Regular Guy Charters: The Captain's Blog

Canaveral Charter Fishing Trip - October 27, 2011

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 21:04:00 +0000

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Manhattan-Style Redfish Chowder Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 22:01:00 +0000

My wife Phyllis is the best cook in the world. Below is her recipe for Manhattan Style Fish Chowder. The recipe calls for redfish, but any firm fish will do. Trust me—it's good!

Manhattan-style Redfish Chowder
Phyllis Gautreaux

2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp bacon drippings
3 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot
¾ cup chopped green bell and Anaheim peppers
3 garlic cloves minced
¼ cup tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
¼ cup lemon juice
2 cups chopped peeled red potato
2 cups water
1 cup vegetable broth
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 drops Tabasco sauce
2 8-oz. bottles clam juice
1 28-oz can plus 1 16-oz can petite chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
2 lbs. Red Fish / Drum (or other firm white fish) fillets, skinned and cut into 1-inch pieces
Chopped parsley and chopped green onions for garnish

Melt butter and bacon drippings in an 8 qt soup pot over medium heat. Sauté onions, carrots, and peppers for about 10 minutes, adding garlic during the last 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes longer. Add wine and lemon juice and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the redfish, and bring to a boil.

Reduce to medium heat and simmer 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Add redfish. Cover and cook 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Chowder should have a nice black pepper flavor. Discard bay leaf before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley and chopped green onions.

Serves 6-8

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Saying Goodbye to the Shuttle and more...

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:06:00 +0000

On Friday, July 8, 2011, the last shuttle launch took place here on the Space Coast of Florida. Pete Quast and his party flew in from California and chartered the Sunrise (Regular Guy Charters fishing boat) to watch the historic event. I have seen many shuttle launches, a number of them from the water, but this one was really special. The company on the boat, the significance of the event and the pure spectacle of the launch all combined to make it the best one yet. One of the guests on board was professional photographer, Don Adkins. I am including some of his shots in the hopes that I can share some of the event with all of you.

In the last blog, I mentioned that the fishing had been good and should continue to be that way. I was not wrong. The amazing thing is that we continue to catch cobia, along with king mackerel, a few small mahi, sailfish, bonito, sharks, barracuda and other species. Our cobia count is now 99. Now is the time of flat seas and calm winds. With the fishing being good, you couldn’t ask for a better time to schedule a Florida offshore fishing adventure on the “Sunrise” with Regular Guy Charters.

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Port Canaveral Fishing Update and Forecast

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Thu, 05 May 2011 21:50:00 +0000

In the last blog post, I reported that we had had a great cobia fishing season, and to that point, had brought in 50 cobia. That number, as of the end of April is now 69 and there are still some around.

As predicted, we are starting to have great catches of kingfish (king mackerel). One day last week, we had 11 kings and a nice cobia. Our early summer weather is here, calm seas and light winds, and the dolphin (mahi-mahi) should be right behind. Normally, we would be catching them by now, but our water temperatures have been slow to rise.

We are seeing large schools of tarpon on the beach, and for those strong of heart, an epic battle with one of the world’s greatest fighting fish can produce memories of a lifetime.

I have included some fishing photos from a recent trip. Enjoy and plan your next trip to central Florida so that it includes a visit to Port Canaveral and a deep sea fishing trip on Sunrise with Regular Guy Charters.

*Canaveral Fishing Charter offer: See how to save $50 on a full day trip with Regular Guy Charters in June*

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Cobia, Kingfish, and Dolphin Fishing in Florida

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 21:39:00 +0000

It has been a fantastic cobia season for Regular Guy Charters and the Canaveral fishing charter boat "Sunrise".

In two weeks and ten trips, we have brought 51 cobia to the dock, the best season in a number of years. Now that the water temperature has warmed up, the cobia are more scattered, but they are still here, just a little harder to find. But that's OK, because with the warmer water the kingfish (king mackerel) have shown up in large numbers.

On yesterday's trip we caught the limit of 10 to 12 pound fish in less than an hour. Also with the warmer water will come the dolphin (mahi-mahi). So now on a typical full day trip we can fish for kingfish, then troll for dolphin and then maybe get a cobia or two on the way home--a great way to spend a day out fishing.

The weather for the rest of the year should be real nice, so nothing but great things are in store for our Port Canaveral, Florida fishing.

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Canaveral Cobia Update

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 23:08:00 +0000

Our fishing charter boat, the Sunrise, has fished cobia for 6 days in a row out of Port Canaveral, Florida. Clients have caught a total of 30 cobia so far. Don't miss out! A cobia charter fishing trip is only $500 now through the end of March.

