It's a great time to reflect over the year at all my angling travel experiences that
began in the early spring and are just beginning to settle down- briefly, I hope. Many of the guides, resorts, and lodges gave it their best and took their chances on stories that reflected exactly what happened and what I experienced.
*Captain Butch Constable/SeaSport Marina, Jupiter,Florida. Butch took on the challenge to ply deep into the Loxahatchee River to go for a grand slam day of all four snook species. When the dust settled, Capt. Jon Cooper and I lost count of all the common, fat, and tarpon-snook we caught and released. We were thoroughly satisfied with Butch's expert guiding and would probably would have gotten the usually-tiny swordspine snook if we plied the backwater docks in the dark with tiny lures.
*The Island of Curacao, Netherland Antilles- This experience would take a book to describe, but I'm sure one day I'll be back again.
*Belize River Lodge, Belize- Thanks, Mike, Margueritte, Misha, and a big high-five to Raul Navarette, an incredible guide. In the five days photog. Art Blank and I spent there, Raul was able to find the habitat to match the weather conditions, which kept us deep in snook, tarpon, bonefish, permit, or ladyfish. Grand slam days were possible in two of those days, but we bypassed that thrill for the thrills right in front of us! Owner Mike Heusner gave me a hackle jig to use on the flats for permit and on the last day, I broke the Club's record with nine - that's right- permit caught and released. This was a day I'll never forget!
*Bimini Bay Resort and Casino, Bahamas- Bimini is enhanced by the development of this fine resort. I was satisfied that they were sensitive to preserving the mangrove ecology and flats. The resort's rooms, dining, and services are excellent. Guide Bonefish Tommy Sewell gave Jon Cooper and I a fantastic day of bonefishing. Jon and I spent the balance of the time light-tackling -via the cast and jig method- loads of snappers, 'cudas, and some big horseye jacks.
*South Seas Island Resort, Captiva Island, Florida- Captain Tom Walsh had to contend with 25 mph northeast winds, yet his strategies in the open Gulf kept us deep in spanish mackeral, ladyfish, and blacktip sharks. We topped off the trip with two large snook on a Captiva canal. South Seas Island Resort is an exquisite full-service resort that has everything for angler and non-angler alike.
*Kingfisher Fleet/Fishermen’s Village, Charlotte Harbor, Florida- We spent some real quality time in an area that deserved my attention for a long time. Thanks to the expert guiding of Captain Ralph Allen of Kingfisher Fleet, we had an action-packed day with mackeral, ladyfish, seatrout, redfish, and quantities of snook that were mind-boggling! At the days end, we worked a school of dock snook that was huge, but had to leave to avoid a storm. Fisherman's Village is a perfect one-stop resort for anglers and their families in Punta Gorda.
*Gamboa Rainforest Resort, Panama- Thanks to Holly, Edgar, Benjy, Nodiel, and Katarina for such a memory-making trip. Gamboa is like a Shangri-La right in the midst of Gatun Lake and the surrounding tropical rainforest. Special thanks to local fishing legend and new friend Horacio "Chicho" Clare for helping me to prepare for the trip. Gamboa's lodgings, grounds, cuisine, and services are superb and is a short boat ride with one of their guided boats to some incredible peacock bass fishing mixed in with some whopper snook and tarpon.
*Captain Butch Moser of Delray Beach is one of the top live bait freshwater guides on the Gold Coast. He's got me totally spoiled as we hit the "century mark" with peacocks to five pounds and largemouths to eight pounds.
*Grande Tours, Placida, Florida/ Captain Dave Loger- Thanks so much, Captain Marian, G.M. Mary, and Captain Dave Loger for showing me the world of inshore marine kayak fishing. I have an indelible memory of a 2 a.m. trip into the nightime mangrove cathedrals that were almost frosted by a cold front. Despite that, Captain Dave put me in the right spots and with my DOA shrimp, Spro bucktail, and Rip Tide Blast shrimp scent, I caught a big red, big snook, and 15-pound goliath grouper.
*Island Vista/ Captain Dicks/ Captain Smiley, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina- It has not been long since I've returned from this great destination. Island Vista was a great place to stay in Myrtle Beach. Photog. Art Blank and I would stoke our furnaces with hearty breakfasts while we watched loads of porpoises feed and cavort in the ocean. Captain Jonathan tried hard the first day, but a severe cold kept it to two flounder. The next day warmed, and Captain Patrick Kelly kept our rods bent with flounder, redfish, black drums and bluefish. I callled Patrick this morning and he told me he had a charter yesterday that released over fifty reds on the flats- I wish that charter would have been me!
Thanks to Everyone!
Jan Maizler
http://www.flatsfishingonline.com
http://www.fishingfloridasflats.com
http://flatsfishingonline.blogspot.com
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