# Bucket list...



## redneck_billcollector (May 15, 2012)

We all have read the articles, seen the shows and dreamed about exotic places to fish.  I have been blessed to be able to fish some great places, Cabo San Lucas, Isla Mujeres, Costa Rica to name some of the more memorable places.  I still have a long list of places I want to fish before I expire.  I would love to fish Panama (trolling, jigging and popping), Caines Australia (trolling for grander black marlin), Puerto Vallarta (cow yellowfin), The Indian Ocean Islands (popping and jigging for GT and Dogtooth & Yellowfin tuna and the numerous sea bass/grouper and snapper), Madira or the Canary Islands (grander blues), Kona again....(big pacific blues and I would love to jig and pop there too) and Kenya (great billfish variety with MONSTER sailfish) to name a few.  Oh yeah, here is a not so exotic one that I have yet to do and really want to, Ocean City for white marlin.  It would be interesting to hear from yall about some of the out of the way places you have fished and those that are on your bucket list.


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## Parker Phoenix (May 15, 2012)

Don't care to travel outside the US for fishing or any reason for that matter. Last month I took Venice, La. off the my bucket list, next as simple as it sounds I want to do a Key West trip. I also want a Blue tuna trip.


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## grouper throat (May 15, 2012)

I would prefer to dive/spearfish exotic areas rather than fish but I would say my #1 choice would be Panama for the cubera, roosterfish, and tuna. Billfishing (or more concisely trolling in general) has never appealed to me.


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## Headsortails (May 15, 2012)

Just booked one. I fish the Key West wrecks  the first week in June.


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## redneck_billcollector (May 15, 2012)

Parker Phoenix said:


> Don't care to travel outside the US for fishing or any reason for that matter. Last month I took Venice, La. off the my bucket list, next as simple as it sounds I want to do a Key West trip. I also want a Blue tuna trip.



I like to travel to fish simply because it is different and the variety of fish available.  Cabo San Lucas MX is a fine example (where my avatar pic was taken by the way, 31 ft bertram 350 USD for a full day of offshore fishing).  I love fishing the keys and do it at a minimum of every two years but the fishing in Cabo really makes the keys pale in comparison.  There are more ways to fish in the keys, but in Cabo in August you can target 5 billfish species and if you put in the time, catch all five (blue marlin, striped marlin, black marlin, p. sailfish and swordfish).  The average dolphin caught, and you catch a mess of them, would make any angler envious and win most tournements in the keys or anywhere else in FLA.  Tuna are so thick at times you will literally see 100+ jumping in the air.  The wahoo are huge (the world record was from there in August).  My personal biggest dolphin, wahoo and yellowtail (not the snapper but a type of Jack that is good eating) were caught there.  The AJ are as big as any you see coming from NC.  The grouper and snapper fishing is literally stuff dreams are made of and lets not leave out roosterfish.  They are basically huge jack crevelle with funky haircuts.   A week of fishing hard you can literally fish for and catch all of those (probably not all the billfish listed, but a number of them).  The neat part is, I can fish down there for a week (7days) at the cost of two days fishing all day offshore charters in the states.  

I have always had gypsy blood in me so I love to travel all over, but I understand not wanting to.  There are places in the US that are exotic and offer great fishing, Kona HI, St. Thomas USVI, Puerto Rico and American Samoa (another place I would love to fish).  While you have to travel to get to those places, you don't need a passport and you are still in the good ol' USA.


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## Dustin Pate (May 15, 2012)

I would like to go to Venice for about a month and fish offshore and inshore. Next to that I would love to go somewhere for trophy bonefish.


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## jonkayak (May 15, 2012)

On my short term fishing bucket list is to put a sailfish in my own boat followed up with a wahoo. After that a roster fish, blue fin and yellow fin tuna.

On the general bucket list is to dive or snorkel with whale sharks and manta rays. I think around Christmas of this year I might get to mark off the manta ray.


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## shakey gizzard (May 16, 2012)

X4 on a blue fin!


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## redneck_billcollector (May 16, 2012)

jonkayak said:


> On my short term fishing bucket list is to put a sailfish in my own boat followed up with a wahoo. After that a roster fish, blue fin and yellow fin tuna.
> 
> On the general bucket list is to dive or snorkel with whale sharks and manta rays. I think around Christmas of this year I might get to mark off the manta ray.



