No fish, no fun!

This past week has been a bust! We have been trying so hard and doing all the right things, but the fish just don't seem to be around. We've changed our strategy, picked up live bait, worn different clothes, but no luck. We've had a few knock-downs and baits stolen which is encouraging. And seen a few sailfish free jumping relatively close. However, it would be more encouraging to bring something home! (Lots of chatter on the radio about not finding fish so we aren't the only ones.)

The past two trips we've returned early trying to be the storms. Unfortunately, we've gotten our fair share of wind, rain, and fog. On a positive note, we didn't have to clean the boat since the rain took care of that.

Perhaps after returning from our break next week, the fish will be here and we'll have some tall tales to tell.

Patience Pays Off!

Not in a big way, but we got a fish in the boat today!

After waiting for the winds to die down for nearly a week, we finally were able to get out. Yesterday we had one bait stolen and one bait who got a bite out of his tail, but we didn't come home with anything..and from what we heard on the radio, neither did anyone else.

Today was a different story! Of course there were many more boats out, but there were some pretty good weedlines and slicks that we followed for quite a while. After seeing/hearing about a few boats catching something, we headed south again. But, no luck. So we headed north to a spot where we've had some luck in the past. Sure enough we made a turn and out of the blue, a little schoolie hopped on our bait. It was a smooth landing and into the box it went. We tried to find its bigger brother or daddy, but no luck.



So for dinner tonight, it will be sauteed Mahi with artichokes, spinach and tomatoes over pasta. Not only can he catch fish, but he can clean it and cook it too. Thanks Captain/Chef Frank!

Awesome birthday!

It all started yesterday afternoon when my brother called to ask if I had received the package from Portland. I told him I had, but that I wasn't going to open the present until Friday. After a lengthy discussion, he gave me permission to open it last night.

I figured from the wrapping it was a picture of some kind. So, I gently tore the paper and removed what appeared to be a picture frame. Since it was upside down, I flipped it over and instantly broke out into a huge grin! Chris painted a pelican and Nate painted a mahi! But when you looked closer, and turned your head sideways, you could see that the bodies of the animals were actually the boys' handprints! And with a little adult help, the details (eyes, mouth, beak and tail) were added. Not to mention there are about 3-4 different colors in each animal and the boys are 4 years old!

I am in awe of the creativity and talent!

Thank you, Chris & Nate, for my very special, one-of-a-kind, better-than-the-Eiffel-Tower, artwork birthday present. I love it and have it hanging in a place where I will see it first thing in the morning and before I go to sleep....and all our friends will see it too!

Too long since last post...

But there really hasn't been anything to post, until today!

After a week of not being able to get out and fish due to the winds/waves, we were finally able to get out on Sunday. The seas were a bit choppy in the morning, but then died down. Lots of chatter on the radio with captains looking for fish. No one was having any luck, including us. So, after a full day of trying (practice), we returned home.

We were looking forward to getting out again on Monday as the weather was predicted to be spectacular and perfect for catching fish! We decided since it was so nice and the seas flat, that we would run way offshore. We traveled about 20 miles and set up for fishing. We saw a bit of things in the water that would indicate there might be fish, but again, nothing. The upside is that no one else caught anything either. And inspite of not catching fish, we pulled some out of the freezer and had fish tacos for Cindo de Mayo!



Since the weekend, we had been planning for Frank's nephew, Mike, to join us for a day of fishing on Tuesday. Again, the weather was forecasted to be perfect. When we got out on the water, things were a bit choppier than expected. But we had a strategy and got busy. Shortly after getting the lines out, one of the baits got knocked down. Soon after getting new bait out, another was hit, but no fish. We were starting to get excited about the possibility of fish being nearby. And then BINGO! We got hit hard by a large mahi! We started clearing lines and getting the boat ready to bring the big boy in when all of a sudden, the line went slack....and off he went with the bait. We circled back a time or two, but no luck. So we continued with our plan. A bit of chatter on the radio about people catching fish farther south, but we found some signs that looked promising.

Sure enough, we caught one! The hook-up, clearing the lines, and boating the fish was picture perfect! Nice teamwork!



We continued along with our plan and along the way, saw several sea turtles. It was pretty cool!





