If you would have told me six months ago that practically all of America would be shut down, wearing masks and prohibited from gathering, I would have bet everything I own, including my life against you. But alas it was true. The Yankee Capts, the great red, white and blue symbol of our freedom to fish shoulder to shoulder, has now been dock for longer than it ever has in 45 years of sailing the Atlantic Ocean. Reportedly, the Keys and Key West begin opening for business on June 1. It is time for the phoenix to rise!
Nobody has more experience charter fishing in the Tortugas and Pulley Ridge than Captain Greg Mercurio, but even the greatest fisherman know that you have to keep on top of things all of the time to make sure you are on your a game. Greg is no different. In the past few weeks, he’s made a couple of trips to the fishing grounds to literally test the waters. The results were epic, though nobody doubted they would be.
I honestly don’t have a lot of pictures, so I will let someone else do the honors. I’m gonna make this relatively short and sweet.
Trip number one was a mixture of long time Keys fishermen and a special guest, Rob Airington of Deer Meat for Dinner, a YouTube personality with over 2 million followers. Rob is a world traveling fisherman, with access to everything available. The finest tackle, boats, guides and locations are at his disposal, yet his excitement for fishing the Yankee Capts can’t be understated! It is genuine and his videos tell the story. Epic Pulley Ridge fishing! One fish after another. A snowy, queen and yellow-eye at once on the same jig. Tunas on topwaters. Muttons in the morning. Deep drop in the afternoon. We didn’t even fish the second night and had our limits 24 hours ahead of schedule.
Trip two was just as amazing. A special contingent of Keys guides joined forces with Gale Force Twins and RJ Boyle. Big muttons, fire trucks, several 30lb blacks, wahoo on the jig, 60lb cubera were flying over the rail, despite the impossible to get through 20lb blackfins! Seriously, they were thick. Every drop. The excitement was caught on camera for You Tube by the celebrities. Make sure you check it out!
I could go on and on about the superb fishing, awesome food (Get the meal plan!) and friendships built on the Capts, but you’ll never get the legitimacy without booking a trip for yourself. READ THE WEBSITE THOROUGHLY BEFORE CALLING. It is super detailed and there for a reason. Check it out!
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