Orange Beach, Alabama Saltwater Fishing Reports

Jimmy has been bringing his kids, Josh, Jamie and Austin deep sea fishing with us for over 7 years now. We have watched them all catch a lot of fish over the years. We have enjoyed watching them all grow up. Josh is almost a Dr. and Jamie is a RN. It seems like yesterday we all met and started deep sea fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama together. Today's fishing charter was great. We caught some nice Triggerfish, King Mackerel and Red Snapper. Jamie caught the biggest one. That is not uncommon for her. She has been competitive all her life. It is great to see Austin, who is a senior in high school come along and enjoy the same kind of fun as the rest of the family has been enjoying for years. Relationships are built on the water. It is friendship like this that lasts a lifetime.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/1/2009

Dr. Shane Phillips booked this 6 hour fishing charter for his family so they could catch some nice fish for supper. Ben, Drew, Tyler, Jeffery and Zach all enjoyed a nice afternoon fishing for Red Snapper and King Mackerel. We even caught a huge Jack Crevalle that gave them a fight of a lifetime.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/25/2009

Mr. Hal Kinsey from Missouri enjoyed a day with his sons, Hal jr., Chad and Keith. His grandson Hal III also came along. This great family has been fishing with us for years and it is always a pleasure to take them out to try and catch some nice Red Snapper and Amberjack. The bonus was the Mangrove Snapper. We caught mingo snappers also. It was a great day fishing. We had a strong current that was moving the water swiftly. We did manage to catch a good mess of fish for the Kinsey family to cook for their family.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/24/2009

Brent, Kurt and Mr.Joel Truelove from Texas chose one of our 8 hour charters. We had a great day fishing and the weather was hot. The fish bite was good. The fishing was good all day long. We caught Amberjack, Red Snapper and Mangrove Snappers.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/23/2009

Gary Broussard enjoyed a nice Saturday afternoon deep sea fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama with his sons, Webb, Evan and Jacob. They also had their friends James Allen and Trey with them. We headed out of Perdido Pass for some afternoon action. We rode for about 1 hour and 45 minutes to get to a reef that I had not fished since last year. Lem showed the boys how to use the light tackle fishing gear and we began fishing. Every one of the boy's hooked up on monster Red Snappers and got wrecked. Nobody could handle these monster fish. We kept breaking off. The light tackle was not holding up to these big fish, nor was luck. We moved around until we found some nice snappers that weighed between 5 and 8 pounds. These fish proved to be a challenge for these boys. They had some of the best light tackle action one could have in the salwater, south of Orange Beach, Alabama.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/20/2009

The Boeckman brothers from Ohio came down to enjoy a morning trolling for King Mackerel. Trent Boeckman, the eldest brother, along with his brothers, Todd Boeckman and Toby Boeckman came together with their uncle Steve Saintmyer and cousin Aaron. Scott even came along. We headed south out of Orange Beach this morning to see try and catch some King Mackerel. The bite was slow at first, but we started getting some good bites about 9 am. The kings and spanish bit well up all the way back to the dock. The Boeckman brothers are some kind of neat guys. Gentlemen to be short. Trent played baseball, Toby was a lineman for the University of Cincinnati and Todd was the former Quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes. It was a real pleasure fishing with guys that were so cool. This is what I like best about my job. We get to meet real people from all over the country. We all have one thing in common. That is having fun and catching a few fish. Good luck Todd in the NFL. Steve, please stay away from the green paint. We look foreward to seeing these guys again. It was a fun charter.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/14/2009

Dr. Jordan Stanley from Longview, Tx., brought his family deep sea fishing in Orange Beach this afternoon. Clint Black and his son Samuel were also along to catch some fish. John Paul came down from MIT to catch a few fish himself. Gabrielle and Victoria, who are Dr. Stanley's daughters were absolutely amazing fishermen. All of these kids fished hard and they all caught fish. I even had some help from Sam and Gabrielle driving the boat home. It was an amazing day catching Red Snapper, Bluefish, Flounder, Redfish, Amberjack and Lane Snapper. Sometimes the fishing is so good, you forget about the days it's tough. We really enjoyed meeting and serving this family.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/12/2009

