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I managed two days on the water this week, and both were just great. The first was Monday with the guy that I most respect in this world, my friend since back in high school, Jim McDaniel. Jim lives outside DC in Springfield, Virginia, and if I'm lucky I get to see him a time or two a year. He and his lovely wife, Char, were down for a week to help Char's step mother in Punta Gorda with some repairs to her home.
Over the weekend we had gotten together with Jim and Char twice at two different locations with his brother Don and his wife Nadine, his brother Del and wife Ruth, and many of the kids who are the nieces and nephews. We had a great time on both occasions, and managed to put a plan together for Jim, Don, Aleta, Dorothy and me to take the BarHopp'R Fleet out on Monday for a day of fishing and fun on the water. I volunteered to take the ladies, as I thought it would be great for Jim and Don to take the Maverick and have a chance to spend some time together. They don't get many opportunities to do that.
So, Monday morning we finally got the fleet launched at around nine o'clock, and were on our way. We headed to Picnic Island for some bait. We had a falling tide for most of the day, and I knew the main game would be pass fishing. So, we didn't need a lot of bait. Aleta and I got bait while Don and Jim played around in the Maverick nearby. Soon we were off to Redfish Pass to see if we could dig out a snook, or maybe an early season redfish.
While along the way, I decided to detour to a shallow flat and see if I could catch a redfish or snook on the falling tide. The water was fast falling, and I wasn't sure if we'd have anything still on the flat willing to eat, but our first baits, a couple of chunks of ladyfish, were quickly devoured by two redfish and a snook, which Aleda really enjoyed catching. I was shocked to learn that she had not been fishing since she last went out with Jim, Don, and me back in about 1988.
The water was getting skinnier by the minute, so we headed on down to the pass to join Don and Jim. They had also caught a couple of nice redfish along the jetty on the outside. I began our drift just north of the Tee-dock at South Seas, and it was only a matter of seconds before Aleda had a nice redfish. On each of several drifts Aleta and I caught beautiful redfish. Surprisingly, we hooked no snook.
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Eventually, we moved around to the outside of the pass to join Jim and Don, who were having a big time. I caught one more redfish there. The tide was growing weak, and our appetites were getting strong, so we headed to the Green Flash Restaurant, on Captiva. I had called to see if they were open, and was please to find they were. I had check several other times, only to get no answer. Turns out, they had reopened about a week earlier. I had failed to mention we were coming by boat, and as we approached I realized their docks were gone, and there was a barge there driving pilings for all new docks. Not to be denied, we pulled our shallow draft boats up close to the shore, deployed our power poles, and tied the bows off to a couple of tree stumps. Who needs docks?
After some great lunch we headed up the river about eight miles to Don's home. There we cleaned the fish and hung out for a while before heading back down the river to the ramp. Jim had been taking pictures all day long as we were running, and continued to shoot as we headed home. He's very good with the camera, and got some great action shots and videos.
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It was a very special day for me. Beside the fun of being out there with my lifetime friends, it was great to see Jim and Don out there having so much fun together. I don't think the grins left either of their faces all day long.
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I wasn't back on the water again until Friday. It was another special day for me. I was finally to meet John Howell, a fellow I felt like I already knew, just from talking with him often via email. John's very sweet and lovely wife, Jennifer, had bought this trip for him for his birthday. John had already scheduled our first trip for the day after Thanksgiving. He was really excited about finally getting to fish with me, and decided he shouldn't have to wait. I was excited as I could be to finally meet John and Jen, even though we had a stinker of a tide, and were expecting it to blow out of the east at 20 MPH, or better.
WE headed straight to Picnic Island for bait. Although I really wanted to find some shiners, I wasn't willing to spend a lot of time trying to find them because the tide was full high at around nine o'clock. I figured we had a shot at catching some fish before the tide stopped, but didn't hold much hope of catching much once the tide was falling. So, with a short window of opportunity, I didn't want to spend a lot of time gathering bait. We caught plenty of pinfish in short order, and took off to our first stop of the day.
I ran into my friend Capt. Paul Hobby while launching that morning, and told him I thought the redfish would still be where I had found them the week before. He said he'd probably see me there. AS we approached I saw a boat in the area, and figured it was Paul. It was, and he and his customers were trying to find the reds with spoons, but apparently not having any luck. I eased on past him on his port side, and about a hundred yards ahead, I found the fish. WE began catching the reds almost immediately, and soon had our first double. Paul pulled along side, about a hundred feet to our right, and continued to fish them with artificials. But, the fish weren't interested in the lures this day, and he soon was offering them frozen sardines, which put his customer in the fish, too.
I don't know why, but after a while, they decided to move on, and we gave them some of our pinfish as they left. I wish they had stayed, because the fish really turned on very well for such a slow tide. John and Jen caught fish after fish until, as I predicted, they quit eating at around nine o'clock. WE had a lull in the action for about an hour, but they did catch a couple of fish. AT around ten, the fish began to eat again, but not well. Once I felt sure we had caught all we were going to catch there, we moved to another area nearby, and managed a couple more fish. But, wanting to get back into some action, I soon decided to move to another area that usually gives me some reds on the falling tide.
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Once there, we did manage to catch a few more nice redfish, but the biggest pulls of the day came right as the flats were getting pretty skinny. First Jen hooked a very large stingray, that just gave her fits. It gave me an opportunity to teach her how to control big fish by adding drag with your left index finger on the skirt of the spool. Once the ray had Jen played out, we broke it off.
Not long afterward, John's rod went off like it had snagged a passing submarine! The line just kept stripping from the Stella 4000, and although it holds about 400 yards of the PowerPro 15/4, the fish was nearing 200 yards of line stripped. I pulled the Power Pole, and took off after it on the trolling motor, figuring he had hooked the monster snook of a lifetime. It had tried to jump as it hit the bait, just as large snook do, but had not managed to do so. Then it took off for Mexico! We were right behind!
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After a protracted battle, we finally got a gleams of the beast, and it was a blacktip shark somewhere between four and five feet in length. It was a beautiful creature with great power. But, John had finally bested her a good quarter mile from where she hit. What a great way to end the day. Once John got his adrenaline under control, we headed for the Waterfront Restaurant, where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch and some great conversation. John said two things to me that were actually great compliments. He said that he used to read my fishing reports and wonder how one could lose track of how many fish had been caught, but now understood how. He also said that he felt like he had been to a fishing school, because he had learned so much. Thank you, John.
It was a great day that I was honored to be a part of. I'm really looking forward to our next outing, and have already talked to my good friend Capt. Rey Rodriguez about taking John on a fly fishing trip. Rey is the best in the business at chasing fish on fly around here, and I want John to fish with him and learn from him. It will be fun.
Well, that's it for this week. Next week, finally, I begin to get back to the business of working regularly. I can't wait. So, look for a full report next week, with hopefully lots of fish in the boat.
If you want to be able to continue to fish Florida waters please follow this link, "Manatee Zones: How You Can Help" and please take the time to become involved, even if you don't live in Florida. Let the politicians know WHY you come to Florida on vacation!
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