Pacemaker Fishing Forum

It began with a flight from Reagan to FLL...



...and then a drive to Florida City to get a Cuban sandwich while we waited for Capt. Craig  Korczynski.



It's an 18 mile ride from here...



...to the ramp. Now, we load up and launch down at Flamingo Marina.







We didn't have a lot of time to sunset so we fished "out front".





This was our practice area so we can get in shape for the rest of the days. We caught a bunch of snook and a trout.







Then we ran into some ladayfish (poor man's tarpon) and we caught a bizillion of them. Lots of fun but they destroyed our lures and flies.

I then caught a gaff top kittie. As I was reeling it in, a big wake followed and then a shark bit it and started peeling line. He was headed to a far away place. Luckily, it was a clean bite and I got tom land the fish!



I am not a fan of being out on a boat at night...



...especially when there are no lights. Capt. Craig grew up in the West Palm area (where we normally fish with him) but his dad used to bring him to Flamingo as a kid so Craig knows this area well and has great electronics on the boat.

Dinner was late so we found the 1st place that was still open...Texas Roadhouse.

The next morning...



...we headed out to the Rookery which was about a 30 mile ride.



Which is way up the Everglades.



Mostly fresh water. We rode in some mist as a front was moving in.





Some spoonbills...



Here, we expected to catch a bunch of different fish...and we (not me) did!



















The bite shut off after lunch as soon as that front moved through.

Beef Ribs at Shiver's BBQ were good!



The next morning was nice and crisp (<60dF)! We were after big fish!



But bluebird skies...high pressure.



We actually rode down to the gulf...



...and fished some rivers and creeks in looking for tarpon.



While we saw some big ones rolling and a bunch of smaller ones eating on the surface, we could not get them to bite. Both John and I were throwing 10wt fly rods.

We did see Mr. Crock though!



At lunch, we ate fried chicken or salami/cheese wraps. No time to eat. We were always on the hunt...lots of looking!

After we left the tarpon water, we decided to look for some snook at the mouth of one of the creeks.




Craig and John teamed up to get the 1st one!



This one came on spinning gear. It was getting windy, making fly fishing difficult.

Then it was my turn. I was usisng my Albright travel (4 pc) MLM baitcaster.



Craig was worried what would happen if I hooked a big one. I was prepared for a rod break but wanted to see how it would behave.

Sure enough, I get hit and the fish takes off for Cuba. Peeling line like crazy. I did turn it around once or twice but she went for a stump and got stuck. We did manage to get it free but she then took off for the shore and got under some mangrove roots. We saw the fish in the roots and Craig was just about to go in the water to get it when she came unbuttoned. This was one of the coolest fights ever. We got some of it on video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k98PcTRi6IA

Nevertheless, the heart rate was up and the adrenaline was runnin' through the veins.

After a bit, I get hooked up again and I declare that it's only a 10 pounder as it was not fighting much...until I got her close to the boat. Then, it was game on. Line is peeling and Craig is muttering that my reel  (Revo Inshore) is gonna blow up! I assured him that I just had it super tuned with ceramic bearings and that it would hold up. Then he says, " now you still think she's a 10 pounder?"The battle was epic...4-5 long runs. Every time I made ground, she would take off some more. This time, I was able to keep her out in open water.

Finally, she came in the net!







The release...



The snook were then hard to find again so we took off and headed back (20+ miles).

Dinner was back at the Cuban restaurant.







In the morning, we tried it again. The wind was now blowing pretty good and the fish were just not cooperating.







Other than being mangroves, some of the areas we fished looked like the UP or 'doah. Pretty cool.

Passenger.



This was a great experience despite the slow fishing. For me, I got a fish of a lifetime. My previous best snook was @32" and this one was close to 40". Thank God for electronics because one could get very lost without them.

The end.