The weather this year has been challenging. We have had a lot of wind here in the Florida Keys, some weeks we have only been able to fish a day or two. Foodchain Fishing has made it our craft to fish the Gulf side of Marathon in the winter time. We have perfected techniques to catch plenty of Mangrove (Gray) Snapper, Mackerel and Yellowjacks for the dining pleasures of our clients. We also regularly tie into large sharks or Goliath Grouper for the sport of it. Our clients really enjoy the consistent action on light tackle as well as the calmer water that is found on the Gulf side this time of year. We are finding the fish on the grass patches north of Marathon. The technique that is the most fun is throwing a baited jig on a 15 pound leader out into the chum slick. As the bait sinks the smaller fish bat the bait around attracting the attention of the larger snapper. The snapper shoots in and grabs the bait and swims off, as the line is stripping from the open spool the patient fisherperson waits until they believe the fish has eaten the bait and then simply closes the bail, as the line draws tight the sharp hook finds its mark and the fight is on! Today the bite was mostly Snapper, and big snapper at that, so we just stayed right with them. Other days the Mackerel show up in the chum slick and we will cast bucktail jigs tipped with bait and retrieve it rapidly, enticing vicious strikes and ballistic runs. At the end of every trip our clients are happy with the fun fishing action and thankful that they had fished on the calm side of Marathon.

This couple from Michigan fished a short 3 hour sunset trip. What could be a better gift for your husband than a saltwater fishing trip? This crew enjoyed me fishing with the wife while the birthday boy was allowed to “fend” for himself. I’d say he did okay!!!

Good fishing on the calmer gulf side this week! This great fishing will continue through the winter!

Mom, dad and daughters alwys make for an exciting trip. Autumn winds have arrived so to keep our crews comfortable and provide a good time we used the island geography of our area to our advantage. Our trip started with an 11 mile run out to a group of islands to the north west. Oit first spot was on the windward side of the island. The island was diverting the direction of the tide and we immediately noticed the presence of much cooler water. We pulled the throttle back in 4 feet of water and the idled in a bit closer, finally dropping the anchor in about 30 inches of water. The bite was slow at first with lots of weeds. We changed up the tactics and put a bobber on the 8 year olds rod. Within 20 minutes of dropping the chum bag we were yelling " Bobber Down"! Things got busy as we converted the other lines from jigging to bobbers. Meanwhile we had a few sharks circling our boat so we threw a bait out on the heavy lifter. Back on the bobber side of the boat the young girls bobber went down the reel started screaming then the bopper went 6 feet into the air as a monster tarpon let us know that he meant business. The fight was short lived as the 12# snapper leader did not stand a chance against the beast. Returning to snapper fishing and adding a few to the bucket. Action was hot and on the shark side of the boat we saw a huge swirl then a plume of mud but the sharck rod did not move. The shark sliced the 11 inch bait right behind the hook leaving just the head. Replaced the bait and it was not long until the drag on the heavy lifter was singing. The shark was a small blacktip much smaller than the larger lemon we had seen earlier. With big predators in our slick the snapper bite shut off so we deicided to make a move to the deeper, leeward side of the island. The ladies were really getting a kick out of fishing with the bobbers, so we adjusted the hook to bobber lead and the action continued. Our 8 year old fishing champion nailed the biggest snapper of the trip. As a captain I really enjoy a family trip like this where the skill level varies and we can facilitate the fun of fishing for the entire crew.

The month of June marks the start of the hot snapper action on the reef. Right now it is Yellowtail snapper and we are finding them in the 35 -50 foot drops on the outer edge of the reef. The bonus rod has been picking up yellow jack and big sharks. Calm winds have been the norm, but when the wids blow we have had good success on the gulfside as well!

With just enough wind to make the reef uncomfortable we fished our July trips so far in the Gulf. Great fishing with plenty of snapper for the table and some grouper and sharks just for fun!