The first day out, we found a big school of bait (pilchards) off the coast. In fact, so much bait that I could see them flipping on the surface in every direction I looked. We caught so many that I was throwing over anything that did not make it to the livewell and, as I looked behind the boat, tarpon were eating everything I threw over.

We took the bait offshore and had a great tuna bite on the hump. They were hungry! Lots of fun.

We rode around to look for some mahi, but, to our surprise, there was nothing to fish. We thought we would find all sorts of debris from the hurricane, but the Gulfstream must have moved it north.

That didn’t last long because, the days to follow, a big weedline with debris formed about 15 miles out, and it was great mahi fishing day after day! I started to try other things like wreck fishing and reef fishing, just to see if anyone was home and they were biting like crazy too! Everything we tried to fish for was biting.

I think the reef fish are still so hungry from the lack of boats feeding them, that it doesn’t take long to have a huge school of snappers behind the boat with a little chum. We also had our first little cold front move through not too long ago, and, sure enough, some great sailfishing has sparked up too.

Our area in Islamorada did get some damage oceanside, but everyone has been quick to get back to action. Honestly, if you were to drive through now, you wouldn’t be able to tell much difference than what it usually looks like--minus the piles of debris on the side of the road.

I know that the guys below us took the brunt of the storm, but everyone I have talked to said the fishing has been great and that most of the boats are up and running.

We are excited for a great year, and hope that this great fishing that Hurricane Irma stirred up, keeps up!

The reef fishing usually gets good for some yellowtail snappers. As long as we don’t get a late cold front, the water should warm up a few degrees and the snappers should start moving towards the edge of the reef in big schools. With some chum and a good flow of current behind the boat, it usually makes for some great fishing. 

The kingfish should be hanging around the reef, as well as around some of the wrecks just offshore of the reef. Some live cigar minnows or pilchards should get these guys going. 

April can bring blackfin tuna to some of the humps. These are a great fish to target. They pull hard and taste great. There are a variety of ways that we target them. Sometimes we troll using some artificial lures way back in the spread, or we use some butterfly jigs. This can be a lot of work with all the jigging involved, but, when they are biting, it’s great fun. At times, if we can get some live pilchards, we will load the wells as full as we can and do some live bait chumming for them. We throw lots of free bait back behind the boat till we get the tunas fired up and eating them, and then we throw our hooked bait. We then pray no sharks eat them before we land them. 

Also at the humps in April, you should be able to drop a big bait on a big rod to the bottom and catch an amberjack or two. The humps, being offshore, puts you in possible mahi territory and, although April can be a little early for them, we sometimes get lucky. Just all depends on our weather. 

Sailfishing has usually slowed down by April for us here in Islamorada, but sometimes the stars align and we get a current edge just off the edge of the reef and we can see some great sailfishing. For this to work, we need an easterly wind and a hard northeast Gulfstream current. When this happens, the sailfish can start to surf down the waves. We call this a “tailing condition” because you can see the sailfish tails sticking out of the water as they surf down the waves. 

We are looking forward to some great fishing and having some fun with new and old charter guests again this season!

I was 10 years old when I caught my first sailfish, and it was merely by accident.

Every summer when school got out, my parents would always trailer our boat (a 20 foot Stratos center console with a 200 hp engine) down from Homestead to the Keys for a couple of weeks. We would rent the same house on Hammer Point since I was born. Our family from California (my grandma and Papa Mac) would join us, and the summers were spent fishing, tubing and water skiing, among countless other water activities.

Rainy days were spent playing cards with Jolly Ranchers or doing puzzles.  My parents met in the Keys and we also have family down here. Back in the day, my dad lived in Key Largo and worked at Williamson Cadillac in Miami, and my mom lived in Miami and worked in Key Largo at Tahiti Village--a floating bar.

The house was on a canal, so we kept the boat there and all we ever wanted to do was go mahi-mahi fishing so we would have fish to eat. There was always competition about who caught the most fish and who caught the biggest fish between my dad, Papa Mac, my brother, Jim, and I.

One day, as we were trolling a few ballyhoo looking for dolphin, one of the rods sent off. I was next to it and, as I grabbed it, to our surprise, a sailfish came jumping out of the water! We were all excited and shocked--it was the last thing we expected because it was not the time of year for them, and we really just wanted mahi to eat. It took a long time to catch him, and I did have my moments of doubt as the fish took me around the boat at least 10 times. I was young and I got tired. But, after a long fight, we caught and released him next to the boat.