Want to know how to cook your cobia? Check out this blog post from last June for a great cobia recipe.

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We're Back: Cobia and Dolphin Fishing in Port Canaveral

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:59:00 +0000

It has been a long, cold, and windy winter, even here in sunny Port Canaveral, Florida. It has been tough to fish over the winter, although, when we have been able to get out, our fishing has been good. We have had to spend a lot of time at the dock this winter. The good news is, at least for us, it's over! And there is nothing but good news in sight.

Every year at this time, we are chomping at the bit waiting for our cobia fishing season here in Port Canaveral. They are here now, and the fleet has had some real nice catches of fish ranging to 75 lbs. The cobia should be here in large numbers through the next couple of months.

Starting around the middle of April, the spring dolphin (mahi-mahi) run should be upon us and then it is off to the races. In a typical year it is not unusual for us to bring ten or twelve nice dolphin in the 30 lb range and then pick up a cobia or two on the way home. The spring is a great time to fish out of here and it is finally here. Give us a call to book your Port Canaveral charter fishing trip; fishing is great!

Call now to get a discounted $500 Canaveral Cobia Fishing Trip - now through the end of March!

Check out this past blog post for a great Cobia Recipe!

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Fishing When it Ain't Easy

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 04:04:00 +0000

To be successful at most things requires preparation and a lot of effort. Fishing sometimes also requires a certain amount of gut instinct and luck.

We had a trip last week that was a combination of both of the latter. The wind had been blowing for over two weeks and the seas had been pounding—nobody had been fishing. As charter captains, we rely on information to make decisions on which species to target, where to go, how to fish and many other things. After two weeks of no fishing, none of that was in place.

The weather had just started to break, but it looked like the day the charter was scheduled would be barely fishable. After considering postponing for a day, we decided to go. The seas were still 3 to 5 feet, but the wind was backing off. We were the only boat going, so we had no one to share info with or to help in our planning. We were unable to find live bait, so were starting with another disadvantage. Because of the seas, we decided to start closer to shore. We put our lines in at a buoy about nine miles out.

Before we could get them all out, we had a nice kingfish on. Fishing wasn’t red hot, but we did manage to catch a kingfish, a nice dolphin (mahi-mahi), break off a cobia, and catch a number of bonito and sharks—lots of action for everyone. After a couple of hours, the seas started to back off, so we able to run five miles to another spot. There we caught two more kings, two real nice dolphin, and a bunch more bonito and sharks— again a lot of action for the clients. I guess the moral of the story is to use your instincts, try your best, and maybe rely on a little luck.

Good fishing,

Captain Mike
Regular Guy Charters

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Amberjack!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 04:28:00 +0000

Amberjack — probably the hardest fighting fish in the ocean.

I have seen 250-pound men almost cry as they tried to bring one up from deep water. In spite of my warnings to hold on tight to the rod, I saw my equipment join the wreck on the bottom when the rod was snatched out of an angler’s hand.

Also called AJs and locally “reef donkeys," amberjack are common in most large salt-water bodies of water. Here in the Canaveral / Cocoa Beach area, they can be found on most of the mid to deep water wrecks year round.

We fish for them using three different techniques. The most common is dropping a live bait (pinfish, croaker, spot). The jacks are usually suspended over the wrecks, so it requires a little bit of trial and error to correctly place the bait. Normally we drop to the bottom and then bring the bait up a certain number of cranks to get into the target area as seen on the depth finder.

While sending the live bait down, we will usually also drop down a 10 or 12 ounce butterfly jig. This works with fish suspended well up in the water column. The jig should be worked quickly with fast upward jerks of the rod.

Sometimes the jacks will come to the surface following a hooked fish. In that case we
try to keep them there by tossing out live baits with no hooks in them. This keeps them in the feeding mood. Free-spooling back a live bait back on a bottom rod will usually generate a hook-up.

If you would like to try on a battle with one of these bruisers, feel free to contact us or check out more information on our website.

Capt. Mike
Regular Guy Charters

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Sailfish! And Mahi-Mahi in Port Canaveral

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 03:45:00 +0000

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the great things about fishing out of Port Canaveral and Cocoa Beach is the great variety of fish you can catch. Last week we caught king mackerel, cobia, dolphin (mahi-mahi) and sailfish.

On one trip, we caught nine dolphin and a very nice sailfish. The weather was perfect, as it usually is during the summer here, and the water was beautiful. The dolphin were on a weed line in 140’ of water and we had a lot of fun sight fishing for them. We must have seen 50 fish! The sail was out a little deeper and we caught it while trolling a rigged ballyhoo with a skirt.

Our good weather and great fishing should continue for the next few months; now is the time to book your Florida charter fishing trip.

