Broome family Hail Mary mahi trip

Carley and David Broome brought the family down from Orlando for a fishing trip, and this one started with a proper Hail Mary.

Carley called Sunday afternoon because her dad’s 23-foot boat was having engine issues. The plan was to take her dad mahi fishing, but the boat had other ideas.

We were open.

So Aubreigh, Carley’s daughter, along with Grandpa Mark and Grandma Susan, showed up ready to fish.

a little bumpy, a lot of grind

It was a little bumpy out there, and the fishing was tough.

Not fake tough. Real tough.

I listened to the entire fleet on the radio complaining about small fish and the lack of big schools. That is never the soundtrack you want when you are hunting mahi, but it is part of offshore fishing. Some days the ocean gives it up. Some days she makes you earn every bite.

We pushed on.

three keepers and one heartbreaker

The crew hung in there and kept fishing. No giant school. No easy pile of fish under every bird. Just hard hunting, staying with it, and making the shots count when they came.

We ended up with:

• 3 keeper mahi
• 1 big one lost
• A family that stuck it out when the ocean got stingy

That is not a glory-limit day, but it is a real DirtyBoat day. Bumpy water, tough bite, everybody grinding, and enough mahi coming home to make dinner taste better.

Aubreigh and Grandpa Mark got the dock photo with the fish, and that is the part I like. Three generations, a busted original plan, a last-minute save, and still some color on the deck.

midday addendum, 11:30 AM EDT

NOAA Key West updated the coastal waters forecast at 10:25 AM EDT, and the afternoon looks kinder than the ride we had this morning.

The big change is the wind. This morning was bumpy enough to make every fish count. For this afternoon, NOAA has variable wind near 5 knots becoming northeast to east and increasing to 5 to 10 knots. Hawk Channel is around 1 foot, smooth becoming smooth to a light chop. The Straits are 1 to 2 feet, with southeast 1 foot at 3 seconds and west to northwest 1 foot at 6 seconds.

That is not a bad afternoon setup. It does not make the mahi bite easy, but it takes some of the beating out of the run. The Gulf Stream edge is still close, listed 5 nautical miles southeast of Alligator Reef Light and 2 nautical miles southeast of Molasses Reef Light. If the water shows birds, bait, weed, or a real color edge, offshore still has a shot.

The thing to watch now is weather, not steady wind. NOAA carries a chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon, with higher winds and seas near storms. Tonight stays east at 5 to 10 knots, seas around 1 foot in the bayside and Gulfside waters and 1 to 2 feet in the Straits. Wednesday gets wetter, with showers likely and a chance of thunderstorms.

So the afternoon call is cleaner water on paper, but keep the radar honest. Fish the signs, do not chase empty ocean, and do not let a soft wind forecast talk you into sitting under a building cell.

Always a good time on DirtyBoat.

evening addendum, 5:00 PM EDT

NOAA Key West corrected the afternoon coastal waters forecast at 4:48 PM EDT, and the evening read is better than the morning felt, but tomorrow is not a free pass.

This afternoon stayed true to the story from the dock. The wind was not the main problem. The bite was. Offshore had small fish, scattered life, and not much in the way of easy schools. The Broome crew earned those three keepers the hard way, and losing the bigger fish still stings a little. That is fishing, but it does not mean you have to like it.

For tonight, the Islamorada reef line gets a light easterly setup. Hawk Channel is northeast to east near 5 knots, becoming east to southeast and increasing to near 10 knots. Seas are around 1 foot, building to 1 to 2 feet, with nearshore waters going from smooth to a light chop. The Straits are east 5 to 10 knots, increasing to near 10 knots, with seas 1 to 2 feet building to 2 to 3 feet. NOAA lists the Straits wave detail as east 2 feet at 4 seconds and west to northwest 1 foot at 6 seconds.

Florida Bay stays easy on paper tonight with east winds 5 to 10 knots increasing to near 10 knots. Bay waters go from smooth to a light chop. The catch is the same as it has been in August. Hot water does not give you much room to be stubborn.

wednesday outlook

Wednesday is fishable, but wetter.

NOAA has east winds near 10 knots in Hawk Channel with seas 1 to 2 feet and nearshore waters smooth to a light chop. The Straits get east winds 10 to 15 knots, seas 2 to 3 feet, and wave detail of east to southeast 2 feet at 4 seconds with a west to northwest 1 foot wave at 5 seconds. Florida Bay is east near 10 knots with a light chop.

The bigger note is rain. NOAA has showers likely Wednesday with a chance of thunderstorms. That does not shut the day down by itself, but it changes how I would fish it. Watch the radar, keep the runs honest, and do not sit under a building cell just because the base wind forecast looks friendly. Higher winds and seas are expected near thunderstorms.

For the fishing, I would still give the reef the first look if the current has shape. Yellowtail and mangrove snapper make more sense than burning fuel through empty water. Offshore mahi gets a fair call, not a good one, unless the ocean shows birds, bait, weed, flyers, or a clean edge that is worth the run. The Gulf Stream edge is still listed 5 nautical miles southeast of Alligator Reef Light and 2 nautical miles southeast of Molasses Reef Light, close enough to matter, but not close enough to make a dead ocean magically alive.

Source note: NOAA Key West coastal waters forecast FZUS52 KKEY corrected 4:48 PM EDT Tuesday, August 4, 2026.

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