My mom took a picture (non-digital) and was very anxious about whether the shot came out since, back then, you couldn’t look at your pictures until they were developed.

After a day on the water, we would always come in and gas up at Tavernier Creek before heading back to the house. They were always very nice there, but, when they heard I had caught my first sailfish, they promptly threw me in the water. My parents were shocked at first, but it didn’t take them long to change their minds and think it was funny. As a result, my Dad, brother and Papa Mac became weary of catching a sailfish, to say the least.

That day was when I first realized how much I love catching sailfish with their beautiful colors and the great show they put on. Fishing has always been a part of my life and always will be.

Happy New Year! It is January and we are starting anew. Our goal is to make this year better than the last. We plan on fishing more days than last year and catching more fish too!

Last year, we lost quite a few days due to windy weather. This year, we hope that that’s not the case and we can get everyone out for a good time. I always want people to have a good time, so I don’t push people to go if they’re not comfortable with the weather. I’d rather get the opportunity to fish with them again, than take them once where they have a bad weather experience and don’t want to do it again.

The weather, so far, has been great! It looks like we are back into our normal, nice weather down here in the Florida Keys; where the seas are calmer, the wind is light, and the sun keeps shining.

It seems like it’s going to be a good year for sailfish. They showed up early and it’s still continuing on as we speak. We have been getting shots at them every day, which has been exciting and good for business. I anticipate that they will get even better further into January.

In the past weeks, we have been finding great schools of bait offshore and along the coast; cigar minnows and ballyhoo offshore, and pilchards all along the coast with, some days, finding them offshore as well. As we all know, good, live bait usually makes for some really good fishing.

There has been a good push of king mackerel (great one for the smoker and for some fish dip). It seemed to be off the last couple of years, but there are some good numbers this year. Even though they haven’t been large in size, there are plenty of them around, which is a good thing.

While the bait fish move down the coast, so do the tourists. A couple of cold spells up north, and the town gets busy. We are able to get out most days now and that is always a blessing. It keeps us on the fish, and me out doing what I love. I am looking forward to a great 2017! Here’s wishing you all a wonderful and successful 2017

Thanksgiving can never come fast enough for the Hendrix family. After the sugar high of Halloween has worn off and we settle back into our daily routine, we start putting up our Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations.

Capt. Joe has finished up his yearly boat maintenance of painting the boat, repairing and maintaining the rods and reels, fixing bait cages, painting the bottom of the boat, and general R&M for the Fearless. He is getting geared up for another season of fishing and Thanksgiving week is when the crowds really start coming back into town. There is a short lull between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but once Christmas hits it’s non-stop for the Fearless. You can feel it by the traffic and all the people in the grocery stores and restaurants. It’s like Islamorada comes alive again.

Typically, we go to Capt. Joe’s parents’ house in Homestead for Thanksgiving and Christmas and the whole family is together for a couple of days. It’s Joe’s brother, Jim and his family, his Grandma Fran, who flies in from California, and his aunt and uncle, who also come up for visits.

We love eating turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and all the other yummy Thanksgiving and Christmas treats. We sit by the pool, or by the fireplace, and watch the kids, relax, catch up and the occasional visitor stops by here and there.

Joe may have to come and go because he is fishing during that time, but it’s not a far drive, so it works out well. It’s that time of the year when he gets to catch his favorite fish - sailfish. He’s also catching kingfish, which we use for our annual Hendrix competition.

Capt. Joe’s dad loves to smoke fish and his favorite is kingfish. Joe will bring it to him over the weeks before and freeze them. Right before Thanksgiving, Joe’s dad will brine and smoke them and then the competition for who makes the best smoked fish dip begins. It’s very entertaining and all recipes are top secret, as well as Joe’s dad’s smoking secrets.

May you, and your families, all have a peaceful holiday season.

The weather also affected our summer mahi fishing. The mahi season was up and down this year. Even though we had some great days, it really wasn't consistent like the last couple of years. We had to work hard for the few we caught.

This year we worked hard and, I am not going to lie, I am a little worn out from the effort, with not a lot of reward. It’s all good though because that's part of the game that we call fishing. It keeps us coming back.

As mentioned above, this season brought a lot of wind. Most of the summer wasn't too bad, but the late winter and spring we had to deal with a lot of wind. It made for some long days, some sea sick costumers and a few times we didn’t get out there at all. The one positive thing is that you sure do sleep good at night after a rough day on the water!

