Fishing Update

Fishing the last few weeks has been AWESOME!! The all day trips have been catching a lot of grunts. We have had some great trips on Grouper as well. Of course, we can't keep the Gags until July1, but we have had some trips with up to 22 legal Red Grouper. We have been catching a few King Mackerel, up to 17 on one trip!! They require wire leaders to catch most of the time, so you may want to add some of those to your tackle box.

There will be no open, extended trips for Red Snapper this season. We have the first two weekends booked with private charters. The season was recently shortened from what they have originally given us. A lot of you know that I have been working with several Captains from around the Gulf to get a program approved through our Federal Government. That program is up for public comment for the next week. The more support we get from the public for this, the better chance it has of passing.

The program, if passed, would allow us to fish year round for Red Snapper so long as we didn't go over a set limit of fish given to us. If you would like to show support for this, please visit www.gulfheadboat.org. This site will walk you through and allow you to leave your name and opinion on this matter. It will then go directly to the National Marine Fisheries Department.

Please log on and show your support.

Long Awaited Update

Hey everyone, sorry for my laziness and lack of commenting on our blog. I will try to keep up better than I have been. Fishing has been pretty good as of late. Lots of Grunts, Sea Bass and Porgies on both the half and all day trips. We are catching plenty of nice Gag and Red Grouper, but unfortunately, they are out of season at this time. Red Grouper open for harvest on April 1, can't wait. Gags will open on July 1 and hopefully run till the middle of November this year. We are awaiting final word from the Gulf Council and NOAA. I am waiting for final decision for the 2013 Red Snapper season before trying to schedule any 14 hour trips. Stay tuned, as soon as I hear of the exact dates, I will try to schedule a trip or two. Looking like possibly a 27 day season.

We are excited about an upcoming project. The Double Eagle lll will be getting new eco-friendly engines at the end of the summer. We will have her in drydock for approximately 8-10 weeks, starting in August, while we complete this project. Stay tuned for altered trip schedules for that time period.

The weather is starting to warm, Spring Break is in full swing and the weather the last few days has been awesome. Come on down and go fishing. Remember, this time of year, the traffic can be terrible at times. Leave yourself plenty of travel time, especially for the afternoon trips. Don't forget to call at least a few days in advance to reserve your spots. Our ticket office is open until 8pm daily for any further questions or reservations.

Happy Easter....Happy Spring.....See you all soon!!!!!!!

14 Hour Trip

We have scheduled another 14 Hour Trip for Friday July 13, 2012. Due to the bad weather last month, the National Marine Fisheries has extended the Red Snapper Season by 6 days. Gag Grouper has also opened as of July 1. On this trip, we will be able to harvest all species except Amberjack. This should make for a great trip. Prices and times are the same as the last trip. We are taking reservations now, so call our ticket office for your spot. See you soon.

Red Snapper Trip

We have scheduled our Only Offshore Red Snapper Trip of the 2012 Season. It will be on Sunday June 10 from 4am-6pm. The cost is $120 plus $10 rod rental fee. We are taking reservations starting today, May 5, 2012. Fishing positions will be first come first served. You will be able to board the boat at 3am. NO ONE BOARDING THE BOAT UNTIL CREW ARRIVES!! Tickets will be paid on morning of the trip. Reservations will be held until 3:30 am. Reservation not paid for by 3:30am on day of trip, will be offered to any passenger on waiting list. We will limit the passenger count to 70 persons. This is 15 more than our previous trips to try and accommodate as many passenger on our only trip this season. I would like customer feedback on the possibility of a weekday 14 Hour Red Snapper trip at the end of June. I must have enough fares to make the trip profitable. This is our only other option due to a busy month of June. We have every weekend booked as of now. We appreciate your comments. Look forward to getting everyone offshore again.

Capt. Chad

Spring Is Here!!!

