08/17/2026
Thanks Jose Wejebe Spanish Fly Memorial Foundation for partnering with us to take care of this military family! Great story:
“Black Dagger Military Hunt Club pulled through again, connecting us with another genuine, loving, & incredibly strong military family.
The Fong family and I first met at their vacation home through Nothing Better Rentals in Cudjoe Key. When I walked in, they were still getting settled, but Sylvia—Phil’s wife—and I clicked pretty much instantly. We’re both women who married Navy men, and more importantly, we’re both boy moms.
Within no time, we were swapping stories about the weirdest places our kids have ever peed, which kid has choked on something the most, and all the other things that somehow become normal when you’re raising boys. There’s a certain bond between moms who thrive in a little chaos, and I knew right away this family was going to be fun to have on the water.
But behind all the laughter is a pretty incredible story of strength.
Phil Fong Sr. joined the United States Navy in 2002, beginning his career aboard the USS Reuben James (FFG-57) in Pearl Harbor before transferring to the Joint Mobile Ashore Support Team in Sigonella, Italy. There, he supported Presidential missions, Joint Task Force operations, and EOD Mobile Unit 8 throughout Europe and Africa.
During a deployment to Liberia, Phil contracted cerebral malaria and encephalitis. What followed was nearly a year of recovery at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda. He literally had to learn how to walk again. And then he went back...
Phil returned to duty at the Naval Special Warfare schoolhouse, Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School—NAVSCIATTS—where he went on to earn Command Sailor of the Year, Instructor of the Year, NSW Group Four Sailor of the Year, and was eventually initiated as a Chief Petty Officer...This tells you a little something about the guy we were taking fishing.
The Fongs are a family of five, and because it was summertime, my boys got to come along too. So the Fong boys and the Wejebe boys loaded up and were ready for Captain Mike Macko and his “fresh meat” mate—who also happens to be a full-time attorney—Brian Casey. Anyone who has fished with Mako knows one of his favorite rules: “You never leave fish to find fish.”
So naturally, we headed back to our consistent mutton snapper spot, and once again, it produced.
But apparently Macko was feeling a little adventurous. With an epic amount of sargassum offshore, he decided the boys needed to experience a little Florida Keys run-and-gun mahi fishing. Now, personally, this is my kind of fishing.
Any kind of fishing where you can actually see the eat and cast to the fish gets me going. There is something about spotting them, getting a bait in front of them, watching one light up and eat—and then, if you’re really lucky, hearing everybody start screaming:
“It’s a big school! Cast! Cast! Cast!”...the entire boat erupting into complete chaos.
And when somehow, in the middle of rods crossing, kids yelling, fish jumping, and everyone scrambling around the cockpit, it all actually comes together…there’s nothing better.
Whether it’s a school of bonefish on a flat or mahi offshore, sight fishing is my jam. And boy, did we have some moments.
Two days of fishing, swimming with the dolphins, plenty of time together as families, and of course some Square Grouper deliciousness made for another Fishing Dream come true.
But as always, what these trips mean isn’t really measured by how many fish hit the deck.
After the trip, Sylvia sent me this:
“I can’t even begin to thank you for this amazing trip Krissy. We felt your passion for what you do in all the activities you, your foundation, and friends planned for us. Although we didn’t get the chance to meet your dad, I know he was an amazing man because he, along with your mom, raised an amazing, strong, and caring woman.
It was a pleasure to meet your sweet family. Thank you for sharing them and your community with us. This experience was beyond anything we could have ever put on for ourselves. We have a newfound respect and love for the fishing life.
Whatever the future holds, my boys will always have the memories of deep-sea fishing and swimming with dolphins with their dad in the Florida Keys, and we have you to thank for that.”
