We would like to take a moment and thank those who came out with us on the Backlash this past year. We are blessed to have taken groups from as far as Alaska to as close as right here in Fort Walton Beach and Destin. The Backlash will be headed to dry dock at the end of January to receive the annual TLC she deserves in order to kick off the 2019 season.

Gulf Fishing has mainly consisted of bottom fishing. Amberjacks, Red Snappers, and Triggerfish are out of season currently but the other species we have been targeting consist of Vermillion Snapper, White Snapper and Mangrove (Black) Snapper. All of these are excellent to eat. Although some will be catch and release, there is constant action while bottom fishing in the Gulf right now. We didn’t have the flounder season we had hoped for but there are a few flounders being caught on the wrecks inshore.

Amberjack Season 2019

To kick off this season during Spring Break you can expect to catch Amberjacks, Mingo (Vermillion Snappers), and White Snappers. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have purposed for Amberjacks to open in state and federal waters starting May 1st through May 31st, 2019. Then opens once again August 1st, through October 31st, 2019.

Red Snapper Season 2019

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission have not yet announced the finalized dates for Red Snapper Season 2019. They usually issue them by the end of April so be sure to check back with us.

Planning a fishing trip can come second to booking your hotel. Here is a list of accommodation partners we highly trust to take care of your relaxing needs.

• Ocean Reef Vacation Rentals
• San Destin Hilton
• The Island Beachside Resort
• Holiday Inn Resort
• Destin West Beach and Bay Resort

*These trusted partners are located thorough the Emerald Coast including Fort Walton Beach, Destin, San Destin, 30A, Santa Rosa Beach and Miramar Beach.

We are looking forward to the 2019 season! Keep up to date with our latest fishing news and catch pictures by following us on Instagram and Facebook! See y’all on the water!

In accordance with Florida Fish and Wildlife regulations, you are able to harvest one Amberjack 34 inches or larger per person. One 40lb amberjack is enough to feed a family of eight to ten people. Amberjack’s meat is firm and white. There are multiple ways to cook Amberjacks as well. Here is one of our favorite ways to prepare and eat Jacks!

 

MICROWAVE FISH TACOS

(Yes you read that correctly!) This is probably our friends and families most favorite recipe!

What you Need:

• Soft Butter, Margarine (Country Crock is what I use)
• Cavenders Greek Seasoning
• Slap Ya Mama Seasoning
• Tony Chachere’s Seasoning
• Small Soft Tortillas
• Shredded Lettuce
• Salsa
• Microwave and your Fish!

Steps:

1. Prep your fish. Cut out bloodline. Cut into 2-3in wide strips.
2. Rinse strips and pat dry with paper towel.
3. Place on microwavable plate. Top completely with margarine.
4. Then top buttered fish filets with any seasoning you like. Slap Ya Mama, Tony’s, and Cavenders are our favorites. Completely cover the buttered filet.
5. Place in microwave for 3 and a half minutes.
6. Prep your tortillas with a bed of shredded lettuce and salsa.
7. Pull the fish from microwave and you should be able to stick a fork in it and turn and it should flake apart. White and flakey is what your looking for. Cook longer if needed for thicker filets.
8. Place a cook strip in the tortilla and enjoy!

* This is our most requested dish when we have friends and family over. We like to serve it with chips and salsa. This dish is very easy and fast to make! For an extra kungpow taste, take the fish out of microwave after 3 minutes and then top with Parmesan cheese and then place back in for 30 seconds or until cheese melts. MMMMmmm!

Amberjacks are often called “Reef Donkeys” and with good reason. Deep-sea fishing for Amberjacks will start about 15 miles offshore. The grade and size of fish can vary depending on the depth offshore you are fishing. Typically the larger Amberjacks will be found further offshore. Starting your trip off, you will spend 15 to 30 minutes catching fresh live bait. The bait preferred by a Jack are either hard tails or white snappers. Although it isn’t impossible to catch them on other live baits such as cigar minnows. Once your bait has been caught, it is off to the fishing grounds. Captain Chris will cruise out for approximately 30 to 45 minutes before your first stop. This puts you out where the sea monsters live.

