Cinco de Mayo
Blog #50 Continued from Yesterday…
A few years after Meegan and I had fished with Vinnie, we returned with Mac, Lyda and Josie. We fished with Vinnie and Captain Dave Butler. It was the first time my kids had been “ocean” fishing and they loved it. Mac became obsessed with the different kinds of fish you can catch and memorized information from salt water fishing books. We would return to fish over the years and, when Vinnie could not work us into his schedule, we would fish with John Johanson or Ted Wilson. We fished for Tarpon at night. We caught sharks- Bonnetheads, Spinners and small Blacktips. Some days we couldn’t get anything to bite but grunts. It was always fun and we became a little more knowledgable but remained novices. We never pursued fly fishing. Nor bonefishing. We rented a boat one year which was a disaster. I won’t go into details but it was disheartening to say the least. (Best to leave the boat captaining to Vinnie and the guides to get you to where the fish are.) I asked Vinnie if he would ever voluntarily jump into the back country waters that he fishes every day. “Not in a million years. There is stuff in there just waiting to take a bite out of you.” We often passed a platform, raised up on stilts, about 10 feet above the back country water. It was covered in bird poop. Vinnie explained that you can camp there overnight if you bring your own tent and provisions. I commented that it must be amazing to be out there alone, in the middle of the back country, surrounded by water and black sky and a million stars. Vinnie chuckled, “It sounds nice but not for me. I’d be afraid the mosquitos would eat me alive. I had a couple buddies who tried to sleep out there. These are pretty seasoned fisherman, not guides, but locals who know the waters back here. They said they couldn’t get a wink of sleep. The sounds from the water were disturbing. It was pure carnage as the night predators (sharks, tarpon, etc) wreaked havoc on the schools of smaller fish. They kind of quashed the idea of camping out here for me.” “Well”, I said, “I’ll put it on my bucket list and let you know how it goes, if I survive.” I’ve been able to get down to Islamorada with my pals just once. We fished with Vinnie’s son, Daniel, as Vinnie was out of town. We didn’t catch much but it was a great day to be on the water. I hope to get back there sometime soon. I am sure the businesses and guides down there are struggling. But the fish are surely enjoying a respite from the anglers. Hopefully they are propagating and the fishing will be great post Covid-19. Anybody care to join me?
Quote of the Day:
“Freedom is when the people can speak, democracy is when the government listens” — Alastair Farrugia
Today’s Playlist in honor of Cinco de Mayo:
1) “El Noa Noa” — Juan Gabriel
2) “Amor A La Mexicana” — Thalía
3) “México Lindo” — Mariachi Vargas de Tecatitlan
4) “Mi Ranchito” — Roberto Tapia
5) “México En La Piel” — Luis Miguel
6) “Botellita De Tequila” — Pepe Aguilar
7) “Jefe De Jefes” — Los Tigres del Norte
8) “Que Me Entierren Con La Banda” — Jenni Rivera
9) “El Rey” — Vicente Fernández
10) “Tragos Amargos” — Ramón Ayala
Books to Read:
1) Blood and Thunder by Hampton Sides
Binge Watchable:
1) Mayans M.C.
Yesterday’s Trivia Question: How many islands make up the Florida Keys? ANSWER: 17
PS: Thanks for letting me Blog you these last 50 days. It’s been a lot of fun during a very strange time.
Stay Safe, Stay Well!