The weather kept us on our toes this year but that is something that I love about being a charter boat captain – every day is different. As soon as you think you have it all figured out, you are right back to the drawing board. I started going out everyday with plan A, B and sometimes C!

All in all this charter boat season ended up being a great one. It wasn't as consistent as the previous couple of years as far as the weather and fishing goes, but it made us adapt and made us work to make it happen. I feel like it all cycles around and you have to roll with punches. I'm excited for September and some good fall fishing.

These days, there are more and more recreational fisherman targeting them too. This is great because, when mahi fishing is good, there are plenty of fish for everyone. Some of these busy summer weekends though, like this past Memorial Day weekend, can make it tough on everyone.

People start chasing birds off other boat’s bows, or running over to a stopped boat on a school of fish, and then tempers begin to fly--it turns fishing into a not so enjoyable experience out there on the water, and also a not so safe environment for everyone out there.

Here are a few pointers that we use as charter boat captains to work with each other and the boats around us:

First of all, we know that the birds will usually be hanging over a school of mahi. If you see that a boat has been heading towards them, and is close to them, then there is no need to run as fast as you can to try to beat them to the birds.

Most of the time, the fish get run over because everyone is going so fast, and no one catches anything. Plus, more often than not, if there are a set of birds in front of a boat near you, then there are usually another set of birds in the area close by. I see it a lot on busy weekends, when a boat will run up to us, when I can see another set of birds not far away. Find your own set of birds.

Second, there is no reason to all fish in the same small area. I see it all the time where boats will run to where they see other boats, thinking that there must be something going on over there. That will only decrease your chances of catching mahi. The charter guys that mahi fish every single day will look for areas with no or less boats. We know that we have a better chance of success if we find our own school of mahi. So don’t crowd an area just because charter boats are there.

The third piece of advice is that if you have a fast boat, try to be courteous to the boats you are running in front of. Once again, try to find your own area of water. It's hard for the guys behind you if you keep running in front of them all day. We can only do so much on charter, and having to constantly watch the guy in front of you doesn’t make it any easier.

Fourth, is to find out what channel the local charter guys are on. That way, if you see a local charter boat stopped, you can call and ask if there is enough fish for another boat. If there are, then the guys will happily call you in. If you just run in on a school of fish, it usually messes it up for everyone and then no one is happy. Talk to us, we are mostly nice guys. 

Good luck and catch a bunch; just please remember to be courteous and respectful so it can be an enjoyable and safe experience for everyone.

One of the best parts of my job is getting to fish with kids. I have three of my own and really enjoy having them on the boat. I wish I could get them out there more often than I am able to, but I’m also glad to be busy fishing as much as I can. I think taking a child fishing is a great way to get them outdoors and to get them into something they can do their whole lives no matter where they are.

Every time I get my son out there he talks about it for days. Every day I come home he asks me “What did you catch?” “Did you catch a sailfish today daddy?” “What’s biting?”. He face times me out there to see what’s going on during the day and gets super excited when I send him a picture of a fish we caught.

He is always so excited about anything that bites his line. He is an avid fishing t shirt collector and he loves wearing any kind of fishing shirts that might fit him. We even had to place an order for our t shirts in kids sizes so he could wear one. He had a short phase where he also wore a buff to school, but soon figured out it wasn’t effective in school.

His main goal is to catch a sailfish. He has only had two chances so far with no luck, but he is still only 6 and will have plenty more chances in the time to come. He and his sister did catch some nice blackfin tunas and a shark last year that they talked about for months. 

When I have charter guest’s kids on the boat it is fun to see their excitement as well. For some kids it’s the first time they’ve ever been offshore fishing or the first time they’ve ever caught something so big and it’s always interesting to see their reactions when that fish is tugging on their line and they bring it to the boat. The smiles on their faces are so worth it.

I was lucky enough to grow up in this area and was always on the water. I love to see the excitement you see in kids when they get to experience that first time a fish pulls on their line or when they actually bring one to the boat.  It brings me back to when I was a kid and I was excited about each and every fish I ever caught. The thrill of seeing whats on your line still gets me to this day.

Although I don’t think I would want my son to be a fisherman himself I do love his enthusiasm and am happy to have him learn the ropes to becoming a good fisherman. It would be great if we could all take our kids outside more often and teach them to fish and be safe on the water.