You may have noticed it has been a few weeks longer than usual since our last post. That is because we’ve been hard at work on our new website, which will be launching before the end of the year! A lot has happened since our Fourth of July post, but we’ll keep you updated with new posts until we catch you up. Following the Fourth, we had some offshore fishing charters leading up to the mini-season. As many of you know, toward the end of July, the famous spiny lobster mini-season took place in the Florida Keys. Here is an update on how all of that went!
Fishing Update
On Monday, July 28th, we had the Irwin family on the Main One, with Captain Marty, and the Lancer grouper on Main Attraction with Captain Alex. Toward the tail-end of the summer season, we noticed some inconsistencies with the Mahi fishing. One day, you go offshore and they are everywhere, and you can catch your limit. The next day, you head offshore, and there are a lot of little fish, but they’re not interested in eating. This particular Monday, however, the mahi fishing was great!
Both the Irwin and Lancer groups caught plenty of mahi meat, and the Irwin family got a shot at a huge cow dolphinfish. Captain Marty told his party that it was the largest cow (female) he had seen in a while. Tyler was the angler who caught the trophy cow, and when they returned to the dock, they measured it, and it was 63″ long!
Tyler wanted to remember his fishing experience with the Main Attraction crew, so he ordered a replica fiberglass mount with Gray Taxidermy. We can’t wait to see pictures of it hanging on his wall!
On Tuesday, July 29th, we had the nicest family with the cutest little junior angler. The Roepke family chartered the Reel One, which is our newest vessel. Captain Marty took the Roepkes to the reef where they caught yellowtail snapper, a bonita, and a shark with their son. Although the fishing wasn’t red hot, they had a ball with the family and kept the little guy very entertained. After cleaning up the boat that day, it was time to rest up for Day One of Lobster Mini-Season, which would begin just a few hours later when midnight struck.
Day One Mini-Season
Every year, Captain Marty’s extended family, consisting of aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, etc., comes to the Florida Keys to participate in the sport mini lobster season. In years past, Main Attraction would close this particular week so the Lewis family could leave town for vacation, avoiding the crowded water. This year, they decided to stay and fish as many trips as possible while still finding some time to spend with family and push their vacation for later in the season.
On the opening night of the lobster season, Captain Marty invited some of his family members to go bully netting with him on a new boat that he had put together for this purpose. This was a different technique from the diving they were used to.
Since you can’t dive at night for lobster as it is both illegal and dangerous, Bully netting is a nighttime fishing method where a boat with powerful lights is used to locate spiny lobsters that have left their daytime hiding spots to feed in shallow, grassy areas.
Once a lobster is spotted, you use a long-handled net to approach and scoop it up from the seafloor quietly. Captain Marty’s extended family had a blast doing it, and within a few hours, they had reached their limit, all while experiencing something new!
After a late night, the Lewis family decided to sleep in and head out on the water whenever they pleased on Wednesday morning. With the boat loaded and sandwiches packed, they were ready to enjoy the calm, sunny day. They checked several rocks just off Marathon, but some were too murky to see well around. Marty’s son, Captain Alex Lewis, suited up with a scuba tank and hit the bottom to tickle out some lobsters that were deeper into a rock. It worked out well as Alex managed to catch a few keeper Lobsters on that rock.
After several more stops, they decided that rather than deal with all the boat traffic, they would head towards the sandbar and meet up with other family members. They relaxed with the family and caught up on their recent adventures. Katie Lewis expressed gratitude to her loved ones for a much-needed break and showed her appreciation for the paradise they’re lucky to live in.
That evening, Captain Marty took the Lee family out on a bully netting charter. He welcomed them aboard, gave them the rundown of the boat, and started to head towards skinny water. Within a few hours, the group had their lobster limit and were heading back to the marina. They had such a blast that they couldn’t wait to do it again, so they booked the following night to come back out again with even more family members!
Day Two Mini-Season
Thursday Morning, again, the Lewis family took it nice and easy. At this point, they weren’t in a rush to catch more lobster; they were having more fun just spending time with the family and enjoying the weather than anything else. They checked out a few spots, which had already been hit, so there weren’t any lobsters left.
Captain Marty was lucky enough to spot a legal red grouper hiding in one of the rocks. He swam back to the boat as quickly as possible, grabbed a spear gun, and went back down to shoot it. He was successful, and they laughed about how a nice red grouper for dinner was a heck of a consolation prize!
After trying their luck at a few more holes, they decided to head to the sandbar again, this time meeting up with some other family members. In a nutshell, Captain Marty has a huge extended family, and his wife Katie still has trouble keeping track of all of them, even after being married to him for 10 years!
That night, Marty guided the Lee family on their second bully netting charter. They had another successful trip, making for a perfect end to a wonderful Florida Keys Mini-Season.
Planning a trip to the Florida Keys? Let us show you the beautiful waters we call home. Reach out by giving us a call at (305) 289-0071 or visiting our contact page to get started on your adventure.
