Hunt for Mahi Mahi

The elusive dolphin fish, also known as mahi mahi, also known as dorado. A coworker and I went out on his boat after CPR class. We were on the Atlantic, 13 miles out from Boyton Beach inlet. Fished about 3 hours before finding a 5 gallon gas can floating with lots of large bait fish hiding beneath it. We both hooked up at the exact same time, he on the cow, me on the bull. After a 15 minute fight, he got his to the boat and I had to help him hold his rod while he gaffed the big girl. (weighed 29lbs 3 hours later). After we landed the cow, I got the bull to within 10 feet of the boat and he friggin broke loose. Very disappointing but nonetheless a very cool experience. The dolphin is number one on my list and I will have to wait to officially cross this off my bucket list. The picture is actually the other guy's fish. We figure that cow that got away from me was 35lbs.
I cannot describe in words the feeling of fighting such a large fish. When he got close enough to the boat, he was actually making eye contact with me. WOW! I can't wait to get back out and try to actually boat one of these freaks of nature.


Above: my friend's (Mike) house on the Boyton Inlet, Atlantic Ocean, FL.


Above: Mike's backyard, complete with pool and hot tub.


Above: Mike's dock, slip and lift. Right there at the house, as it should be.



Above: I take my turn at the helm in his 22' CC.


Above: Mike's 29lb Dolphin. His personal best is 33lbs.


Above: The good shippin' crew celebrate the harvest.


Above: It's not over 'till the cleanup is done.


Above: No, that's not cow hide leather. Those are Dolphin fillets.
It ended up with about 12 pounds of fish steak.

Twin Peeks

After 5 weeks it was time for Stephy and Billy to head back to Phoenix, but when I brought them to the airport I picked up a surprise to bring home to Kathy. Kathy's daughter Heather and twin grandsons, Dylan and Devin, flew in from Phoenix for a 5 day stay. Kathy knew a surprise was coming, but she never expected this. I had the arrival planned out this way: I would drive around the block so she wouldn't see the truck pass in front of the house. I had the boys ring the doorbell and Kathy opened up her present, much to her delight. The only problem was Kathy DID hear my truck pull up and she peeked through the blinds and saw Heather and the twins. It was still a pleasant surprise.

Wednesday we had a huge rain front move in from the Gulf. After it dumped 5 inches in one day, (Phoenix gets 7 inches all year), it moved quickly northeast across Florida. It is now the third named storm of the season, Tropical Storm Christobal. There is zero threat to South Florida, as it is well north of Georgia now and continuing a northly track.

Thursday Kathy, Heather and the boys went to Gasparilla Island for a day at the beach on the Gulf. A great time was had by all. Late in the day Thursday, my Friday schedule changed and suddenly required my presence in the Keys. Oh darn! That's a huge inconvenience. The only thing to do was take the family with me.

Sunday, rainy Sunday

Click to enlarge image to full screen

The rain season is in full swing in South Florida. Most afternoons we get a serious soaking. It has been great for the landscape at home, since we have no sprinkler/irrigation system. Even without it, we have beautifully green grass. It grows so fast, I am forced to mow twice a week. Some days I regret not taking Kathy up when she originally offered to buy me a riding lawn mower but, when I see our 82 year old next door neighbor pushing his mower around, I know I couldn't bare the shame of riding on mine.

We have escaped the threat of the second named storm of our young Florida lives. Hurricane Bertha has been slowly drifting across the Atlantic, from Africa toward Bermuda. She gained major status, to a category 3, before losing strength. She never posed any threat to the US mainland. Just today, she was downgraded to a tropical storm.

NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET

The picture above shows Bertha's current position at 30N, 63W. We live at 27N, 82W.
The yellow and orange circles are two new potential storm systems which appeared overnight.
The yellow is 130 miles SE of Charlston, SC and poses no threat to South Florida.
It would be interesting to see that system meet up with Bertha and see if she could be revived, but this is highly unlikely, given her position.
The red circle is a significantly more likely foe. Although over 3000 miles from us, it is a very large tropical wave with low pressure. It is moving NW at 10-15 MPH. I am guessing this will become the 3rd named storm of the season. Remember the next name in the rotation is Cristobal.

KIDS FOR BRUNCH
This is the 5th and final weekend for Stephanie and Billy being with us. We all went to Burnt Store Marina for the famous Sunday brunch. We drove the truck because the weather has the seas quite rough today. After brunch, there was a break in the rain so we took a walk on the Charlotte Beach. We followed this up with a leisurely Sunday drive past some of the million dollar waterfront homes. The kids go home on Tuesday. Stephanie found an interesting clam shell formation to take home as a souvenir. Billy opted to procure a nice coconut. Billy is also taking home a variety of bug bites.