Deep Sea Fishing in the Florida Keys

Never had I ever… sounds like a drinking game… been deep sea fishing before! And for someone who gets crazy-bad motion sickness, it’s not exactly an activity you raise your hand and volunteer for.

That being said, I’m so overly excited that I was able to go deep sea fishing with my Adventure Family during my trip to Key West, Florida!

If you’re looking for someone to take you out to catch some fresh, delicious fish, look no further than Linda D Sportfishing! Keep on reading to find out why, and checkout my blog post about my overall trip to the Florida Keys by following this link: Irma Can’t Hold the Keys Back.

Deep Sea Fishing – The Basics

The basics of deep sea fishing are quite simple:

  • Take motion sickness medication. I cannot stress this enough – even if you don’t think you’ll get sick, why risk it? Once you’re sick there’s no turning back so take precaution before you hop on the boat. I took MECLIZINE – generic from CVS – and it did wonders for me!
  • Let the Captain know if you get motion sickness. I’m always the first to volunteer this information! This way the Captain knows, the Captain’s crew knows, and they can ensure you have an enjoyable time – or at least they can try.
  • Aim overboard if you’re going to lose your breakfast. This may not always be the rule so I encourage you to ask the Captain for the proper protocol before this is even an issue. Because once it becomes an issue… well… it’s ugly.
  • Wear a white, long sleeve shirt; apply sunscreen regularly; and dawn a hat to protect your skin from the sun. Putting on a long sleeve shirt may seem counter-intuitive, but the glare from the water is no joking matter. Especially when you couple the glare from the water with the inability to go inside the cabin to find solace from the sun – remember: motion sickness.
  • And for those of you who get motion sickness like me: Do not go inside the cabin. The cabin is your worst enemy! Seriously… do not go in the cabin.

I’ll leave deep sea fishing technique advice to the experts.

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Aly & Nikki Deep Sea Fishing Aboard Linda D! (This was in Calmer Waters After we Had a Motion Sickness Occurrence.)

Deep Sea Fishing with Linda D Sportfishing!

On to the good stuff now that I’ve talked motion sickness to death! As I mentioned earlier, Why should you choose Linda D Sportfishing? Easy – Captain Billy has an awesome boat, awesome crew, and is beyond committed to ensuring you have an awesome experience!

WE FISHED

We arrived at the dock a little after 07:30 to embark on our deep sea fishing excursion. Swim apparel, long sleeve white shirts, sunblock, hats, shorts, lunches packed by our resort (Margaritaville Resort, Key West, FL), and of course some cold ones… we were ready for action!

Once we were out to deep sea, we put out the chum and Captain Billy and Shaun started setting us up with bait. I was lucky enough to be the first one with a fishing pole in hand, body positioned firmly against Linda D’s sturdy starboard side bulkhead. And, as luck would continue to have it, I was the first to catch… drum roll please… a baby shark! I had no idea sharks were so strong!!! See below – Shaun had to help me…

Aly Struggling to Haul in Her Baby Shark Catch.
Baby Shark Defying Aly’s Efforts.

After my intense shark battle, the fish started biting like crazy! Grouper and snapper alike were being hauled into the boat at a rapid rate! Adventure Dad, Wild Bill, even caught a Blue Parrot! We threw the Blue Parrot back of course, but not before admiring its scales and snapping a quick pic!

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Adventure Dad, Wild Bill, and His Blue Parrot! Don’t Worry… We Threw It Back:)

I don’t know how Shaun and Captain Billy were able to pull all of our fish into the boat and re-bait our lines in such a timely fashion – guys have deep sea fishing on lock… that’s for sure! I barely had any time to grab my beer and take a sip!

Adventure Family Trophies from Deep Sea Fishing #Dinner.
Peter Caught the First of the Larger Fish.
But His Brother, Christopher, Had to Surpass Him with the Largest Catch of the Day.

We returned to shore with many Grouper and Snapper trophies! All of which we couldn’t wait to eat! Deep sea fishing truly works up an appetite, and I think with my stomach anyway so…

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Adventure Family Returned to Land with Our Awesome Fish!

And I know there’s a lot of fish in this photo! Do not stress – we donated what we couldn’t eat to locals on the island for personal consumption. Nothing went to waste.

