From the Lowcountry to Key West: fishing with Chip Davis
- 7 hours ago
- 6 min read
By Ford Walpole
For my old friend Chip Davis of Wadmalaw Island, his eventual love of South Florida and the Keys began with an appreciation for his native Lowcountry waters. As an adolescent too young to obtain a driver’s license, Chip traveled in his Monarch johnboat down the creek to Bohicket Marina. There, he offered to wash boats and complete odd jobs.
“At that time,” says Chip, “Chico Neyrey was running the Winjoy, a 52 Hatteras owned by Jack Salisbury, and I started mating for Chico anytime I could.
“During the winter, a group of Charleston boats went to Sailfish Marina and Buccaneer Marina in West Palm Beach,” he continues. “I made my first trip down the waterway with Captain Carter on the Santee, an 80’ motor yacht. When I first saw Pompano Beach, I said to myself: ‘Man, I have got to get back down to South Florida and go sailfishing!’”
Chico, along with countless other boat owners, later introduced Chip to billfishing opportunities up and down the coast. Subsequent trips included white marlin fishing in Venezuela and bluefin fishing in Hatteras with Colonel Coleman. Chip and his wife Mandy recently fished in Guatemala with the colonel’s son Dennis and his wife.
Captain Chico, Chip’s fishing mentor, issued a challenge that pushed the young angler to think about his life goals. “Chico told me, ‘You need to get back home and finish school and get a real job,’” states Chip. “‘If I find you on one of these boats, you had better own it and not just be the captain!’” Chico declared with the characteristic wisdom of a seafarer.
“When I was in my early 20s, I got my captain’s license,” Chip says, “and I had weekend jobs leapfrogging various boats. Fred Bergen owned a 38 Luhrs, the Legal Holiday, and I really hit it off with Fred and his friends, so I ran the boat in tournaments. But once my wife had our first child, I could no longer keep up with the offshore fishing schedule. Years later, I fished the White Marlin Open in Ocean City, Maryland with Gaspar Marino on the Wadmacallit.”
For the past three decades, Chip has kept a fishing log of his adventures. His entry for 30 May 1998 reads: “I get married. No fishing!” Mandy quickly reminds us that Chip did fish tournaments the two weekends before their wedding. They honeymooned in Marathon and subsequently returned to the Keys once a year.
“I have always been in love with South Florida since the first time I saw it,” Chip says. “When I was young, my family took an annual vacation to Marathon with our 16-foot McKee Craft. We learned our way around the water with a laminated map that included compass headings. To me, the Keys were just magical, mainly because the water was so clear.”
On Chip and Mandy’s trips, they rarely ventured down to Key West. “Early on, it was just a no-go zone: commercial fishing, unreliable motors and drug-running,” Chip explains.
“Key West has always been welcoming to misfits,” Mandy adds. “Everybody down there wants to be there, and life has always just worked in a rhythm. Diversity is what makes the Keys — and especially Key West — so special, and that diversity gives the area its culture and charm.”
In 2015, through a friend, Mandy was offered an inshore fishing trip on Stock Island, outside of Key West. Chip claimed that it was too dangerous for his wife to go alone, so he conveniently had an excuse to go along with her. “That same year, we took a boat down and left it in dry stack storage. By then, the children were older, so we started returning as a family. “Once a month, Mandy and I flew to Miami and drove a rental car to Key West. Soon, we met and became friends with several locals,” Chip adds.
The couple eventually purchased a house on Cow Creek Channel in a neighborhood called Key Haven. Even the home has a quintessential Key West backstory. “Our house was previously owned by a notorious 1980s drug runner who is still hiding in the Dominican Republic,” Mandy says. “The house faces the channel instead of other houses, and you can see the boats coming in from the Gulf. The secluded yard was the perfect location for the discreet redistribution of contraband.”
