The Tackle Box — Attraction in Marathon

After renting a place on the water in Marathon I quickly learned the gear and tackle I use in the Chesapeake Bay wasn't going to cut it in the Keys. I ended up going to The Tackle Box based off of really good Google reviews. When we got there, Captain Chris was at the counter and asked how I was doing today and I replied, better if you could put me on some fish. I explained to him my dilemma and after some fun joking around he told me how I should be rigging my lines and what baits I should be using. After taking his advice I was catching Mangrove Snapper, Jack Crevalle & Pin Fish from the bulk head at my place and did a catch and cook with them on the grill with butter, onion and seasons. Captain Chris got a good laugh hearing I ate Pin Fish and Jack Crevalle. We ended up going on a Private Charter with Captain Chris for 6 hours and ended up catching 9 different species of fish including plenty of Mangrove Snapper in the 14 to 15 inch range. Other species included Mackeral, Yellow Tail, Black Grouper and I would love to list the rest of them, but can't remember their names. He took all of our keepers back to his shop and cleaned and bagged them for us. This was my first trip to the keys and when I come back I will definitely be going straight to...

I cannot give a higher recommendation than this picture! My youngest son has never enjoyed fishing. He has never really enjoyed coming to the keys. The night before we came down, he said he didn't want to come. The night before our fishing trip, he said he was not going. He woke up and decided to give offshore one more shot. He immediately bonded with Captain Chris Still. He loved fishing. So much so that he wanted a second trip this week. He now wants to move to Marathon to work as a first mate. Chris made the trip enjoyable for my "fishing sucks" son.

This picture nearly brought my wife to tears..

If you want to fill your freezer using electric reels and let the captain catch all the fish, Chris is not your guy. If you want an experience to learn, have fun, and reset the attitude of your teenager, there is none better than Chris at...

Scheduled a charter about 5 days in advance. Got a Text from the captain the day before I was scheduled to leave in the morning the day before . The captain called me later on in the afternoon and explained targeted species and where we will be fishing and what time to meet . Then later on in the evening I got a call from the owner of the bait shop saying he can’t take me out. My last day of vacation . The owner that scheduled me for this charter knew my situation before I even booked a charter with him . He told me he couldn’t take me out and had nobody to take me out. Paid their deposit which I was refunded . But try to find a charter last minute at 7:00 pm at night for the morning . Almost impossible. I told the owner my frustration and he was all business . No empathy . No offer for credit , nothing from him but a...