well that was absolutely one of the coolest eats ive ever seen on KZread...slow trolling for kingfish with a live runner and thats what eats it. AMAZING!

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

Haha def was wild!

@hjsingarahjsingara1539

2 ай бұрын

99😅😊 n

@jamesnix862

Ай бұрын

So cool,,you got this Ole Man smiling.

That Bluefin smash reminds me of me, my Dad and 2 Brothers fishing off the Outer Banks in the early 2000's. We were charter fishing for Dorado and Wahoo when the long line got smashed by a Giant Blue Marlin. It looked like a Volkswagen jumping out of the water. The Captain put me in the fighting chair and all I could do was hold on. We watched it for about 1 minute as it breached from starboard to port with INCREDIBLE speed before it snapped the line. I will never forget it !!

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

Wild!

@mrmister385

4 ай бұрын

@@KeyWestWaterman I think you should enter the big game fishing tournaments, once you can fund it. IMO, you and your friends would be very competitive.

it's nice ( and rare ) to see you genuinely happy not sure you noticed but you have a life most would kill for and it's rare to hear you laugh like a kid , nice to see m8 .

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

Hard not to smile ear to ear with a bite like that! Fully living the dream i set out for 10 years ago. Most days it’s hard to believe.

As someone who’s fished for Bluefin for over 20 years those blow ups never get old. That fish was all over 90+ inches was a monster. Love your videos man keep em coming. And I also own a Contender.

@21:59 I have literally watched that portion over and over again!! That was a massive Bluefin and kudos to you for letting it go. Many would have tried to fight it but you did the right thing. Another amazing Key West Waterman video!!!

After a tough day of school there is not much better then quality family time and Key West Waterman videos!! Thank you Mr. Aaron, keep the coming!

@schmingusss

3 ай бұрын

Better hit your shooling harder so you can learn when to use then and than.

@gregoryhines7

2 ай бұрын

​@@schmingusss 😂 nothing like being a grammar tool to someone and misspelling a word in the process. What a chode. Thanks for the laugh.

@gregoryhines7

2 ай бұрын

​@@schmingusssbet you did real well in "shool"

Absolutely monster tuna. My jaw dropped during that slow-mo! As a new englander I appreciate that you let it go and hopefully it makes more bluefins.

For those that dont or didn't know bluefin make there way down the coast around the keys and then north into the northern gulf to spawn. There is a bluefin fishery in Florida which is highly specialized. Most encounters in the keys go just like the one we just watched. Typically while mackerel fishing one eats a live bait and thats that. I believe the Florida record is around 800 pounds and was caught out of either Pensacola or Panama city. We catch them occasionally mixed in with yellowfin on the otherside of the stream off the east coast typically in mid to late march. When I lived in marathon on 2 separate occasions, one in late January one in February, we actually had bluefin come into the chum slick while yellowtail fishing. Absolutely wild. As always my friend great video!! PS you did the right thing, break em off quick dont stress them.

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

Yup! Always a treat to see them. First once I’ve seen while fishing. I’ve seen close to a dozen while diving for wahoo.

@jmac0643

4 ай бұрын

@@KeyWestWaterman the first one I ever encountered was diving for wahoo. Was not ready to see a minivan swim by.

@XXsurf990XX

2 ай бұрын

Justin Drummond caught one a couple years back out of Port Aransas Texas that filled a third of the Gulf of Mexico quota and broke the Texas record by a long shot. It was deep winter and we all geared up our 80ws and trolled the day after, dudes were coming back to SPI with broken rods, empty 80ws and a rare occasional blue fin to show for it before they moved on

We were screaming watching!!!!!!! What a freaking wild experience on the water!!! So glad the camera caught it, great video 🎉🎉🎉

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

Haha it was awesome!

By far, my favorite videos are of you Catching, Cleaning, Cooking the food you catch. I've always wondered how to clean and cook the stuff I catch Not being familiar with what I catch, I throw back everything I catch because I don't know if it's poisonous or not. I have an autoimmune disease and don't know what is safe to eat. But you have done such an awesome job of informing me of how to clean, cook,and eat what I catch. Thank you.

And thank you for taking us along. Appreciate you and yours

That blue fin bite was epic. Some of my favorite memories are the one's that i got spooled or got away. Another great video as usual, Aaron you're the man!!

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

Haha right! Def was wild

Most amazing eat I’ve seen. Especially since it was completely unexpected and perfectly in frame. Thanks for sharing that!

