Captain Richard Parks | Big Bite 3

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Catch some big fish off of Islamorada in the Florida Keys

We are catching lots of fish! Blackfin Tuna, Mahi and the occasional Wahoo. We are catching them on the edge of the gulf stream. Some days that is in 450ft of water and some days that is 700 ft of water. But find the gulf stream and stick on it. When they come up into the boat they are full of 2 to 3 inch mahi. That’s right they are eating there own. It also means that they are breeding here in the gulf stream. Given how fast these fish grow they cannot be more than a couple of days old before becoming a meal. If we find a frigate bird it is a guarantee that we will catch something when the boat is under the bird. Lastly, it has been very windy and out in the deep water the waves can rock us a bit so we recommend that you take some Bonine (for motion sickness) when coming out to fish because these are the best days to fish! This has not been the typical flat com days where we look for weed lines and diving birds. So give us a call today, the Big Bite 3 will help you catch some big fish off of Islamorada in the Florida Keys!

Captain Bill Barnaby with a huge 50lb. Barracuda caught aboard The Big Bite 3

Captain Bill Barnaby with a huge 50 lb Great Barracuda caught on the Big Bite 3 of a deep reef, while targeting large monsters with vivacious teeth.

Captain Richard Parkes owner/operator of the Big Bite had promised me a big fish with shoulders and he came through within 3 minutes of fishing.

My compliments to a veteran and proven Marlin tournament Champion, seems he can catch everything and sure knows the waters.

This is the time of the year when Mahi are migrating out of the Gulf of Mexico and moving up the east coast

This is the time of the year when Mahi are migrating out of the Gulf of Mexico and moving up the east coast. They can be found anywhere from the reef to the center of the Gulf Stream 25 miles off shore. Strong east winds push these fish closer inshore. Best days to hook up are when the wind blows out of the South East or East. Slow days are when it blows out of the west or south west. I have no clue as to why this is the case but that is the way it is. If we were to create the best sport fish possible – we could do no better than the Mahi that swims in the water today. They fight, jump and dive right up to the time we get them in the boat. They grow to over 90lbs – 30 to 40 lb fish are not uncommon. They taste as good as any fish that can be caught on hook and line. Lastly – they are the fastest growing fish we know of. They will grow from one inch to over 30lbs in one year. Thats right – one year! I have read this in many different articles over many years. Over the years we have caught a number of these fish on baits as large as the fish themselves! Some appetite! When you get to the Keys to fish on the Big Bite this time of year we can almost count on catching enough for a great fish dinner.

On the way out to fish for the day we share with the customers what to look for in, above and on the water

On the way out to fish for the day we share with the customers what to look for in, above and on the water. Above the water – any bird flying, hovering or diving. Birds we are interested in come in two flavors – large frigate birds that follow and hover over large fish that will push a flying fish into the air so they can swoop down and get it before the fish does. These birds almost always pay off. They appear large and black in the sky with a 3 to 5ft wing span. They will follow a large fish or school of fish for hours waiting for there time to swoop down. The second bird of interest is a small bird that flyies very fast and is living on the scraps left behind after a large fish eats a small fish. These Terns are very reliable if they are hovering and dropping into the water to eat. They can be found on weed lines or patches of weed. On the water we are looking for weed lines and floating wood or just about anything that has been in the water for long. If there is small bait fish around stay there the fish cannot be far away. Lastly in the water Turtles are a great sourse of fish. They tend to stay around the Turtles and always deserve a pass or two with the lures. This time of year they are coming on shore at night to lay eggs so it is not uncommon to see them offshore. We have seen one or two every triup we have made in the last couple of weeks. So this is what to look for when out fishing off Islamorada on the Big Bite!

Still no oil in the Keys and no evidense that we will get any in the short term

Still no oil in the Keys and no evidense that we will get any in the short term. The fishing offshore has been quite good over the last couple of weeks with plenty of Blackfin Tuna to chase around and Mahi under the birds in 400 to 800 ft of water.

This past week the Grouper and Yellow tail fishing has been excellent. There are photos on the website that show the great catch we had the other day. I am told thet the mutton snapper fishing is also excellent in deeper water. We will try this next week. The weather has been very hot. Fortunatly we have excellent airconditioning on the boat to escape the heat for a couple of minutes at a time.

We had a charter this week with a couple who had not done this before for fishing offshore. The winds were blowing at 20knots and the seas were in the 5 to 8ft range in the morning. I was concerned that the day might be too much for them and therefore checked on them from time to time. They had taken bomine the night before and that morning. NO sea sickness at all! These were two very adventurose people from outside of Dallas who seemed to enjoy the day! The next time they do this I believe they will be disapointed if the seas are less than 3 ft.