Josh Hascall Full Day, Tough Mahi Bite in the Stream

Josh Hascall booked a full day and brought two of his buddies down for it. Three guys who had all lived together off and on at various points, two of them in finance, one in tech. Not their first fishing trip, but a first for the group together.

The setup

Saturday morning had a southeast to south breeze, ten to fifteen knots easing to ten in the afternoon. Hawk Channel around two feet, the Straits two to three, a short period sea. An upper level low sitting off the West Florida coast was hanging around and kept a slight thunder chance in the picture all day.

Gulf Stream edge was tight, two miles southeast of Molasses, six miles southeast of Alligator. Close water. That should have been a green light for a mahi day.

The waxing crescent moon was at twenty four percent. Small tides, not much current.

The grind

Fishing was extremely difficult. That is the short version.

We ran the edge, hit weed, hit rips, worked the birds when we saw them, and just could not get a wide open bite to develop. Every fish was earned. Josh and his crew stayed with it, kept the baits fresh and the rods in the water, and picked at singles all day.

Some days the mahi are stacked and eating anything you throw. Some days you find one working set and it saves the trip. Saturday was neither of those. It was a straight up patience day.

Dinner in the box

We came home with enough for dinner. Not a limit, not a hero shot, but a real spread of mahi laid out on the deck. When the ocean makes you fight for every bite, that counts as a win.

Josh and his boys got what they came for, sunburned faces included. Good crew, good attitudes, and they never let the slow bite drag the day down. That is how you fish out here in July when the ocean is not being friendly.

Always a good time aboard DirtyBoat.

Want to chase mahi offshore? Book your trip today →