Tortugas Fishing Trip

[67hat34c]

Carl, We dont charter, Family boat. Dad pays big bills and 3 brothers do the rest and run it. However since my older brother now has 6pk license, charter could be possibility in future but i doubt it.

 

[CARL GUZMAN]

Sounds like a happy family

I just remembered the starboard side prop had crab line in the cutlass bearing and I could not turn that wheel at all very stiff will this be bad on the trip I'm not hauling out till January

 

[sofarelli]

Randy,
I appreciate the invite. We're taking the boat around to St. Pete YC
for the Ribfest that weekend. Next time you head back, give me a call
at 727 510 2586 and we'll fish the 32'. You'll see the baby Hatt.
It parties 10, fishes 5, and sleeps 2!
Mike

 

[Pascal]

i really don't think that winter is the right time for the tortugas... cold fronts can kick some nasty stuff for a few days at a time... although heading back north from the Tortugas you'd have it on the nose which is probably the best scenario on such a boat.

still, the anchorage is not that protected from what I 've seen although I've yet to go there :-(

 

[Capt Mike]

Hey Carl
I have some good numbers going down that way.
I will sleep on the bridge.
Mike

 

[thoward]

Yep those Nov seas are killing me on the right side as well. I've been tring to go swordfishing for 3 weeks now. Now the wave models are showing 18-20' in the stream Sat. I am thinking I should have got a submarine instead of the Hatt.....No not really!

 

[CARL GUZMAN]

We got room Mike and an air mattres in case . I'll need the numbers my machine erased all mine

 

[Freebird]

Alright you guys, Carl is too much of a gentlemen to bring this up, so I'm going to. I always feed the kitty when me and GuzBoy go GuzCruzin, and I expect ya'll to do the same. If that's a problem, I have an easy solution.

Bring YOUR boat and WE will go with you!

Otherwise, I'll be in charge of the gozintas since I am a math wiz. To be perfectly blount, if Carl is good enough to furnish the transportation, he shouldn't have to pay a penny to go from point A to point B and back hauling our sorry butts around. To that end, the more passengers we carry, the lower the gozintas will be per person. Carl isn't a licensed charterboat captain, but that doesn't mean we can't play a couple of hands of poker and bet a hundred or two on a pair of twos.

Comprenday?

 

[CARL GUZMAN]

Chill out Randy I'm sure we'll get some Scallywags to go with us we allways do. It's just a matter of mind over matter and what we don't mind someone else don't matter but we always have a good time and we have plenty of time so relax we have some thinkin to do???

 

[thoward]

There is talk of closing down the Tortugas to all diving and fishing. That should be a cool trip if the weather holds and you may not get a chance to fish it again .

 

[Freebird]

WOW! That's news to me. How the heck can you close a place like that, legally or logically? Who owns that place anyhow? Damned Democrats!

Oh well, maybe we better rethink the Key West thing after all. Hell, so much for my plans to tow a drinking barge over there to make a few extra bucks!

 

[thoward]

It really is Bullcaca but there is a new wave of Areas of Special Concern. The area does not get much pressure but they want to close it off to keep it from being abused. Sadly the Gov will not stop the root cause of the problems in South Florida. I'll stop here before stepping on too many toes.....

 

[Paul45c]

You'd be amazed at how much of the Keys is already pretty locked up to a lot of sport use, SallyBIRD. Guar-on-teed, if you look at a good detailed chart and spot ledges that look like they would be tailor-made for diving, they will invariably fall into what's called a SPA -- special protection area. For divers, that means no spearfishing, no lobstering, and for fisherman, it means catch & release only. It's not as big a problem for fisherman, as most enterprising Keys crackers will just anchor right outside the fringe of the SPA, drop a couple of chum bags in and wait for the fish to get attracted out to them.

 

[thoward]

Ding, ding, ding we have a winner! They keep restricting the recs but nothing to stem the loss of esturaries due to over building, red tide or comercial guys. They just raise tarifs on the imports to keep a few guys in business and restrict us to a few fish.

For the folks who do not know what is going on down here you should get involved because it effects us all. Shrimping has all but destroyed the red snapper fishery and untill we stop the shrimping industry in the Gulf they will not make a full come back. Longliners are another problem as well. What happens is these people try to catch a certain species but it does not work that way. They also catch other fish which is concidered bycatch. The bycatch is returned to the sea DEAD. Shrimpers kill 80% of the red snapper hatch each year. Does this mean we will pay more for fish? Yep! But there is plenty being imported from other areas right now. Fish farming is also up and comming and should help. Florida is the sportfishing capitol of the world and we are on the brink of losing a great resource.

Most of this is political so please back a reasonable conservation group(not peta)CCA is a good place to start as well as a few others. On a related note the Pink Flamingo was just placed on the endangered list . I sure hope the new Florida Government can make some positive steps.

Soap Boax is closed for now.

 

[Capt Mike]

Are you guys going the 10th or the 17th?
You haven't caught fish because I haven't been there yet.
Mike

BTW Carl did we use the same doctor I did mine Friday to.

 

[CARL GUZMAN]

Well I'm out of pain pills and I already used the following stunts:
1.Doc the first batch made me itch, you got anything stonger?
2.Doc the second batch made me nautious (SP) you got anything stronger.
3.Doc the third batch didn't let me sleep you got anything stroger.
for some reason he's not returning my calls just kidding...

 

[thoward]

It is starting to look like a good weekend for a trip. I hope it holds out for you guys until the 17th.

 

[Capt Mike]

Well I'm out of pain pills and I already used the following stunts:
1.Doc the first batch made me itch, you got anything stonger?
2.Doc the second batch made me nautious (SP) you got anything stronger.
3.Doc the third batch didn't let me sleep you got anything stroger.
for some reason he's not returning my calls just kidding...

If I take them I can't work. I have been going at it no pills.
I have to work the boat show this weekend, If you need some numbers call me.
Mike

If you are going to do a shorter ride think California (about 45nm).

 

[CARL GUZMAN]

Randy fish up date .....If I go to keywaiden it's easy on the bearing bubba , I do like the bouy idea (from tech side of forum) but man is that far it would be hard to catch a high pressure over the gulf for 2-3 days this time of year

 

[CARL GUZMAN]

I got the new outriggers on for the fishing trip a trolling we will go a trolling we will go ho ho ho. I realy want to go but I don't know also I got that new mercury dinghy engine on so no more kaput dink