This week the fish belonged to the boys from the United Kingdom, and the boat to Smith Marine.

Monday morning brought winds out of the south/southwest at 20 knots, and I think all of us guides knew it was going to be a great day of fishing. But, I don't think Rob Mitchell, a really nice chap from just outside London, England, was quite ready for what was about to transpire that morning.

I had trouble finding bait in the water that was pushed extra high by the south wind. I chummed in several spots on the flats north of Chino Island where the bait has been for months, and should have been this morning, to no avail. Nothing but pinfish. I ran to Redfish Pass thinking there might be bait there, but was once again disappointed. The beach was so rough that it would have been dangerous to try to get outside, and I'm sure the bait would have been absent there, too.

I ran down my cousin Capt. Terry Middleton, and found that he had plenty of bait. He advised me that he had found the bait holding up really close to the mangroves on Chino. Rob and I made a quick trip back to Chino, and sure enough, there were millions of shiners, all stacked up near the shoreline. A couple of throws and we were on our way.

With the bait delay we didn't wet a line until around ten o'clock, but from then until around 1:30 PM, when the weather began to threaten as the front moved in, Rob caught and released some 30 or more redfish up to 30 inches, and 3 snook to 23 inches.

Back at the docks just ahead of the rain, Rob told me that it had been the best day of fishing he'd ever experienced. He couldn't believe we had caught so many fish in such a short time. He left vowing to tell all his friends that might be coming to Florida about me and the wonderful fishing.

Tuesday morning we woke to winds howling out of the northeast at 20 knots or better, and I think the few of us that were out knew we were in for a really tough day. My client, Chic McSherry, of Scottland, was anxious to get his four year old son, Jamie, out for a day of fishing. I was reasonable sure that I could find plenty of trout, jack, and ladyfish action, but doubted there would be any snook or redfish to catch. We decided to take Jamie fishing.

Bait wasn't a problem, and Jamie got a real kick out of playing with the small shiners. Soon, we were anchored up on our first hole, and sure enough, it was full of fish. Chic and Jamie caught trout, ladyfish, and jacks steady for a couple of hours before I decided to move to another area and see if we could get a redfish bite going. I really wanted to put Chic on some reds.

I chummed and chummed, but the reds were not to be. I saw some fish as I poled across the flat to my destination, but the front had simply given them lockjaw. We still had a great day considering the circumstances. In fact, back at the dock, Chic asked if I had another day they could go again. We booked Thursday, and I assured him that by Thursday things should be back to normal, and that I would put him on some serious redfish and snook action.

Wednesday, by default, became a maintenance day, and I was off to Smith Marine first thing in the morning. I stopped and picked up an Accon pop-up bow lite and pop-up bow cleat for installation at Smith. I also wanted to check out my MotorGuide GW-50RF, which has been giving me a lot of trouble lately. It works when it wants to.

Anytime you mess with a boat it seems to turn into a project. Murphy's Law, I guess, and this day was no exception. Chris cooked a great chicken and weiner lunch on the grill, and by early afternoon Jayson had me ready for the water. The motor checked OK.

As anticipated, Thursday morning brough much better fishing conditions and a little less chill in the air. Chich and Jamie were eager to get started. The tide was already coming in pretty well by the time we gathered bait and let Jamie fish for a little while, so I took Chic to a favorite spot for snook. Chic scored about 6 snook to 27 inches, and was really taken with the way they fight. I'm sure it must be quite different than the fight he gets from a salmon at the end of a limber 16 ft. flyrod pulling against a tiny fly tied on a #14 hook.

Once the snook bite slowed as the tide rose, I set out to deliver the redfish I had promised earlier. I worked my way across a flat chumming as I went until we found them, and got a good bite going. Young Jamie decided he wanted no part of trying to pull in a redfish, but dad was happy to reel in around 20 of the bronze beauties up to 27 inches.

I have to tell you here that young Jamie McSherry was without question the standard that all young anglers should be measured against. At four years old, he was wonderfully well behaved, never once complained about wanting to go home, was exceptionally bright, and interacted with his dad like they were a couple of old fishing buddies. He was just too cute, and a real joy to spend a couple of days with. Chic was one hell of a nice guy to spend the day with, too.

Back at the ramp Chic echoed Rob's sentiment that this had been the best day of fishing he'd ever experienced. Well, that's all I need to hear to make me happy. I'm looking forward to seeing Chic and Jamie next year when they return.

Friday, I was again back at Smith Marine. My Motorguide had once again refused to work the day before, and I was fed up with it, and ready to exchange it for a hand operated model under a Motorguide program. Craig had also received a pallet of Hawker drycell batteries, which I had anxiously been awaiting, so I could replace the other brutally heavy Gel-Cell main battery in my boat. We changed the location of the battery slightly so it took some time to do that job. We also added a Motorguide Trol-Lok quick disconnect trol motor mount so that I can remove the complete motor from the deck very easily both for storage, and for fly anglers. I can now make the whole front deck of my boat completely clean for fly anglers.

While Jason was about converting my radio controlled motor to a manual one, I decided to add an Electric Troll Master adjustable trolling motor handle with an on/off switch in the handle. This is a beautifully made unit machined from aircraft grade aluminum and stainless steel, and is adjustable in length and height. This unit is manufactured by M & S Precision Company and has a one year warranty. M & S can also be reached at 1-800-652-2309.

Well, that about raps it for this week. It was a great week spent with some great people. Next week may well bring some more winter-like weather and will definitely bring some pothole fishing on those low tides.

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