The first mate will give a thorough fishing school on how to use the rods and reels. He will also discuss what to feel for and how to hook these salt-water giants. No jerking is allowed!! We are NOT bass fishing. Leave your hook setting skills at home. Once schooled up and suited up with the proper size rod belt, you will assume your fishing position on the back deck. We can fish 6 anglers comfortably at one time.

Jacks are a hard fighting fish and they like to chase their bait. Once they get a hold of your bait, you better hold on! You want the rod tip to bend over and almost touch the water before you start cranking on your reel. No jerking to set the hook! We use circle hooks, therefore the fish will hook itself. It is up to you to reel in that reef donkey!! It is not uncommon to have multiple fish hooked up and fighting at once. It is important that you watch your line and follow it where ever it goes to avoid tangles with other lines or getting caught in the prop and cutting your fish off. If you see your line moving left, move left. Everyone will move in a smooth flowing system. Once your fish is to the top and you can see your leader, you will whined your lead all the way up to the rod tip and the first mate will gaff or grab your fish to place her in the boat. Once the fish is in the boat, you will be able to grab a quick picture before we place her on ice. A job well done!

The 2018 Amberjack Season will open May 1st, 2018 and will go until May 31st. They will have a brief closure during June and July and then reopen August 1st. Amberjacks are a pound for pound, hard fighting fish. They range in size and grade depending on how far offshore you are fishing. Captain Chris Kirby on the Backlash requires an eight-hour minimum trip for Amberjack fishing. We use all live bait and it isn’t uncommon to have multiple fish hooked up at once. Amberjacks are required to be 34 inches in length to harvest. Most of the Amberjacks you will catch while offshore fishing with the Backlash will range from 40 to 50lbs.

The Charter Boat Backlash is one of the finest sought after offshore charter fishing boats in Destin, Florida. With Captain Chris Kirby, you are sure to experience charter boat fishing on a level unlike any other. The Backlash specializes in near-shore trips ranging from 4 to 6 hours that are perfect for kids and families.

The Backlash also offers offshore fishing trips ranging from 8 to 16 hours for the hardcore deep-sea fishing trip. If you really are looking for the ultimate trip ask about our overnight bottom fishing or Tuna and Sword fishing trips!

You can experience targeting a wide verity of fish species while charter boat fishing with us in the Gulf of Mexico, depending on the length of excursion. Our more common and well known species are Red Snappers, Groupers, Amberjack, King mackerel, Wahoo, Mahi Mahi, Sailfish, Blue marlin, and Swordfish just to name a few.

Deep Sea fishing is fun for all ages and a must-do when you come down to Destin, Florida. No matter if it is just you and your family or if you have a company vacation you are putting together with a large group of employees you need to entertain, we can accommodate multi boat trips for large numbers.

We are assured once you come offshore fishing with us aboard the Charter fishing Boat Backlash you will fish with us every time you decide to go Deep-sea fishing in Destin, Florida. We will handle everything from start to finish so you can just relax and have the time of your life.

They don’t call Destin, Florida the luckiest fishing village in the world for nothing!
Book your trip now to be sure you won’t be left at the dock!!

Red Snapper season has been extended and this season will be the longest season since 2013. There has been a 39 day extension to Red Snapper season this year. This is really great news because it’s not just a 3 day season like it has been for a few years, it will be on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays including Monday and Tuesday July 3 and 4, and Monday September 4.

Snapper season was really limited to only 3 days and that meant there wasn’t much time to catch fish. With the new season here, there is an estimated amount of fish caught per day which is 230,000 pounds. This will result in more than 11 million pounds harvested by September 5. The previous catch limit was 3.8 million pounds. This new season will result in nearly 7.4 million pounds over.

