mallardtone-man
New
Hey guys, I am new to the Forum and just wanted to say hi and hopefully get some advice.
I am going to be in In the Florida Keys may 4th-14th with my brother and a couple of buddies. We intend to fish, dive and spearfish pretty much the whole time. We are all in college and are spending kind of alot of $$ so we want to do everything we possibly can to make sure we get on fish and have some fun. I am just going to let you know what I have figured out so far and what I am looking to learn. I have gotten some really good advice on other boards for my previous trips and I really hope someone on here will be able to help me out. Thanks in advance!
- Experience- This will be the first time spearfishing for all of us. We have all free dove before and 3 of us are certified. I have been certified for 4 years and have been on a number of dives but have never spear fished. We all have experience boating but I have never run a boat in Florida on my own so I am very unfamiliar with the waters.
- Gear -
I recently purchased a full setup of scuba gear minus a tank and am planning on purchasing a gun when I get down to Fla. I have a US diver regulator + backup reg, a Sherwood BCB, a performance gauge cluster, weight belt, etc. As far as I understand none of it has been used in like 4 years, is there something I should do to have it tested before I dive?
As far as a gun I have kind of decided on a JBL SUPER CARBINE, I found a store on my way down that has them for $90.00 If someone has a better suggestion in that price range please let me know. I wouldnt even mind buying a used gun but would have to get one with good bands or ones that I could replace cheaply. I intend to do mostly shallow water spearfishing and am pretty much interested in shooting anything that we legally can. I also intend to spearfish the waters here in MI for big carp, gar catfish, sheepshead and more so I would like a decent sized gun with a little punch to it.
- Transportation - I have reserved 20' Cobia CC with a 130hp 2 stroke Yamaha, it has livewell, fishfinder, GPS etc. It is $155/day for 3 days + Gas from Captain Pips Marina in Marathon (if someone knows of a better deal please let me know). We are interested in doing just about any kind of fishing and diving/spear fishing we can in the time we are down. We will have acess to kayaks the days we don't have the boat. I have experience boating and have done a fair amount of salt water fishing but very little of it from a boat and NONE of it from a boat captained by me.
Things I need to know:
- Fuel Useage and Cost -
They would would not give me any idea of what the fuel useage of this boat is. Like I said it is a 20' Cobia CC with a 130hp 2 stroke Yamaha. We will have 4 guys aboard, will likely have the livewell full and a fair amount of gear. I understand it is almost impossible for you to give me any kind of accurate estimate but just want to get an idea of what the price range might be. Unless we find something that we are really tearing it up at we may do a fair amount of motoring, we want to try as much as we can and still have fun. I had estimated between $50 and $100 a day, hope I wasn't too far off :/.
- Tips, Tactics and Where to Fish -
I do alot of freshwater fishing and have done a fair amount of saltwater so I am not clueless but I could definitely use help. I am an avid fisherman amongst other things and I am not afraid to do what it takes in order to catch fish. I am very interested in finding some wrecks/reefs that we can dive/fish. I would be trying to catch both bottom fish and pelegics/game fish. I am not sure what the weather is going to be like but if it is not too much in fuel and conditions allow I am willing to go 10-15 miles offshore.
Captain Pips Marina is at the base of the 7mile bridge in Marathon. We wont be trailering so I would imagine our range will be a 15 mile radius or so (maybe more/less depending on our top speed, weather conditions, fuel costs, etc). I dont mind doing a little running and spending the time/$$ to get to the right spot as long as there is a good chance it will produce good results. I am really hoping to get some specifics on reefs, wrecks, rocks, anywhere we might be able to catch/shoot some fish. I have a handheld GPS and can navigate fairly well so getting some numbers would be awesome. We are respectful guys and responsible fishermen and are only fishing for three days so please don't be afraid we are going to trash/steal your favorite spot or something. I have come to rely on this kind of advice over the years and always try and reciprocate if I feel I can help someone out. Ideally I was hoping that someone might be interested meeting us up and showing us a spot or two as well as giving us the rundown. We could probably even throw you some money for gas. I have seen people looking for riders on other sites, so if someone has room for 4 in thier boat we would happily chip in for gas in bait. If it is close enough and ok with you I could fish that spot in the rental boat later but will respect it if it is you honey hole or something.
