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I figured I will get caught up before old Irma shows up.  Hoping for the best but fearing the worst.  Robin and I left Big Pine on Tuesday after Labor Day and returned to St Pete.  Monroe county officially declared a county wide evacuation on Wednesday in the keys.  This morning pinellas county declared an evacuation in our neighborhood, so we are now double evacuees.  🙂

We spent today putting up plywood over non-impact windows on the st Pete house. And robin signed the plywood in hurricane tradition.  We have weathered 3 storms here in this house over the past 10 years.  This one is in another league all together!

Before we left the keys we put everything inside and buttoned up pretty tight.  We still weren’t sure on the storm’s path so we did not empty freezers and stuff.  I am afraid we will return to stinky bait freezers and a robins brand new kitchen freezer will be a bit ripe as well!

I have the Woody Too up on the lift as high as possible and tied down to the house and a cleat.   We are expecting 120 mph winds and > 5 feet in storm surge.  Hope it is still there when we return.  

Effects should start over night tonight, for now all we can do is check out the cameras, and hope for the best.

Before all the gloom and doom of hurricane prep, we did hit the water.  The water was flat and beautiful, and we got a really nice afternoon chasing the bugs.

Robin and I got our 12 lobster limit in a couple hours.  Really glad we found them!

We hit a spot we call the Spanish key toilets.  It is a cut through a bar that divides 2 of what we call basins, relatively deep pools of water separated by wide shallow salt flats.  You can really only dive there if you time the tides, because the currents are absolutely nuts!  We call it the toilet because someone dumped a coupe toilet bowls and tanks there which make some pretty good lobster structure.  The cut is 10 to 12 feet deep, so I always dive it with a tank.

This dive we hit the slack perfect, and I got to spend about an hour really checking out the cut.  I found an awesome coral head, 2 really good ledges, a bunch of big sponges, a 55 gal drum cut in half and 2 sets of toilets.  All the structure was holding lobsters!

We also went to a pair of corals that I keep pretty close to my chest and we rounded up our limit.  always a good feeling when you fill the hold!

Those boogers sure are tasty!  My dear wife certainly knows how to prep them!

Well all for now.  Prepare for the worst and hope for the best!  I sure hope my next post is positive, the next 48 hours will tell the story.

Lobster time in the florida keys! Again my friend Ted came down and we hooked up with our neighbors Alan and Rita for the opener. We left the dock at 0530 and made the drag race in the dark to our opener spot. When the sun came up the current was pulling full boil, making it tough on the divers. Job done, limits caught for everyone, and lobster dinner in the bag. So all total we got 36 on opening day! 

So tell me, how much stuff can you put on a boat?

The next day Ted, Robin and I took the little boat and did fairly well, I think the body count was 8, and another Lobster dinner. Nothing wrong with that! The size of the little buggers was really good this year, lots of big boys!

 Yum … can’t go wrong!

Julie Meyers gave us the recipe for lobster spring roles … winner, winner!!!

I ended up having to drive to Miami and doing the round trip to Phoenix for the week, and on my return regular season opened back up. Robin and I took Sunday and ran the little skiff out to our favorite spots in the backwaters. It did not take long, and bingo – we limited out again … 12 lobsters between Robin and I, and we left a coral head with a bunch of keepers still there waiting for the next time!

I can not get over how pleased we are with the house, and how nice it is to be there. The last weekend we mostly were able to goof off and enjoy it, along with catching a couple sunsets, and getting some chores done. 

The poor little boat, looks so ….little!

Place looks great!

 Unfortunately, we returned to St Pete on Monday to join the rat race. But what an exciting week we have this week. Tomorrow, Robin and I are off to Texas to see Mrs Laura Gorham Fischer graduate with her doctorate!!!!! How cool is that????? 

Until next time ….

Also, one last 40 years ago on August 23rd, damn I am getting old, I joined the navy.  Check this lean mean fighting machine out!!!!

Boy oh boy am I ever behind in the blog! Actually took a while to figure out how to log back in and build another post! Well, no excuses to my lack of posting, it certainly was not due to our lack of time in the keys, or the lack of fish caught, but I will chalk it up to being too busy to type, and being too pooped to poop!

