Capt. Bill D’Antuono
Being in the charter fishing industry is challenging, yet rewarding. You get to spend days on the water and put people on bucket-list fish, creating lasting memories and stories. There is a drive in life to be outside, explore and interact with nature and offshore fishing and spearfishing captures that perfectly. Anglers never know what you will experience the second you step on the boat.
Whale sharks have started their annual migration north and still should be hanging around offshore by the time this article prints. In early April offshore enthusiasts reported a dozen sightings of these gentle beasts. I was lucky enough a few years ago to have multiple whale shark encounters, it truly is one of the best things you will ever experience. About half of these sightings resulted in cobia coming into the boat, so be rigged and ready to pitch some baits to cap off your once in a lifetime experience. You can check out footage of locals spearfishing huge cobia off these whale sharks on my Instagram page.
The red grouper bite continues to be hot when we’re able to book a trip. Speaking with a few guides, we have agreed this was one of the best grouper fishing years recently. It’s always nice get a nice limit of fish and focus on other species, but it doesn’t always work that way, so be grateful for those days.
Everyone has been affected by the recent pandemic, especially the charter industry. We are an industry that is resilient and have had to endure a decade of environmental disasters in our backyard. BP oil spill, Irma, red tide and now Covid19. It has been a rough stretch of time, but we will persist just like the rest of our fellow Americans. Personally, I have lost nearly 20 trips and cancellations and I am sure other operations have lost hundreds; this was a major toll on our livelihood. Hopefully things will return to normal quickly, so don’t forget about your charter guides this summer.