Chip and Mandy keep a 23 Venture and a 35 Sportsman at their house — to handle different fishing opportunities. You might run 30 miles by boat, depending on what species you are targeting. “No matter the weather, every day is a fish day,” Mandy says. “You can hide in the mangroves, or fish the Gulf or the Atlantic, depending on the wind. We enjoy introducing people, and especially kids, to lobstering and spearfishing. We can fish the Marquesas or run to the Dry Tortugas for the day. Some sort of event is always going on, such as the Race World Offshore World Championship, which is very cool. Hemingway’s home in town and his fish camp off the Gulf are also notable attractions.”
Likewise, the evenings offer additional entertainment. “You are always sure to have great food and a good band,” Mandy continues. “The annual average temperature is about 78 degrees, and there is no humidity, so most restaurants and bars are al fresco.” In fact, Chip and Mandy attended Jimmy Buffett’s final Key West concert.
“I just love the diversity and history and biodiversity of the Keys,” Chip reflects. “The water is so clear with unlimited flats, and it is so fun to spend time with the people who know the area and the water.” Mandy and Chip fish on their own, but they also go on inshore trips with their friend and local guide, Captain Brandon Cyr, who is involved in the noble conservation endeavors of Captains for Clean Water.
“I am fascinated by the science and the research being conducted with tracking devices to learn more about fish patterns,” Chip says. “For instance, some years ago, most of the bonefish died off, and the permit moved up the Keys all the way to Tampa. The bonefish recently started coming back, and they are returning in droves!”
Chip describes the spiritual inspiration provided by the clear water of the Keys. “There is just something about casting your line in the water and getting to see it. In South Florida, you see the fish react, turn, take the bait, and spook, which you don’t get to witness here. It is God showing you His creativity!” he declares.
“Key West is similar to Charleston back in the 70s and 80s when we were growing up,” Mandy says. “The locals all still know each other, and they remember us in restaurants. We even get invited to birthday parties. Chip met Dave Horan, the attorney for Mel Fischer, the treasure hunter who found the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha.” From Horan, Chip purchased a Spanish coin minted in 1620 in Peru during the reign of Philip III, a fitting relic since Chip’s Christian name is Philip, and his son Miles is Philip III. The coin was discovered on the wreck of the Atocha and had been on the ocean floor for 350 years.
The Upper Keys are better suited for fishermen unfamiliar with the area, but Chip prefers the more isolated and challenging waters off Key West. “The area has so many geographical barriers, which can get uneducated people in trouble in a hurry. Even though the water is clear, you don’t always see things in the water; sometimes, you hit them,” he says.
Mandy reflects on her husband’s passion for angling: “Chip has always loved the thrill of the hunt, and he is curious about the why and what factors are important: Is it the tide, the temperature, the wind, the bait, or the time of year? Even in Guatemala, Chip loves to hook a fish and hand it off to somebody else to catch it. He prefers to stalk and hook the fish, and after that, he is content. So, I get to reel in all the fish!” she says.
Despite his years of fishing, Chip still gets struck by fish fever. “It’s just the thrill of being in nature,” he says. “It really gets your heart going! Sometimes, I just fall apart and can’t even get a cast off!”
The aphorism, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” is attributed to Socrates. Chip Davis would surely revise this proverb to suggest that a life without fishing is not worth living.
He concludes: I have been able to see a fish be a fish,” he reflects. “Every species of fish has different characteristics and behaviors that make them special. From the North Edisto to Key West and from Virginia to Venezuela, I have witnessed the behaviors of redfish, bonefish, permit, and tarpon. I have caught plenty of sailfish, but I realize that nobody can truly understand the essence of a blue marlin. Unless you have touched one, you don’t know what I mean. Jimmy Schaffer once told me that of all the days he spent fishing, there were very few occasions when he wasn’t happy. I agree. I am 55 years old, and I am still fishing with my wife and our children. As Jimmy Buffett says, ‘Some of it’s magic, some of it’s tragic, but I’ve had a good life all the way!’”
