It’s officially the windy season, so finding good days for offshore trips can sometimes be more challenging this time of year. It is not unusual to find ourselves fishing the reef when the weather’s too rough, but we managed some tremendous offshore action last week. William Cully had a full day booked on Main One with Captain Marty Lewis for October 22. When William originally booked a full day offshore, Katie Lewis told him that weather could be a factor when fishing offshore in the late fall.

William had the right attitude. He wanted to enjoy time with his family but also hoped to catch some Tuna and Dolphinfish (Mahi) if the opportunity arose. Katie explained that while Tuna is possible in late fall (weather permitting), Dolphinfish can be challenging to find late in the year. Katie let William know that Captain Marty is a pro and that as long as it’s safe, he would be happy to give it a go.

When October 22 came around, Captain Marty Lewis was up to the challenge as always! Since live baiting at the Hump has been pretty successful lately, Captain Marty and his first mate went and caught bait early that morning. The wind was already blowing hard from the North, but they used the island as a windbreak, tossing their 12-foot nets and catching enough pilchards to fill their numerous live wells.

William arrived around 8 am with his daughter Madison, who was accompanied by her husband and his brother. The two brothers, Rick and Bobby, were excited for a day on the water. Once Captain Marty gave them the safety run down, they headed out of the Coco Plum cut.

Captain Marty pointed his vessel southeast towards the Marathon Hump. It was 77 degrees, winds blowing 25mph out of the Northeast. Getting there with the wind at their back would take little time, but Captain Marty knew the 27 miles home would take much longer. But the Main One is a 49′ vessel, and Captain Marty is a very seasoned Captain; he knew he could get them home safely.

With only about a mile to go before they reached the Hump, Captain Marty spotted a frigate bird working the deck and pulled alongside to spot some Dolphinfish. William was in luck! Everyone sprang into action; lines were being cast out left and right. Before they knew it, they had at least ten nice-sized schoolies and gaffers flopping around in the fish box. Mahi was definitely on the menu!

After catching the Mahi, Captain Marty spotted a frigate still circling the area and noticed a log in the distance. This is where experience and a well-trained set of eyes come into play! The ocean was rough, and the sky overcast; challenging conditions for spotting floaters, but perfect for catching Wahoo!

Captain Marty instructed his mate to grab their nomad and fathom lures and get ready to high-speed troll for some Wahoo. The mate quickly dropped back the lures, and Marty lined up the Main One to troll at around 10 knots. Like clockwork, the rod went off, and the drags started to scream. Fish On!

The high-speed hook-up most likely made a pretty large hole in the fish’s mouth, so Marty kept the boat in gear as they fought the fish to prevent any slack in the line. Once the fish was close, everyone cheered at the site of the beautiful 40lb. Wahoo! The mate gaffed the fish and put it in the fish box, and if you know Captain Marty, you know he didn’t stop there!

Captain Marty took another pass at the log and got bit again. This time a 20lber. He did it again, this time a double header! Captain Marty kept making passes at that log until they had TEN Wahoo raging from 10-40lbs in the box! It was unbelievable; this is the kind of stuff Captain Marty lives for! The charter was amazed; everyone was high-fiving and screaming with excitement.

By the time the magical floating log had run out of Wahoo, it was only 11am. While having a banner day in the fish box was fantastic, William had also asked for Blackfin Tuna. Captain Marty knew he still had work to do!

Everyone said goodbye to the amazing log that had given them so much, and they headed to the Hump to begin live-baiting for Blackfin Tuna. It was still overcast, which is also a good sign for Blackfin Tuna fishing. Like the Wahoo they had just caught, Blackfin Tuna have excellent eyesight, and cloudy days usually give them an advantage over their prey. These fish are also thought to be less likely to see fishing lines in the water when it is cloudy, leading to more bites.

They chummed up the bigger Blackfin’s from the deep water with a bunch of the live bait they caught that morning. Not long after, some nice-sized Blackfin Tuna began leaping out of the water behind the Main One as they chased the ‘freebies.’

The group started casting live baits behind the boat on spinning reels, and it was game on! The Tuna bite was excellent. However, the sharks were at the Hump in full force, and they were just as hungry!

The Sharks were aggressive, and some were huge, weighing in at hundreds of pounds. Thankfully, Captain Marty had some great anglers onboard, and they were able to get 10 Blackfin Tuna past the sharks and into the box. Now that the group had secured their limit of Tunas, it was time to head home. They had three spectacular species to take home: Mahi, Wahoo, and Blackfin Tuna. This combo is known as a Bluewater Slam if you catch one of each species in one trip, and they had 10 of each!

As Captain Marty started to head back home with 10 Bluewater Slams in the fish box, he had to take it nice and slow. The wind still blew from the North, which meant he would have to navigate 6-8′ seas head-on the whole way home. Captain Marty took his time to ensure the passengers would be safe and to avoid any issues with the vessel. The clients decided they were worn out from all the catching and laid down in the Main One cabin to rest. As they woke up, it was like a new day! The overcast skies were now sunny, and as they crossed the reef, the water was calmer, allowing them to take a few fish out for photos.

Returning to the marina, they removed the fish from the fish box, hung them on the fish rack, and took many photos while Captain Marty and crew fileted the fish.

Fortunately for William and his group, we now offer to pack and ship our client’s fish home for them. Katie sure had her work cut out for vacuum-sealing William’s impressive haul!

After last week’s trip, William is fishing with Captain Marty and some friends today to see if he can have another great day on the water. We will update you soon on how that trip goes.

Planning a trip to the Florida Keys? Give us a call at (305) 289-0071 or visit our contact page to book your next high-seas adventure! And don’t worry about lugging a cooler full of fish through the airport – we can take care of that for you too!