Two-Day Birthday Bash — Schoolie Mahi & a Bruiser Amberjack Offshore

A Father-Son Thing

Some trips are about the fish. This one was about the moment.

Harvey called a few weeks back. His son Jason’s turning 40, Harvey’s got a birthday right around the corner — he wanted to do something they’d both remember. Two days offshore. Big game. Mahi. No half measures.

I liked the energy from the jump. You could hear it in Harvey’s voice — this wasn’t a bucket list trip, this was a dad making sure his kid knew he still wanted to be out there with him. That hits different when you’ve been doing this long enough.

So we loaded up the Dirty Boat and pointed her south.

Day 1 — Earning Every Single One

I’m not going to sugarcoat it. I talked to the crew before we left the dock and told them it was going to be a little bumpy. That was generous.

It was nasty.

The kind of day where the horizon won’t sit still and the spray doesn’t stop. Seas stacked up and angry. You’re not fishing so much as surviving between casts. Hard to stand, harder to keep a bait where you want it, and every wave reminds you that the ocean doesn’t care about your plans.

But Harvey and Jason didn’t flinch. Not once.

We pushed east southeast of the Islamorada Hump, working between 850 and 1,800 feet of water. Found the color. Found the weed. Found the birds. And somewhere in the mess of it all, we started getting bit.

A dozen schoolie mahi came over the rail by the time we called it. Nothing giant — but in those conditions, every single fish was a victory. You had to time the swells just to gaff one. Jason was grinning ear to ear with salt caked on his face. Harvey just kept shaking his head and laughing.

That’s the stuff right there.

Day 2 — Calm Water, Stubborn Fish

Day two was a different ocean. The water laid down, the ride south was smooth, and everything looked like it should’ve been lights out.

It wasn’t.

We worked 700 to 950 feet of water south of Alligator Lighthouse. Found turtles. Frigate birds circling overhead. Bait everywhere — flying fish scattering, little guys dimpling the surface. All the signs were there. The grocery store was stocked, but the customers weren’t shopping.

Some days are like that. The ocean gives you the whole setup and then makes you grind for every bite. We picked away. Patient. Methodical. Moved when we needed to move. Stayed when the gut said stay.

Four keeper mahi made it to the box. Not the numbers we wanted, but quality fish — the kind you’re proud to put on the table.

And then, right when the day felt like it was winding down, we hooked into a big amberjack that reminded everybody what the deep water’s all about. That fish put on a show. Peeled line, dogged us on the bottom, and made Jason earn every inch of it coming up. When it finally broke the surface, Harvey let out a yell you could’ve heard back at the dock.

That was the exclamation point.

The Takeaway

Sixteen fish across two days. A dozen schoolies in brutal conditions and four keepers plus a bruiser AJ when the ocean decided to play hard to get. Not every trip is a wide-open bite — but every trip can be a good one if the people on the boat are there for the right reasons.

Harvey and Jason were there for the right reasons.

Happy 40th, Jason. And Harvey — happy birthday, old man. That was a trip worth remembering.

Ready to make your own offshore memories? Book your charter aboard the Dirty Boat and let’s go find something worth talking about.

Tight lines.