South Bound and Down-Kayak Fishing in the Keys

Most of us tend to do the majority of our fishing in our own back yards, but don’t loose sight of other fisheries that can be equally exciting. A few years ago I took a trip with my buddies Marvin and Jason to my old stomping grounds in South Florida. We hauled in our kayaks, fishing gear, camping gear and food for a few days of backcountry snook fishing. This was actually the first time that I had fished out of a kayak and was overall impressed with the stealth and maneuverability of the boat. We paddled in a few miles before we started fishing and despite a stiff breeze we managed to catch quite a few snook between the three of us. This would include one in the slot that Marvin seasoned and added to a side of rice for our evening camp side feast. What more could you ask for, good friends and good times out in the middle of no where snacking on a fresh caught snook over “guy talk”! Other than my hammock slipping in the middle of the night bringing me hard to the ground, we had a great time of it. We fished our way out the following day picking at a few more snook and some reds before hauling out and heading home. Though we all fish together here at home on a regular basis, that two day destination trip stands out as something special. To hear more tails of whoppers and mishaps give me a call and let’s put together a fishing trip and until then “catch em up”!

Victory to the Fish-Tarpon Fishing

In my early fishing days I had to make due with what I had and what I had when I first moved to the Florida Keys was an old fiberglass canoe. I am not complaining; I caught my fair share of fish out of that boat and some of my fondest memories came from those simpler times when fishing meant grabbing a few rods and loading up the canoe in search of relaxation. One lazy fall afternoon after a morning of fishing I anchored my old canoe up behind a point to take a little siesta on the deck. After a few hours of drifting in and out between mosquito swats I was abruptly awoken as the waters around me were churning with tarpon feeding on a large knot of mullet as they came around the point. These fish were so close that I was getting sprayed with water as they fed next to the boat. Of course, in my excitement I tried lure after lure to get one of these bruisers on the line, but with luck. On the other hand, luck did play a part in this story as a chunky mullet jumped right into my canoe while being chased by a tarpon. Now armed with the real thing I tied on a hook an pitched that mullet back into the fire, with a swirl it didn’t take long until I was hooked up to my first 100 plus pound tarpon. We fought back and forth until the fish pulled my little boat out a mile or so from shore. There I was standing up with the rod bowed in two on a nice fish…then all at once…the line snapped. The fish went one way and I went straight back into the drink. I had no hard feelings however, this was battle and I came up hooting and hollering in excitement. In the end it was a great day. To hear more tails of whoppers and mishaps give me a call and let’s put together a fishing trip and until then “catch em up”!