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Recent Catches at Robbie's
 
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Ask a Captain
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May I bring alcohol on board?
Sure, you may bring beer or wine coolers, but liquor is not allowed on board. No glass bottles or containers are allowed either. If you do not want to lug around a cooler, the Captain has beer, water, and soda available for purchase.
Should I tip the crew?
Your mates work very hard to make your trip as enjoyable as possible. Tips are highly appreciated! Most people tip 20% of their trip's ticket cost.
Can I bring an ice chest or cooler?
You may bring your own personal ice chest or cooler. We have drinks on board for purchase so that you can just jump on board and let us do all the leg work!
Are there life jackets on board? Do I have to wear one?
Our boat is US Coast Guard certified and has life jackets on board for every passenger. However, you are not required to wear a life jacket during the trip.
Is smoking allowed on the boat?
Smoking is not allowed inside the cabin, but it is allowed on the outside deck areas.
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For more information or to book a spot on the Partyboat Fishing, a Snorkeling Trips, an Ecotours or a State Park Tours
Contact Robbie's at
305-664-8070
Advance Purchase Strongly Recommended!
or Purchase them
online with
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Full Day Boat Rental for the Price of a Half Day
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Bring this coupon with you to receive a full day boat rental at the half day rate, that's a savings of $50 (that could cover the cost of your night stay!).
| | Offer Expires: October 31, 2011 |
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10% Off at the
Fly By
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| | Offer Expires: October 31, 2011 |
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Free Rod or Wetsuit Rental
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Bring this coupon with you to receive your free rod or wetsuit rental on the Happy Cat or the Capt Michael Party Boat.
| | Offer Expires: October 31, 2011 |
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Hello from Steve in the Booth
October and November are considered "the slow season" here in Islamorada. Not because the fishing is slow but rather that there are no anglers here to take advantage of some of the hottest fishing of the year. The saying what goes up must come down is true with the offshore fish that live near the Gulf Stream. All of the dolphin that migrated north in the spring  and early summer to the feeding grounds in the upper Atlantic and coastal Carolina regions all head back south at this time of the year. And guess what? They are called feeding grounds for a reason. These fish have been gorging themselves and that means that much bigger fish are heading south. Many trophy fish are caught this time of the year. We are always on the lookout for split charters and would love to see you with that fish of a lifetime so come on down and get one. Another advantage for fishing this time of the year is that you can get off season pricing on many of the rooms here in town.
Captain Joe Saba on the Dirty Boat went for a snapper trip this week and was listening to the radio chatter about dolphin in close. He slid out a short distance and had 20 good size fish in the box in about an hour. Captain Brian Cone went to the "hump" with the bait well full of pilchards and described Black fin tuna's skyrocketing out of the water 15 feet in the air crashing these live chummed baits. He caught quite a few in the 15 to 20 pound range. Needless to say the entire marina enjoyed sushi that day. We are starting to see some Kingfish coming in as well most in the 30-40 pound range. So be sure to call me and book your trip.
This is also a great time to fish the party boat. After the full moon in September the Mutton snapper start their spawning and several should be caught on every trip. Nat Gross a Saturday night regular caught a beautiful 7 pounder last week. The daily snapper bite remains strong and with the kings starting to show up we are sure to have some very productive trips. Call for reservations and don't forget that we will discount your second trip of the day to $25.
I have also been able to talk Mark in our rent a boat booth to offer a newsletter special. During the month of October just bring in the coupon found at the bottom of this newsletter and we will give you a full day boat rental at the half day rate, that's a savings of $50 (that could cover the cost of your night stay!).
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From the Waters
Well The Fall Season is finally here, and the kids are all back to school. It's usually the slowest time of the year for fishing here in  the Florida Keys . I'm only referring to the number of fisherman, not the number of fish. All I can say is the fishing is awesome. The bait fish showed up in big numbers about two weeks ago. And with the bait come the predator fish.
If you haven't gone to Live bait fish the humps with us for blackfin tuna you are missing out. On every trip this fall we've loaded the boat with tuna. Just yesterday we had 6 on at a time and managed to catch 20 beautiful blackfin and some fat skipjack tuna as well. With two live wells full of pilchards it was GAME ON !!!! The Tuna were in suc h a frenzy at the back of the boat it wouldn't take two seconds to get a bite. After getting our fill of tuna we went in search of dolphin. And it didn't take long to find 5 nice gaffers under a frigate bird. We also found a  nice piece of bamboo floating. It truly was a magical piece of debris. We managed to get some wahoo more dolphin and a huge tripletail.
I can honestly say this has been the best August and September I can ever remember for dolphin. Just three days ago I found a school of over 1000 dolphin from 10 to 20 lbs. It was like the TV show Blue Planet. There must have been over 50 frigate birds and brown boobies working the school. It was quite a site.