This is the first time I've watched one of your videos. I really enjoyed it and you are living in paradise. I appreciate all of your explaining your techniques and tackle/gear. Thanks again and best of luck to you.

That was awesome!!! How exciting! Great choice not to kill it! Great video! I really look forward to Mondays to see what you and the wife get into.

That was pretty cool watching the tuna come out of the water. Glad the camera caught it

That was cool! The first time I’ve ever seen you get so excited! Great video!

I just speared my first Mangrove over 20 inches. Thanks again for inspiring me to get into this. It is one delicious fish. An free diving is so relaxing.

Thank you for the video.! It reminds me of why I love fishing, and particularly the keys. Big fan who used to live in little torch. You just never know what you might hook off the reef. My favorite sound in the world is the whine of an unexpected reel going off. It was special to see such an awesome fish, kudos for cutting it off. Savor the moment the sea gods provided! Thank you again. Fair winds and following seas👍.

❤ That was such a awesome bluefin hit. It was so cool seeing it come out of the water as it hit your bait. ❤

I keep playing your reaction over and over… this was a Classic Key West Waterman!!

Love all your videos man🤙🤙 Your perspective of the content to me is like I was out fishing

Compulsive viewing Aaron. Love it! Good call on the Blue Fin. Keep doing what you’re doing. 👏💪🏻

As soon as you got home you looked at the 50W international you saw that morning in the corner and cried a little. I would of.

@KeyWestWaterman

Ай бұрын

😂

Kudos! Excellent content, flawless narration and pro editing. Can't wait to toss some fresh Kingfish into Old Bay boiling H2O. Again, Kudos and Keep Livin' Life Large ! Mui Bueno Livin' The Keys Dream!

@randaltotten9358

4 ай бұрын

Try grouper or Snook that's what some people call Poor Man's Lobster in Southwest Florida

Good for you for just popping it off sooner rather than later. Much better than fighting it for hours and wearing it out. Much respect

Absolutely awesome. Remember some being regularly seen at Boca Bar back in the 90's when the yellowfin bite was going off.

It’s ashamed that you didn’t have a rod and reel that would have been capable of getting a big fish like that to the boat for release if it was too big. Incredible footage of the bite.Something I am sure you will never forget.

That surface shot of the bluefin was amazing.

Definitely a Suoer Cool Experience. You made a Great Sportsmans Choice on the Bluefin. Always enjoy your content and videos are always helpful with Why and How you do things. Keep up the Great work

So much love and respect for you being VERY responsible on your knowledge and rules and regulations. Always love your vids please keep it up!!!

Oh sure....like you didn't plan that!! That was absolutely incredible. If ONLY you could plan that! Hooked one bluefin one time on an old Penn Senator conventional rod and reel combo. This was a year or ten (!) before GoPros and my video camera was rarely on duty when needed, but I could never forget that tuna as it breached on the surface to eat! Amazing thing to see then, but really cool to see it take your bait for a ride tonight! Glad we were there to witness it with you! Otherwise, just another fish tale. Great day on the water, thank you!

That bluefin strike was EPIC!!!!

I’ve only had one bluefin on in my life and it was on the back of a coast guard cutter back in the 90s.. it wasn’t huge but it was over 100lbs.. got it up to the boat once then the line gave out.. the crew was excited because we were going to have fresh food because we were living on rice & beans after the refrigeration failed 🤷🏼‍♂️ we got into a mess of yellowfin later that day.. still a hellova fight & a fond memory

Aw Heck ! The internet is down ! Guess I'll have to just go fishing today, darn it !

That Bluefin was awesome, great video Aaron

Now that was worth the price of admission! Absolutely spectacular!

I grew up fishing in Jacksonville, where the fishing is even worse than Titusville. I appreciate your journey to get to better fishing!

Wow cool setup! I like sabiki catching multiple fish in one row. I love watching you video, absolutely amazing...

That was exciting to say the least! Was excited as you were.

that was a amazing hook up with the tuna , cheers for sharing your adventure as always

I haven't shot a fish or caught one in so long that I would be stoked to catch the runners on the sabiki . Another great Monday evening video .

OMG!!!! THAT WAS AWESOME!!! That first run was epic..

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

Right?!

So awesome! Glad you got it on video.

Holy crap!!!! And you are only 30 miles from me! (I live on big pine). What a fish Aaron, and you did the right thing!

