Captain Diego Toiran (the King of the Yellowtails) and his friend Captain Omar Fernandez invited the Guys down to the Keys for two days of fishing for yellowtail snapper.
The Guys have never passed up an opportunity to go fishing!
"Fishing with experts who know the local waters is a real treat," says Castillo. "Captain Diego not only took us to the hot spots, he showed us exactly how to rig and present the bait for the best results."
It was a hot September weekend in the Keys. However, the three Miami Cuban cookbook authors caught their share of yellowtail snappers and report that all of the action made up for the heat.
A couple of bottles of cold water and one of Lindgren's favorite tricks – a handful of ice cubes stuffed into the fishing hat and planted firmly on top of the head – soon brought the Guys back to some semblance of normality.
"Once the fish started hitting, we forgot all about being hot," Musibay says.
Toiran and his boat, the "Reel Smoker" are very well known in the lower Keys. From his home base in Cudjoe Key, Toiran has been offering guide services for the past decade and was a commercial fisherman for several years before that.
Fernandez likes to fish for grouper, mangrove snapper, barracuda, sailfish, and black fin tuna. As for favorite fish, the "King" clearly loves his yellowtail, but Fernandez likes the dolphin fish, "dorado" in Spanish. He considers the dolphin the most beautiful fish in the ocean, and pound for pound the hardest fighting fish.
"They are plentiful and you don't fish them, you track them down and hunt them," Fernandez says. "They are among the best tasting and versatile fish to cook in different ways."
Toiran has been working on a new project, a fishing show for television. Toiran had worked on a previous fishing show and with the retirement of its host, saw an opportunity.
"The show was called Vamos a Pescar – Let's go Fishing," says Toiran. "It aired close to 10 years in Miami and was hosted by Julian Bernal. I had worked with Julian so I knew a little bit about what it takes to put together a television program.
"Catching yellowtail, especially in the daytime, requires a lot of skill and knowledge. First you have to find the fish, and happily the Reel Smoker is equipped with the latest GPS and fish locating equipment.
- The Three Guys show off a big yellowtail
- (L-R) Jorge Castillo, Glenn Lindgren, and Raúl Musibay.
- Three guys, two fish, and Glenn behind the camera.
- (L-R) Jorge Castillo, Raúl Musibay, and Diego Toiran.
Best of all, the media is starting to take notice of the new book with recent articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Providence Journal, Miami Herald, The Flint Journal, and the Miami New Times.
Written entirely in Spanish, this easy-reader is a great gift for anyone who wants to keep Cuban culture and traditions alive in their family. The book is beautifully illustrated by Cristina Milian Ganz and the vibrantly colorful pictures are a key factor in this book's appeal.
