Florida Keys Weekly Fishing Report; June 10 2012

Florida Keys Weekly Fishing Report
Key Largo, Tavernier, and Islamorada

I have to laugh when I read reputable Florida Keys fishing reports for Islamorada, Tavernier &  Key Largo saying that the offshore dolphin (mahi mahi) fishing in the Florida Keys is “excellent” right now (cut & past reports from last year) when actually the “local” Florida Keys  offshore dolphin fishing report is actually“day by day” or “here today &  gone tomorrow”.   We did have strong east/southeast wind that pushed a nice wave of dolphin into a feeding frenzy last week; the guys who fished early last week gaffed a few nice 20-45 lb. dolphin (mahi mahi). For a decent catch of dolphin(mahi mahi) head out to 800-1000ft.

Over the Rail & Into the Pail

The bigger gaffers/slammers are being found on lone pieces of debris off of Caloosa Cove Resort down by mile marker 73. Fuel up & make the trip south, if you don’t have tower, put your crew on “magical debris” watch.

  A Summer Floirda Keys King with Craig, Kade & Chase

While at a local tackle shop last Friday evening I spoke with guy who caught a 52 lb Bull Dolphin (mahi mahi) off Marathon in 250 ft. last weekend. He pulled out his phone, showed me a picture, and then told me his fish tale.  The guy explained that they had been trolling for 6 hours without a bite and just before calling it quits his buddy spotted a small piece of bamboo that was holding the 52 lb. fish. Best of all they caught the fish on a 12 lb. spinning outfit pulling an antique Billybait lure. The fish had awesome color & was truly a trophy.

No plans to fish until later this week, we have a strong northeast wind that will keep us at the dock for a few days, so until the next report get those baits out & wait it out!

Capt. Ryan

www.floridakeysfishin.com

305-619-2126

Florida Keys "Good Karma" Fishing

Greetings from the Florida Keys!

 

We hope everyone had a very good Christmas and are enjoying the holidays. We had amazing weather over Christmas, so Melinda & I decided to go offshore fishing. During the fishing trip we were discussing what we should name our new charter fishing boat.

 

"Good Karma"

 

Several names came up during the course of the fishing trip, however when the name “Good Karma” was tossed out as a possibility the Florida Keys fishing Gods must have liked the name, because it was fish on! We reeled in a nice blackfin tuna for dockside sushi ashing down with some beers and it was final.... “Good Karma.”

 

Have a Safe and Happy New Year!

 

Capt. Ryan

The Perfect Ending to “Shark Week”

Close encounters with sharks are part of my in the Florida Keys.  I have few fish tales to tell, but I will save those for a later date.  

Sharks are truely amazing and I love to watch them in action.   As Discovery Channels “Shark Week” comes to an end, I wanted to share this amazing video with you all.   I have never seen anything like it, its almost memorizing. Make sure you watch the very end and let me know what you think.

  

Thanks for stopping by!

Ryan

Celebrate the Full Moon with Yellowtail Snapper and Key Lime Butter!

Traveling the 18 mile stretch through the everglades from Florida City to the Keys under full moon is spectacular! If you have not experienced a full moon in Keys, make sure you put it on your “to do list”.

In the Keys, rather than fish sunrise to sunset, at some point during the year we fish moon up to moon set.

The picture was taken by a local Keys resident.

We celebrate every full moon in the Keys with a “Full Moon Party” and so should you!

In true Keys tradition serve Yellowtail Snapper with Key Lime Butter to your guests at your Full Moon Party this year!

Key Lime Butter Sauce

½ Cup White Wine
1Tablespoon Shallots, chopped
¼ cup of Key Lime Juice
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick)

Place wine, shallots, and key lime juice in a saucepan and reduce over high heat by one-third. Add cream and reduce again by one-third. Remove from heat and add the butter one piece at a time, stirring constantly. As each piece melts add another piece. The sauce will remain constant and the butter will bind and thicken it.

Place its pan in a pan of hot water to keep warm while cooking the fish.

2 ¼ to 2 ½ pounds of Yellowtail Fillets
¼ cup flour seasoned with salt and white pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced
1 ripe papaya, thinly sliced

Dip the fillets in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Melt the butter in a large skillet and add fish, moving each piece as it touches the pan. This will prevent it from sticking. Brown for 1 minute. Turn and brown the second side. Reduce the heat and sauté 4 to 5 minutes. Do not over cook or it will become dry.

Place the fillets on individual places and spoon with a little sauce over them. Garnish each plate with thin slices of avocado and papaya

6 Servings

Enjoy!

A Florida Keys Sunset Happy Hour!

It’s a Keys ritual of getting together for sunset happy hour.

This is our nightly sunset, I took this picture from our patio.

It is during these happy hours where many a pirate, smuggler, fisherman, and song writer have shared stories while drinking a tropical rum drink against the backdrop of palm trees swaying the breeze.