As Tom says … “quit whining and trying to be a drama queen!” let’s get down to business!

The big news is …. The house is done, and we are in! Well, at least phase 1 anyway. We finally found a builder who really came through, and I have completely spoiled my wife! Happy wife, happy life as they say! Robin and I took the opportunity to build our dream house, and now we are in I have to say it was money well spent. Here is a quick unauthorized tour (aka – I did not clear the pics with robin)

Once we got the boxes mostly unpacked, and the curtains and pictures hung we got some fishing in. Robin and I snuck out for a half day offshore and filled the cooler with Mahi. We also found a piece of bamboo floating in a weed-line and I pulled my personal biggest Tripletail off the log. Unfortunately no real reference, but this is my big fish cooler it is sitting on. I put the fish at 10 pounds solid. 

For those who don’t know, a tripletail is a really wild looking fish and they lay up next to flotsam out at sea and basically wait for the baitfish to fill in under them for dinner. This guy ate a live pinfish that I tossed in front of it’s nose, and really put up a nice fight once I got him hooked up. Best part is the eating, Robin and I cooked him “Lazy Days” style, and if you like the taste of Red Snapper, you would love a Tripletail!

(Sorry we took a bite before we remembered to take a pic!). 

The day ended with us trying to drift for Mutton Snapper off the American Shoal. We ran back inshore to 150 feet of water, and tried bouncing live baits on the bottom unsuccessfully. When I throttled back up to head home, the WoodyToo sputtered and I lost power. When I tried to restart I was getting no-where, so we called for help. Tow-Boat US to the rescue and for the first time in 12 years we got towed back to the lift. The good news – it looks like it was a vapor lock, and after some fiddling I got her fired back up and running well the next day.

Back at it again, we took another half day offshore on Saturday and got into the Dolphin again, and also picked up a couple nice Blackfin Tuna. Sure is good to get back in the game!

I leave you with some keys humor, my fishing dog and a sunset picture from our backyard. Gotta love the keys! 

One of my favorite times of the year! Crowds have left, the weather is still hot, the water is clear and warm and the winds calm.  Robin and I found a break in travel and work schedules, packed up the dogs and headed down to port pine heights and our personal bpk paradise. Dogs certainly love it here!

 I mean look at this water … Nothing but glass and empty! To me there is not much better …

Robin and I targeted the lobsters again .. Day 1 we got our limit, took some digging, but we found them all in snorkeling water, I really love the size of them this year, lots of big bugs!

 Sunday we hit a different piece of water with similar results. We got 10 in 2 hours and were chased off the water by thunderstorms. Again, the size was consistently good. And again all snorkel, never put the tank on.

 We are really tearing it up out there on the skiff.  It is so much fun to run especially when the water is flat like this weekend.  I also have to say that the water was about as clear as I have ever seen it.

Looe is really growing up and becoming a water dog.  He loves swimming but is not really interested in the fish and lobsters the way rebel was.  

But we did our job and wore him out …

We escaped St Petersburg and hurricane hermine Wednesday night and came on down to BPK for the long weekend. Ted and friends were down here over the past couple weeks and they reported that the lobsters were getting better since the full moon. Things had been really slow since mini season, so Robin and I had to see for ourselves and bingo they were right! We lobstered In the backwaters on Saturday and Sunday and ended up with a dozen on Saturday and ten Sunday. We had to work for them, but they are around, and the average size is awesome!

Saturday ….

Sunday ….

Robin certainly looks better than me that is for sure! We are introducing our new puppy Looe to the water life and he is doing pretty good! It is fun to see him learning to swim and experience the keys life!

I heard a rumor that there was a decent tuna bite heating up offshore, so today we took the Parker out looking.  We ran out to the humps early and found birds, but not the blackfin. Ended up with a few bontias and a beautiful ride home. The reef was absolutely unreal, I swear we saw 4 different color changes, and I could see the bottom clearly at 25 foot.

What a wonderful place we call home!

Ok campers …. What great event happens on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July in south Florida?  That is right … Lobster Mini season!!!

Like Christmas, the anticipation is awesome.  Robin and I scoured, and plotted, and schemed where we would go.  My colleague in crime Ted took vacation and came down for the festivities.   All was ready … All scouted … Game on!