For all the fisherman out there wanting to go fishing, come and join us so that we can go catch some Red Snapper. Every weekend until September 4 will be available for Red Snapper fishing. We need to take advantage of this because there is no telling what could happen to the rules next season!

(Don’t run away because of the name, this recipe can be used for any fish)

For a delicious, simple recipe to wow your friends, this is the one! You can also jazz it up and place over a bed of crab cakes and top with fresh chopped parsley for a fancy touch.

2 lbs, 1 inch thick fish filets
2 lemons squeezed
1 tsp onion powder
1 dash hot sauce
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
½ tsp paprika
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 cup miracle whip

• Preheat oven 350 degrees. Prep fish, remove bloodline.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper on both side on filets and place them into a greased baking dish.
• Mix miracle whip, lemon juice, onion powder, hot sauce, and Parmesan cheese together.
• Cover each filet with mixture and then top with paprika.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes or until done
• Serve with a fresh coleslaw and hush puppies!

This recipe serves 6 people.

(yes you read that correctly!) This is our most requested dish when we have friends and family over. We like to serve it with chips and salsa. This dish is very easy and fast to make! The best fish to use for this recipe is a firm fish such as an amberjack, red snapper, grouper, triggerfish, crappie, mingo (vermillion snappers) and white snapper.

Soft Butter, Margarine (Country Crock is what I use)
Cavenders Greek Seasoning
Slap Ya Mama Seasoning
Tony Chachere’s Seasoning
Small Soft Tortillas
Shredded Lettuce
Salsa
Microwave
and your fish!

• Prep your fish. Cut out bloodline. Cut into 2-3in wide strips.
• Rinse strips and pat dry with paper towel.
• Place on microwavable plate. Top completely with margarine.
• Then top buttered fish filets with any seasoning you like. Slap Ya Mama, Tony’s, and Cavenders are our favorites. Completely cover the buttered filet.
• Place in microwave for 3 and a half minutes.
• Prep your tortillas with a bed of shredded lettuce and salsa.
• Pull the fish from microwave and you should be able to stick a fork in it and turn and it should flake apart. White and flakey is what your looking for. Cook longer if needed for thicker filets.
• Place a cook strip in the tortilla and enjoy!

** For an extra kungpow taste, take the fish out of microwave after 3 minutes and then top with Parmesan cheese and then place back in for 30 seconds or until cheese melts. MMMMmmm!

[Tips for reeling in a saltwater giant from a charter boat wife herself.]

First and foremost, The Gulf of Mexico is NOT an ocean. I repeat the Gulf is NOT an ocean. When you grow up 10 minutes from the sugar sand beaches of Destin, Florida you become quite accustom with the craziness that summer time brings. Summertime here means lots of sunscreen, pina-coladas, neon shirts and tourist. All though the beaches are like being on an exotic island the best part of Destin, Florida resides just beyond the rocks of the east and west jetty.

While the late-nighters are stumbling there way back to their condos or to a booth at Waffle House the deckhands and captains of North America’s largest charter fleet are preparing to set out. Around 5:00am the harbor begins to awaken and the charter boats begin to crank their diesels. After fueling up, icing up, and loading up customers, it is time to hit the bait banks. Rounding Noriega Point at the end of the harbor unleashes a stretch of water about a quarter mile long; the last strip of water until you reach the wide-open seas of the Gulf of Mexico. It is quite the site to see as the sun begins to rise and the fleet begins to bait fish. Big boats, smalls boats, all shapes and sizes fishing as fast as they can, in order to load up their wells with fresh live bait. This is where all the fun begins.

I met my husband, Captain Chris Kirby, when I was twelve down at the docks (go figure). He was unloading and washing down the boat as he had just gotten in from a commercial snapper trip. Living in a small town, I never kept my eye off him or my mind. 7 years later, after our very first meeting he invited me to go flounder gigging… and the rest was history. We haven’t spent more then a day away from each other since. 6 years of being a team, we have built a charter company called Destin Inshore Charters. Our mini fleet includes two 22ft cape horn bay boats and a 40ft infinity called the Backlash. We have two awesome captains who run our bay boats and Chris runs the Backlash. I handle all the marketing and bookings for each boat. When it comes to offshore fishing, Chris has taught me some very important skills that help me each and every time I’m on deck. Here are the top tips to help you reel in your catch of a lifetime while fishing down in the salt.

