It was shaping up to be a perfect Saturday to get on the water. With a marine forecast calling for 5–10-knot west winds and 1–2-foot seas, we knew it was going to be a “Boils” kind of day. Tania and I decided to make it even more special by inviting Lizzy and Chason, two of her former students who had just graduated the week before. We figured it would be a great way to celebrate their accomplishment. We told them to meet us at the dock at 6:30 a.m., and Tania and I left the house around 5:45 to make sure we were there ahead of them. As always, we started the morning with a quick prayer on the way to the fishing center. When I came out of the bait shop with bait in hand, Tania let me know the kids had already arrived, 30 minutes early, and beat us there by about 10 minutes.

Once at the dock, Chason and Lizzy jumped right in and helped carry gear to the boat. As we were loading up, we ran into our buddy Gil, whom we hadn’t seen in a while. He said he hadn’t been out fishing in months and asked if he could follow us out. We were happy to have him join.

The run-out was absolutely beautiful. The wind was calm, the river looked like glass, and the sunrise reflecting off the water and buildings made it one of those mornings you don’t forget. We reached the Boils around 7:35 a.m., and conditions looked ideal, with clean water and calm seas. It felt like it had “permit bite” written all over it. Before we started fishing, Gil pulled up and asked me to pray over him and his buddy and for the day, which I was honored to do.

Unfortunately, the fish didn’t get the memo.

There were plenty of boats out there, and overall, the bite was slow across the board. Between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m., we managed only about three fish, two for Tania and one for Chason, all of which were small, trash fish. We worked our usual 30g jigs, even tipping them with shrimp, and cycled through our normal techniques, but nothing seemed to turn the bite on.

With the action dead, we decided to head inshore toward the buoys to at least get the kids on some fish. We let Gil know, but he chose to head north of the inlet to try his luck there. Once we got set up on the buoys with knocker rigs and live shrimp, things picked up quickly. We started catching a mix of grunts, porkfish, lane snapper, short muttons, and even a Spanish mackerel. It wasn’t trophy fishing, but it was steady action that kept everyone engaged.

By around 10:30 a.m., that bite had tapered off, so we gave the boils one more shot as the outgoing tide began to move. I was hopeful the current shift would fire things up, but after several drifts with no bites, it was clear it wasn’t happening.

From there, we moved to our Margate spot to finish filling the cooler. That proved to be the right call. Drifting jigs tipped with shrimp produced steady action. We boxed several large black margate, picked up some solid lane snapper, three quality mangrove snapper, and a number of mutton snapper in the 15–17-inch range, along with the usual assortment of bycatch. We stayed on that bite until we ran out of bait around noon.

We headed back to the dock with a mixed bag: five black margate, four lane snapper, three mangrove snapper, one croaker, and one Spanish mackerel. Back at the dock, Chason wanted to learn to fillet fish, so I handed him my backup knife and walked him through the process as I cleaned alongside him.

A few days later, Lizzy and Chason came over to enjoy the catch. I made fish tacos, which Chason loved. Lizzy isn’t much of a fish eater, so she and Tania went with chicken instead, but it was a great way to wrap up a memorable trip.

Tania and I send our best wishes to all our fellow anglers. May your time on the water be safe, blessed, and filled with tight lines and good memories. Until next time, keep casting, keep believing, and keep chasing those dreams on the water.

The Treasure Coast Chapter of Salt Strong now hosts monthly meetings at Islamorada Brewery and Distillery on the 4th Thursday of each month. These meetings offer members a range of benefits, including guest speakers and fellowship with local anglers who share their knowledge and help one another catch fish. Membership to Salt Strong includes a 20% discount on tackle, access to Smart Fishing spots, and insider information on local trends. To learn more about Salt Strong, click the link below for a FREE 30-day test drive.