DESTINATION FISH: Escape to Little Palm Island
AS SEEN IN THE MAR/APR 2006 ISSUE of South Florida Sport Fishing Magazine
By Jan Stephen Maizler
Imagine the embodiment of Pacific tropical magic set in the beautiful Florida Keys with environs, lodgings, amenities, and appointments on the highest scale of excellence and luxury. Imagine a six-star destination in a five-star world, a destination with pristine expressions supported by its offshore placement, reachable only by boat or seaplane. Imagine no longer because you've just stepped foot on Little Palm Island. The first thing that any angler will notice on this sub-tropical oasis is the abundance of lush flats laid gently against the island. There is a crystal-clear moat that surrounds most of the retreat quite close to the steps that lead you to your thatched oceanfront suite. During daylight hours, plump mangrove snapper and colorful wrasses circle for your viewing pleasure.
As the sun surrenders the sky to a starry blue nightfall, countless tarpon flood the same surrounding moat.After a memorable gourmet fusion in the dining room, stroll down to the Atlantic Docks, slip into a lounger and enjoy the parade of silver kings as they swim after pink-colored shrimp. You may find that your adrenaline gets the best of you and you find yourself headed back to your suite for your favorite rod. With scepter in hand, take a deep breath and steady yourself. Even if your concierge hasn't told you yet, and he will, when nightfall covers Little Palm Island, the Sunset Dock is the tarpon epicenter. Make your way through the torch-lit, palm-studded path to the Island's northwest corner, and walk to the end of the pier. Here you'll find silver kings of all sizes in impressive numbers. Discard all distractions; it's now time to focus on catching a Little Palm 'poon. There's no doubt that your wife, friends, and family are pleasantly caught up somewhere in their plush rooms, strolling amidst the greenery, enjoying a libation at the Monkey Hut Bar, or gazing mesmerized at the star-studded sky. Keep switching lures or flies and no doubt, you'll hook a high jumping silver king. You could even fall prey to Little Palm's Island Spell with the balmy breeze and lose all track of time. A pleasant sensation, but fight it off as the moon drops, since you'll need a little energy for early morning when your guide pulls up in his skiff within steps of your oceanfront suite.Amidst the magic of Little Palm Island, you'll have to tell yourself that tomorrow is another day, which is exactly what I said to myself at 2:00am after jumping my third fish.
It was easy to find my suite along the moonlit tropical path as a tasteful sign reading, “Owl Suite- Jan Maizler”, led me right to my accommodations. As the ceiling fan spun overhead, I eased into the massive bed and plunged into a peaceful reverie of my entrée to this little piece of paradise. A series of recalled images whirled by…memories of a delightful trip over from Little Torch Key aboard the thirty-five foot launch, Miss Margaret. A pre-check-in tour of the island which features a world-class spa, fitness center, lagoon-style pool, boutique and gift shop, library, and the two bars and dining room. Soon, I descended into a deep, peaceful sleep.A brisk knock on my door awakened me. I surfaced quickly and on my way to answer it, my alarm clock joined in on the wake-up brigade. I could make out the beginning glow of a cloud-spotted dawn through one of the southern windows of my suite. I opened the door and there stood Captain Fernand Braun, ready, willing, and able. I told him I'd be “right back” (a relative term) and made a writer's rounds of gear, tackle, note pad, pen, coffee, and camera. When I got back to the half-open door, Fernand said, “Ssshhh, stay still- it's a nice buck.” In my pre-coffee state, I had no idea what he meant until his hand pointed to a large Key deer munching in the grass in a gently lit clearing barely fifty feet away. I smiled and said, “Looks like we've already hunted something down.”
We headed towards the Atlantic Dock mere steps from my suite. As we turned through the shrubs onto the weathered dock planks, I could see his skiff. It was an impressive rig: a 17 ft. Maverick HPX, powered by a shiny 90HP Evinrude. I quickly concluded that this was just the right kind of skiff to get us quickly across open waters, yet able to easily cross tailing flats as well. The interior was spotless and laid out perfectly with flush open casting decks for fly and light tackle fishing. As Fernand started loading my fishing tackle onboard, I lifted up my ten-pound plug rod and said, “Weapon of choice.” We had a brief talk about how rare bait-casting tackle was getting on the flats, compared to spin and fly gear. In my case, I've had plug rods under my thumb with weekly regularity since the Beatles invaded the States.
In the low light that preceded sunrise, he laid out his strategy to start the day. We were heading out into the backcountry about ten miles to the north, to an area where he found schools of rolling tarpon on the preceding three days. His words had the effect of potent Greek coffee - my adrenaline fired up at the prospect of battling leaping tarpon under a dawn sky amongst seemingly limitless shallows. Fernand fired up his engine and began to ease through the crystal clear moat that surrounded this part of Little Palm Island. I took this time to rig the business end of my plug rod with 3 ft. of doubled line, 3 ft. of 50 lb. fluorocarbon leader, and a 1/2 oz. white Spro bucktail.