Aloha. When I was growing up on the gulf coast, my dad would grill king mackerel steaks after marinating in soy, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass.

Reminds me of working offshore of Fort Myers Beach about 55-60 miles, crystal clear water and I looked down and swore I saw a yellowfin. Told the Captain, "If I didn't know better, I'd tell you I just saw a yellowfin." He told me, "You're silly for thinking you know better, that's the magic of the ocean."

4:00 -- "Sabiki's are always a nightmare" Bro! You've GOT to step up your game and get a sabiki rod then, life changing! I bought the Danco conventional two-piece 7'8" sabiki rod from West Marine for just $40 and use it to pier fish. Fun as hell and the rod cleverly stores your sabiki rigs inside safely, no screwing around. The Danco rods come in both convention and spinning, and in 2- or 3-piece. I heard the 2-piece is better since there are less hang ups on the inside for the small hooks to get snagged on. Danco also sells a sabiki rig kit to go with it (1 oz lead bell weights, sabiki dehookers, many sabiki rigs) but you probably aready have all that.

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

I had one for years lol and I never used it! I sabiki bait like 5 times a year.

@jake9705

3 ай бұрын

​@@KeyWestWaterman -- Gotcha I never sabiki fished because I don't have a boat. But then learned that it's a great outfit to target topsmelt around a fishing pier near my house.

Great video as usual. Landing a big fish is hard enough by itself, but also moving rods, driving the boat, moving the camera and finding the gaff??? Unbelievable job. That tuna was awesome and you absolutely made the right decision. Would live to try King cooked that way!

Key West Waterman,,, my calming place. Love your channel.

23:27 the sound of that big boy ripping drag is music to my ears ☺️🌊

Was living in Northern Alberta, and Burbot were the fish that we did just this with, under the same name. The Burbot are a freshwater offshoot in the Cod family, ugly, slimy, and prone to coming back to life in the sink, when you thawed them, after a day of ice fishing. But soooo good food! I have been walked away from by a couple sturgeon over the years, where they just went, and paid me no mind. Good ethical call on that. The answer to "What do i say?", is like to be a really nice thank you note to Shimano, as well as sending them that clip of the breach hit of a WAY to big fish, eh? Thanks!

The bite was awesome. The recipe was cool. Have done this in Maryland with Spanish. Thanks again for another great video

The first meal I ever made for my girlfriend was grilled kingfish tacos, threw a mix of charcoal and mesquite on the grill, seasoned it standard, pick, guacamole, and chipotle salsa on the grilled tortillas and she was hooked immediately

That was to cool . I couldn’t believe my eyes, when that back rolled out of the water.

Now that's a good video....thats what we want to see...but we like all of it!! That was very educational for us fisherman

Oh what a rush! That's kinda like bear hunting with a switch!!!

my kitties are happy, but you must have the happiest kitties on planet earth....and I've seen the hemmingway cats too in key west 😊

Wow that’s amazing man what a blowup.

Love the video, looks like such a nice day out there

62 degrees may sound cold for the keys but to me that’s perfect fishing weather. This summer is going to be brutal. Nice video as always Aaron

The bluefin made the hairs stand up on my arms ! What a turn on ! I have chased them a few times. There’s nothing like big tuna. I can remember fishing on the reef in the winter and seeing big tuna like that one crashing baits in our chum slick for yellowtail. I’m here in Key West visiting family. Weather has been terrible yesterday and today as you know.

Awesome footage of the eat- rare stuff. You made the right call breaking it off. You’d be a while trying to get that thing even close to the boat with your tackle. And, as you note, playing it would only increase the chances of unintentionally killing it. Well done 👍

