Anyone been to Dry Tortugas? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Jim in CT · 03-12-2012, 07:38 PM

My wife and I will be in Key West for a few days in May. She likes fishing, snorkeling, and she loves National Parks. So we booked a captain to take us on an all day trip from Key West to Dry Tortugas Nat'l Park, 70 miles each way in his 32 foot Yellowfin (twin 300's). We'll be at the park all day, we can snorkel, fish, and explore the park (which is an old fort the Codfederacy built as a POW camp during the Civil War...if you have to be a POW, that was the place to be stuck!).

Anyone ever fished out there? I hear it's really awesome reef and wreck fishing.

niko · 03-12-2012, 07:43 PM

i went about 5 years ago. bottom fishing heaven baby. have fun

striperman36 · 03-12-2012, 07:43 PM

Yankee Fleet takes a boat or two down there. all wreck fishing

O.D. Mike · 03-12-2012, 08:22 PM

We took the large Cat there, interesting ride, ran into rough seas. Half of the people got sea sick, good times.... Worth the trip, lots of history and to see all of the brick work was amazing....

Wasn't a fishing trip for me....

O.D. Mike · 03-12-2012, 08:25 PM

The boat I'm standing next to was from cuba and it had 14 adults on it...

O.D. Mike · 03-12-2012, 08:27 PM

a couple more pics... I forget the stats on this boat, gotta love the steering though!

Finaddict · 03-12-2012, 08:50 PM

It's a great spot ... phenomenal fishing and historical significance ... but it was not a Confederate fort ... it actually was always under control of the Union, even throughout the Civil War ... was started as a fort but took so long was outdated by the time it was finished ... and thus became a prison ...

... that is where Dr. Samuel Mudd was imprisoned ... he is the doctor who is said to have set the leg of John Wilkes Booth, after Booth assassinated President Lincoln ... he was a guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time ... but was pardoned when he helped the prison overcome a malaria or yellow fever outbreak ...

... there are some stories that said after he was pardoned, that on his way home his ship sank in a storm ... at least that is what we always said when I was representing the Florida Keys & Key West tourism for public relations ...

... but the fishing there is awesome although they have created some marine protection zones around that area taking some great fishing grounds away.

Jim in CT · 03-13-2012, 03:31 AM

Thanks guys. The captain we booked has some sick fishing videos on his website. Can't tell you how much we're looking forward to that excursion. Looking forward to coming home with some grouper and snapper fillets to eat for couple of days following that trip.

scottw · 03-13-2012, 04:15 AM

we were there a couple of weeks ago, took the fishing gear but never broke it out, the snorkeling was amazing and I never really got the urge to start hooking fish when you could swim around and observe them..lot's of barracuda, red grouper, and on... most of the shore is designated and bouyed for snorkeling....LONG ride out there .....don't know how much it costs but if you spring for the sea plane you might get a lot more time out there, goes by quick....try to pick a day that the wind is forcasted to be light otherwise it could be a long, bumpy ride HAVE FUN!

Jim in CT · 03-13-2012, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottw

we were there a couple of weeks ago, took the fishing gear but never broke it out, the snorkeling was amazing and I never really got the urge to start hooking fish when you could swim around and observe them..lot's of barracuda, red grouper, and on... most of the shore is designated and bouyed for snorkeling....LONG ride out there .....don't know how much it costs but if you spring for the sea plane you might get a lot more time out there, goes by quick....try to pick a day that the wind is forcasted to be light otherwise it could be a long, bumpy ride HAVE FUN!

Beautiful picture of your daughter! Did you guys take the plane? My wife says she wants to catch a few fish for dinner (God bless her), so we figured we'd book a boat. Both the all-day plane trip, and our boat trip, offered about 6 hours at the park. As we wanted to sample the bottom fishing, we went with the boat. The boat trip will actually be a bit more expensive than the plane would have been, big-time gas guzzler. Not something we can do all the time, but we can doit once.

scottw · 03-13-2012, 05:41 AM

didn't see your note about the smaller boat...that's probably ideal, we took the ferry, didn't see another boat all the way out or back so you'll have the water mostly to yourselves...nice! SPF 50

a kid from NY working the sport fishing boats told me he sees people heading out there in sea kayaks some mornings which was mind-boggling to me