It Looks like the Fall Tuna fishing on the humps is going to be just as good as it has been in the last few  years. WE like to catch these tuna on 12lb spinning rods, making it an absolute blast. We can even catch them on fly rods when they are in a frenzy.
The Bottom fishing remains strong as well even though I haven't done much of it. I can honestly say I've only gone bottom fishing one day in the last month, but it was outstanding. We filled the box with nice snappers up to 12 lbs and some nice porgies and amberjacks.
To book the trip of a lifetime with Captain Brain Cone on the Contagious give us a call at 305-664-8070.
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Junior Angler of the Month
Pictured here is our latest Jr. Angler of the month Nick  Castellanos of Miami. He is a 6th grader at The Belen Jesuit Preparatory School.
He traveled to los Suenos Costa Rica with his father Rey. They fished aboard the Allin a ponga and had quite a successful trip. He is pictured with a 20lb King Mackerel he caught on light tackle and a 30lb. Amberjack.
The Sailfish pictured is a Pacific sail and is estimated at 155 lbs. Nick did have some help from his father in getting this one to the boat.
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Haunted Robbie's
Strange things are afoot again this year in the back canal, witches and goblins are rumored to have taken up residence in the Mangroves. Some of the residents in the houseboats are starting to act strangely. We had a butcher apply for a job and he could not speak of anything but chopping and slashing. A ghoulish blood soaked bride has been wondering the shoreline at night calling for a captain who has been long lost at sea.
A maze is taking shape behind the fly-by enter if you dare. Screams and mayhem await as the chainsaw wielding madman chases all who dare enter his lair. Don't get caught or you may be lost to the blo ody canal.
Boat rides down the death filled ditch for all who are hearty enough to go. But beware there is danger lurking everywhere the trees have eyes and death will be seeking you.
Friday, October 28th we will again be hosting Haunted Robbie's the event will begin at 5 pm for children and 7 pm for adults. This is a free event so plan to be scared. Contests will be held for best costume and in several other categories call 305-664-8070 for additional information.
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Captain of the Month
Meet Captain Tony the October captain of the month. Tony has been working his way up thru the ranks here at Robbie's for the  last 2 years, he started as a mate and proved his skills by providing outstanding customer service skills with his ability to catch fish, he has already surpassed his mentor captain Ron Howell. Captain Tony runs the night trip and is really putting a lot of Yellowtails in the box.
Captain Tony started fishing in Cuba as a young man; he often fished with his great grandfather on a small skiff and has been hooked ever since. He came to the United States in the 70's and has held many water related jobs. He has worked as a commercial fisherman and lobster man and runs his own crab traps in the winter.
His love of people and fishing shows as he is creating a steady
following of regulars on the night trips.
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Bird Watching
Fall is just around the corner and with fall and the promise of winter weather an annual event will start taking place that is an often overlooked in the skies above the Florida Keys. The Florida Keys have been ranked as one of the top ten bird watching destinations in the world. Located in the middle of the Atlantic flyway, the migration of tens of thousands of birds that winter in the keys and South America will soon fill the skies with color. The most exciting of these birds to see are American Kestrels, Osprey, and Peregrine falcons. Many of these birds will spend the winter in the everglades with its abundant and reliable food sources.
Other species use the keys as a stopping over area on their way to wintering grounds in South America, Rose Breasted Grosbeak,  Scarlet Tanagers, Red Winged Blackbirds, Baltimore Oriels, are just a few that can be seen in the mangroves and scrub around the keys. Very colorful birds such as the Black Throated Warbler, Dickcissel, and Bob-o-link are also abundant as they wing their way to the south.
Robbie's is located on lower Matecumbe key and is in a great location to begin your bird watching adventure. We have 18" Wagner's for rent that can get you right up close and personal to horseshoe key which is home to 9 different nesting birds. Egrets,  Frigates, Cormorants, Pelicans, Great Blue and White Herons Common and Brown Pelicans, Snowy Egrets are all ready for you to watch.
We also have private captains that can take you into the pristine everglades national park to view White Pelicans, American Bald Eagles and other migrating wildlife. Don't forget to bring your binoculars to get the most out of this amazing trip.
Make your plans now to come down and hone your birding skills, and don't forget what goes down must come back up the spring is also a great time to watch as these birds return to their summer habitat up in the north! There are also many birds to be found at Robbie's so stop by, have a drink and relax with us.