Loved to see that clever use of the kingfish! And that tuna was EPIC, dude!! Tangingi (Indo-Pacific king mackerel) with Mulungay (tender tree leaves) soup was the first fish that my Filipina wife cooked for me back in the early days when we first met in the Middle East. Filipinos call the fish Tangingi, and Arabian Gulf locals call it Kanad. Being a Bahamian-American "conch," I'm all about eating fish. So I will try almost anything at least once. It was a delightful surprise! And yes, I raised an eyebrow slightly before tucking into it ;). It had small white medallions of tender, mild fish, in a hearty, zesty, semi-clear broth filled with spices, vegetables, and leaves. Whenever king mackerel are in season, I gently remind her how much I enjoy that soup in the hopes of it reappearing... and it does. Here is an approximate recipe (for 2 or 3 people): - Boil together in a covered pot, several basic ingredients, as desired. We use some skin-on fresh ginger root (wash the ginger and then smash it a bit prior to putting it in), along with sliced small purple or red onions, sliced tomatoes, and a lemongrass stalk (more on that below). - My wife's favorite way to prepare the lemongrass stalk is (without cutting it) to slightly smush the hard part of the stalk by hand, and then fold the leafy green part over the hard part of the stalk lengthwise 2 or 3 times. Then horizontally wrap the remaining green part around the bundle several times, finishing it off by stuffing the final loop of green into the center to hold it all together in a tight bundle. It sounds complicated, but anyone who knows how to tie a line to a boat cleat or tie a hook to a fishing line will find it quite natural! - Hot boil for about 5 to 10 minutes or so, until the flavor and texture of the vegetables and spices suits your taste. - Reduce heat to a medium boil, and add a bit of salt, and the desired amount of fish medallions. The medallions are made from the de-skinned, de-boned, de-blood-lined steaks of a 5 to 8-lb mackerel (avoid the largest, tougher-textured mackerels). - Immediately after the fish medallions are put in, add some of the small green petal-shaped leaves stripped from 3 stems or twigs of the trade-winds-zone Moringa tree (you want to do this fast, in 10 seconds or less). - Then immediately remove the pot from the burner. The fish flash-cooks in the hot soup, so serving can be done by immediately ladling the soup into bowls and letting the bowls rest for a minute or so. We discard the lemon grass. The ginger breaks into pieces that we leave in the soup. The lemongrass and ginger give the soup its "zing," while the onions and tomatoes add to the base, and the Moringa leaves give it some extra texture and another layer of favor. The fish provides the tender meaty portion. Prior to this, I didn't each much mackerel, and only occasionally had it as grilled steaks. In my opinion, it is much better when boiled in soup, and in fact, this is my "preferred" fish for this dish. When boiled in the soup, it has a much more delicate flavor that balances very well without overpowering the other ingredients. I find it superior to boiled grouper heads and carcasses, and I even like it better than boiled whole fish like snappers and grunts (my wife is a whiz at all of that stuff too). If you are looking for the leaves, the Moringa tree is nearly ubiquitous worldwide in tropical and sub-tropical places, as well as arid areas, (USDA 9 & 10 zones). So I reckon folks will have a good chance of finding it in the Keys, if desired. The tree's name means "twisted pod" in South Asian Tamil, a reference to the visual appearance of the young seed pods. It has various other local names like Cabbage tree in Africa (a nod to the taste and texture of some varieties of the small leaves when boiled), Malunguy tree in South-East Asian island areas, and Drumstick tree in India (where largest tonnage is produced commercially). The mature dried seed pods look somewhat like drumsticks, and I'm guessing someone may have actually tried using them for that purpose a time or two (I wonder how that went!). It is also found in the Caribbean, South America, and Oceania. As soon as my wife had taught me that these trees have edible leaves, I almost immediately started having no trouble spotting them all over the southern and central Middle-East, Africa, and Asia. They are often planted in front and back yards as trees, as well as trimmed-up as smaller bushier versions used in rows. In Arabia our Sri Lankan neighbors had a tree, from which my wife was gifted a branch. She cultivated that branch into another tree, and since then has used the resulting branches to grow all of our subsequent trees, over many years and even across housing relocations. The Moringa tree family has 17 varieties. There are 3 Wikipedia articles devoted to it and its varieties. I was hardly surprised to find several varieties of kingfish worldwide too. But, I was very surprised at how good they tasted in soup!

That was amazing! I live on Cape Cod so I am very familiar with Bluefin but you rarely see one that big jump like that!

Caught on film! Amazing experience man.

Just catching it on film was the win!! Excellent video!

Small world! In addition to smoked Kings, Spanish Mackerel, & mullet, Dad & my Grandmother cooked ‘Poor man’s lobster” just to mix things up. With the butter, it was like popcorn to me. Always had grits with coffee or leftover red eye gravy as a side.

Been watching for about a year. Best video yeti

We had a marlin once while trolling ballyhoo dump a tld 25 in the Gulf stream about 35 miles out. We saw it come up behind a bait whack it and never saw it again . So much fun getting spooled

If I’m not mistaken, at 21:56 you can see a swirl in the water like it missed and turned back or another monster may have taken a look at it. Incredible bite!

