Trip Report, May 9, 2026

Some days build slow. Others flip on a single bite.

We ran hard out to 1,200 feet of water with our regulars Alan, Lisa, and their girls Mary Pat and Emily. The plan was mahi. What we found was a whole lot of water, plenty of grass, and not a single fish. We switched gears and dropped deep on a handful of spots. Nada. Zip.

Then, right as we’re getting ready to reset the spread, she showed up.

A big bull mahi came up out of nowhere behind the boat. Everyone lost it. And here’s the part I still can’t believe: Mary Pat and Emily had been feeding him beef jerky sticks. I wish I was making that up.

Watch the moment this fish ate the bait and the chaos that followed: beef jerky, the negotiations, and a clean gaff shot.

First bait out, he picked it up and spit it before I could breathe on the hookset. He swam under the boat and headed back toward the weed line. I hopped up on the transom and started negotiating out loud.

He turned.

Alan grabbed a bait, pitched it in, and buried the hook. Chad spun the wheel and worked him clean while Alan worked the reel. I had the gaff. The fish never stood a chance.

32-33 pounds of gold, green, and bad decisions made right.

The kind of fish that flips an entire trip on one bite. Zero to hero. That’s why we go.

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Trip: Saturday, May 9, 2026. Boat: Miss Penny. Crew: Captains Kit Carson and Chad, plus Alan, Lisa, Mary Pat, and Emily. Waters: Offshore Islamorada to 1,200 feet.