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Cooking Your Fish: Cobia with Andouille Corn Sauce Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 19:38:00 +0000

Cobia Recipe: Fishing is a great sport—unlike golf, tennis, bowling, or other sports, you usually have something to show for it when the day is over. As part of our fishing charter business, we clean the fish for you at the end of the day. So, fresh fish is on the menu when you return home. Many people are not used to preparing fresh, salt-water fish, so as part of our blog series we thought that it would be helpful to occasionally include some fish recipes from an excellent cook, my wife Phyllis. Today’s fish recipe is one of our favorites for cobia, one of the best eating fish in the ocean.

Cobia with Andouille Corn Sauce Recipe

Ingredients:

1 3-oz link andouille sausage, sliced ¼” thick
¼ cup bell pepper, finely chopped
¼ cup green onion, finely chopped
2T chopped parsley (plus some for garnish)
12 medium shrimp, peeled
Garlic powder
Cayenne pepper
3 Tbsp butter or margarine
3 ears corn
¼ cup milk
4 4-oz Cobia filets about ¾” thick
Salt, pepper

Season shrimp with garlic powder and cayenne pepper (sparingly).
Cut corn from cob. Use side of spoon to scrape corn milk from cob (approx 2 Tbsp)
Lightly season cobia with garlic powder.
Saute andouille, bell pepper and green onions in large non-stick skillet over medium heat for 3- 4 minutes. Remove add shrimp to skillet and cook 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from skillet. Do not rinse skillet.
Melt butter in skillet and sauté corn 3-4 minutes add milk as needed. Thicken with corn milk. Add previously cooked ingredients and keep warm on low heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
In separate non-stick pan, lightly pan fry cobia, (use non-stick cooking spray or olive oil, or butter) until fish flakes.
Remove to serving platter and spoon corn sauce over cobia. Garnish with parsley.

Enjoy!

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$50 off for all dads on Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 18:16:00 +0000

Calling All Dads: Save $50 on a full day Port Canaveral fishing charter on the Sunrise with Regular Guy Charters for Father's Day. Call or email for details.

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Why Are Port Canaveral Fishing Charters Better?

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:31:00 +0000

Sportfishing in Port Canaveral

For people visiting the central Florida area, including Cocoa Beach or Orlando, on vacation, there are a number of choices for those desiring a deep sea fishing trip. They range from New Smyrna Beach to Fort Pierce on the east coast and from Clearwater to Naples on the west coast.

So why chose Port Canaveral? There are a number of reasons.

Proximity: Port Canaveral is only an hour drive on four-lane freeway from any of the Orlando attractions. All of the other locations are farther.

Trips/Rates: A standard sportfishing trip from Port Canaveral is 9 hours, while other locations offer shorter trips and cost more. Because of our proximity to productive fishing grounds our run-outs are much shorter (which means more fishing time).

Choices: There are over two dozen fishing charter boats operating out of Port Canaveral and they range in size from 20’ to 60’.

Captains: I truly believe that we have the best charter captains in central Florida in Port Canaveral. They are knowledgeable and conscientious and will work as hard as possible to put their clients on fish. In many locations, charter captains keep information on fish activity to themselves. Not here—we readily share information to give our anglers the best possible experience.

Fishing: The most important reason to fish Port Canaveral is the quality and variety of the sportfishing. Year round on a typical day anglers have the chance of catching sailfish, dolphin (mahi-mahi), cobia, king mackerel (kingfish), wahoo, grouper, snapper, amberjack, barracuda, sharks and many other species. We will clean your fish for you at the end of the day and send it home with you.

When planning your Florida vacation, please consider including a deep sea charter fishing trip, and when making those plans check out Regular Guy Charters.

Captain Mike
Regular Guy Charters

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Charter the Sunrise for the 2010 FSFA Offshore Slam

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Wed, 26 May 2010 23:52:00 +0000

Join us on the Sunrise for the 2010 FSFA 42nd Annual Offshore Slam at Sunrise Marina in Port Canaveral on June 5. We pay to enter, and we split any winnings 50/50 if you charter the Sunrise for the tournament.

Over $11,000* in Prizes
19 Chances to Win Cash & Merchandise Prizes

See our website for details about the Sunrise and about booking through Regular Guy Charters.

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Memorial Day Weekend Offer for Veterans

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Thu, 20 May 2010 15:54:00 +0000

All Veterans:
Save 10% this Memorial Day weekend on a full day fishing charter with Regular Guy Charters in Port Canaveral, FL. See our website for trip details.
Offer valid for all veterans May 29-31 2010.
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Florida Tarpon Fishing

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:08:00 +0000

Tarpon (Megalops) are probably the best game fish on the earth. It is not only their large size (up to 200 pounds), but the unbelievable fight they put up that make them great fun to catch. It is not unusual for fights on big fish to last 2 to 3 hours on light tackle. Catching them can be a challenge. Sometimes they will eat almost anything, and other times they seem to have lockjaw.