Jim in CT · 03-13-2012, 05:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottw

didn't see your note about the smaller boat...that's probably ideal, we took the ferry, didn't see another boat all the way out or back so you'll have the water mostly to yourselves...nice! SPF 50

a kid from NY working the sport fishing boats told me he sees people heading out there in sea kayaks some mornings which was mind-boggling to me

I just edited my previous post...since we wanted to be able to fish with a pro, we went with the boat. That cost will be about the same as if we did the all-day sea plane tour. Can't do it every day, but we can do it once.

scottw · 03-13-2012, 07:05 AM

you'll be excited to know that we saw bait spraying and fish smashing all around the out-lying waters...immediately around the fort and beaches was kinda like an aquarium..., I imagine the bottom fishing is crazy too as others said... we saw some very large groupers while snorkeling and gargantuan barracuda.....there was a pretty funny moment when were getting off the boat and all of the passengers were getting in line to get snorkeling gear, there were several people-sized fish right under the dock which I assumed were nurse sharks...I pointed them out to one of my little ones who has a particularly loud voice and proceeded to yell..."look at the size of those sharks".....the head swivels and jaws dropping from the aspiring snorklers was priceless

spence · 03-13-2012, 08:38 AM

Did you guys see any pirates?

-spence

scottw · 03-13-2012, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spence

Did you guys see any pirates?

-spence

saw a few wandering around downtown Key West...at least I think they were pirates

PNG · 03-13-2012, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by O.D. Mike

The boat I'm standing next to was from cuba and it had 14 adults on it...

Not bad for a Cuban getaway boat. I picked a few "TubingCubans". Out in the middle of nowhere on a truck inner tube. Said USSR on it and the oars were rough sawn 2x4 like things.

As far as Dry Tortugas I can only echo what everyone else said definitely worth a visit Oh and pirates everywhere

Finaddict · 03-13-2012, 09:04 PM

Jim in CT ... who did you book for the trip? There are a lot of great captains down there, and the wreck fishing and bottom fishing can be amazing ... also, a friend of mine was there over night ... they went over in a 54-foot sportfisherman with two 27-33 - foot center consoles, and had tarpon in the harbor at the fort in the early morning. It's almost that season, the tarpon fishing is on in Key West Harbor right now, but I would have to imagine that the weather has been reflective of up here ... warm like we have had ... when you get four days or so of light winds and extra warm weather in March, the resident tarpon start to get active in the cuts and channels ... we usually pursued them with fly rods, but plugs and jigs, soft baits and bait works great too ... I would not be surprised to see some down in that area, if the area is not over run with boats ... when you are wreck fishing, you're not looking for tarpon, but if you are around the fort early in the morning, keep your eyes open.

scottw · 03-13-2012, 09:49 PM

the tarpon were "in tight"

Mr. Sandman · 03-13-2012, 09:58 PM

I have not been there but plan on it someday...I thought fishing was prohibited around those islands. (protected park ) . ???

Sea Dangles · 03-14-2012, 06:47 AM

Nothing compares with silver king fishing in the shallows,they are in the royalty category of fishing.200 pounds of fish getting airborn in less than 20' of water will make you giddy.

Jim in CT · 03-14-2012, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Finaddict

Jim in CT ... who did you book for the trip? There are a lot of great captains down there, and the wreck fishing and bottom fishing can be amazing ... also, a friend of mine was there over night ... they went over in a 54-foot sportfisherman with two 27-33 - foot center consoles, and had tarpon in the harbor at the fort in the early morning. It's almost that season, the tarpon fishing is on in Key West Harbor right now, but I would have to imagine that the weather has been reflective of up here ... warm like we have had ... when you get four days or so of light winds and extra warm weather in March, the resident tarpon start to get active in the cuts and channels ... we usually pursued them with fly rods, but plugs and jigs, soft baits and bait works great too ... I would not be surprised to see some down in that area, if the area is not over run with boats ... when you are wreck fishing, you're not looking for tarpon, but if you are around the fort early in the morning, keep your eyes open.

We are booked with Capt Steve Lamp of dream catcher charters.

Dry Tortugas Fishing Charters

H ementioned that we'd see tarpon there. I've caught a few tarpon in the keys, I used to do a weeklong hardcore fishing trip every year with my college friends, till we all got married...

Mr Sandman, I believe there are some protected areas, but also zones where fishing is pergfectly legal.

We are psyched.

Finaddict · 03-14-2012, 09:54 PM

Looking forward to the photos.