Thanks again,
James
I am going to be in In the Florida Keys may 4th-14th with my brother and a couple of buddies. We intend to fish, dive and spearfish pretty much the whole time. We are all in college and are spending kind of alot of $$ so we want to do everything we possibly can to make sure we get on fish and have some fun. I am just going to let you know what I have figured out so far and what I am looking to learn. I have gotten some really good advice on other boards for my previous trips and I really hope someone on here will be able to help me out. Thanks in advance!
- Experience- This will be the first time spearfishing for all of us. We have all free dove before and 3 of us are certified. I have been certified for 4 years and have been on a number of dives but have never spear fished. We all have experience boating but I have never run a boat in Florida on my own so I am very unfamiliar with the waters.
- Gear -
I recently purchased a full setup of scuba gear minus a tank and am planning on purchasing a gun when I get down to Fla. I have a US diver regulator + backup reg, a Sherwood BCB, a performance gauge cluster, weight belt, etc. As far as I understand none of it has been used in like 4 years, is there something I should do to have it tested before I dive?
As far as a gun I have kind of decided on a JBL SUPER CARBINE, I found a store on my way down that has them for $90.00 If someone has a better suggestion in that price range please let me know. I wouldnt even mind buying a used gun but would have to get one with good bands or ones that I could replace cheaply. I intend to do mostly shallow water spearfishing and am pretty much interested in shooting anything that we legally can. I also intend to spearfish the waters here in MI for big carp, gar catfish, sheepshead and more so I would like a decent sized gun with a little punch to it.
- Transportation - I have reserved 20' Cobia CC with a 130hp 2 stroke Yamaha, it has livewell, fishfinder, GPS etc. It is $155/day for 3 days + Gas from Captain Pips Marina in Marathon (if someone knows of a better deal please let me know). We are interested in doing just about any kind of fishing and diving/spear fishing we can in the time we are down. We will have acess to kayaks the days we don't have the boat. I have experience boating and have done a fair amount of salt water fishing but very little of it from a boat and NONE of it from a boat captained by me.
Things I need to know:
- Fuel Useage and Cost -
They would would not give me any idea of what the fuel useage of this boat is. Like I said it is a 20' Cobia CC with a 130hp 2 stroke Yamaha. We will have 4 guys aboard, will likely have the livewell full and a fair amount of gear. I understand it is almost impossible for you to give me any kind of accurate estimate but just want to get an idea of what the price range might be. Unless we find something that we are really tearing it up at we may do a fair amount of motoring, we want to try as much as we can and still have fun. I had estimated between $50 and $100 a day, hope I wasn't too far off :/.
- Tips, Tactics and Where to Fish -
I do alot of freshwater fishing and have done a fair amount of saltwater so I am not clueless but I could definitely use help. I am an avid fisherman amongst other things and I am not afraid to do what it takes in order to catch fish. I am very interested in finding some wrecks/reefs that we can dive/fish. I would be trying to catch both bottom fish and pelegics/game fish. I am not sure what the weather is going to be like but if it is not too much in fuel and conditions allow I am willing to go 10-15 miles offshore.
Captain Pips Marina is at the base of the 7mile bridge in Marathon. We wont be trailering so I would imagine our range will be a 15 mile radius or so (maybe more/less depending on our top speed, weather conditions, fuel costs, etc). I dont mind doing a little running and spending the time/$$ to get to the right spot as long as there is a good chance it will produce good results. I am really hoping to get some specifics on reefs, wrecks, rocks, anywhere we might be able to catch/shoot some fish. I have a handheld GPS and can navigate fairly well so getting some numbers would be awesome. We are respectful guys and responsible fishermen and are only fishing for three days so please don't be afraid we are going to trash/steal your favorite spot or something. I have come to rely on this kind of advice over the years and always try and reciprocate if I feel I can help someone out. Ideally I was hoping that someone might be interested meeting us up and showing us a spot or two as well as giving us the rundown. We could probably even throw you some money for gas. I have seen people looking for riders on other sites, so if someone has room for 4 in thier boat we would happily chip in for gas in bait. If it is close enough and ok with you I could fish that spot in the rental boat later but will respect it if it is you honey hole or something.
Thanks again,
James
