Rain. Then rain. And then some more rain.

Finally got out yesterday with MoJoe, making our way north after work to hit DependaBay. Big red patches loomed on the radar, but we figured they’d rain themselves out by the time we arrived. The best laid plans, and all that. We put his skiff in once we arrived, heard a bolt of lightning erupt nearby, and skinned our asses back to the dock. From the safety of his truck we watched light dance across the heavens and the rain fall on the bay in sheets. To pass the time, we listened to talk radio, where Mark Levine was hammering Obama and Hillary “Her Thighness” Clinton. Great stuff. Struck us that Levine’s voice sounded just like the duck in the Aflac ads. We ran back to the flat with about twenty minutes of daylight left, but the rain persisted, the water was muddy and it was soon dark. Joe had a chance to cast a new prototype lure he built, but it spun in barrel rolls on the surface and he cussed it like a sailor. As he put it away, he said “Nice frigging job, Proto Baggins.” I had to take a knee. Tough fishing, but big laughs, as usual.

Reach Fish Where No Man Has Gone Before.

You’ve been there, I’m sure. We all have. You’re standing on the bow of a skiff, arm cocked, lure dangling, ready to cast. A moment before, you heard a smashing hit around a bend in the shoreline. As you approach the general vicinity of the strike, you hear another. But it’s strangely muffled, and you know what that means. A big fish has burrowed its way far back under the overhanging branches, and it’s rooting around, stacking bait into corners where it can feed at will. The problem? It’s so far back under the “junk” that there’s no way to present your lure. So you sit there with a wistful look on your face, listening to that big fish ravaging bait within feet of the skiff, as unreachable as the moon. So…what are your alternatives? Read the rest of this entry »

Seems all my buds are on a roll. My cousin recently sent me this pic from the Keys using his iPhone. He’s in Marathon, where he and his family make an annual trip down to fish the deep waters of the Atlantic for sails, wahoo, dolphin, etc. This big cow is headed for the icebox.

My buddy Pete recently snapped the pic above and sent it my way. He’s doing very well on the browns and brookies in a secret stretch of river in Connecticut, and though he’s conservation conscious, he and his son occasionally keep a fish or two for the grill. This pic has me looking forward to my annual (business-related) jaunt to Vermont later this summer.

As part of the epic Get John’s Damn Skiff Working Again Project, I recently purchased a used trailer from a buddy of mine. When I went to pick it up, sitting atop it was an old red ’77 Maverick skiff (model #2). Got me interested in its history, and (with the caveat that this is second-hand info) this is what I discovered: Read the rest of this entry »

As I noted in a previous post, I recently married the most fantastic woman on the planet. We just got back from a belated honeymoon of sorts in Key West, the spot of our first vacation together. (No, this post isn’t fishing related, but it’s my damn blog, so work with me). We flew across Florida Bay on a big jet boat (shaving hours off of what is normally a long drive) and arrived in town not long after noon. Read the rest of this entry »

I took the day off this past Friday and snuck “down south” with MoJoe and his dad. I was half asleep by the time we made it to the ramp at around 6 a.m., but I was soon wide awake, hurtling across long bays into the heart of the Glades. Joe’s dad seldom gets out, so we were all hoping he’d have a great day. Things started off slowly. Read the rest of this entry »

To efficiently work a shoreline from a kayak or skiff, establish a distance close enough that you can control the placement of the fly every time, but far enough that you can comfortably shoot line without feeling cramped. Try to maintain that same distance as you move along. You’ll use the same amount of line on each cast, which will limit loose line and tangles; you’ll develop a rhythm conducive to accurate presentations; and your casts will consistently fall within the strike zone. And don’t forget to work the water along the shoreline from a distance before moving in closer.

I tend to avoid politically charged topics—emphasis here is on fishing—but when something affects my beloved Everglades, it gets my attention. The bad news first: Lowe’s is quietly trying to infringe upon the Glades UBD (Urban Development Boundary) to build a new store, and further south a group of developers wants to use protected land for a commercial park and thousands of new homes. Sadly, the greed of corrupt county commissioners makes both a distinct possibility. Some good news? Looks like the Everglades was just awarded $100 million in state allocation fees after an 11th hour change of heart. Here’s some additional info on the funding efforts behind Everglades restoration.

The love of my life…about to be released by the new missus.

I owe my loyal readers an enormous apology. Though I’ve been pretty damn consistent in terms of posting on a regular basis, I fell off the face of the earth for the last month or so. But I have splendid excuses lined up, including a bout of sickness, a pressing workload and – oh, yes – I up and got hitched. She’s a keeper, and, lucky for me, she’s far-sighted and I wooed her in low lighting. I’m back in the saddle again, and I’ll be resuming my normal posting schedule. In fact, plan is to ramp things up and provide even more useful and entertaining content to my angling brethren (and sist…er…thren). Thanks for your patience in my absence – I hope you’ve been racking fish in Biblical proportions.

John