Putting a sailfish on your own boat could easily be cured by a trip to the keys.....they also show up with the bait around the whistle bouy out of St. Andrews Pass as the water warms up.  Rooster fish are a blast on topwater plugs.....a trip for them is actually cheap compared to fishing in Florida, when you take lodging and fuel into account.  There are places in Baja that 4 nights lodging and 3 days fishing out of a panga (which is all you need for rooster fish) will cost under 1k per person if you go with a friend.


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## jonkayak (May 16, 2012)

I'm certainly going to target the sails the last week of May when I'm in the keys and I'll be back after them on every visit down to PCB this summer. I know PCB isn't the best place to target them but they have been showing greater numbers down in that area the last couple of years. Plus lodging is cheap and the drive is close which all keeps the cost down. 

As far as international travel to fish you are so right. Some of the exotic countries are very affordable. That why we normally vacation in Central America, Bahamas, or the Carribean. It normally cheaper then Florida.


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## Limitless (May 17, 2012)

After offshore fishing for many years, I just dont get fired up about biguns like bills and tuna anymore - but I certainly understand why those are on a lot of folks list!  I've been really converting to inshore and flats and have a long list there.  I dont enjoy charters much, I'd rather fish my own boat and suffer through the learning process, so that means fishing the US.  My goals:  Trophy Permit, Bone and Snook on a fly, and the "before I die" goal - a light tackle IGFA record.  10,000 Islands, SW FL, the Keys and Jensen Beach are places I try to get to at least every other month.


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## redneck_billcollector (May 17, 2012)

Limitless said:


> After offshore fishing for many years, I just dont get fired up about biguns like bills and tuna anymore - but I certainly understand why those are on a lot of folks list!  I've been really converting to inshore and flats and have a long list there.  I dont enjoy charters much, I'd rather fish my own boat and suffer through the learning process, so that means fishing the US.  My goals:  Trophy Permit, Bone and Snook on a fly, and the "before I die" goal - a light tackle IGFA record.  10,000 Islands, SW FL, the Keys and Jensen Beach are places I try to get to at least every other month.



I certainly understand that.  I used to have a 31 Bertram that I loved and would love to get another once I get rid of wander lust and figure out where I will retire to.  Got rid of it because of wander lust and it was hard to justify fishing anywhere other than where my boat was seeings how even when I wasn't fishing it cost me a good bit of money to keep.  There just ain't too many places to moor a boat of that size on the Flint river around Albany.  I love catching billfish, but more and more I am jigging or popping and tuna, aj and most pelagics (to include billfish)  can be caught by one of those methods.


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## oops1 (May 17, 2012)

I'm dying to catch a Marlin or a big tuna. Done a lot of bottom charters but only one trolling trip. It was in St Lucia on my honeymoon. Convinced the wife to go and the scenery and all was awesome. ..we were in about 3000 ft of water in 5 mins out of port between the two islands. The fishing. ..not so good. Had to rotate out of the chair every 5 mins. Wouldn't you know it...as soon as my turn was over. ...fish on.huge tuna but it broke off prior to getting back around to me. Trying to talk the wife into a trip to cabo. Since joining this forum. ..kinda itching to go to Venice on those oil rigs. Sounds awesome.


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## swamp hunter (May 19, 2012)

I spent almost 15 Years running all kinds of Boats thru the Keys , Bahamas ,
Lived in  Bimini for a bunch of months on and off waiting for Charters to arrive from the States Lived  in Ft. Lauderdale where the Gulfstream is right out the Door forever. Been going to the Keys since I was old enough to drive .
Lived in Chokoloskee Island for another 10 .
Only real thing on My bucket List is something I,ve already done.
 A month back at Walkers Cay .

And If,n I could a couple Guys on the same page I,d do a Costa Rico Snook Trip , Really just to do something different..Cause I,ve already caught a Million Snook.
 At times I Fished so much I didn,t care if the Fish were crossing the Road.. I didn,t want another one .

 I,m kinda into Dry Ground Deer Huntin now , Cause I didn,t have much of that in My Life . Kinda Funny how it works.


