Sunset Trip

Phil Cacciatore brought his grandsons down for an afternoon of Tarpon fishing. We had 2 hookups and went 2 for 2. Brian and Kenny Cronin each caught their first ever Tarpon. These boys are really good anglers and caught their fish in half the time it takes most folks. They did it by using the Fox Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo. By putting the rodtip down to the water's surface and pulling the line right over the Tarpon's back it quickly breaks the spirit of the Tarpon and cuts the fight time in half. These boys kicked butt. With the 8ft Sailfish Trek rod you can hold it with both hands and really put the pressure on. It was fun to watch these boys figure it out and do the job.

Brian Cronin with his first ever Tarpon using the
Fox Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo to land it

Grandpa Phil Cacciatore took the boys fishing

hold still all I want is your DNA

Kenny Cronin with his first ever Tarpon using
the Fox Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo

Sailfish Trek

scraping a bit of DNA for scientific research

Congratulations to both of you.

Captain Skip Nielsen

Spring Break is a very busy time here in the Keys.

Ben Friedman and his ladyfriend Mallory took a break from college for some Sharkfishing. Ben has been shark fishing in the keys since he was a little boy and is fascinated by them. Off we headed to Cape Sable way across Florida Bay. At the mouth of one of the rivers we set up using frest mullet for bait on an incoming tide. At days end the couple had released 7 Bulls, 4 Lemon's and 2 Blacktips for a baker's dozen. Some sore arms there. The couple used the Fox Trek Boat rod XT's fitted with the EOS 50 reels. These rods really did the job on the sharks today. Ben called me the next morning and said later they fished that night off their dock and caught 2 more Lemonsharks. Wow you would think they might have been tired.

Ben and Mallory using the Fox Trek Boat rod XT's
on a double header of Bullsharks

Backcountry Bullshark

another double of Sharks on the EOS 50 reels and Fox Trek XT Boat rods

Mallory's first Shark. Ben did the wiring

On Friday John Wachter joined me. He had never caught a Tarpon so we gave it a try. After castnetting some very lively mullet for bait we set up shop in a nearby channel. John used the Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo today for his fishing. His first Tarpon of the day was a giant estimated at 150lbs. We chased and fought this fish for over 2 hours and ended up 2 miles offshore in  the Atlantic headed for Cuba. John did an excellent job with the 8' Sailfish Trek. After that we set up and again John hooked another Tarpon. This one over 100lbs.  We then spent an hour poling some flats hoping to get a fish to take a fly. Not much luck there.  To finish we caught fresh bait and headed back to the same channel and John caught yet another Tarpon giving him 3 releases for the day. I think he is spoiled for life now. He loved seeing them jump.

first ever Tarpon est. 150lbs.

John Wachter used Fox Sailfish Trek Diablo 750
combos on 3 Tarpon he released

John Wachter with his third Tarpon of the day

My next 2 days were spent with Bryce Henderson. He is visiting from the UK. We fished yesterday evening down at Channel 2. Bryce released 2 Tarpon on this trip using the Tarpon Spincast EOS 30 combo. We had a couple more fish on but one chaffed thru 100lb trace and the other jumped off. This morning after catching a dozen live mullet Bryce caught his first Tarpon of the day by 8:30.  Then the wind switched to the South West. Tarpon were rolling everywhere but we could not buy a bite. Not giving up we ran down to Channel 5 bridge and at noon Bryce hooked and landed his second Tarpon of the morning. 2 for 2. Slow fishing but great results. Bryce used the Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo on this on. All Bryce's Tarpon were hitting live mullet on the surface and gave us a great show.

Mid morning Tarpon Channel 5

this morning's trip produced 2 more Tarpon releases for Bryce Henderson

Bryce Henderson released 2 Tarpon this afternoon using the
Fox Trek Tarpon Spincast fitted with an EOS 30 reel

just when Bryce thoutht the Tarpon was done
he rolled and got a breath of air and a fresh start

A weather change tonight but nothing major, plenty of fish are in town.

Captain Skip Nielsen

Day of Doubles!

