I recently had the pleasure of taking a wonderful family from Stephenville, Texas, on a memorable fishing adventure. Loretta called me to book a ¾ day for her family’s Florida Keys vacation. Her husband Tony had fishing in the Florida Keys on his bucket list, and his wonderful wife made it happen for his 50th birthday! Tony and Loretta have three great kids: Toby (14), Ty (12), and Tara (10).
Their kids love to fish at home in their creek, where they catch largemouth Bass, Catfish, and bluegill. Sometimes, Tony & Lorreta take the kids to Lake Conroe to catch lake trout. They have also taken them to fish on the Brazos and the Bosque rivers in Hico, Texas. Of the three children, Ty is the most avid fisherman. Loretta told me that ever since he was little, he could sit still for up to three hours while waiting for a bite!
Back home, the kids like to compete with each other for lures and fishing gear. If they get word that Mom has a gift card for a local tackle shop, they suddenly get really interested in doing their chores!
Tony & Loretta rented a house for the week, and the kids enthusiastically caught fish there at 7 am every morning. They proudly explained how they were catching Mangrove Snapper, Grunts, and Pinfish. They mentioned a few stubborn parrotfish hanging around that they couldn’t hook due to their serious set of chompers.
When I met the family, I knew it would be a fun day. While I love seeing a kid’s face when they catch their first fish, these kids already knew they loved fishing, so it makes my job pretty easy. I just need to put them on some fish and give them a few pointers here and there.
We had a ¾ day booked and left at 8:30 am. We went past the lighthouse and anchored on the reef. The kids mostly caught Yellowtail Snapper, and the older son, Toby, also caught a Blue Runner which fought hard on the really light tackle. I told them that Blue Runner is considered a baitfish down here, but I have heard from some people that they aren’t bad to eat! Some say it makes a pretty tasty ceviche if you aren’t afraid of the fishy taste. Being an adventurous family, they told me they would try it and report back!
After they had plenty of fish in the box for a few meals, I asked if they wanted to hit some spots inshore for a wider variety of smaller fish or take a chance for something much bigger. It was anonymous; the kids wanted something big, so I took them wreck fishing.
I checked out a few spots, and nothing looked great until my third location, roughly 200 feet of water. Fish finder was looking good, so we dropped a bait. We hooked up right away, but the fish on the line was too big for them and broke the line off on the rocks. We tried a second pass, and again, the large fish on the line escaped into the nearby structure. On the third pass, I asked the family if I could fight the fish off the bottom just to give them a little more room to get it up, and they agreed.
After hooking the third big fish, I wound hard and got it maybe 30 feet off the bottom before handing it off to the family. The kids took turns, while Dad helped them throughout the process. I love seeing families work together as a team to try and fight a big fish!
It was hilarious because the Kids were voluntarily putting on their life jackets for fear that the fish would yank them overboard! Eventually, we got the fish to the boat, and it was just as I had expected, a nice sized Greater Amberjack. The kids went nuts once they saw the fish, which was the best part of my day!
The kids took photos with the fish, and then I showed them how to ventilate it properly so we could release it safely and catch it another day. After that, I asked them what they wanted to do, and the family all decided that they were tuckered out and happy to finish on a high note!
I took them in, and they hung out at the dock while I cleaned and bagged their fish. The kids were thrilled to see a big manatee show up as it hunted for some freshwater. I told Tony and Loretta about Robbie’s in Islamorada and how the kids would likely get a kick out of feeding the tarpon by hand.
I caught up with the family after their trip to ask if I could write this article about them, and they reported that they went to Robbies for lunch after their trip and had a blast. They also tried the blue runner for ceviche and reported that everyone but Lorreta thought it was delicious. Loretta said she soaked it in lime juice overnight to help cut through the oil, but it wasn’t for her. She wasn’t surprised, though; the rest of the family likes Mackerel, too!
Are you planning your next Florida Keys getaway? I would love to help make it unforgettable! Get in touch at (305) 481.4568, visit my contact page, or book online right now! I hope to see you soon!
Captain Jeff Shelar