In the early years of doing fishing holidays in the Florida Keys on their first trips a lot of anglers came with a bucket list on their first trip as I said in my last blog things have changed with my regulars but back then it was fun and a challenge.  I suppose in the Florida Keys the number one on the list was a 100 lb tarpon, strangely enough for me this was and still is an easy one.  Yes we still lose a lot but the hook up is nearly ever morning, just keeping them on and away from shark is the hard part.  In the 15 years plus I have been fishing the Florida Keys it is my opinion that the tarpon are in fact getting bigger more fun for the angler but they can be a pain for me and it can become a spectator sport for the other guys.  However it is all worth it and looking back at all my photos the biggest smiles are always from guys with a tarpon on their laps, I have always taken great care in the release and I am happy they all go back OK.

Next on the bucket list was a very big shark, still this fish has a very special place in most anglers minds jaws has a lot to answer for but it’s just the way they swim and those eyes.  The Florida Keys certainly has many big shark from the 1000 lb hammerhead we had a few years ago in just 10 ft of water to the near  600 lb bull we had in over 1000 ft of water on the tuna grounds last year.  I still like to see the boat go into total panic when a big tiger swims up the chum slick and then the look of horror when the fresh bait gets taken right by the boat.

An other fun one on the bucket list is  ” I want to catch a fish bigger than me  ”  well most guys are less than 400 lb so again not a hard one for me or the Florida Keys just get some help from my friends the goliath grouper.  I am very lucky with these fish and now we have 4 top wrecks which all have fish over 500 lb and are always there and are nearly always hungry.  I still have to thank my friend  Jim  Whippy who worked out a way to get these fish back to the boat for a silly pic and my friend Kev for jumping in just to let you see how big !!

So there you have it if you have a fish bucket list you know where to come and I am here in the UK so just give me a call and I am sure I can work out a deal  01668 216173.