In this podcast “From the Water Show” host Capt. Marlin Scott talks to Capt Craig Eubank about Kingfish off Key West. Ever  wonder why they’re called smoker kings? Well hook up on one and you will shortly see! Blistering runs and skyrocketing jumps are just a few things these fish have in their arsenal. Listen in as Capt Marlin and Capt Craig speak the Kingfish lingo that will give you the info that you need know to land a fish you’re dying to catch, tune in!

When winter comes around and the wind begins its frosty revenge, there’s only one thing to get our blood boiling… Kingfish, Kingfish, Kingfish! Just in time for the 1st annual Lower Keys Kingfish Tournament! In this pod cast we have Capt Jim Sharp Jr talking to us about everything you need to know about this tournament. Listen in and learn about how to get involved and have some real fun fishing a great tournament.

Photo Courtesy of Big Kahuna Charters

Listen in as Capt. Chris Robinson (pictured on the left) goes into the fine details of the art of Permit fishing.  There has never been a better storyteller than the Big Kahuna!

In this podcast, Capt. Marlin talks with Capt. Chris Johnson about yellowtailing.   This is just one of those things you just gotta do when you come to the Florida Keys.  Capt. Chris explains where to go and how to chum them up.  If you want to do something fun, especially with the family, this is it!

Listen as Capt. Dana Banks talks to Capt. Marlin Scott about sailfishing in Key Largo.  It is prime time for sailfish.  Capt. Dana tells us how he does it, what kind of bait he uses and the spots to go in the Upper Keys.

In this podcast, Capt Marlin Scott talks with Capt. Phil Thompson about catching pompano in the waters around Key West.  The pompano is a colder water fish, so this is the time of year that you’re going to start seeing them.  Capt. Phil talks about where to go to find them and what the best technique is to catch them.  These are a great fighting fish and they really are good to eat!  If you haven’t fished for pompano before, I highly recommend that you give it a try!

Brothers, Hook and John Harmeling, avid offshore anglers who travel the world in search of billfish have joined forces with From the Water Magazine to bring you billfishing reports from around the world.  These two guys are totally obsessed with fishing the blue water for some pretty amazing fish.  You can look forward to regular reports from them showcasing their adventures and action in exotic locales such as Mozambique, Africa; the Great Barrier Reef in Australia; the Galapagos; the Canary Islands and even our very own Florida Keys.

First on their list is a countdown of the top ten billfisheries of the year.  Find out where the biggest and best catches happened.  Until then, head over to the Billfish Report and check out what happens when a 1300 lb. marlin gets “Sharked”!

Thanks guys for bringing us some incredible fishing news from around the world.  Welcome aboard!!

Follow the Billfish Report on Twitter.

Capt Billy Turnbull

I had the pleasure of going swordfishing recently with my good buddy, Capt. Billy Turnbull. This was not my first trip with Billy. I put one of my customers on Billy’s boat back in June and went along for the ride. On this particular outing, we took one of the young Marathon up-and-comers, Jeremy Foell, with us and headed out on Billy’s 18′ Boston Whaler.

Billy is the Swordfish King of the Middle Keys, as you’ll soon discover. He owns two boats, his whaler and a nice 31′ OceanMaster. Charter clients are treated to the OceanMaster, but fishing buddies go on the Whaler.

We left Billy’s dock at about 8:30 in the morning, loaded up with his custom Daiwa 3000 electric/manual setup, various other rods and reels, gaffs of all sizes and his top-secret bait system. We had sandwiches and a case of water along to sustain us.

Jeremy is a wiry lad of seventeen who lives and breathes spearfishing. He spends so much time in the water, I’m sure there are gills under that dive suit. His Facebook page is chock full of pictures of his snares – grouper, snapper, hogfish – not a puny one in the bunch.

When invited to go swordfishing, Jeremy jumped at the opportunity to expand his above water fish-capturing experiences. I don’t think he knew what he was in for.

Back to the fishing. On the way out to Billy’s swordfishing grounds, we encountered a school of gaffer size dolphin and put a dozen in the boat just for good measure. Jeremy and I agreed, “At least, we’ll have dinner.” But, what were we thinking? Capt. Billy Turnbull simply does not return to the dock without a swordfish.

We got to the first spot and drifted it with no bites. Billy moved to a second spot nearby and our luck changed. The first drift produced an instant bite and hook-up. I was strapped in to his ultra deluxe harness system and ready for the fight. The fish surfaced and dove several times and I could feel it thrashing its bill back and forth in an effort to free itself from the hooks. As it came closer and closer to the boat, we could make out its silvery blue sheen and those huge eyeballs staring us down as if to say, “You ain’t got me yet, sucker!” A bit more reeling and I had the fish to the boat. Billy saw that it was a 60-80lbr – nice fish – but not a keeper, especially that early in the day.