Summer in the keys usually looks like this – quiet and tranquil!

All good plans always go out the window.  But in this case in a really good way!

The week before mini season I look  on Facebook and see a post from glen that he, Mary and Dillon were in Orlando for heavens sake!  I ping him offering tons of crap and bam, they commit to joining us on big pine for the lobster mayhem!

Then my brother in arms Alan calls and invites us to join him and Rita on the lobster hunt opening morning.  Secret spot, guaranteed catch … Have to go through the men in black mind wipe thing after.

I consult with Ted … We are in!  The result …. Limit for 5 people in 45 minutes ….that is 30 lobsters folks!    What?????

Glen Mary and Dillon arrive in time for dinner!  Yea baby!

Day two …. We do it again! 

After the morning catching, we took the wilson family out and had a ball snorkeling the coral heads and pristine backwaters!

What a hoot we all had!  Thanks Ted, glen, Mary and Dillon for sharing your time with us!

Glen and Tom descended on big pine key!  Mission fishing, mission accomplished!

We started off at Bahia Honda where I was 0 for 4 on tarpon before the got there, including a solo hookup that drug me up and down the bridge for an hour before I broke off 😦

We spent an evening and a morning tied to a bridge piling and glen got one hookup that we could not capitalize on.  Pay attention cause this is the start of a theme …

Offshore we go – day one in the Atlantic.  The fishing has been wierd this year, the dolphin flat out did not show up.  So we have burned a lot of gas without s lot of success.  But not to deter us ..,,

Out we go – hooked up on tunas … 

But wait …. That is not a football blackfin ….  Glen hooks a beast that dumps a tld20, and we chase around the ocean for an hour and a half ..,,,  glen did everything right and pow – the line broke right on the guides – wierd place, big fish number 2 stays in the water!

When we came back on the canal, our neighbor Scott waives me down and tells us they released 4 blue marlin when they were in the tunas near us.  Can’t confirm but we highly suspect it was a blue marlin glen had on.

Another day yet another fish … Off we go again, back offshore.  Another slow day to be had.  We ran into the Gulf Stream edge and it was full of current rips looking crazy fishy.  I of course had to drop the planer – wahoo I say wahoo!

We drug that pup around all day and finally bam it hit drag screaming!  Out if the water comes a big bull dolphin.  It jumps twice and gone …. Lost big fish number 3!

Back into the tuna we go.  We find the birds, and hook up.  Again glen on the reel – reel gets dumped again!  We back down, go forward, go back, fight like hell and pow the line breaks again .., on the rod!  Of course it was the same outfit as the day before!   Another blue marlin????? Lost big fish number 4!

Is this where I talk about hook condoms?  My buddy Tom decides he wants to vertical jig the tuna.  So he grabs one of my penn spin caster v”s ties on a jig, drops it and cranks like crazy.  Sure enough, wam he gets hit, no stick!  He brings the jig up, and pictures don’t lie …. Jig condoms – you just can’t make this stuff up!

Another day another fish!  We had so much fun with Tom jigging, we decided to make a morning of it.  Out to the wilks bar (a wreck in 200 feet) jigs on, and game on!

We pretty much had rods bent in half all day …. Amberjack (banded rudder fish) and snapper!

We finished the trip off inshore on the lil Woody.  I do believe the boys had fun!

Oh – moral of the story- faulty equipment! :(. The rod that glen had two break offs on had a crack in the tip guide that snaggedand ripped up the line.  It has since been  repaired with a sexy new aftco roller tip!

Ok – my bad, call it life, call it laziness – I have really fallen behind on updates.

Where to start?  Life’s changes …

My new job means I spend half my time in the desert!  Phoenix to be exact!  Boo … Lots of brown, no water!

We have a new family member, Looe!  A crazy smart golden retriever that … To quote robin … Does everything you don’t want a dog to do!  He is a good boy, just has to grow up!

The biggie … We closed on the house next door!  Yea!!!! But right before we did, the sea wall collapsed! Boo!!!!!!  Murphey’s law!

So now on top of starting construction, we are performing sea wall engineering and starting the permitting process.  Don’t ask, but between the army Corp of engineers, the tree huggers and the county we will be 6 months in permitting!