Ron Bergkoetler from Illinois came fishing today with his father, Mr. Tom, Brother Dean and Brother-in-law Joe. We caught one huge King Mackerel that was over 20 pounds. We caught plenty of Red Snapper. We had a great time this morning out in the gulf waters south of Orange Beach.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/12/2009

Kent Bowers brought his family down from Cumming, Ga to enjoy a day on the water with us. His wife Connie and their children Taylor and Grant went out on our afternoon 6 hour trip. The fish bite was tough at first. The high pressure system was keeping the bite slow. We finally got on some biting fish and then it was on. We caught two Gag Groupers we had to release because they were too small. We caught some nice Red Snapper and a Bonita. It was wonderful serving this family.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/112009

The Doug Smith family from Monroeville, Alabama came deep sea fishing with us on Thursday. The weather was great. We caught plenty of Red Snapper and two gag groupers. We even caught a nice king mackerel and an Amberjack we had to release. Another wonderful day on the water in Orange Beach, Alabama

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/112009

Dr. Turpin brought his wife Yeni and sons Fernando 17, and Daniel 11 on their first deep sea fishing charter with us today. The weather was warm but the gentle sea breaze helped cool us down. The bite was slow at first. We kept moving around trying to find some biting fish. We finally got on a good bite and caught a couple of nice gag groupers. We caught mangrove snapper and king mackerel. We even caught a bonita. We had a great time fishing with Dr. Turpins family and sons. This was a great day with great results.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/10/2009

Cathy Lindley from Kentucky booked this fishing charter for her family a while back. Cathy brought Mr. Pat, Brad, Chris, Ted and Ronnie with her. We had a great day fishing. We caught Red Snapper, cobia, mangrove snapper, mingo snapper and topped it all off with a 300 pound class Bull Shark. Lem asked them if they would like to catch a big shark and sure enough, the big one bit. We finally got the big bull shark up to the surface. We noticed a nice cobia swimming with the shark. Lem flipped a live bait out there while Ronnie was trying to hold the shark. The cobia bit and immediately took out a lot of line. The cobia was swimming on top when another big bull shark came to the surface chasing the hooked cobia. It was awesome. The cobia was too small and we had to release him. Just another great day on the gulf of mexico, deep sea fishing.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/9/2009

Don Raborn from Monroe, La brought his teenage sons and their friends with him today on a 6 hour charter. We had Don's sons, Hunter and Hayden with him. They brought their friends, Raley and Tyler. Zach Wood also joined the Raborn family. The weather in Orange Beach was beautiful today. We caught Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper and got to fight and catch and then release a nice 23" Amberjack. These boys came to fish. We really enjoy fishing with kids like these. They were gentlemen and I am honored to serve them.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/8/2009

When our friends come from Louisiana to go deep sea fishing, we know they expect to have a good time and catch some fish. Today was no exception. Kyle Patterson brought his two sons, Matthew and Brighton on their first deep sea fishing charter in Orange Beach, Alabama. Kyle was also joined by his childhood friend Dave, who is a now a Musician from the Dallas, Texas area. Dan, who is Kyles neighbor brought his son, Tyler with him. These men and their son's had a blast catching Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, King Mackerel, Bonita on our 6 hour fishing charter. The kids loved the light tackle because it was not heavy. The dad's loved it because it allowed them to fight a lot of Red Snapper and have fun doing it. We love to see families like the Patterson's enjoy a day on the water with friends.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/3/2009