Peter Aiello and Chance Timms joined me today. Chance was really keen to catch something large. We headed in the the backcounty after cast netting plenty of live mullet for bait. Seeing that we had a very low slack tide I opted to spend a little time in one of the drains. All the flats were out of the water and the fish get concentrated in these small channels while waiting for the tide to come in. Using the Bonefish Trek Diablo 350 combos the boys hooked a nice double header of Redfish. It was interesting as Chance hooked up first and a bigger fish was chasing his around and all Pete had to do was drop his lure in next to the other fish and he was on. Pete's fish was a beauty.

Chance with his Redfish

Pete Aiello with his big Redfish

Pete and Chance catching a double of Redfish on
the Bonefish Trek Diablo 350 combos

Now the tide was starting in so we anchored in a nearby channel. First Chance jumped off a Tarpon, Too bad. But next he fought and landed a 6ft Lemon Shark. After a couple Blacktip Sharks and no more Tarpon I decided with the conditions that we should run back to Islamorada and fish some oceanside channels.

Upon anchoring we saw Tarpon rolling, a great sign. There were quite a few other boats fishing but no one was hooking up. With the wind at 20 mph and the water temp at 70 it is still on the cool side. Well we waited and as the tide was just about all the way our Pete hooked up a nice Tarpon, Lots of jumps. Chance did some video on his I phone which I will attach. The Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo performed flawlessly as usual.

Pete's Tarpon with Indian Key in background

Next Chance (ha ha) had 2 more chances and they got away. One went thru the 100lb trace and the other just came unglued. This guy wanted a Tarpon so badly, It was now 4pm and the tide was slack. Chance asked me when is your next open day. Full up I said but lets give it the first hour of the incoming. Well it worked out At 435 Chance hooked up and Pete hooked up as well. After a great battle Chance got his Tarpon and a great jumping release at the boat.

Standing Tall

Chance has his release while Pete is still doing battle.

I was able to scrape DNA samples from both Tarpon today. Pete's hookup turned out to be a big Nurse Shark.

Captain Skip Nielsen

Saint Patricks Day Backyard Fishing

A great day off but with no clouds in the sky also a great day for sightfishing.

My wife Cyd loves her flyfishing. We rigged up for Tarpon and began poling the boat along the edge of some flats between Shell Key and Lignumvitae Key. No Tarpon but a school of Crevalle Jack came cruising by and Cyd got a nice cast off and caught one of these tough battlers. After Trout fishing last summer in the rivers of Montana she was amazed at how hard this Jack fought.

Cyd's consolation prize. Stll a great fight on a Fox Trek Fly rod

Later at another flat we came across a school of Permit. I should have said here comes more jacks. Saying Permit was all it took for Cyd to fall apart. Oh well. If you don't get excited why be there.

Next we had a 3 bagger of Tarpon cruise by and a good cast was made but not a look. Some more poling and hunting but now the wind was really up and the tide was low. Close by was a big mullet mud. Dirty, cloudy water formed by the mullet feeding on the bottom. With a toss of the cast net we secured 2 dozen. Off we headed for one of my favorite channels close to home.

No action for an hour but as the tide started sweeping in we started to see rolling Tarpon and a free-jumper. Cyd hooked up shortly and spent 30 minutes fighting and releasing a 90 lb Tarpon. She used the Fox Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo to catch her Tarpon.

Catchin Tarpon in your backyard

Cyd use's the Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo to catch a
Tarpon on St.Patricks Day

zoomed in on the backyard pic

A great ending to a no pressure day.

Captain Skip Nielsen

Tarpon Season is here!

Fishing report for March 14th
The wind is still blowing but the last few days have seen it moderating around 15mph. 

Tarpon have moved into the bridge channels since the last cold front and are chowing down on crabs during the outgoing tides. Some of the guides have reported 6 bites during a 4 hour session. Yesterday I fished the backcountry channels with Dick Alt and Bob Leef. Tarpon were our target and we ended up with a super day.