But hey – guess who keeps growing, everyday!

We sure have spent more time watching the wind blow than fishing that is for sure!  Had an opportunity to spend two weekends in a row in Big Pine Key and finally we got a shot offshore.  Best part I had two friends in town Kai and Ted, so Robin and I got to turn them onto the offshore hunt.

Weather was decent, SE winds 10 to 15, seas 2 to 4.  The water temp was hovering around 70, and the Gulf Stream was forecast to be 20 miles south of Looe Key.   We left mid morning the plan was to look for tuna on the way out, but head generally for the stream edge and chase down a Mahi bite if one was out there.  My fearless crew was ready ….. Just check out Kai and this glamour shot …

  
By the numbers when we hit the ups and downs in 500 feet we picked up birds chasing bait and tuna.  Rods out, feathers way back and we picked up 2 decent black fin and a small Bonita.  One of the black fin pulled the string pretty good, and it was fun to see Ted on the attack!

  
 Not to be outdone, Kai got in the action too!

 
Things slowed down on the tuna as the sun got higher, so we ran on out to sea and hit a rip line marking the edge of the stream.  We pushed out further and found a decent trash and weed line and set up shop for a mahi hunt.  It was slow going, but we picked up 3 decent fish, nothing big fairly slow, but steady. 

Here is Kai with his first mahi …

  
 I figure we need a bloody cooler shot just for fun –

  
Back at the dock 2 tuna 3 dolphin, happy crew!  Nice way to start spring off!

  
Gotta finish it off with the food picks – we do love our black fin lightly seared!

  
But Robin found an Italian “Florinteen” inspired tuna steak recepie that is awesome.  Basically season a thick hunk of tuna like a steak – olive oil, Rosemary, sea salt and lightly grill it on fire as hot as you can get it.  Serious those were big hunks of tuna, and I out it on the grill for 2 minutes a side.  Lordy Lordy it is good!

  
Robin paired it up with a mushroom risotto and garbanzo bean salad, and it was definitely the ticket!

  
Until next time …

Apologies for not keeping up with things.  You would think that we have not been in the keys, or catching much lately due to the silence on the blog scene.  Well, half right – the fishing and catching has not been all that good, but we have been spending a ton of time down there.  Lot’s going on, but let’s start with fishing.

Winter blues in the keys means WINDY!  We have been down every other weekend since Christmas, but I bet we have only been fishing 2 or 3 times.  The typical setup – wind forecast during the week 10 to 15 out of the southeast, and for the weekend 25 – 35 from the north.  For me wind and fishing simply don’t mix.  Water temps fell into the mid 60s which mean the flats species are gone, and nothing much around but barracudas and sharks.

We did get a couple trips in though, so time to quit complaining and talk about fishing!  Laura and Kyle came to visit us the weekend of 3/12.  They had a date to get their engagement photo’s at Anne’s beach, and stayed an extra couple days and we had a great visit.  Luckily we had an afternoon shot to get out across the reef.  It started out rough out there 4 – 6 but the wind did indeed die, and sea laid down through the afternoon.  There was a whole lot of nothing out there during the early afternoon, but we started seeing bait and skippies started to show up, and picked up some small black fin tuna …

  
Nothing like sushi in the box to get the crew fired up!  Laura took the opportunity to do a Norman Rockwell take with the gaff while robin was cranking on a tuna …

  
General mayhem continued ….

  One of the best parts of catching tuna is at the table … Robin found a killer Italian recipe that came out awesome …

  
The other island news we have is that Robin and I are buying the house next door. It is a long story but IF it all goes through we will basically have a keys canal palace and one heck of a project!  The place was a rebuild that went bad, and the current owner passed away with the house unfinished.  We put in a crazy offer, they accepted it, and now we are running through probate.  When we get through and close we have pretty much a new house to complete and will end up with a concrete bunker on a corner canal!  The bones of the house are custom concrete, and the lot is awesome with over 250 feet of dockage!

Here are a couple pics … Enjoy!

  
View down the sea wall and down the canal

  
The back porch from the canal … That is a mahogany tree!  Picture the little white building turned into a cabana house/bar, a pool in the back and boat lifts on the sea Wall!  I know – dreamer!