Captain Bob Bushholz
Jensen Beach, Florida
(772) 225-6436
Reservations requiredCall or E-mail for more Information.
E-mail Us at NIGHT TRIP SPECIAL - $200.00 PRIVATE CHARTERS.
ALL YEAR LONG!!!!' | | "Dry
Tortugas Trip"
Five of my friends and I departed at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February
13 for a 3-day fishing trip to the Dry Tortugas aboard the "Yankee
Capts" in Key West. We stopped in Islamorada at the Whale Harbor Inn
for our traditional blackened grouper sandwich. This place is the greatest
overlooking the charter boats that provide fresh fish to the restaurant
daily! When Capt. Mike Schultz caught up with us, he told me he had
purchased a flat of goggle-eyes in nearby Plantation for $24.00, so my
group backtracked 5 miles to pick up our own and then proceed south
towards Key West. Stopping at "Torch Key" Bridge to catch some
live pinfish produced excellent results. A can of cat food, a box of squid
and sabiki rigs did the trick, catching about 150 pinfish to use on the
boat.
We continued on to the marina (U.S. 1 to Stock Island which is the island
just before Key West). Take a left at the yellow flashing light and
continue to the Stop sign. Another left onto Route 941 takes you to the
Oceanside Marina at the end of the street. "Yankee Capts' is located
at the center dock.
The boat departed at 10:00 p.m. for the six-hour cruise to the fishing
grounds. Last year I stayed awake for the cruise, fearing the rest of the
people on board would throw me overboard. You see, when I sleep, my
snoring is loud enough to wake up Castro in nearby Cuba! By the time we
arrived at the fishing groups I was wiped out and slept most of the
"fishing hours". This year I just took my chances. I guess
everyone had their ear plugs, because I'm still here.
The first few drops were on the slow side with a few scattered snapper and
grouper. I believe the first day we never fished in over 120 feet due to
the seas. By the second half of the trip, the weather improved and we
headed deeper for the big boys. The first deep drop was 190 feet and
proved to be excellent! One guy caught four 20+ lb. mutton snapper in 45
minutes using a spinner and 40 lb. test. Sometimes it pays to downgrade on
your tackle. Everyone caught fish and had a great time. At one stop we ran
into live goggle-eyes, so everyone broke out their sabikis. No better bait
than fresh goggle-eyes. On another drop, an angler brought in a 20-lb.
octopus which is also excellent bait.
On Friday at 7:00 a.m., I was awakened by my buddy, Capt. Mike.
"They're chewing" he said. I went topside and saw that some
great fish had already been boated. Mike had just reeled in a 46 lb. black
grouper, which won the boat pool. By 9:30 a.m. it was time to reel up and
head back. We must have hit over 20 drops on the entire trip and we all
came home with some nice fish.
One of my favorite parts of the trip is "dinner" provided by
Yankee Capts.
They put out a real "spread". Marco's lasagna was on the menu
and was great. This is a super trip and I highly recommend it to everyone.
The Captain and crew are top notch, accommodations good and the galley is
spotless! On our trip home we stopped at Whale Harbor for their seafood
buffet. This place is without a doubt has the best one I've ever seen.
I've been stopping here for the last twenty years and is well worth it.
For those out there considering a Tortuga trip, check out the Yankee Capts
on their website at http://www.yankeecapts.com.
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