Water temps were hanging around 87 degrees or so. We saw nothing, NOTHING, absolutely zip until we hit around 750. Then we saw tons of brids Frigates, and gannets hauling tail south. We set down in some fishing looking water, but kept seeing groups of birds heading south and not stopping. We followed suit and finally started catching up to the bird activity in around 900 feet.
Here is what I meant by columns of Frigates. There were bunches of groups of these guys spiraling in pods with groups of birds around them. Pretty cool sight ….
So Robin had the helm and we kept circling various groups of birds and kept up with a steady stream of knockdowns. There was a mix of fish in the water, Skip Jack Tuna’s, Dolphin, BlackFin Tuna and a bunch of smaller bluerunners and other baits.
Like I mentioned all the action was out at the 900 – 1000 foot levels. The water temp came down to around 86 degrees and water laid down all day. It looked like the thermocline was down around 125 feet, and it was a virtual dead zone between the reef and out there. My advice for those fishing offshore – make the run straight out right now, and get in them! Here is a screen shot off the chartplotter …
Ended up with a decent mixed bag of fish. Those skippies really put on quite the show out there, and were a ton of fun on 20 pound class tackle! Here is rebel again, proudly showing off his fish!
Gotta finish with the fixings! Blackfin Sushimi and grilled Mahi. Not bad
We are out of here for a few weeks. You guys catch em up, and keep the reports coming!
Bo
Gorham Fishing Team 