Brian Belzer from Baton Rouge is a regular guest on Distraction. He is more like family. Brian was joined today by his friends Jervey Cheveallier, David Lindsey and David's son, Travis. Brian always comes to Orange Beach from Baton Rouge to do his saltwater fishing. Brian loves to take the 12 hour fishing charter that we offer. Today was no exception to the Man who wears the Yellow and the Purple. Yes, he is an LSU fan. He is also loves jigging for Amberjack. We caught Red Grouper, Gag Grouper, Scamp Grouper, Amberjack, Almaco Jacks and on the way home, we hooked a big Yellowfin Tuna. It was a classic day on the water. Even though it was the opening day of Red Snapper season, we did not target snappers at all. We ended up catching a good mess of them, they were not what Brian wanted. He wanted good eating fish like triggerfish and grouper. He certainly got them today fishing in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. We love days like this when everything comes together.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/1/2009

Clint Butler and his wife, boys, friends and nephews came down to Orange Beach to go on a deep sea fishing charter today. We caught Jack Crevalle, King Mackerel, Bonita, Amberjack, Red Snapper and even had a shark bite one of our snappers into. We had a great day fishing the gulf waters, south of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. The bite was on fire today.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/31/2009

Dr. John Bennett from Tuscaloosa brought his son John Jr. with him on a 4 hour fishing charter in Orange Beach today. Dr. John's father, Pastor Don and his father-in-law, Terry all headed out with us this afternoon for a King Mackerel trolling charter. The bite was a little slow at first because of the strong west wind that kicked up. The seas were only 1 foot but were choppy for a little while. The later in the afternoon, the King Mackerel bite got red hot. We ended up catching King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel and Blue Runners. This afternoon was a classic trolling fishing charter in Orange Beach. We got our guests the fish they needed to have a cook out tonight. Thanks for your business.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/29/2009

Dr. Phillip Cole from Mobile brought his father, Dr. Cole and his brother-in-law, Tim for a 6 hour charter fishing trip today in Orange Beach, Alabama. We headed south this morning with a gentle west breeze blowing across our charter boat. We trolled out toward deeper seas when we caught a nice King Mackerel. We stopped and reef fished for Red Snapper but had to release them. We caught Spanish Mackerel, Scamp, Bonita in addition to the big Red Snapper. Today was a good day for deep sea fishing. We really enjoyed having this family fishing with us and look forward to their return trip.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/29/2009

Mrs. Lynn Mullins from New Mexico brought their family to us for a trolling charter. The King Mackerel bite was extraordinary today. James, Brad, Meg, Elle and Tipton all caught a lot of fish in a short period of time. It seemed like everything we through in the water, the king mackerel bit. What an awesome day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/28/2009

Dr. Doug Mercier, Linda, Lily, Mathew and Matt took our 6 hour deep sea fishing charter today. We caught Red Snapper, King Mackerel, Mangrove Snapper and a huge 300 pound Bull Shark. Today was an awesome day that wore everyone out. We caught some nice sized fish today. It was a real pleasure taking Doug and Linda's family out fishing.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/27/2009

JB Martindale, Stephanie brought their sons, Jamie (9) and Cade (6)on their first deep sea fishing trolling charter. Mr. Jim, the grandpa got to go and watch his kids and grandchildren catch their first King Mackerel. We caught some nice Mackerel just outside the pass. The bite was red hot. It was a great afternoon fishing. Gage and Jamie helped me drive the boat.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/26/2009

Jeff Henson and his 10 year old son Eric came down to Orange Beach for a 4 hour trolling charter. Jeff's Brother-in-law Craig and his son Stephen joined them. We headed out for a wonderful morning of trolling fishing. We had some good action closer to shore but almost every mackerel were small. We went further offshore in hopes to catch some larger fish. We finally got into a good school of King Mackerel and Spanish. The best thing was, we got to video the whole charter for their entertainment for years.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/26/2009

Tim Waycaster and Blane Mire from Natchez, Ms., brought their kids on their first deep sea fishing charter to Gulf Shores, Alabama. We caught a nice mess of Snapper, King Mackerel, Bonita and a mangrove Snapper. We had a wonderful day on the water this Memorial Day. We look forward to serving our friends again, soon.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/25/2009