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## Toona Dog (May 20, 2012)

What is the name of this charter for $350. All of them I am finding are at least $550.

Thanks


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## redneck_billcollector (May 20, 2012)

I use the Mexi-time, and a couple of other ones, you do not book online, go down to the marina the day before you want to fish and you haggle.  If they are not booked for the next day they will lower their price.  I have actually had two different boats get in a bidding war for my charter.  Heck, if you go to one of the timeshare presentations you can get a free charter (at least some of them).  Never book through your hotel or any other agency, you will pay upwards to 200 + extra.  I have never had a problem getting charters down there the night before.  I normally go in August which is kinda an off month (really hot), but it has the most varieties of fish, all your billfish, the dorado and wahoo are there in force, tuna and yellowtail are everywhere too.


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## tinydaniel78 (May 28, 2012)

Knocked one off of my list yesterday, finally landed a mammoth tarpon in key west.


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## redneck_billcollector (May 28, 2012)

redneck_billcollector said:


> I use the Mexi-time, and a couple of other ones, you do not book online, go down to the marina the day before you want to fish and you haggle.  If they are not booked for the next day they will lower their price.  I have actually had two different boats get in a bidding war for my charter.  Heck, if you go to one of the timeshare presentations you can get a free charter (at least some of them).  Never book through your hotel or any other agency, you will pay upwards to 200 + extra.  I have never had a problem getting charters down there the night before.  I normally go in August which is kinda an off month (really hot), but it has the most varieties of fish, all your billfish, the dorado and wahoo are there in force, tuna and yellowtail are everywhere too.



This is a first, quoting myself.....the photo in my avatar was a charter in Cabo a few years back that I paid just under 300 for that I booked that morning....just showed up at the marina before sunup and asked about boats that did not have charters....there were plenty, me and my gf fished, she got her first marlin that day too.  In mexico, it is best to haggle, etc...it is not considered offensive and alot of folks think you are a sucker if you don't haggle.  If I am not mistaken the boat was named marlin azul and I had seen it online before the trip for right at 500 a day.  Oh yeah, it helps if you can speak a little spanish or even spanglish, you get better deals.  When you book through an agent down there they make a good bit off of the booking so the rates are inflated, just as booking online.  If you have old costas sitting around, take them and give them to the capt and mate, you will get even better deals, I also take rigging needles, hooks, leader material, moldcraft softheads...to give also.  The captain seldom if ever owns the boat, and he has to supply all the tackle out of their pockets.  Little things go along way down there, and it helps get cheaper charters on the next day with the boat.  I fished for 5 full days one time down there for less than an all day charter to wood's wall out of Key West earlier that year, and caught a heck of alot more fish.

Just talked to some of my friends/fishing buddies from another board and I have a new place to add to my bucket list....Oman, fishing for GT, tuna, snapper and grouper; they fished down there earlier this year and loved it.


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## GASeminole (May 29, 2012)

http://www.akumaldiveshop.com/tours/fishing/

It ain't fancy, but they have all you need to catch a Marlin and the 1000+ ft water is within sight of shore.....no need for an all day trip so some sportfisher can charge you for the diesel he is burning to take you in that big circle like in FL! 

There is no A/C on these things, no radio, no - I AM A POTTY MOUTH -- I AM A POTTY MOUTH -. This is straight big boy fishing. And you could do this 5 days in a row with a real chance of catching a Blue Marlin every day before you came close to paying what a typical charter in FL would charge you to go out for big game trolling, likely just catching some schoolie dolphin.

Fly into Cancun and take a taxi/limo south about 1 hr 30 min and you are there.


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## T-Boy (May 30, 2012)

Everyone's different but I don't care all that much about charter boats especially bottom bumping. We take a boat to Panama City and learn on our own.

 Also love fishing the piers when we don't bring the boat. Catching your bait, freelining or snobbering the dead bait to entice a strike is just more fun now to me than a crew doing much of the work for you.

Trying to keep a 25 lb king off the pier pilings is exciting enough for me.

When I had a full time job and only had a few weeks off a year we always booked charters and had a ball. Being retired I like a different way of fishing.


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