WE SWAM

We did have a moment of sickness… not me, but I was definitely feeling it… while we were getting tossed around pretty good. So, to ease the suffering, Captain Billy and his crewman, Shaun, pulled in all of our gear and steered us toward calmer waters where we could take a swim! We did continue to fish after our swim break… just to be clear.

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Adventure Family Men Taking a Swim Near a Preserved Island.

WE ATE

When the day had ended, we packed it all in and headed towards shore. Shaun fillet’d as much of our fish as we were able to eat, and Captain Billy called in a favor to make us a dinner reservation at the New York Pasta Garden Restaurant for the same evening. The restaurant has a special menu setup so that they can cook your fresh catch!

Fresh yellowtail sashimi, grilled grouper fish over fresh steamed vegetables, and pasta! Nothing tastes better than when you know it’s fresh, and you worked so hard for it!

In Conclusion…

Look no further than Linda D Sportfishing when planning your deep sea fishing excursion in Key West. From the crew to the fish you get to feast on at the end of the day, you’re in for a perfect experience!

And hey – maybe you’ve read to the end of this post and you’re thinking, deep sea fishing really isn’t for me… That’s okay too! Checkout my full article about what I did during my trip to Key West here to see what other awesome activities you can fill your trip with: Irma Can’t Hold the Keys Back. For instance, we toured Fort Jefferson National Park, which is one of the least toured national parks in the United States – checkout this article to learn about my day trip: Touring Fort Jefferson “Dry Tortugas” National Park.

Reminder to Just Say Yes and Follow Me!

As always, say yes to experiences that present themselves to you! Life is full of fun and wonder – don’t be stuck at home wondering what life could be like, should be like, would be like… drop that nonsense! Get out there, say yes, and never look back!

Click on the links below to follow me on my social media accounts, and definitely subscribe to my blog for more exciting Yescapades!

As a disclaimer, I was not paid by any of the above linked sites. This review is solely mine without any monetary compensation. I will however receive a kickback from the affiliate links if you choose to make a purchase.

Irma Can’t Hold the Keys Back

Irma may have wreaked havoc all throughout Florida’s beautiful chain of islands, but I’m happy to report that the Keys are back in business!

Last November I was fortunate enough to take a trip to Key West, Florida, with my Adventure Family. The weather was fabulous, debris from the hurricane was consolidated, and everyone had assumed normalcy in paradise!

But First, Coffee

For starters, my bestie (Nikki) and I flew out on a red-eye from San Diego to Miami on a Thursday. Landed early as… well you get it… and grabbed coffee straight away! I picked a cute spot that wasn’t too far from the airport and was somewhat along our route since we had a solid 3 hour + drive ahead of us. Nikki and I can’t survive without coffee – addiction? … oh most definitely.

Panther Coffee was adorable and so was the neighborhood. Panther Coffee is situated in the super trendy Arts District in Miami, Florida. Grab a cup of Joe and take a nice stroll to check out all of the amazing street art! I do recommend being in that neighborhood later than we were though… maybe closer to the time where people are in the neighborhood for work. We had at least one interesting encounter, and I needn’t say more.

Irma’s Destruction

After we got our coffee fix, we hopped on the road and set cruise control towards our tropical oasis. Along the way we definitely saw the turmoil that Irma had brought to the Keys – watch the short video below (apologies for my weird noises as I react to what I’m filming). Mind you, Irma struck land on 10 September 2017, and we were driving through on 10 November 2017. I can’t even begin to imagine what the true devastation must have looked like before people band together to clean up the mess.

The Florida Keys Are Back in Business!

But enough of the sad! Let’s get to the fun! And… more importantly… let’s get to the purpose of this post: The Florida Keys are Back in Business!

What did we do on our trip to Key West?

  1. We stayed at the Margaritaville Resort,
  2. Went deep sea fishing with Linda D Sportfishing,
  3. Flew over preserved waters to explore and snorkel around Fort Jefferson National Park, and
  4. Explored Key West’s mainland!

And, to top it all off, we did all of this in a place that had been devastated by a category 5 hurricane no more than 2 months prior!

MARGARITAVILLE RESORT, KEY WEST

So, you might be thinking to yourself, which resort should I stay at in Key West? Or you might be thinking, should I stay at a B&B instead?

