Greetings from a very windy Key West. I guess it is official, we are into the fall/winter weather pattern. Since the latest cold front went through Monday the ocean has not been fit for humans to fishing. Winds have been a steady 25 knots with plenty of higher gusts. I have cancelled the trip this weekend, It was a easy call. Looking back the trip after the holiday has been cursed the last few years. I love the fishing in November but the weathers usually tough. Combine that with the El Nino we will be experiencing this winter I am afraid it looks like it is going to be windy winter.
A couple of trips to report. The last 2 day trip of the year started out ok. Decent pick of mixed snapper and groupers. As the day went along the wind continued to increase. at 10:00 PM on Saturday night I called the trip. It was obvious most people were just going to sleep through the night and our mobility was limited as well. If you were on the trip please contact the office. I decided to just to comp everyone another 2 day trip. Hopefully when you do come back the conditions will be better.
Let’s talk about the last trip. First off the weather was spectacular. The drifting conditions were perfect. The bite was steady. The fish came in waves. All the usual suspects made it to the fish boxes. We did finish the trip with a strong bite. I wandered out to a area I had not fish before. We did three drifts in 350-450 feet. We had a very strong bite of queen snappers to 17 pounds and some quality groupers.
As usual pictures tell a thousand words-
Hopefully someone will post a report and I can link to it. When it was over everything was full. We had little ice left.
So things are winding down here. Only one trip left til the engine works starts. I was hoping the starboard engine would hang on and get me through til the end. However it is giving me a hard time. It is burning oil and smoking like a steam plant. I wanted to get the mechanics down this week and see what they think. However with the holiday it was not possible. So we will dive into that on Monday.
Lastly I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. We all have plenty to give thanks for especially here at the Yankee Capts. Have a great holiday weekend.
Capts. Greg