A MODERN-DAY
TED WILLIAMS By A. DeGruchy
M
ajor League baseball player JD Martinez has garnered a lot of accolades on the field, including three Silver Sluggers, a Hank Aaron Award and MLB Player of the Year. In fact, he is a five-time MLB All-Star. Some folks might not know that the former Boston Red Sox turned Los Angeles Dodger is also an avid fisherman. Growing up in Miami, he would often escape to the Florida Keys to go fishing. Through the years, that passion has never faded. Now a resident of Islamorada, he spends a lot of his offseason in the “Sportfishing Capital of the World,” fishing with Capt. Brandon “The Bean” Storin. Capt. Bean grew up in Baltimore, Maryland and has vacationed every year in the Keys since he was 5 years old.
He fished with Capt. Jimmy Willcox, who inspired the passion for fishing. Since his first trip to the Keys, it has always been his dream to become a backcountry guide. In 2021, he fulfilled his dream. On the boat, these two personalities always make a trip exciting. Capt. Bean’s enthusiasm and sense of humor seem to compliment JD’s vibrant character. The latter is eager to learn, and a tremendous mutual optimism creates an environment where one could fish for hours on end. The two have tremendous memories of landing fish of a lifetime. Their first trip was in the backcountry of Islamorada, catching snook, trout and JD’s personal best tripletail. They were sight casting on buoys, and it was JD’s