There are many options to consider since the town thrives off tourism. Though I’ve only personally stayed at one place in Key West (Margaritaville Resort), I can assure you it’s a great option! The resort is located within walking distance of the majority of the main attractions in Key West:

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View from our Hotel Room at the Margaritaville Resort in Key West, Florida.

And if hanging out at the resort is your thing, then look no further! The resort is situated beautifully along the water! It’s clean, air conditioned, and has extremely friendly staff. Not to mention an awesome bar up above the pool with a gorgeous look out over the water.

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Margaritas Around at the Margaritaville Resort Poolside Bar.
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Seared Ahi Tuna Snack from the Bar Menu.

The only negative I will add to this review is that cruise ships… massive cruise ships… dock just outside this resort. Imagine you’re looking out of my hotel room window, and the only thing you see is a gigantic cruise ship – no joke. That was the view from our room when we were checking out… so fortunately we weren’t stuck with that view for our entire trip.

DEEP SEA FISHING WITH LINDA D SPORTFISHING

An activity that cannot be passed up when planning your trip to the Keys is deep sea fishing! As much fun as we had touring Fort Jefferson National Park, scroll down for more on that, no experience topped deep sea fishing with Linda D Sportfishing!

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Aly & Nikki Deep Sea Fishing Like Champs (we had a lot of help…)!

We fished all day with the help of Captain Billy and his fearless companion Shaun, and were even pointed in the direction of an amazing restaurant that cooked our catch of the day! We didn’t have all of the fish cooked for us as that would’ve been absurd – just look at the amount of fish in that photo! Instead, the fish we didn’t eat were given to the locals for personal consumption – nothing went to waste!

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The Adventure Family and Catch from Deep Sea Fishing.

For a more in-depth look at my deep sea fishing experience with Linda D Sport Fishing, follow this link: Deep Sea Fishing in the Florida Keys

TOURING FORT JEFFERSON, “DRY TORTUGAS”

Another activity that should ensure its position on your itinerary is a trip to Fort Jefferson, otherwise known as the “Dry Tortugas” for the islands lack of fresh water and perfect breeding grounds for majestic sea turtles.

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Aly & Nikki Atop the Parapet at Fort Jefferson National Park.

Fort Jefferson National Park is one of the 10 LEAST visited historic sites in the United States! This means that the grounds are preserved almost exactly as they were when the fort hosted almost 2,000 people at its peak! No gates, no “please stay behind the rope” banter coming from a volunteer who is annoyed with the endless volume of tourists day in and day out, no do not touch signs posted everywhere… the only areas that are off-limits are those reserved for the park rangers who maintain the historic site.

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Aly Overlooking the Fort Jefferson National Park Courtyard.

You can even snorkel in the crystal clear blue waters that surround the fortress to observe all sorts of beautiful sea life! Mind you, there are areas that are off-limits to snorkelers, but they let you know where those areas are – and the areas are only off limits to preserve the sea life.

For a more in-depth look at touring Fort Jefferson National Park, follow this link: Touring Fort Jefferson “Dry Tortugas” National Park

KEY WEST MAINLAND

So, here’s where we could’ve done better on our trip: we should’ve done all of the mainland activities we wanted before the cruise ships arrived…

While we were able to get a picture at the Southernmost Point of the United States… we waited in a ridiculously long line for at least 15 minutes to do so. Worth it? I don’t think so. Had we gone before the cruise ships arrived I highly doubt there would’ve been a line at all. So go before the cruise ships arrive! That’s my strong advice.

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Our Adventure Family at the Southernmost Point of the United States.

Sadly that’s pretty much all there is to show for our day activities on the mainland. I would’ve liked to tour Hemingway’s House, but again… cruise ships…

On my return excursion to the Florida Keys, which is an absolute must, I will be sure to update this section!

Reminder to Just Say Yes and Follow Me!

As always, say yes to experiences that present themselves to you! Life is full of fun and wonder – don’t be stuck at home wondering what life could be like, should be like, would be like… drop that nonsense! Get out there, say yes, and never look back!

Click on the links below to follow me on my social media accounts, and definitely subscribe to the blog for more exciting Yescapades!

As a disclaimer, I was not paid by any of the above linked sites. This review is solely mine without any monetary compensation. I will however receive a kickback from the affiliate links if you choose to make a purchase.

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