Dr. Steed and Dr. Boling of Jackson, Ms brought their 10 year-old sons, Toryn and Hughes deep sea fishing today. We wanted the boys to get their first taste of deep sea fishing on our introduction to saltwater fishing charter. Our 4 hour charter is ideal for first time fishermen and young men who want to spend some quality time with their dads. We headed out the pass and headed south. We went directly into the rolling seas. The weather finally broke this week and this was the first day we could go trolling for King Mackerel. We trolled for just over an hour before we got our first hit. It was a nice King Mackerel. Everyone had a chance to catch some nice Mackerel and had a wonderful day on the water. We really appreciate Dr. Steed and Dr. Boling for allowing us to serve their family's fishing needs.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/24/2009

The neat thing about deep sea fishing is that it bridges the generation gap between families. We all the time have three generations fishermen go out and enjoy our services. Today was a special treat because we had four generations. Mr. Len is the leader of the family at a mere 85 years young. He is as agile as any person half his age. His son in law, Jim, his grandson Scott and his son Noah (11) all came out for a day on the water. The day started with a cloudy sky and a little rain on the horizon. The seas were about 2 feet and were very mild. We were heading toward a rain cloud and we got to see a big water spout. It disappeared as quickly as it showed. I watched the cloud with our radar and we decided to go through the rain. It was about a mile wide. We were trolling when the high speed fishing pole got a strike. It only took a minute before Noah grabbed the rod and reel. It was an exhausting fight. We got it to the boat and it was a fine Cow Dolphin fish or what we call Mahi-Mahi. We continued south and started bottom fishing where we caught some nice Red Snapper, King Mackerel, Amberjack and Bonita. It was a real pleasure to be able to serve four generations of fishermen. Noah did a good job driving the boat home.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/17/2009

Zach booked this fishing charter so his fellow police officers could see what light tackle deep sea fishing was all about. We headed out on an afternoon 6 hour fishing charter. Sarge who is actually named Chris came along as did, Jody, John and the newest member also named Chris. We trolled out for about an hour and a half. We hooked a couple of King Mackerel on the ride. We started bottom fishing where we caught an Amberjack that was too small. We also caught plenty of Red Snapper on light tackle.. We even had a dolphin show up and swam around the boat. On the way in, we caught a Bonita. It was a wonderful day on the water. We love watching the Sun go down on the horizon on these afternoon charters. I would like to thank the men in blue who are working when the rest of us are sleeping. Good job and be safe!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/16/2009

Bryan booked this fishing charter because he wanted his friends to enjoy a great, light tackle fishing experience. It was called a bachelor party but was far more than that. It was a time where young men to come together and experience a great time together. Breck is graduating from Medical School on May 23 and was getting married on the 24th. These guys all grew up together and attended Mississippi State together and are best of friends. Brett, Cade and Ben came along to help celebrate Breck's graduation and marriage. This is the great thing about having friends for life. We caught King Mackerel, Red Snapper, Spanish Mackerel, Mangrove Snapper and we had a large Cobia come up and bite. That monster fish fought hard and Bryan had the fight of a lifetime. We look forward to having a long lasting relationship with these guys as they grow and start having their own families.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/16/2009

Sometimes words can't explain how wonderful it is to be on the water, deep sea fishing with friends. Mr. Jon, Jeff, Mary Ann, Merry K, Luke and Ree Ree came with us on our 6 hour charter. We got to see a water spout, flying fish and had a shark bite a big Red Snapper into. The King Mackerel showed up and started biting well. The Red Snapper bite was on. We really enjoyed spending time with the Nevins family.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/15/2009

Dr. Tim Waack and his family came all the way from Fort Smith, Arkansas to enjoy a day on the saltwater fishing. Matt, Ashley, Brian, Chris and Heidi all caught more fish than they could imagine. Everyone loved using the light tackle to catch reef fish. Ashley caught a nice cobia that gave her a big fight. Matt caught an amberjack that was a lot of fun. We even got to see a sea turtle and some wild dolphins. It was a wonderful May day on the water.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/11/2009