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Recent Reviews
"Great experience due to friendliness of the staff and value for the money"
Reviewed September 13, 2011, visited August 2011
We have had the pleasure of using Robbie's Happy Cat for snorkeling in the Florida Keys now twice. First of all, for a modest price of $35, you get all your snorkel gear plus a boat ride out to two different snorkel locations for about a 3-hour tour in all. The boat is new and the staff are very friendly and do everything in their power to make sure that all the people on board have a pleasant experience. This most recent time our trip ended abruptly due to a heavy amount of jellyfish in the waters at both spots where we were due to snorkel. While they made every effort to get us some snorkel time, it was not going to happen as the first few people off the boat got stung. Anyway, they refunded everyone's money in full even though the boat trip took place and they had incurred expenses. With that said, our first experience with Robbie's the year prior was excellent with regard to the quality of the snorkel sites so I was majorly disappointed to have this trip cut short. Again, it's not a reflection on Robbie's but due to the jellyfish. They are a top notch company and I intend to use them time and again when I have the opportunity to visit Florida again. Thank you, Robbies!
"Marina with a lot to offer, Half Day Party Boat Fishing"
Reviewed September 27, 2011, visited September 23, 2011
We had a great time aboard the Capt. Michael. The deckhands/first mates (Josh and Anthony, I think) were very friendly and pretty entertaining, as well as knowledgeable and eager to help. They offer drinks on the boat but only Bud Light, Coke and Water and the cooler is kept on the top of the boat and managed by the Captain. In the past when we have been on these type of charter boat fishing trip, there is a larger selection. I would suggest bringing your own drinks if you're picky, but I can think of bigger problems. Overall, I would definitely suggest this trip to others. It's great bang for your buck, plus the marina restuarant will cook up your catch. A few little shops to browse and the tarpoon feeding in the marina seemed fun, although we were too tired to stick around. The sun/heat is exhausting. Bring plenty of water and try to get the shady side of the boat.
"Great Night Trip, Night Party Boat Fishing"
Reviewed September 12, 2011, visited September 8, 2011
Robbies Marina is well staffed. Our captain, Tony went over the ground rules then Brett (mate) followed up with does and don'ts. We cast off right on time and headed out to our first spot. We caught fish from the first 5 minutes to the last 5 minutes all night. Rental rod was smooth and drag worked well. Brett even threw a cast net off the stern and got plenty of live bait for us to use. Tony was great. Once he had the anchor set he came down and fished with us. EVERYONE caught fish. We even fished a little extra, which was fine with everyone. Our evening was perfect. NO wind and almost no swell. Tony kept us rock'n with music on the stereo. Fish were identified with cut marks, so you take home what you caught, The crew cleaned every fish and bagged them for us. I would recommend this outfit to anyone who wants to CATCH fish on a party boat. The run out was short and we were on the fish all night. Don't forget to tip your crew!!
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Junior Anglers Fishing Tournament
Robbie's is pleased to announce its first annual JUNIOR ANGLER CLUB TOURNAMENT!!!! To be held aboard the Captain Michael party boat on Sunday, November 6th from 9:30am to 1:30pm. This is a member's only tournament. New members may join the day of the tourney ($25.00) Entry fee is $ 35.00 this includes a goody bag, fare for 1 adult (per angler) and a hot dog BBQ afterwards on our beach.
Prizes will be awarded in Boys and Girls division.
Preregistration form available on the website.
R ules:
1. Jr. Anglers only may fish. (Parents are not allowed to fish or to help reel in fish they can assist with bait etc.)
2. Each Jr. Angler will receive a unique mark to be determined by the mates' and Captain.
3. Total combined weight of all legal, edible fish caught during the trip will be used in determining winner.
4. Every angler will be issued a starting spot on the boat and we will rotate at 15-20 minute intervals so that all anglers will have an equal time on the stern. No stern reservations will be accepted, starting positions will be the luck of the draw.
5. Captain will have final say on legality and edibleness of all fish caught.
6. Sharks are not eligible.
7. Check in starts at 8:30 Boat to depart at 9:30am return to the dock at 1:30, Official weigh in will follow.
8. Winners will be announced and awards will be given out.
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Checkout Our Blog
Visit our fishing blog titled Islamorada Fishing Reports which can be viewed by clicking here. 
We will be keep you updated on our recent catches here in Islamorada with pictures and videos.
Please feel free to post anything fishing related on our blog as we would love see what you are catching too.
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Junior Anglers Fish All Year for $25.00
Junior Anglers Club Mission Statement:
To instill a lifelong love of sport fishing and conservation in young anglers from around the world and to promote futureconservations and environmental stewards. To ensure great fishing for generations to come, while fostering fun educational activities and lifelong friends around fishing.
Benefits are discussed in detail on our website. Also you may sign up to become the next Junior Angler on our website or calling (305) 664-8070 for more information. Looking forward to fishing with you all!!
Sign up at www.robbies.com
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