On the very next drift, we had another quick bite and hook-up. This time, it was Jeremy’s turn on the rod. The expression on his face was part “cool” and part “holy s***.”

I held on to back of his harness as Jeremy fought the fish. His impulse was to let go of the rod and hang on to the boat so as not to be pulled overboard by the beast at the end of the line. He also wanted to bend forward toward the fish, which prevented the harness from doing its job. I told him to lean back and sit down just slightly as if on a bed of nails. That way he benefited from the leveraging effect of the harness.

Jeremy quickly got into the rhythm of letting the fish take some line, reeling it in, letting it out again. The fight went on for about an hour and a half when another set of those piercing eyes came to the surface to glare at us menacingly. Once again, the angler prevailed over the fish. This sword was a bulky 150lbr, and Billy put it in the boat without a second thought.

We made two more drifts for two more hook-ups. When the first came tight to the boat, we pulled the hooks and thought it must have been merely snagged. While reeling the bait up, something bit at about 700 feet. We never got to find out what it was as it was eaten by the largest silky shark we’d ever seen. It had to be at least 7 feet and 250 pounds, possibly larger. It dove under the boat and snapped the rod in half.

We swapped out the rod, made one more drift and hooked another sword. As it was running for the surface, the hooks pulled at about 300 feet. The sun was getting low in the sky; the beverages and Jeremy were exhausted, so we called it a day. A very good day.

Nice Islamorada Hog!

The Key Largo/Islamorada area is a magnet for hogfish, and they are a blast to catch.  Today Capt. Marlin Scott talks with Capt. Dana Banks who runs fishing charters out of Ocean Reef near Key Largo.  There are lots of patch reefs out there and combined with the fact that spearfishing is not allowed closer than three miles offshore this area is loaded with hogfish.  Captain Dana talks about pretty much everything you could want to know about hogfishing – except how to cook ‘em which is my favorite part!

Barracuda on the flats in the wintertime seem to garner the sun’s energy as they warm.  They sit precariously still as your top water lure is brought past their zone of aggression.  You can see why barracuda are truly an amazing, prized sportfish.  Listen in as Capt. Mike Bartlett describes the “Barracuda Sweep” technique.

FYI – The crew here at From the Water Magazine actually tried this technique, and it worked – brilliantly!  Thanks Mike!

Captain Greg Sosnow has joined us once again to share some of his extensive knowledge about catching sailfish in the Florida Keys.  We’re starting to see a few sailfish show up for the season in Key Largo so we thought it was time to check in with Greg for a few pointers to get us started.

Look for a nice current edge right at the color change of the water.  That’s where the best sailfish bite happens.  They’re swimming against the current, burning a lot of energy and therefore, mighty hungry!   Most importantly, you’re going to need some live, frisky ballyhoo so Capt. Greg talks a little bit about that as well.

The average sailfish fight lasts about 15-25 minutes and the acrobatics of the fish that go on during this time make sailfishing one of the most exciting types of fishing there is!

“If you chum, they will come!”

-Capt. Martin Alsobrooks
Linda’s Bait Shack
Big Pine Key, Florida

Martin Alsobrooks of Linda’s Bait Shack is a chum professional.  After all, it’s what he does for a living.  In this podcast he gives us the run down on the different types of chum and how much to use (LOTS!).  He tells us the secrets the commercial guys use to get the fish chewing – and for good measure he throws in a great recipe for making “sandballs” which are an excellent tool for drawing in the fish.

November to March is the main sailfishing season for the Florida Keys, so make your plans now.

In this podcast, Capt. Gene Chryzinowski gives us some very specific information on how to troll for sailfish.  He discusses in detail critical tips on how far out your lines should be, trolling speed, down riggers, etc.  Then he shares his technique for what to do once you get one hooked up.

Don’t miss this podcast, Capt. Gene is the man!!!

Yellowtail Snapper – the “Bread and Butter” of our fishery in the Florida Keys.  For the novice fisherman coming down on vacation, yellowtailing is an easy, simple way to have a really good time.  You don’t have to go far and all you need is a spinning rod.

Martin Alsobrook from Linda’s Bait Shack in Big Pine Key tells us step by step how to do it.

His biggest advice:  “BE THE CHUM!!!!”

There is no more coveted  species for us here in the Florida Keys than the permit. We love our permit!  Fishing for permit on the wrecks is a total blast!  In this podcast, Capt. Dave Shugar talks about how to catch these fish.  Everything from where to go, what kind of tackle to use and what techniques work best.