May
Monday 24th
Headed for the Keys (Marathon) at 9:30 A.M. arrived 4:30 P.M. (Crystal Bay Resort and Marina). Started the unload duties of setting up house in out suite, I unload and the wife tells me where to put things. The boat is sitting at the trailer yard and begging to be put in the water...Next we go to the store for some items of importance for the wife, they (wife and my sister) are in thee for what seems like hours, Bro-in-law and I are waiting in the car watching all the sights going in and out thinking that’s a tourist and they are locals.......
Now, headed back down the road to the resort and they want to stop and have a quick burger. We get back and it’s time to put the boats in the water, the ramp is looking good and both boats go in without any problems. I take the first slip (KW 1720) and Bro takes the sea wall as it is easier to load and unload from there. We look at each other and it’s now 8:00 P.M. Time for a “Fun Rum Drink”. We finish off the first day checking the tides and rigging the gear for the morning.
Tuesday 25th
Up at 5:00 A.M. that’s late for me, take a walk down to the docks and check the boats all’s well and back to the room for another coffee. We head down to the sea wall and get the rods / gear in and check the electronics, nothing is working, check batteries all’s well with them (3)...check all plugs and connections and still nothing. We get out the tool kits and start looking at all the connectors. As Boaters World is almost across the street we take a walk over and they open at 8:00 A.M. we head back to the boat and get everything ready for new connections and make a list.......Head out on the road for some bait (Sardines, Squid and Chum Blocks) we have our own fresh chum, frozen is nice to have just in case. GO back to (BW) and get what we needed. Bro take things apart and makes all new connections and re-connects. Funny how (Mr. Murphy) always show up, no matter how well you prepare. OK! Now were moving away from the sea wall and headed over to 7-mile bridge, then we turn North for our first set of numbers (Top-Spot) Snapper Hole.......We get there and anchor up (we are the only boat in sight) tie out the Chum Tube and finish a cup of coffee...Lines out with a Shrimp and bang..... hit, hit and in comes a nice Mangrove Snapper, this continues for 2 more hours, some shorts and we only keep the 14-inch and bigger ones. We leave there for a Grouper Hole heading West and anchor up and set out the Chum tube again. For the next ten minutes lines are busting loose all around the boat...within 1 hour we have some nice Blacks/Gags in the box, average was 24-28 inches, lots of shorts...released one red Grouper took a pic and let her go. The water temp was 84, seas calm, depth was 8-11 feet at the Snapper Hole and 9-12 at the Grouper hole (Bullard Bank).
Wed 26th
Up at 5:00 A.M. slept in (Fun Rum Drinks again), rigged out both boats.........the wind is only thoughts from last week at this time, water temp 84, no wind, out going tide, we head back out to the Snapper Hole.........hook up real good and fight a 7ft shark for 15 min. and get him to the boat, he just lays there and I cut the leader at his lip. He stays there for 10 more min. then swims off....... Chum in the water, FISH ON...the first snapper of the day then another then a CAT FISH......now the biggest Grunts I have ever caught start hitting everything you put in the water.....Now the Grouper start, it’s like a circle of life at the dinner table... all Grouper under the size limit....still a fun time, cause you know the big boys are going to show up at any time.....Leave the area and head over to East Bahia Key and do some scouting , we went around the North side of the Island and some guides were working the area, we left as they were on some fish and did not want to disturb them. Headed back and cleaned our catch, time for some (Fun Rum Drinks)
Thurs 27th
Up at normal time, coffee toast and head down to the boat, going to 7-mile bridge and anchor up 100 yds south of the bridge 12 ft of water, out going tide there are three other boats anchored up all well West of us. Not much of a bite going on, we move in-between the bridges and (Poons) all around. No taker at this time, the bite starts with Mangroves 16-22 inches hitting the baits more large Grunts (poor man’s snapper) come over for the feast. We leave fish to go and find more elsewhere (never do this) we head over to the flats at the West end of 7-mile Bridge.....TAR-POON hook up and the fight is on...Water temp 84, 3 ft deep, live shrimp, 6/0 circle hook, 16 lb Ande Tourny line, 60 lb Seaguar Fluro leader, 7 ft Star Rod/ Stradic 4000..the game lasted about 20 minutes a couple nice flying leaps with tail walks and the hook came out. Estimated 40 lb Poon. Still fun just to hook up and play the air game with him. Headed back in to the dock, cleaned fish and had fresh Grouper / Snapper for dinner.
Friday 28th
5:00 A.M. came early, slight wind...back to the room, coffee, toast and ready for the days events, the new Merc 200 would not start, fire yes, start no...not getting fuel........checked and re-checked and still a no go.......Let her sit at the dock headed out again in the KW 1720.......8 miles North in the Gulf, ran upon a large weed line 60 yards wide and 1/2 mile long some birds were diving on both ends of it and we look at each other and say what the heck.........we load up the in-shore rods for trolling (Yo-zuri) crank baits on Stradic 4000 and 5000’s..........Stayed 25 yds from the weed line and start a slow troll......You guessed it (Phins) all small P-nuts but fun to have on the end of your rod...I tell Bro to get the camera out and take some good pic’s.......He looks at me and says the camera is in my boat sitting at the sea wall........Dumb, Dumb........we play with them for an hour, Charter Boats going by and we tell them we are not rigged for the big ones that may be down deeper.....they tell us to have fun and they head for the bridge and out to the Reef. We leave this weed line after an hour and go looking around by the Islands to the West.......Very fishy looking mangrove trees.......Mr. Snook may be lurking in the area.........not today.........but plenty of snapper and sharks.......we leave this area and go to another Grouper spot. We find the spot given to us from another guest at the resort.
Was it a good trip, yes......any time spent in the Keys is a good time...for this mainlander. Planning another trip in late August.
Pic's will be added to my Album.
Fun Time 