Bob caught and released an estimated 100lb Tarpon first using live mullet. He caught his fish on a Fox Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo. Bob and Dick prefer using the Fox spinning tackle over the conventional reels. Both agreed that the eight foot long Sailfish Trek rod really helps out when the fish circle the boat and how easily they can clear the motor and the bow.

Bob Leef and Dick Alt prefer using spinning
tackle for Tarpon and Shark fishing

Bob Leef catching his Tarpon

lots of jumps out of this Tarpon

when a Tarpon comes up and gulps air it is called Rolling

We had fished all morning only..... catching sharks but on our 4th move after seeing a freejumping Tarpon we were in the right place. Dick hooked a Tarpon at 1:30 and it was 2 hours before this fish finally gave up. Constant pressure was put on by expert angler Dick Alt. 30lb Horizon Braid  was spooled on the reels. This fish we estimated at 150lbs easily maybe larger. When we finally released this fish we were 2 miles from where we dropped our anchor buoy. This was one tough fish. Sometimes I will tell an angler the fish is tough because it has not jumped much. This fish jumped 11 times and was still strong at the boat when released. At one point after a series of 4 grey hound jumps Dick looked at me and said "This is Fun". I might mention that Dick is in his 70's and is in great shape. Congrads on a fish of a lifetime.

Bow to the King

Dick Alt applied maximum pressure using the
Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo.
This jump comes after the one hour mark

Dick Alt fought this estimated 150lb fish for 2 hours

we counted eleven jumps

Two hours of constant pressure to
finally tire this beast of a Tarpon

Finally Dick Alt has his fish of a lifetime boat side

Well Tarpon season is on and I am excited to be a part of it. I still am using the same Diablo 750 reels that I have been using for 2 years now and have caught countless sharks and big Tarpon and Goliath Grouper and have not, I repeat not, had to take one apart for any repairs. I just oil be bail arms and the reel handles and that is it. This is the most bullet proof reel I have ever used.

Captain Skip Nielsen

Tarpon, Lemon & Bull Sharks in Windy Conditions

But the fish still have to eat. This past Friday George Witts and Lance Schilizzi and friend Tom had a good day on the water. We cast netted fresh live mullet for bait and targetted some big fish in the morning. Tom started off right away with a nice 80lb Tarpon. Then Lance caught a huge Nurse Shark. Next it was Tom with Bull Shark then Lance with a big Lemon Shark. Finally George came tight and landed a respectable Goliath Grouper. For the big action we used Sailfish Trek rods fitted with Diablo 750 spinning reels and Trek Boat XT rods fitted with EOS conventional reels. The action was not on fire but everyone got to catch a large fish.

taking a DNA sample for research

Tom catches this 75lb Tarpon using a
Fox Sailfish Trek  Diablo 750 combo

Bullshark at the boat

George Witts pumps a Goliath up with the
Trek Boat XT rod fitted with an EOS 50 reel

Lance releases a Goliath Grouper for George .
The EOS 50 Trek Boat XT rod combo can put the brakes on

Lance uses the Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo on a Bullshark

Large Lemon Shark

Lemon Fac

We spent the afternoon light tackle fishing. Caught were a  limit of Mangrove Snapper. Released were many more snappers and ladyfish, seatrout and Spanish mackerel. The wind was a steady 20mph all day but we stay close to the banks and in channels so it was not uncomfortable. The Fox Rage Ultralight rods and Diablo 350 spinning reels and also the Bonefish Trek Spin rods were the tackle used on aciton fishing.

Barry caught Spanish Mackerel

Mangrove Snapper were headed for the dinner table

Sunday was another very windy day. My lifelong friend and Doctor Joanne Mahoney spent an action  packed afternoon fishing. Using the light tackle again we fished a number of different bomb holes. Lots of Grouper, Snapper, Mackerel and Ladyfish were caught and we really had a great time.

Doctor Mahoney ued the Bonefish Trek Spin
Diablo 350 combo on this Red Grouper

Joanne with Gag Grouper on the
Rage Ultralight Diablo 350 combo

Taking a few days off but gearing up for Tarpon season. The winds are supposed to come down by the weekend. I start my sunset Tarpon trips next week and can't wait. Live mullet getting chased by big hungry Tarpon.