Josh, Amanda and Brittany came all the way from Baton Rouge to enjoy a 6 hour charter. The weather was beautiful all day. The fish were biting good. Josh got a chance to catch a nice Bull Shark that we will be posting on our Youtube account. We even caught a big grouper on the last reef and a shark bit him in half. The head weighed over 8 pounds. What a wonderful, exciting day fishing in the gulf.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/8/2009

Doug came all the way from Selma, Alabama to enjoy a day with his sons on the gulf. The typical spring weather kept us from getting offshore for a few days. Finally, Friday rolled around and we had some good weather and rolling seas. The Red Snapper bit well and Doug got to hook and fight a big shark.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/2/2009

Dr. Rod, Cheryl, RJ and Christina came down from Mississippi to take an Orange Beach, Alabama Spring fishing charter. Surprisingly, we awoke to a 4 foot rollers this morning coming from the southeast. The crazy thing was the water current was coming from the west. That meant, we had to hold the boat into the wind while the fishing lines went under the boat. The fish bite was slow all morning due to the west current and dirty water. There was a lot of debris such as river logs and sticks floating in the Gulf of Mexico. We had to watch carefully as we navigated. We caught a lot of Red Snapper but had to let them go. We used our fish descender to return them. It is working well. We even caught a Ruby Lip and a Mangrove Snapper. The fish bite was off but the size of the fish were larger than normal. I guess the big ones are moving in. Dr. Rod & RJ spent a lot of time with me upstairs in the wheelhouse. RJ gave me a break and drove the boat in for me. He did a great job. We look forward to the Givens return trip in the fall to try and catch some winter bull redfish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/25/2009

Hannah from east Texas brought her dad, James Lawless along on her 6 hour grouper fishing trip. The fish bit real well all afternoon. We caught Red Snapper but had to release them. We even hooked and caught two sharks.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/15/2009

Randy brought his children to Orange Beach on a spring 4 hour trolling trip. The fish bite was good and we ended up catching a nice mess of Spanish Mackerel. Jake, Drew, Chloe and Joe all enjoyed fishing with their dad.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/8/2009

The Freyberg family came all the way from Wisconsin to enjoy a Spanish Mackerel trolling trip. Gary, Frederica, Ford, Maddie and Hank all had a blast catching those mackerel on light tackle, just right off the beach.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/7/2009

Brian loves to catch Amberjack while deep sea fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama. The fishing was tough and we found ourselves further offshore trying to find some areas where fishing pressure was less. We found some Amberjacks but we had to work hard for them.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/6/2009

Lindsey and the rest of her friends came in from Texas A&M for a relaxing spring break in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The weather was beautiful and the fish were biting the light tackle like crazy. We all had a blast catching Red Snapper, Grouper and Amberjack.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/19/2009

Vicki shows off a nice Red Snapper caught on light tackle. Ron caught a nice grouper also.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/18/2009

We have finally moved into a spring like pattern. We are having some good 70 to 75 degree days. The water temperature is running about 65 degrees offshore. The offshore fish bite is tough within 25 miles of shore. We are waiting for the water temp to get close to 70 degrees so the fish start moving toward shore. A 6 hour trip can prove to be tough fishing during this seasonal transition. 10 hour trips or longer would be recommended if you wanted to catch more meat. A six hour trip during mid March can be fun if you don't want to keep much to eat. A four hour trolling trip should still be ok. The cobia are starting to show up but would expect them to really get good toward April 1. The redfish have also slowed a bit but are still being caught just offshore.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/14/2009

Spring is almost hear and the Redfish are still running pretty good. A cold front came through today and the bite was decent. A couple of bonita were caught also. Jack Crevalle's are out there too! We are looking forward to a great spring business.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/2/2009

Distraction has just gone through its annual haul out and safety inspection. We are back in the water and ready to serve saltwater anglers.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 2/7/2009

