Jose Wejebe ~Spanish Fly~ R.I.P.

I recall sitting across from Jose in a little "Puddle-jumper" of a plane that goes from Key West up to Miami when I was on a trip up to Virginia to see my parents and watching Jose looking out the window as soon as we got any altitude. I leaned over and asked him if he was checking the "weed-lines" for fish and he returned a very BIG smile that I remember to this day... Once we got to Miami where the plane debarks right on the ground and with no ramp-way, I look back to see Jose stopping and talking with several of the ground\maint airport workers that gathered to meet the plane upon arrival and again there was that very BIG smile on his face...
.
My longtime friend and charterboat Captain Mike told me of a time where he had a family fishing with him and there was a young boy 12-14 years old who was a victim of a severe form of cancer. The parents told Mike that the boy would be going back into the hospital the following week and would not be leaving because of his disease...

.

Now Mike is already known to be one of the most intense Captains when it comes to finding fish and never allowing the angler to slack or "whine" but yet in a way that makes the angler comfortable and enjoyable experience. It soon became known to Mike that this young boy was an avid follower of Jose and his ~Spanish Fly~ television show and followed it every Sunday...

.

During the ride back to the dock at the end of the day of fishing Capt Mike called Jose and told him of his charter and their special angler and the situation. Jose dropped what he was doing and met the boat when it got to the dock and spent several hours with the young angler and fan making it a truly memorable day for the boy...

.

Nice work Capts..

.

This past week Jose Wejebe died when his private plane crashed while taking off at a small airport in the Florida Everglades. His weekly television show ~Spanish Fly~ has a incredible following and by far showed this man to be one of the most informative sportfisherman in tactics, equipment, attitude, and love of this sport... He will truly be missed by the sportfishing community and all who have met & followed him by ~Spanish Fly~...

.

Adiós y vaya con Dios mi amigo...

Fishing the Wall..... Florida Keys

Had the opportunity to fish with Captain Jim Sharpe aboard the SeaBoots which is the sportfishing boat that I worked on while spending my time in the Florida Keys back in the 90's...

Jim was running a "family" trip offshore with friends from the area which also included 3 of the better Captains in the Keys so there was plenty of local knowledge and experience on the boat.

30 miles south of Summerland Key is an area called "Woods Wall" where the water depth goes from 800 feet to almost 1,900 in less than a half mile. Very large drop off and favorite place to find LARGE fish such as Marlin and Swordfish. While catching Dolphin mahi-mahi we had two 300-400 Blue Marlin come in chasing the Dolphin...

.

Florida Keys & Key West ~2011~

Outside of the Customs House

In Key West is a very large statue of the "Dance at Bougival" from the painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir that attracts much attention due it's size and location in old town Key West....

Ronald Reagan once quoted: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"

Had the opportunity to go out on a half day trip aboard the SeaBoots Sportfishing charterboat out of Summerland Key which I fortunately worked on during my years spent in the Florida Keys. Captain\owner Jim Sharpe was taking some local friends out to look for some Dolphin mahi-mahi and graciously offered a chance to fish the waters of the Keys once again...

Spent my five days in the Keys with an old friend who is the Captain\Owner of the Compass Rose Light Tackle Sportfishing fleet and with that got to play with many of the features of the two boats he now operates.... It is common practice to take my vacation during the "Slow season" in the Keys but Capt. Mike Weinhofer was booked the whole week I was there while many other boats sat idle. This I know is the result of the 21 years that Capt. Mike has been fishing in the Florida Keys and making connections with sportfishermen who continue to return to the Keys and Compass Rose year after year.