After a few hours of following a weedline, we passed a deflated balloon and sure enough, there must have been a fish nearby because it jumped on one of our baits. Mike was quick on the draw and got the fish under control. We cleared the lines and Captain Frank made swift work of getting the fish in the box. Again, great teamwork!





It was a great feeling pulling up to the dock and being able to show everyone the fish we caught!

Happy Birthday, Frank!

Hope you've had a good Birthday Week!



I love you!

Leann

All about fishing in the Keys!

Our base-camp was Holiday Isle in Islamorada. It's a marina/resort that has been around forever and is well-known for the Rum Runner beverages, Tiki bar and sandbar. Where else would you find a big pink rat with a drink in its paws, but in the Keys?!? And big replicas of huge fish?? Only in the Keys!

While we didn't catch fish as big as those, we were very proud of the ones we did!

Frank had lots of helpers while he was cleaning the fish. In fact, we're convinced it was a gang of egrets! Two would stage a fight and a third one would sneak from behind and try to get to the fish. Pretty sneaky! Then the pelicans would float around right within the area where Frank pitched the stripped fish. Needless to say the annoying rats with wings (seagulls) flew around squawking waiting for any scrap they could scavenge.

Bob, Frank and Toby showing off the catch.

Bob kisses the fish for... good luck or thank you?? :o)

Frank celebrates the catch with a cold one!

Time in the Keys

We had a wonderful 4 days in the Upper Keys! The purpose of our trip was to spend time with friends and to fish. Our hosts, Toby and Bob, have a fabulous location and joined us all three days for fishing.

Where else but in the Keys would you find a man-made channel marked with PVC pipes and toilet seats! Crazy!!

One evening, we met up with some other Key's friends, Bill & Lisa, and their friends Lyle and Peggy in Marathon for dinner. (We met them on the river cruise 2 years ago.) It was so good to see them again!

It was a great trip and we played hard, ate & drank well and thoroughly enjoyed our time down south!

Fishing Mojo is back!

We had a really fun weekend with Ray & Lily! Since the seas were not conducive for fishing on Friday, we did a land tour of Stuart. Ray & Lily were successful in their quest for outdoor artwork and they learned more about the area too!

The afternoon afforded us an opportunity to take the boat out on the river/intercoastal waterway and explore more of the area. We canal-cruised through some nice neighborhoods and down to the "pocket" with the marinas and restaurants.

Everyone was looking forward to getting out and catch some fish! An early departure from the dock on Saturday and we were setting up shop. The first sign our mojo was back catching bait. (Haven't done that in a while.) We tried several tactics with rigged bait, lures, and other tricks and finally hooked a mahi mahi. We also tried drifting with a few of the baits we had left, but no luck. (There was a sailfish that appeared interested, but didn't bite.)

So many 'national geographic moments': stingray free-jumping, flying fish, turtles, sharks playing and beautiful water in the Atlantic.

It was a long day, but the weather was beautiful, the skies clear and the breeze a little cool.

Thanks Ray & Lily for spending the weekend at the Fish Camp!

Women's Only Football Clinic - What a blast!

Lynne and I signed up for the Women's Only Football Clinic. We had a fun time and learned a lot! We started off with a tour of the training facility, locker room, several presentation rooms and a cool 3-D video complete with glasses, press conference with the coaches wives and then onto outdoor activities where we got to practice some offensive and defensive moves.

Coach Amato tells us about the Defense.

Coach Fisher talks (really fast) about the Offense.

We learn some of the new NCAA rules (mostly penalties) from the refs. And got to ask the Coaches wives many questions.

And then a few players arrived to show off their uniforms. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see their underarmor. They were good sports and tolerated 250 women oohing and ahhing.

Then outside to the practice field, to stretch and run drills.




It was a great experience and now we'll be ready for football season. Put us in Coach!

Garnet & Gold Game

It's spring-time and that means the annual scrimmage football game takes place in Tallahassee! We had a fun tailgate and the weather turned out to be perfect. There must have been a big umbrella over the stadium and parking lots because the ominous skies blew past us.

Lots of food, friends and fun at our 'practice' tailgate and we celebrated Donna's b-day. (We were even complimented by some of the 'youngsters' how cool our tailgate camp was!)


And oh yes, after all that, we had a game to watch. :) In the end, the defense looked really good! Hopefully they will use the next few months and work out the kinks.