I just got the news. My daughter and her husband Bryan are expecting my first grandchild. I will be headed out to get the little fella a fishing pole. Or, I will be headed out to get her a fishing pole? Decisions. What do you get a captains grandchild? Don't know. My wife is shaking her head at me. Anyway, my life is changing again. Thank you God!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 2/5/2009

The bullreds are running like crazy. We have been seeing the most action off Gulf Shores after frontal passage. We are trolling and have had a lot of luck sight casting. We hope they stay around until April like they did in 2008. These light tackle near shore family fishing trips are 4 hours in length with the opportunity to stay longer if you like.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 1/22/2009

Marty, Dan, Ed, Bro Jason and Scotty came down from Corinth Ms area and Nashville to enjoy some really good light tackle red snapper fishing. We caught a lot of red snapper but had to realease them because of seasonal closure. We also caught some nice trigger fish, vermilion snapper and one real nice grouper. We also caught a nice spanish and a king mackerel. The weather was very pleasant and seas were about 2 to 3 foot. We really enjoyed serving these men and enjoyed their fellowship.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 9/8/2008

Brandon, Jack, Wes, Steven, Robbie and Charles booked this trip with the anticipation of catching some fish and having a great day on the deep sea fighting red snapper on light tackle. We left Orange Beach and headed to one of our honey holes to see if we could get these guys some fish to put on the grill tonight. It was a good ride but when we got there, the fish were waiting on us. They were hungry! We fished a few spots but did not catch anything big. We did catch some nice Vermilion Snapper that were larger than normal. We ended up with a nice mess of fish to eat. We caught some nice red snapper on light tackle and a nice king mackerel.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/29/2008

Chuck, Terri, Scott and Bryant came down to Orange Beach from Missouri to enjoy a day red snapper fishing. Bryant "19", was enjoying his first trip ever on the Gulf of Mexico when he hooked this trophy size 26 lb red snapper on his first drop. Can you imagine catching a trophy size fish on your first drop? Well, this was the largest red snapper caught in a while. Bryant made it look easy! Yea, right. He whined and grunted the whole time as he battled this amazing red snapper. We all had a great day and look forward to doing this again.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/14/2008

Our family friendship goes back to 1968 when we first met the Mills family. Taylor, Nancy, Mike and Ricky all came together from Alabama, Georgia and Florida to share some memories while deep sea fishing. We all grew up together and have been lifelong friends. Even though our lives have carried us in different directions, we all manage to pick up right where we left off when we see each other. Its cool having friends for life. We had a great day fishing. We caught Red Snapper, White Snapper, Vermilion Snapper and a nice Amberjack. I appreciate the opportunity to serve my friends.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/2/2008

Well, all I can say is it was the funniest backlash ever. Kevin from Texas was fishing for Red Snapper when a big Cobia came up and hit his bait. Before he could stop the fish by applying pressure with his thumb on the spool of line, the fish exploded and went to peeling line. The Cobia pulled so hard and so fast, Kevin did not have time to put his reel in gear and fight him. All we heard was the reel peeling line and a big POW! We looked down and Kevin was dumbfounded by the mess it created. We all laughed with Kevin and at him. We wanted to celebrate the worst backlash ever of a shimano reel we have ever seen in 30 years of fishing. If you ever have a backlash, please remember to laugh instead of getting frustrated. It's just fishing.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/29/2008

Darrell, Kim and Courtney came all the way from Hendersonville, Tn today to share a family fishing outing with Darrells father, Mr. Elzie and sister Angie. Angie's dad Mr. Frank also came along for the red snapper fishing trip. We had a blast today catching fish and fighting the big ones. Everyone on the boat caught more fish than you could imagine. We caught mostly Red Snapper on today's six hour trip. It is a real treat to serve families like these.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/29/2008

