"Dr. Drill" & his crew were responsible for catching 100 mangroves, 7 other species, and a couple of nurse sharks in 1/2 days fishing. I just had to show the local "also rans" that when we don't go offshore, we can still fill the boat with lots of fish.

JP and Maggie caught their limit of dolphin a couple of days later. Offshore still pays big dividends. They added a 30 lb. barracuda and a blackfin tuna for some added sport. Capt. Pips low rates and our good catches are keeping us busy during hurricane season. Come have some fun with us!

When is the best time to catch Mahi Mahi? When you get here and fish with us. 1st mate David is shown in both photos so folks will be reminded that however good your captain may be, he is only half the combo required for success in fishing. There are even a few days out of the year that the mate works harder than the captain (good one?). Our "off" season package deals fit even the scantiest budgets; call Capt. Pips Marina & Hideaway and see...

You guessed it; if not fishing, fishing. That's what vacations are for. For the last 2 weeks my wife Julie and I have been vacationing and celebrating our 31 st anniversary and her birthday (can't use #'s; we just call it Julie Appreciation Day). Bass fishing with my friend Larry in Citrus County (halfway up the state). After several days of fishing and being spoiled by Debbies' gourmet cooking we took to the Gulf for some scallops. Bay scallops are sweet and there are basically 2 ways of getting them. First is to spot one (usually in the tall grass), dive down in 3-6 feet of water, and while picking up the one you saw, look for others under the grass. Second (my way; lazy man's; little effort; good results) is to take a long handle net and while snorleling, dip the scallop in the net while still floating. You may have to cover a little more territory but it still takes less work (that's a good thing). George joined us and we were able to get enough for a couple of meals.

TWO DAYS WITH MOM & you guessed it---yard work. A most opportune time for her to get a letter stating her trees needing trimming, roof cleaned, and 3 handrails needed to be added to her porches so that her home owners insurance will stay in effect. Thanks to Larry, we did the work in short order and still had time to visit.

ON TO THE BAHAMAS: 4 night Freestyle cruise on Norwegian Sky. Great rates during hurricane season; balcany for $299 ea. (great "come-on": actually cost $475 each with tip, taxes and medical ins.); still a bargain. Great trip with stops in Freeport on Grand Bahama Isle, Nassau (a must stop to see Atlantis; go early and stay late), and their private island for swimming and enjoying their artificial reef. We found the shopping to be no different than shopping in Key West, with only a name change on the articles; BAHAMA MAMA being the exception. WE did it, loved it, would (and will) do it again.

FISHING IN THE KEYS NEXT WEEK---what a wonderful grind. Hope everyone is having as much fun as we are during these hard times. Brings to mind the SHOCK TO THE CASHIER when we checked out and our only charge (you can't pay cash) on the boat was $28.75 (that's twenty-eight dollars and seventy-five cents). That was for all the sodas you can drink while on the boat. We did leave a nice tip for the cabin crew.