Just to make y'all drool on yerselves
.
One of my fishin' buds proposed a Florida trip this year. Since I spent (misspent?) much of my youth in sunny South Florida, fishing all of it I could, I was naturally interested. Folks opted in, folks opted out. Started out at Panama City Beach, then migrated down to the Keys. Wanted to stay at Bahia Honda State Park, but it was all booked up. Finally settled on Big Pine Key. The number of commitments dropped from five to two. So........
Jay and I will go down in early September in his motorhome. Seven nights on Big Pine Key
. Lee will fly down and join is for part of the stay. Another couple I fish with will be there in their RV. I will take the half weight, the two weight, one of the five weights, the seven weight, one of the eight weights, the ten weight, and (maybe) a twelve weight. The twelve has a sink tip (it's my jetty rod) that may come in handy in the Bahia Honda channel. Doubt the five will even get used, but taking it anyway. The seven will be rigged for bones. The eight and ten for tarpon . The seven or the eight will be the permit rod, depending on conditions. Going to focus on tarpon, try for some bonefish, and hope for a shot at a permit. The ULs will be used at several spots I recall from memory for mangroves, grunts, little grouper, small jacks, and whatever else wants to come out and play. Needless to say, I'm already getting excited!!! Schoolie tarpon are absolutely the most fun you can have with a fly rod; they eat flies readily, jump like maniacs ('cause they
are maniacs), and don't stomp a mudhole in your butt like a 100+ pound tarpon does. Hoping for 20 pounders, but they may run up close to 100.
Taking my SoloSkiff, and Jay plans to have a Stikboat. He's buying my 16' utility trailer and we will weld up a framework to carry the Solo and the Stik, with the Torque on top. Lee will use my OK Torque (the wiring fried the first day of my last trip down there, limiting my range, but it's fixed now). He's a virgin in the Keys. Jay's been there. I fished all up and down them in the sixties.
If any of y'all will be there then you're welcome to fish with us, and / or grill some steaks with us, and / or spill some bourbon or tekillya with us. I am soooooooooooo looking forward to it!!! I haven't caught a tarpon or a bonefish since I moved here from Florida in '72. And I've never caught a permit on a fly. My last trip down there (September of 2014) I had a ball with the two weight. I'm hoping to enjoy the half weight even more.
Okay, excited babble over.