Had a great trip. This will be detailed for fellow fishermen. We went out 7/17/23 for an 8 hr trip. Specifically targeting grouper. Waves were 1-2 foot. The 34 foot boat is equipped with cushioned seats and the ride was quite smooth. Two hour trip southwest to get to 140 ft deep water. Captain Keith put us immediately on fish. He uses a GPS trolling motor which holds the boat in position … meaning no anchor. This saves SOOOOOO much time. We used large 5-6 inch squid chunks and live bait that Keith cast netted in the morning. We caught rod bending red grouper - 20-25 lbs. Three red snapper in the 28”, 15 lb range. I personally caught ~15 red grouper, 3 keepers, and 5-7 red snapper. 1 large mangrove 18-20 inches) and 3-4 vermillion snapper. If the bite died down in 10-15 minutes, we moved 5-10 min to another spot. The GPS trolling motor made it easy to run and gun, while staying on top of the spot.
I’ve been with other captains who only let you have 1-2 lines in the water at a time, or who will hold the line until you have a bite. Captain Keith had all 5 of us with rods in the water, holding them ourselves. He gave great advice and tips but did not take the rod, set the hook, then give the rod back to you. Rather, he let us do everything. THIS WAS AWESOME!!! Three days later, my right bicep/arm can still feel the burn from pulling those big grouper up.
Keith cleaned the fish with plain knives - conserved the meat better than electric knives. He provided cold water on ice. We brought sandwiches and snacks ourselves. He also has a bucket portapotty with a toilet seat for the ladies. This was much appreciated.
We’ve been eating the fish most nights of our week long vacation at Anna Maria Island. We met Captain Keith 5 minutes from our rental, so the 7 am start was easy.
The 8 hour trip is a bit more expensive but we’ve created memories of a lifetime. The pictures prove the fish tails (sic) are real. Hope this detailed review helps.
Had a great trip. This will be detailed for fellow fishermen. We went out 7/17/23 for an 8 hr trip. Specifically targeting...