Tarpon are unique in that they have a swim bladder that allows them to “breathe” air. A common sight is to see them “rolling,” which is when they come up to get a breath of air. Here, while fishing in the Port Canaveral area, we look for them around schools of bait close to the beach and either cast to them, slow troll or drift live baits once we see them. The hook-up is usually spectacular with the fish coming out of the water in a series of crashing leaps. If the fish is close to the boat when that happens, you can actually hear its gill plates rattling as it tries to shake the hook.

Tarpon fishing is not for the weak of heart nor for the impatient. It requires long hours of looking and waiting, followed by unbelievable excitement. Tarpon are not an “eating” fish, so we release them all. However, we can arrange to have mounts made using pictures and estimated size. Now (May) through the end of the summer is when the big guys are in town, so book your trip to get into the action.

Captain Mike

Regular Guy Charters

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Fishing Videos up on YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Fri, 14 May 2010 05:38:00 +0000

Check out the deep sea fishing videos I just posted on YouTube - a great fishing trip filmed on the Sunrise.

All Videos

Here is a sample:

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Mickey and Fishing: Deep Sea Adventures Near Orlando Florida

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:40:00 +0000

Most people don’t realize it, but Mickey (Disney World) and all of the theme parks in the Orlando area are within an hour’s drive of what is probably the best deep sea fishing in the country. And, contrary to some advertising you may see, the closest beach and port to Disney World are in fact Cocoa Beach and Port Canaveral. Port Canaveral has over two dozen charter boats, all with superb captains and crews.

Port Canaveral fishing is good year round, but especially spectacular in the spring and summer. Our waters at that time of the year are usually calm and blue. In addition to catching dolphin (mahi-mahi), kingfish (king mackerel), cobia, wahoo, sailfish, and sharks, you have the opportunity to see dolphin, sea turtles, rays, and giant sunfish—all in their natural environment. Deep sea fishing out of Port Canaveral is a great bargain and is a wonderful addition to a Florida vacation.

Please consider Regular Guy Charters when making your vacation plans and, in addition to a sun tan, you can return home with fresh fish for the freezer (it is easy and inexpensive to ship).

Captain Mike

Regular Guy Charters

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Join Regular Guy Charters for the 2010 Saltwater Classic

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Thu, 06 May 2010 16:20:00 +0000

Join us on the Sunrise in Port Canaveral, Florida this Saturday 5/8 for the MetroPCS Saltwater Classic.

We will split the winnings with anyone who charters this Saturday.

There is $20,000 in cash and prizes up for grabs for Dolphin, Wahoo, King Mackerel, Grouper, and Cobia.

Give us a call to book your spot this Saturday!

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Dolphin, Mahi-Mahi, or Dorado -- Which to Fish For?

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Mon, 03 May 2010 21:41:00 +0000

That’s easy; they are all the same fish. Dolphin (fish, not mammal) is the real name. Nowadays you probably won’t see dolphin on the menu, but you will see mahi-mahi. I guess too many people thought they were eating Flipper, and since mahi-mahi was the Hawaiian name, it became much more politically correct to put mahi on the menu. If you travel to Spanish speaking countries, however, expect to see Dorado on the menu.

No matter what you call it, dolphin is one of the best eating fish in the ocean. And now is the time to catch them off of the central Florida coast--specifically Port Canaveral. They usually start showing up in early April and are here in large numbers through June, and are commonly caught all summer long. As a fisherman, however, the best thing about dolphin is that they are a blast to catch. Their acrobatics are spectacular and they are probably the most beautiful thing swimming. It is not uncommon for us to catch a dozen or so of them ranging in size from 20 to 40 pounds in a day of fishing. No better way to spend a day on the water! Regular Guy Charters specializes in trolling for these prize fish, and as I said above, now is the time to go after them.

Captain Mike
Regular Guy Charters

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Join us on Facebook!

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 21:00:00 +0000

Check out the new Facebook page! Photos, etc coming soon...
Just click the "like" button at the top of the page to make us one of your Facebook favorites.

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Regular Guy Charters website

noreply@blogger.com (CM) — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 19:07:00 +0000

Regular Guy Charters:
regularguycharters.com

Check out the website! It is still under construction but has all the information you need if interested in booking a Port Canaveral deep sea fishing charter.

Regular Guy Fishing Charters
505 Glen Cheek Drive
Cape Canaveral, FL 32920