Once we got into open water, he gunned the throttle and off we flew towards the Gulf. The smooth ride across the emerald-colored bay and my position alongside Fernand gave me a chance to interview him as to his background as a fishing guide. Captain Fernand Braun is one of the “house guides” at Little Palm Island, yet he guides independently as well. His background is indeed rich and fascinating and includes expertise in judo as well as food and beverage. In years past, he was one of the first commercial fishing divers to turn away from the pursuit of jewfish, now called goliath grouper, because of his concerns for their over-harvesting. His stance helped form regulations that have increased the number of these glorious fish in their deepwater and wreck habitats.For the last twenty years, Fernand has been a professional charter captain. In a refreshing expansion of this work, he offers not only flats fishing, but also photographic expeditions and eco-tours. Further, everyone from novice to expert is welcome on his vessel. Fernand is an instructor in fly casting and fly fishing, yet enthusiastically encourages the use of all forms of light tackle. It was a nice start to a fishing trip to know I was with an accomplished diver and photographer as well as a professional fisherman.
We arrived at his backcountry destination a short time later under an early morning sky patched with light showers and blocks of blue. Fernand said, “Hang on” as he suddenly reached for the throttle to slow down his skiff. As the boat coasted towards a rain-misted sun, he cut the engine. Fernand stood up, pointed, and said, “Eleven o'clock- about a hundred feet.”It didn't take long for me to see the shimmer of a tarpon roll, then another and another. Fernand seemed to sense where I was looking and said, “No…more to the left.” Then I saw what he meant, a school of about thirty or forty “happy” tarpon rolling right towards us. On the flat surface of these backcountry waters, it was easy to see a school of the same size about eighty feet behind this first group of fish. Fernand climbed onto the poling platform and began pushing their way. I, in turn, climbed to the casting deck. The moment of truth arrived with the first of school of fish now only fifty feet away. I landed a perfect cast well in front of the lead fish and watched my bucktail disappear behind a whitish silver flash as my rod pulled down with a vicious strike. I struck back and a fifty-pounder' immediately went airborne. Though I quickly bowed to the fish, a quick snap of its head threw the bucktail.The first school of tarpon was already well behind the boat, but the following school was now just feet away. I quickly checked my leader for chafes, re-sharpened the hook and plunked off another good cast. In two sweeps of the rod, another tarpon struck hard, and I struck back. Fortunately, the fish didn't jump. I struck back twice more and line poured off my reel in a battle that was now settling into a safe “ground game.” It took me about fifteen minutes to get the tarpon alongside the boat. We guessed its weight was around forty-five pounds, an excellent catch on tackle normally used to catch five pound bass. We took some photos, and “breathed” the fish until it was strong enough to swim away.
Fernand said, “That's the hardest part of the Grand Slam. Now let's go find a permit.” He only ran his skiff about five minutes before he cut the engine and pointed to a school of large tarpon in a channel. We were drifting their way and they were swimming ours: who could resist? I tied on a slightly heavier bucktail and cast twenty feet in front of the apparent lead fish. I got a solid strike immediately and struck back. It felt like I had hooked a freight train, though nothing jumped. Fernand saw the line disappearing from my reel and started the engine to follow the powerful fish. This battle took about half an hour in slightly deeper water and yielded a beautiful trophy barracuda.
We released the fish and again cranked up for the permit flats.About ten minutes later, Fernand cut the engine, climbed the tower, and astonishingly said, “One hundred feet- at one o'clock.” I gazed in the direction hoping to see a sea of black sickles, but instead saw a large group of circling whitish silver tails. This was a group of large bonefish. For the Grand Slam's sake, I grabbed a spinning rod baited with a live crab and fired off a cast that landed about ten feet in front of the tailing fish. The tails disappeared and my line came tight. I struck hard and the line began to fly off the reel. However, the run didn't seem hard enough or long enough. In five minutes, we released a small bonnethead shark.
The bonefish were gone and as we fired up his rig for a fourth try for permit, the light showers off to our north had consolidated into a huge threatening thunderstorm. This persuaded us that heading back to Little Palm Island was the right thing to do. In the few hours that we had been fishing, the action was excellent.
The Resort-Little Palm Island is designed to provide a lifetime experience for couples, friends, and family members over sixteen years of age. There are thirty rooms: twenty-eight thatched oceanfront suites and two Island Grand Suites. It's important for you to be aware that this destination is one of the most highly-awarded of exotic resorts, because of its secluded locale and ultimate treatment you and yours will receive: attention is paid to every possible detail by a warm and caring staff.It is also a brilliant destination for non-angling wives. As you fish the pristine flats of the lower Keys or ply the Atlantic's bounty for sailfish or marlin, your spouse may be gratefully partaking in any of the following amenities and appointments.
*Breakfast served on your private deck.
*Treatments at the Spa.
*Cozy reading at the library.
*Shopping for gifts.
*Exercising at the gym.
*Hunting around for numerous Key deer roaming the island.
*Swimming in the crystal clear sea or lagoon shaped pool, followed by a discrete rinse in your suite's private outdoor shower.
*Enjoying a trip on Little Palm's dive boat to the most beautiful shallow water reefs in the world.
After you return from fishing, have your fresh catch cooked, or enjoy Little Palm's own gourmet fare. If you desire, have them set up a romantic candlelit dinner at the water's edge so you can enjoy a magnificent sunset. Afterwards, you can both return to your suite and find your canopied bed turned down and the room lit by numerous candles. Little Palm Island is one angling destination any fisherman owes to himself and loved one at least once. Like other peak experiences, you'll find yourself craving to return again and again…
CONTACT DATA:
Little Palm Island Resort & Spa
Toll-Free Phone: 1-800-3-GET-LOST
www.LittlePalmIsland.com
Captain Fernand Braun
Phone: 305-872-9004
Email: frbraun@bellsouth.net.