In 2011, make it a point to have a Florida Keys Sunset Happy Hour with your friends and family while sipping a “Key West Duval Crawl”!

1/4 ounce vodka
1/4 ounce gin
1/4 ounce white rum
1/4 ounce peach liquor
1/4 ounce amaretto liquor
1/4 ounce blue Curacao
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
Splash of 7 up
2 maraschino Cherries
1/2 slice lemon
1/2 slice lime

Fill a blender container 3/4 full with ice. Add liquid ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour into a 22 ounce glass and garnish with cherries and the lemon and lime slices

1 to 6 servings, depending on your mood!(smiling)

Enjoy!

Ryan

Go "Keys Crazy" with Yellowtail Snapper Fish Tacos!

When someone asks you “What’s Wrong? or “You look upset?” rather than say “I am having bad day”, say you’re having a “Keys Crazy Day”.

How I deal with a “Keys Crazy Day".

1. Listen to Jimmy Buffet like a "Conch"

2. Go Fish

Me with a couple of Nice Snappers from last fall

3. Watch the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico

Florida Bay Sunset View from Our Balcony

4. Play with our new puppies Stella and Brenna

5. Cook healthly seafood.

Try my Yellowtail Snapper Fish Tacos 2011. The Yellowtail Snapper has a distinct sweet flavor that will leave your guests wanting more!

Ingredients

2 lbs of Yellowtail Snapper Filets
Sea salt and Ground pepper
3-4 tbsp. butter or margarine
½ cup of plain yogurt
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tablespoon of lime juice and ½ minced jalapeno
½ teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon of dried dill weed
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Salsa
Shredded Cabbage
1 package of flour tortillas

Instructions

Place yogurt, mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice and minced jalapeno, oregano, dill weed, cumin in a small bowl and stir to combine.

Cut the snapper fillets into 2-inch wide strips. Generously cover both sides of fillets with sea salt and pepper.

Melt butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle a dash of garlic powder into the melted butter.

Add fillets to skillet, and sauté, about a 1 minute each side, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily when tested with a fork. Break fish into bite-size pieces. Place into serving dish.

Warm the tortillas. (I use a microwave for 20-30 seconds for a large 10-inch).

For each taco use about 3-4 oz cooked fish and 2-3 tablespoons each of salsa, cheese, sour cream, shredded cabbage.

Now get cooking!

Ryan
www.twostarfishseafood.com

How to Cook a Whole Fish

Winter came early in November of 2009 in Minnesota. It was my last fishing trip on the Mississippi River before moving to the Florida Keys. My fishing buddy and I pulled the boat onto the happy hour sandbar so his dog could stretch his legs, while we drank Old Style beer and cooked Wisconsin brats over a fire.

 

As we stood over the fire cooking the brats that day I said, “We should try cooking whole fish this way”.

 

The brats absorbed the smoky flavor of the fire with little risk of burning and the meat stayed moister than cooked over direct heat. So I applied this same cooking technique to whole fish. It takes a little bit more energy, but not much if you follow these instructions:

 

I have found that the best fish for grilling whole are flat saltwater fish, like Yellowtail Snapper, Mangrove Snappers, and Mahi-Mahi.

 

1. First, gut and scale the fish. Rinse to get rid of any remaining blood or viscera, and pat it dry inside and out with paper towels.  
2. With a sharp knife split the fish upward to the dorsal fin to separate the meat into halves still attached by skin. Run a sharp knife along one side of the backbone to the dorsal fin. Be careful not to cut through the skin. The bones will be easy enough to remove once the fish is cooked
3. With your knife, splice three or four slits partially through each side of the fish to ensure even cooking (this step is unnecessary with small fish).
4. Baste the fish inside and out with coarse sea salt and pepper then rub it with a bit of olive oil, peanut oil or butter (for both flavor and to prevent sticking). Flavor the meat, by lining cavity with thin slices of lemon, key limes, diced onions, peppers, butter, minced garlic, and basil.
5. Sew the fish shut with wet kitchen twine.
6. Lump the hardwood coals in the grill opposite side you will be cooking the fish directly over with about 6-8 quarts of hardwood coals. This will be your direct heat source. To prevent the fish from sticking to the grill, oil the grate.
7. Preheat the grill on low heat. Place the fish on the grate on the opposite side of the lump of hot coals (away from the direct heat grill heat (hot coals piled up opposite the fish).
8. Cover the grill. Grill until the fish turns dark and crisp, depending on the size of the fish, this may take 15-60 Minutes.
9. Make sure the fish is fully cooked by pressing the fish with your finger. The area around where you pressed will break into firm flakes and it should pull away easily from the bones. (If you like a bit of charring, set the finished fish directly above the hot coals for a minute or two. )
10. Use a spatula to slide the fish off the grate and onto a serving platter.