We sure enjoyed today's fishing trip. We headed out South of Orange Beach today toward some deep water. We picked up some nice King Mackerel and one really nice Barracuda. The Big Red Snappers bit well. We were trying to get some Amberjack to bite but were unsuccessful. We caught a few small ones but had to release them. We fished some deep water but the water quality was poor and the heat of the day did not help us. We can hardly wait for some cooler days in the fall for the bite to pick back up. We did have a great time watching John, Mike, Hayden, Hunter and Donna catch fish all day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/24/2008

When the Wells family comes fishing with you, you had better get ready to have some fun. Alex, Max, Austin and Zack brought their parents with them today to show them how they can catch fish. Austin (10) caught a 22 lb Red Snapper on the first reef this morning. Wow! Everyone caught an amberjack today but we had to release most of them because they were too small to keep. We really had fun fishing with my friends who have fished with us for the past four years. I have had the pleasure of watching these boys grow, mature and catch fish since they were just 6 years old. Boy can they fish. Laughter was heard all day long. This is why I love my job! Good job guys. Be sure to check out their video on youtube on our website.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/17/2008

Sheldon from near Austin, Tx. brought his mom and dad on an 8 hour family deep sea fishing trip today. I have had kids drive the boat on a daily basis. Today was an extraordinary day fishing. The bite was slow at first until that sun went down a bit. The seas were a little choppy with an East wind but we managed to catch some nice Red Snapper and a couple of King Mackerel. Don and Shelley sat back today and watched Sheldon catch some nice big fish. Sheldon came upstairs on the way in and asked could he drive the boat. For over 25 miles, the autopilot was off but I could not tell it. Sheldon kept the boat on heading and steered us all the way home. Sheldon is a natural young captain. I bet someday he will be running his own boat. You know, Orange Beach is family oriented. It's days like this that make my day special. Seeing kids with their parents catching fish and building memories. I really enjoy watching a family have fun and catch a few fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/16/2008

The Hunter family from Tulsa, Ok. came all the way to Orange Beach for a family vacation. Joel and Karen brought Ryan, Bryant, Rachel and Jonathan out on a light tackle deep sea fishing trip. Today was a six hour trip. The weather was overcast and the water temperature was 7 degrees lower than the previous day. We pulled up on a few spots and the Red Snapper greeted us on top of the water. We kept fishing with our light tackle and Rachel caught a big Cobia right behind the boat. It weighed 31 lbs. Her boyfriend Jonathan caught a monster 18 pound red snapper just after that. It seemed that the big snapper were going to bite all afternoon. We returned to Orange Beach with some exhausted customers. Catching so many fish was overwhelming. We really enjoy watching family members interact with each other. Smiling, Laughing and just a great time is what they got today along with a great fish bite.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/14/2008

Executive retreats are great for all corporations. Today was a wonderful day. Ken, for the third time this year brought his key corporate management team for a deep sea fishing trip off Orange Beach. Ken brought his son Clay along with him. He also had his key executive decision managers like Danny, Justin, Allen and Duane. Everyone of these guys had a chance to fight and catch a lot of nice fish today. Yes, we did lose two monsters that we will never know what they were. One thing for sure, these executives and corporate managers sure have some great memories about their day fishing on Distraction. We had no problem catching Red Snapper. The White Snapper bit like crazy. The Amberjack were a little slower, but when we got a bite, it almost pulled the arms off the anglers. We had fun and laughed at all these guys fighting fish all day. We look forward to the day when Ken's men all get to come back and spend another day with us.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/13/2008

What would you do if you were fishing for Red Snapper and something big bit your bait? Well, Kirk was fishing over the reef when something big hit his light tackle and started pulling. It did not pull like an Amberjack or a Grouper. It did not pull like a shark. Well, it pulled like a state record Red Snapper. Boy we were wrong. Kirk fought the monster fish for almost 25 minutes and when it surfaced, it was a large Jack Crevalle. We call them "Alabama Yellowfin." Do not confuse it with Yellowfin Tuna. It has a yellow fin and it fights harder than any other fish in shallow water. Pound for pound, they are tougher than most species we catch.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/11/2008