Hi everyone!! Spring is starting off very well so far. The weather has been terrific and the fishing has been as well. We are catching a ton of Grunts, Sea Bass and Porgies. We have still been having a few Hogfish on the all day trips as well as some King Mackerel starting to show up. The Grouper fishing has been pretty good but, unfortunately, we are still in the federal closure and we cannot keep any Grouper at this point. They give a nice fight and make a great picture, but you will have to wait a couple more weeks before you can keep one to eat. Red Grouper will open on April 1 with Gags set for July 1. The Gag Grouper season is currently set to run until October 31 this year but, as always, there are some questions to that. The state of Florida is considering opening a "special season" of 4 months for 4 North Gulf counties that could put the remainder of the Gulfs season in jeopardy. There is a distinct possibility that the remainder of Gulf fisherman could be punished up to 30-40 days if these select counties catch to many Gag Grouper. You can find more info on this topic at myfwc.com and search for Gag Grouper season. I encourage each person that is not happy with this possible decision to send emails with your concerns.

Red Snapper season is set to open on June 1. We are not sure of the length of the season yet. I will be attending the Gulf Council meeting in Corpus Christi, TX next month and they should be giving season lengths at that time. Upon my return, I will set dates for any 14 and/or 24 hour snapper trips for this year. Keep an eye on this blog at the end of April for trip dates and times.

I have been a board member of the Charter Fisherman's Association for the last year. This is a group of Captains from across the Gulf that are working toward a common goal of a sustainable fishery in the Gulf that gives the most access to the average American angler. We are fighting for your ability to keep fishing while continuing to find ways to rebuild our fish stocks for future generations. If you are interested in finding out more about our organization or possibly joining and supporting it, check us out at charterfisherman.org .

Remember: If you are coming fishing during the months of March and April,especially for our afternoon trips, leave yourself plenty of travel time. Traffic can be harsh coming to the beach and parking is at a premium in the afternoon. You will have an easier time finding parking the earlier you arrive. See you all soon!!!

Capt. Chad

Winter Update

Hi everyone!! The fishing this winter has been great! We have had a much milder winter so far this year compared to the last two years. Fishing has been great on both the 4 and 8 hour trips. We are catching lots of White Grunts, Sea Bass, Porgies and Grouper. The Gag Grouper season remains closed, so we have to release all Gags that are caught. We have been catching a few Red Grouper that are legal size on both trips. The All Day has been catching some Hogfish on a pretty regular basis. These are an excellent eating fish with white, mild and flaky filets. They can be caught on the bait supplied on board, but you stand a better chance if you bring frozen shrimp or live Fidler Crabs.

The Gulf Council should be announcing the dates for the upcoming Red Snapper and Gag Grouper seasons. Red Snapper will open on June 1 with the close date to be announced. Everything is pointing to a July 1 Gag Grouper opening running until the end of October. This has not been officially announced, so we will keep you updated. All Grouper are closed the month of February and March.

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. Come on out and take advantage of this wonderful Winter weather that we have had so far this season. The fish are biting and the seas are calm. See you all soon!!!

14 Hour Grouper Trip

We will be running a 14 Hour "Ironman" Trip on Saturday November 12, 2011. Gag Grouper season ends on November 15th, so we will have one long trip before the season ends. Reservations will begin on Monday October 24th. The positions will be first come, first served on the day of the trip. You will be able to start boarding at 2:30am. The last few years our "Ironman" trip has been pretty successful. We have brought in anywhere from 40-97 Grouper. Make your reservations and join us on the last extended trip for Gag Grouper this year.

Our 4 and 8 hour trips have been doing very well. The Grunts, Sea Bass and Porgies have been biting as well as Gag and Red Grouper. Most 8 hour trips have been catching 400-700 panfish with 6-15 Grouper and some days up near 30. The 4 hour trips have been catching 100-250 panfish on average with a handful of Grouper as well.

The water temps are cooling and the fish are biting well. Come on down and join the fun.