Fresh water Striper is kinda strong an most folks don't enjoy. Old guy boiled some small chunks in Sprite an seasoned it an we dipped it into cocktail an tarter sauce. It was good . We called it poor man's shrimp here in TN. Lol. Great job . Mark one off to the blue fin . Saw him eat that was awesome. !!

R&R Sabiki I love those. They have larger snap swivels so easier to set up for older people.

I caught a lot of kings when I lived in Florida. We used to bake it wrapped in foil with butter and old bay. It was as good as any fish we caught!

I love king fish. I am always excited when I hook one. Fun fight. Great smoked and poor man's lobster while fresh. Great video! 🎣

Such a sick BFT bite. When they hit the yummy flier here in San Diego, it looks like a block of C4 exploding on top of the water.

Thanks! Great video,, appreciate ypur candidness!

Awesome video, thanks for sharing a native Floridian recipe. We ate kings like this a few times. Would be awesome to do a series featuring lesser known “delicacies” lol.

Epic epic epic episode! Definitely in the top 5 list, the blue fin coming out of the water makes the highlight reel. Also enjoyed the longer episode and the day at sea! Best wishes 🍻

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

As long as there's Old Bay, you can't go wrong. That top water blow up was nutty dang! 🎣

Awesome video, it’s exciting to watch. Great job.

And this is why I love salt water fishing, you never know what's gonna hit the line. awesome

Bro I'm shaking after that strike. You would have been a legend to land a bluefin on spinning tackle. 👑

Love your channel bud you are one extremely experienced and intelligent person with awsome integrity keep up the good work

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

Really appreciate the kind words! 🙏🏻

Seems like it's been forever since we've seen you fish deep! What a pleasure to see a real pro film it for KZread. So many poor examples get posted on other channels which perpetuates bad form. Situations like that is why I only troll conventional - not that it would have made any difference in this instance. Other surprises can happen though and it's nice to know your tackle can deal. Happy to see you get sorted with Shimano! Perhaps that Bluefin is a sign you should do more fishing videos! Regarding Mackerel as table fare. I believe it gets a bad rap because fillets are only good for a day or two - then it turns to mush. Same thing if you try to freeze then thaw. But properly bled and iced down you have about two days to eat in fillet form. Tight Lines!

Wow Aaron, when I saw the surface hit I was like what the hell was that !! I think you did the right thing cutting it loose, I also agree it had to be over 300 based on scale of your boat. And you were totally right that you never really stood a chance with that spinner against a big boy like that.. Not only to see such a hit but to capture totally at random, amazing.

That was an unbelievable eat…i cant believe the camera caught that. I felt your excitement when i saw that thing jump😂Another great vid man !

That bite was freakin awesome!!! I've done that with Cobia, probably 35 years ago. Keep up the excellent work.

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

Thanks! Will do!

You said you wanted to break the new rods in 😂 i love it! Best sound in the world

Splash zone that keel guard and smooth it out, we use it for snags that cut our net meshes on net boats in Alaska.

Awesome! Ya never know what's going to happen on the water, which makes it all the more fun. As for Kings, as a youngster out of Miami we used to eat kings all the time, I just loved them, smoked or just steaked and grilled was awesome. Continue with your great vids, love them.

That shot was amazing!!!!!

That bluefin scene was epic.

Incredible footage!

10 more minutes, my equivant, 3 more casts. That bluefin was a big boy! And you had me at “just a little more old bay”.

that is the best bite when they come up and attack the bait on the surface🤙🤙

DUDE THAT BLOWUP WAS AMAZING OF THE TUNA!!!!! WOW!!

Definitely did the right thing. You are not stopping that fish with an 8000. That's a tough fight on a Penn 80.

The BFT hookup was awesome. Would've been tough to land that beast on a coffee grinder. Great video!

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

Yea it would have been quite the task!

Gypsy and Tuna being together at the beginning was your good luck charm you knew it was a tuna day

@KeyWestWaterman

4 ай бұрын

Haha!

@Snookninja386

4 ай бұрын

Gypsy? 😂😂😂🤦🏼‍♂️🤷🏼‍♂️

@daltonjohnson3289

4 ай бұрын

It’s tipsy

@michaelgibson4243

3 ай бұрын

Tipsy* @@KeyWestWaterman