Jim Hogan has been fishing with me since my first year in the business. Jim started bringing his two sons Chris and Steven when they were 11 and 12 years old. They are now 17 and 18. Jim believes believes in building memories with his kids just as his dad did with him. Over the years Jim added Connor, Michael and this year we got to meet Matthew. It is a delight when we get to watch a family come together year after year and spend time fishing together. I believe that Orange Beach, Alabama offers some of the best family fishing along the Gulf Coast. Today was great. We caught and released over 30 amberjacks and bunches of snapper. We only harvested a few for dinner. The fight was incredible. Those kids caught fish almost every drop. A couple of times today, we had hundreds of red snapper and black snapper swimming around the boat. What an exciting day with a long time friend and his family.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/10/2008

Kevin and his family headed out today for 10 hours. We fished South of Orange Beach some 30 miles. We caught amberjack, red snapper and one monster Black (mangrove) Snapper. Kevin knew it was a big one when it hit. We thought it was another Amberjack. When it broke the surface, we were all surprised to see such a big mangrove snapper. We knew it would be close to the Alabama State Record. We brought it in and we missed it by just one pound. It is still a trophy size black snapper. Kelly, Ryan and Dustin all had a great time today catching fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/9/2008

Mark took a break from flying Boeing 757's today to bring his two sons on a four hour trip. We had Brice and Hunter onboard to enjoy the late afternoon trip. We started trolling out about 4 pm and there was not a great bite at all. We kept pulling our trolling lures and heading South. We had one reel get slammed and then another. Brice reeled up and when the big Bull Red almost got to the boat, the hook bent out and the big bull red got away. Well, we kept moving out. We picke up a few kings and some of them were smaller and we released them. We made our turn with the evening sun and started heading North. I was watching my sonar and ran over a school of big red dots or echo's. I told Lem to watch this! Just about that time, two rods were hit so hard they broke the lines and took all our tackle with them. At that time, the other two rods we had out trolling with got slammed. Brice grabbed one and his father Mark grabbed the other. The first fish was Brice's. He had caught and landed a nice Bull Red. Mark was on the other side of the boat getting beat to death by the tugging sea monster. We thought if this is a red fish, it was going to be a record. We got it up to the boat and we netted a nice Jack Crevalle. With sweat dripping from his head, Mark sat down for a rest. His forearms were a aching and he was physically exhausted from the fun fight. No matter what ever happens, Mark, Brice and Hunter have shared a father and son experience that will last a lifetime. This trip will be forever etched into their memory.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/3/2008

Tom, Kevin and John caught a nice mess of fish on today's 6 hour deep sea red snapper trip. We caught a lot of red snapper and we had the excitement of watching Tom bring up a monster fish (we thought)? It was pulling hard. Tom kept reeling and all of a sudden, the red snapper was coming up on the hook with no body. We all saw just the head on a hook when a monster bull shark came all the way up and almost hit the boat trying to get the snapper head back. Tom had hooked a red snapper and a bull shark had eaten it. This was the most spectacular sight. The monster shark was on top of the water coming at the boat. Imagine seeing that! The shark must have been 300 lbs and 8 foot in lenght. We did not have a camera ready because we were not expecting to see a bull shark attack. One thing for sure, we all have a memory that will never go away. Beautiful, amazing and a one of a kind experience!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/2/2008

Brian is no stranger to catching big fish. He loves to fish for those fighting amberjacks. We headed South today to try and get out to an area that has been known to produce some nice jacks. We rode for 3 hours and about 3 miles before we got to where we wanted to fish, we ran into a major thunderstorm that went from East to West for over 20 miles with lightning. Well, we made a right turn to avoid the storm. We fished several spots and only caught red snapper and vermilion snapper. As usual, the bite slowed about 11 am but picked up again around 2 pm. We finally made some amberjacks bite but they were smaller 24 to 26 inches. We can only keep 28" and larger. Well, Lem pulled a trick out of the had and sent Brian down and goodness gracious, wham!!! A nice 33 inch amberjack was caught. We c