A road trip to Florida with my Brother Jay…I’ve been anticipating this trip for so long, and I couldn’t believe it was finally here. I prepped the Hog Island skiff with a bigger gas tank, front platform, and stronger 24 V trolling motor, navigation lights—all with the goal of making her seaworthy for this trip. As the departure date approached, I was burdened with a major problem that could not be ignored: my right foot was steadily getting more bruised and swollen from a bug bite I received while hiking in sandals on the AT with my girls the week prior---either a deer tick or spider got me, and it was looking and feeling pretty bad after a week’s time. I took a bottle of Amoxicillin along with my overpacked Tundra, as I packed gear for every possible fishing scenario from tarpon and bull sharks to ultralight flats fishing.
After a 12 hour drive, we towed and dropped off the Hog in our new home for the week: the Dockside Inn. This place was absolutely perfect, and it especially caters to fishermen, complete with secure trailer parking (close quarters) and boat slips with a bait shop on the dock if needed. It was close to some great snook and tarpon water along with endless flats and mangroves and canals of the Indian River. It especially attracts the offshore fisherman, as the Ft Pierce inlet is minutes away—the gateway to some of the best bluewater fishing in the country.
(We actually drove in at night on a crazy crowded 4th of July weekend, but these photos show what it looked like during the peaceful middle of the week)
We commenced to unloading the ridiculous amount of gear into our room, and preparing a game plan on how to approach the overwhelming number of fishing options that lay at our doorstep. Snook were our first target…all the while, I was getting more and more worried about my ballooning/swollen foot---but the fishing and insomnia took the role of our greatest priority.
After a quick run to Walmart to get supplies and licenses, the plan was to sleep a couple hours, and we would hit some snook holes from shore before daylight arrived. Now the only thing about fishing a Jetty…you are definitely going to encounter some RATS!!! They were out in full force, raiding the trash cans, scaring the crap out of me every time they would scurry by your footpath in the glow of the headlamp. I think I had atleast two bump, my feet in the rocks that week. I pressed on, and got right up next to the seawalls, stomping occaisionally to avoid any more encounters with them.
It didn’t take long before we got some good topwater crashes and thumps on swimbaits.
As the sun rose up, and the rats scurried away, Jay got the first mature sized snook we were hoping for:
On day 2, we drove and fished with a good family friend in Pompano Beach, near Fort Lauderdale and tried for some offshore trolling along weedlines in the Gulfstream. The catching was slow, but we had 10 Ballyhoo torn to shreds by suspected kingfish, but we never saw them. Jay landed a fat bonito, but that was it for the catching. We got caught in a sudden squall that produced some blinding showers and 30 mph winds amongst incredible lightning that put the fear of God in us for about 30 minutes. It was a great time, but the sailfish and mahi were elusive that morning. I am still always amazed when I reach that gorgeous purple water, and see flying fish scatter across the waves.
The next few days, we found a couple more windows to pursue the snook night bite, targeting them on dock lights and along the jetty as well. The docklight snook reminded me of watching a pod of trout sipping midges. They absolutely would refuse any offering over ½ inch. They would aggressively pursue tiny glass minnows as they passed into the lights. It was fun to watch, but very frustrating to get so many refusals. A quick trip to the hotel room to tie a few micro clousers, and I was in business. You had to twitch the rod tip and get the fly to zig and zag, and then a large snook would quicky close in and gulp the fly, and then began the tug of war session to get their heads above water to Bill Dance them off the dock. Several pulled me into the barnacles with instant snap offs, but it sure was fun.
As usual, Jay managed to get another mature snook, while the juveniles kept the bite interesting.
We explored some back country, and we were immersed in all the great things that Florida has to offer. I was particularly intrigued by some hard to reach canals that were barricaded by low lying bridges that were impassible during high tides. Let’s just say, those waters will haunt me until I can go back and fish them properly. The fish we saw back there are the size I never thought I would encounter---none of the photographs turned out due to the glare of the tea-stained water. Unfortunately, none of the fish were feeding---jacks, tarpon, snook, redfish—it was the land of the giants, and I believe all the fish were slumbered from feeding at night on the fields of mullet. I’ll brave the mosquitoes, gators, and impassible bridges until I time it right one day/night.
Some interesting bycatches:
Crab Caprese Salad---along with smoked Kingfish dip---pretty amazing restaurant called ON The Edge Bar and Grill right beside our hotel. Some of the best Snapper entrées I’ve ever had as well.
The week was going great, and we were checking off our list on the fisheries we wanted to explore, but the looming cloud over my paradise was this darn right foot! The Amoxicillin was not working and my foot swelling had progressed to full blown CELLULITIS. I had a long talk with a buddy of mine who is an ER Doctor, and three words kept echoing in my head NECROTIZING ULCERATIVE FACIITIS .
This is what happens when the tissue layers start to break down, which may ultimately lead to an exploratory curettage surgery or even an amputation. I kept nervously noticing people on crutches, and amputees with prosthetic limbs on TV screens and amongst the crowds people we noticed in public. It was definitely time for a visit to the ER.
After lots of scurrying around to the hospital and pharmacies get some more potent antibiotics, I prepared cautiously to pursue more fishing, all the while still a bit worried about another trip to the ER for emergency surgery.
Standing on the boat was still possible, but not quite as comfortable as my leg now resembled that of an elephant: