Spring fishing is ready to kick off!

Sometimes it pays to reach out at the last minute, which is what my little group did yesterday. On a spur-of-the-moment trip to the beach, they decided to try a private charter instead of their usual head boat trips. Fortunately, I had an opening for an afternoon kids' trip, so we were on! We waited out a line of thunderstorms and made it out onto the water at around 3pm. The wind had died out and the seas were beautiful and calm in the trail of the squalls, which made for perfect conditions to troll the beach for Spanish. On the downside, the storm had scattered the fish and driven them down, so we couldn't really count on feeding birds or surface feeding to find them... we just had to hunt. The hunting wasn't too difficult though, and we had our first bluefish before I even got my second line set out. It was no monster, but 14 year-old McKinley brought it to the boat like a seasoned pro. Throughout the afternoon, we hit the scattered blues and Spanish, releasing the blues in favor of the tastier mackerel. The little family just wanted enough for a nice dinner, so that's what we got. At the end of the trip, we'd released a small pile of bluefish and some undersized Spanish to send Amanda, Brandon, and McKinley home with eight, perfect-sized fish. The last I heard, the plan was fish tacos. I'm betting it went great! This is a great time of year to get out there and get some fish tacos for yourself! Come on down!

Had a 3hr Kids' trip last weekend, and sorry to say we didn't get on the fish. It's a bit early to be fishing nearshore, but I had high hopes for an early bonito or maybe a bluefish... but it wasn't to be. With that in mind, the season is just starting. With a regular half-day trip, we can get a little further offshore and by all accounts, it's hot and getting hotter with Atlantic bonito and even some early Spanish mackerel. Longer trips can get us out to the early kings. Nothing is ever guaranteed, but 2026 is officially underway and we're ready to get out there and get 'em! Come join us!

The ocean temps are dropping pretty quickly now, and most of the fish we're after have moved south, or out to the Gulf Stream. That means it's time to pull the rods and reels off the boat, clean and service all the gear, and take a break (although we're always looking for those perfect opportunities to head to the Stream). I want to send out a big thank you to the good folks who fished with us in the 2025 season. It was a pleasure and a privilege to have you aboard, and I hope to see you again in 2026. I will add that this time of year is a pretty great time for taking a boat ride on the inshore waters. Check out our listings on BoatBooker, and let us get you out there for a relaxing day with less crowds, less boat traffic, and lovely, cool weather.