Just a warning...I'm gonna ramble a bit here
Just finished a quick trip to KW with my pops for a day of fishing with Captain Ted Lund of via OverUnder Charters (www.overundercharters.com)
I wanted to take my dad away for some sport fishing since it had been almost 15 years since we were last out on a boat together. Growing up he would take me on the head boats out of either Bellmar or Atlantic Highlands and got me interested in fishing. Today I surf fish but do like to sin and hit a boat every now and then. Here is a bit of a review of our weather shortened (but awesome) trip.
Booking was extremely easy with Michelle at their office. Very good correspondence via email and phone. By the time we left NJ I felt like all arrangements were set and very comfortable with our itinerary. We choose a package 2 full days of light tackle fishing on a 28"CC and 1/2 day on the flats with accommodations at the Doubletree Grand Key (breakfast and box lunch included).
Had correspondence with our Captain before hand to talk about what to bring and where to meet.
This was my first time in Key West but my dad had been there before....I just hope it wasn't for Fantasy Fest. KW is fantastic!!! The shops, bars/restaurants, and laid back way of life...it’s a very chill place and close enough for a quick get away. Getting there from Fort Lauderdale was great as we were in a prop plane with no cockpit door!
We head out for day 1 looking for some fresh bait in the shallows around the island. At first the Pelicans were having more luck then us but then we hit the alpha pod of bait fish. After a few throws of the net Captain Ted had a very full live well along with one small cudda. I forgot the specific name of the bait fish, it wasn't ballyhoo, but it was large enough for us to target some sail fish on spinning rod setups (Fin-Nor rod/reel). He ran us out a little ways to about 150 feet and we setup. We drifted for a while but winds were high and the water was getting a bit rough with 3-5's forming and whitecaps.
Since we didn't get any hits Captain decided to change the plan and head inland towards the reef on a slow troll. But with the winds (15-20) and current we didn't make much headway and didn't have a strike. Picked up our gear and ran the rest of way and anchored up on a reef.
We threw live bait in towards the bottom and my pops nailed his first AJ almost immediately. 15 minute fight and he had a nice 30+ lb on deck.
While he was rigging up again I hooked up with a Jack Crevalle on an ultra light Tsunami rod paired with a Fin-Nor reel with 12lb braid. I love the concept of light tackle fishing and recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it yet.
We then caught the following fish on ultra light tackle: Blue Runners, Yellowtail, Cobia....and then my dad saw something silver jump out of the water about 10-15 feet. The Kingfish had arrived for the fresh bait we were throwing over. I hooked up with the first King and he took me for a bit of a ride. Up and down the boat before we put him on deck.
Right after we took a picture my dad’s rod went off and after about 3 minutes of this King take line off the reel my dad had a great 20 minute fight with his ultra light tackle setup. This king took him around the CC 3 times before he put him on deck. Great to watch a fish kick his ***! Ended up being a 20+ lb king.
Day 2/3 did not work out because of the escalating NE blow and small craft advisory in effect so the end of the trip was a little bittersweet but we still had a great day of light tackle fishing off of KW.
Thanks OU for making the planning extremely easy and Thanks to Captain Ted Lund for putting us on the fish in difficult conditions. We will see you guys again!
-Jalto
Just finished a quick trip to KW with my pops for a day of fishing with Captain Ted Lund of via OverUnder Charters (www.overundercharters.com)
I wanted to take my dad away for some sport fishing since it had been almost 15 years since we were last out on a boat together. Growing up he would take me on the head boats out of either Bellmar or Atlantic Highlands and got me interested in fishing. Today I surf fish but do like to sin and hit a boat every now and then. Here is a bit of a review of our weather shortened (but awesome) trip.
Booking was extremely easy with Michelle at their office. Very good correspondence via email and phone. By the time we left NJ I felt like all arrangements were set and very comfortable with our itinerary. We choose a package 2 full days of light tackle fishing on a 28"CC and 1/2 day on the flats with accommodations at the Doubletree Grand Key (breakfast and box lunch included).
Had correspondence with our Captain before hand to talk about what to bring and where to meet.
This was my first time in Key West but my dad had been there before....I just hope it wasn't for Fantasy Fest. KW is fantastic!!! The shops, bars/restaurants, and laid back way of life...it’s a very chill place and close enough for a quick get away. Getting there from Fort Lauderdale was great as we were in a prop plane with no cockpit door!
We head out for day 1 looking for some fresh bait in the shallows around the island. At first the Pelicans were having more luck then us but then we hit the alpha pod of bait fish. After a few throws of the net Captain Ted had a very full live well along with one small cudda. I forgot the specific name of the bait fish, it wasn't ballyhoo, but it was large enough for us to target some sail fish on spinning rod setups (Fin-Nor rod/reel). He ran us out a little ways to about 150 feet and we setup. We drifted for a while but winds were high and the water was getting a bit rough with 3-5's forming and whitecaps.
Since we didn't get any hits Captain decided to change the plan and head inland towards the reef on a slow troll. But with the winds (15-20) and current we didn't make much headway and didn't have a strike. Picked up our gear and ran the rest of way and anchored up on a reef.
We threw live bait in towards the bottom and my pops nailed his first AJ almost immediately. 15 minute fight and he had a nice 30+ lb on deck.
While he was rigging up again I hooked up with a Jack Crevalle on an ultra light Tsunami rod paired with a Fin-Nor reel with 12lb braid. I love the concept of light tackle fishing and recommend it to anyone who hasn't tried it yet.
We then caught the following fish on ultra light tackle: Blue Runners, Yellowtail, Cobia....and then my dad saw something silver jump out of the water about 10-15 feet. The Kingfish had arrived for the fresh bait we were throwing over. I hooked up with the first King and he took me for a bit of a ride. Up and down the boat before we put him on deck.
Right after we took a picture my dad’s rod went off and after about 3 minutes of this King take line off the reel my dad had a great 20 minute fight with his ultra light tackle setup. This king took him around the CC 3 times before he put him on deck. Great to watch a fish kick his ***! Ended up being a 20+ lb king.
Day 2/3 did not work out because of the escalating NE blow and small craft advisory in effect so the end of the trip was a little bittersweet but we still had a great day of light tackle fishing off of KW.
Thanks OU for making the planning extremely easy and Thanks to Captain Ted Lund for putting us on the fish in difficult conditions. We will see you guys again!
-Jalto