Stay Hydrated

All too often we see anglers (customers, friends, family, etc.) pounding the soda or in most cases some sort of alcohol and by the time they are a couple hours into fishing they are beat. While it is fun to grab a beer and get a buzz, don’t forget to replenish with WATER! Gatorade, PowerAde and other sport drinks are ok but just plain ole water is the ticket! Dehydration is very common while out fishing so do yourself a favor and pack a case of water. It’s also ok to bring extra for the ones who forget to bring their own supply. Trust me you will thank yourself when you get back to the dock and you don’t have a headache or feel weak. Being out on the water in the salt does take a toll on your body.

Dry Hands

Ok ladies, I know how you love that greasy tanning oil and sunscreen to be squirted in globs on your hands and then you vigorously coat yourself from head to toe with it. I am guilty of this as well. Please-please-please, make sure you bring a towel, napkins, old t-shirt, whatever you think will work best to completely wipe the lotion off your hands. ALL of the lotion and greasiness needs to be completely wiped off! Most of the rods you will be using to catch your amberjacks, groupers, snappers, etc. are going to be heavy duty solid glass rods equipped with 4/0 or 6/0 reels. If you are use to light-tackle-inshore fishing then these setups will be significantly larger then what you are use to. You will need every bite of grip you can get especially when a sea monster is on the other end of your line. Also, gloves are not a bad idea either! There are numerous brands of gloves out there designed with woman’s hands in mind. If you can’t find a “fishing” glove you like, you can also try golf, garden or any other type of non-slip grip glove that works for you. Once you pick out a pair you like, you can simply cut the fingers out about mid way down (at your knuckle) and you will have your very own fishing gloves. Fancy is not what we are going for. Functional is the key! A tight fit; non-slip glove is what you want. Once again you will thank yourself when you hook up to a big one and have no slippage on the rod or reel handle.

Put a Rod Belt On

Some of my closest girlfriends are awesome outdoorsman and tough as nails. They will come fishing and choose not to wear a rod belt because the “old school” Destin way is to place your rod butt on your hip and eat the pain. I am guilty of this too and have the scars to prove it. Don’t try to be Superman and hurt yourself. Strap on a rod belt and control your fish. The proper way to wear a rod belt is to strap it very tight and securely around your hips. Therefore, the pressure of the rod when fighting a big one will be put on your hips and allow reeling to be more comfortable and your arms will not be so worn out. A belt also helps you control the movement of the rod better as the weight is distributed through your hips and legs, letting yours arms have a break when you need it without losing control and having the fish take too much drag before breaking you off in the bottom. Also, a rod belt allows for you to move fast if the fish starts pulling the line in different directions around the boat. You will need to move swiftly and follow you line. With that being said this leads me to my next tip.

Proper Shoes

I live in my Rainbow flip-flops during the summer and have a habit of wearing them on deck. While they are fine for catching smaller reef fish, they can limit your mobility when a big fish comes to play. You want to wear something comfortable but made to move. While a big gag grouper may stay in one place and allow for you to stand on one corner of the boat, the tide may pull your line in a different direction. You need follow your line to whichever direction it goes. Wear shoes such as tennis shoes, Sperry top siders, or Sperry flip flops to help grip the deck and allow for quick, swift movements without slipping. Once again there are many brands of fishing tennis shoes and flip-flops out there. Find one that suits you best and fits your feet right. You want a tight but comfortable fit with a no slip sole. The last thing you want is to slip and fall on the deck injuring yourself or even worse, lose your trophy fish.