Captain Skip Nielsen

Mixed Conditions, Mixed Catches!

March 2nd to 5th 2012
Dick and Ken Ault and good friend Larry Gadjerowicz spent a few days with me this past weekend. The plan was to mix it up and show Larry a good time.

Day one the weather was warm and the wind was Southeast. Conditions were still favorable to try and catch a Tarpon in the backcountry. The Tarpon action had slowed today but Larry came up with a 130 lb fish that must have jumped 10 times. Larry used the Sailfish Trek Diablo 750 combo to catch his fish. Quite a few medium sized sharks were biting today as well.

Larry with his Tarpon putting on a show. The eight foot
Sailfish Trek rod and 750 Diablo reel can
handle big Tarpon and Sharks all day long

Larrry Tarpon flying leap

Day two the wind was up out of the South. We spent the morning fishing with Rage Ultralight rods paired with Diablo 350 reels.We fished the Transition Zone. It is on the outer edges of Florida Bay just as you get to the Gulf of Mexico. Using Fox Rage Ultalight 185 rods paired with Diablo 350 reels we spent an action packed morning catching Seatrout, Ladyfish, Mangrove Snapper and Spanish Mackerel. Dick Ault loves catching Sharks so we hung a ladyfish butterflied off the back and soon Dick was catching Sharpnose Sharks one after the other. Great fun catching these on the ultralight tackle.

Dick Ault caught this Atlantic Sharpnose Shark on the
Fox Rage Ultalight 185 rod fitted with a
Diablo 350 spinning reel

Larry with a nice Seatrout caught on the
Rage 185 rod paired with a 350 Diablo spinning reel

We moved to a spot further out and sent big baits to the bottom in hope of catching a really big shark. Not one but three "Mud Marlin" (sawfish) were caught and released. That gave the Fox Trek XT Boat rods a real workout. My anglers did a bit of tag teaming as these fish are back busters. Also caught were some big Nurse Shark and Blacktips.  After getting abused by these big fish the boys decided to call it an early day and head back to the pool are rest their backs.

Ken Ault puts the pressure on a big bottom dweller
using the Fox Boat rod XT paired with an EOS 50 spooled
with Horizon 65lb braid

The Fox Trek Boat rod XT is my choice for the really big critters

Three of these Mud Marlin were released today

Day 3 we decided to stay close and fish on the Atlantic side of the keys. A strong cold front was due around mid day so the reef patches were a good option. The wind was freshening all morning out of the south west. Fishing was very good. All sorts of Grouper, Yellowtail, Hogfish ect were caught. Dick caught the fish of the day. A Gag Grouper of about 15 lbs caught on a Bonefish Trek Diablo 350 combo. By 1pm a squall line moved through. By this time we were at the dock cleaning our catch. The wind switch to Northwest and was gusting to 40 mph. By morning it was 54 degrees.

Dick Ault captured this splendid Gag Grouper on a
Bonefish Trek Diablo 350 combo

My wife's niece and her husband were in town staying with us and I had promised a fishing trip to husband Brandt. I told him conditions were extreme but we could find something to catch. With the north wind blowiing a steady 25 fished on some close in reef patches on the Atlantic side somewhat in the lee. Not much to start with but after a move we got into a bite of Red Grouper. Brandt used Bonefish Trek Diablo 350 combos for this fun.

Brandt catching Cudas around the lighthouse

Brandt Snedeker used Fox Bonefish Trek rods
fitted with Diablo 350 reels on a dozen Grouper

Brandt used Permit Trek rods fitted with
Diablo 550 reels for the Barracuda

The wind died down somewhat and now a school of ballyhoo were chummed up behind the boat. I cast netted a couple dozen and we pulled anchor. Hoping for a Sailfish we spent 2 hours on the dropoffs. Very quiet so I decided to give Brandt some action near Alligator Reef Lighthouse with some Barracuda. A good move. Brandt had a blast catching a releasing a dozen of these toothy critters before time to head in.

Yesterday and today the winds are really up and we are tied up to the dock.

Captain Skip Nielsen