DO NOT SET THE HOOK

If there is one thing you remember from this article please remember this, DO NOT SET THE HOOK! When out in the Gulf there are lots of different scenarios that could happen and the conditions are ever changing day to day. From rough seas, to ripping tides, to warm and cold-water temperatures, the variables are endless when fishing offshore. When reef fishing here, you are required by law to use a circle hook. The circle hook law was passed to help prevent gut-hooking fish. The difference between a circle hook and a straight hook is that a circle hook is self-setting! In other words, the fish will hook itself when used properly! The most common rig we use is just like an over grown Carolina rig or otherwise know as a slip led rig. You have your slip lead on your main line, then your swivel with a leader and a snailed on circle hook at the end. When the boat has reached the fishing spot, you will hook your live bait on and wait for the captain to round up on the spot. Once the captain is ready, you will take the reel out of gear and let it straight down all the way until you hit the bottom and your line goes slack. Once there, put your reel back in gear. Sometimes you will be told to fish directly on bottom leaving your line slack or you may need to reel up a certain number of cranks to get your bait up off the bottom. Getting off the bottom can help to avoid being freight trained by a big fish and then being broken off in the bottom before you even know what hit you. The correct form to prepare for the bite is to hold the rod firmly with your left hand just above the reel; the rod butt placed firmly and securely into your rod belt, and your right hand on the reel handle ready to reel. When you feel you’re getting a bite, DO NOT JERK UP. DO NOT PULL UP AWAY FROM THE FISH. DO NOT SET THE HOOK. Once the fish has eaten the bait and starts to run with it, the circle hook will do its job and set in the fishes lip. Now its time! Time to reel. JUST REEL. No jerking. Just reel! Your hook set will be perfectly set in his lip every time if you just reel and don’t jerk. If the fish is a really big one and you feel like you aren’t gaining any line and you are stuck and cant turn the reel handle, now you can use your rod and lift up with your left hand and reel down fast with your right hand. This is done all together in one swift motion, keeping the line tight. This leads me to my final tip.

Rod Pumping

There are a million ways to do this motion wrong and you risk pulling the hook out of the fish’s mouth if done incorrectly. There is only one right way to do this. Pumping should only be done when you are no longer able to turn the reel handle and you are at a “stand still”. Pumping should only take place when you are close to the bottom. This motion helps to turn the fish’s head upward in order to gain more line. Pumping should be done in short gradual strides. You are to lift with your left hand to where the rod tip is no higher then eye level and then reel down quickly. Don’t jerk the rod up; steadily LIFT the rod up to move the fish carefully. Once you have gained a significant amount of line on the fish and are far enough away that he won’t break you off, now you can take your time and just steady whined on him. Be sure to keep that line tight! Before you know it you will see that lead coming up to your rod tip and sploosh your fish will be up on the surface for you to see. A job well done!

If you feel this is a lot of information all at once, have no fear! Whenever you are fishing with us, the first mate will be on deck to guide you through all of this and help perfect each technique. Y’all come see us down here on the beautiful Emerald Coast and put your saltwater fishing skills to the test. I hope this run down of tips is helpful!

See y’all on the water!
-Shelby Lynn Kirby

Every year around the last day of January we know playtime is over. Although we still fish some throughout the winter, a majority of our off time is spent hunting around the country. When February 1st rolls in, it’s time to get down and dirty. These first two weeks are spent grinding, sanding, waxing, painting, etc. Fixing anything and everything the boats need to have fixed before the upcoming season. This is our official gear up and get ready for the craziness!

If you have never seen The Fisherman’s Boat Yard in Freeport, FL it is worth the visit. In early February the Boat Yard is quite the site to see. All size boats from 40 footers all the way up to 70 footers are pulled out of the water and placed very carefully on dry land. There are some behemoths here! Makes a six foot man look like an ant when standing side by side with one of these boats.

Two weeks of preventative maintenance and The Backlash is ready to be back in her slip picking up the next group of anglers! HERE WE COME 2017!