Key West express

 

I was able to break away from real life for a few days and make a run down to Key West. The Florida Keys are one of my favorite places in the world for two reasons, there is always good fishing from boat, kayak or land, and the opportunities for photography are endless. Lobster season has just begun and the snapper spawn is drawing to a close. I didn’t have much time, so I wanted to do what I could in just a couple of days. Sometimes the greatest adventures aren’t planned or filmed or don’t last long, but they are found in how you perceive things.

An interesting liveaboard

On the way down, I stopped in Islamorada to visit friends. Linda Sheldon and Bobby Vaughn of Flying Fisherman invited me to stop by and see the FF Headquarters and maybe get a little fishing in as well. I was in a bit of a hurry, so I just stopped in long enough for a cup of coffee and to meet the staff.

A small retail area at Flying Fisherman's Corporate HQ

 

Flying Fisherman has a really cool company history. The company’s owner, Pat Sheldon, has been involved in sport fishing and video production in the keys since the seventies. The technology they use for polarized lenses came from experimenting with different filters while shooting video in the ultra-bright sunlight. As I toured the facility I couldn’t help but to think this was a cool place to work. They have a laid back atmosphere and everyone seemed really happy to be there. I was also surprised to learn that FF is worldwide and enjoys a huge following in Europe.



Bobby Vaughn showing me the worldwide reach



A Russian ad for FF



The happy and beautiful Linda Sheldon



Bobby in one of the many stockrooms



I arrived later in Key West in time to catch the sunset and get my gear together. The next morning I was meeting up with Randy Morrow, a good friend and the Southernmost Kayak Fishing Guide. Randy is the only person I am aware of who has completed an IGFA inshore slam from a kayak. A difficult feat by boat, the inshore slam consists of catching a bonefish, permit and tarpon in a 24hr period.



Randy stalking the flats

 

I met Randy at the launch bright and early. It was soon clear we were both a little under the weather, but we launched into the already thick and humid morning. Randy always shows me the coolest places, and this time was no different. We were on the skinniest of flats on an incoming tide. The water was crystal clear way off in the distance, there was thunder. We scouted for a while until I spotted an unmistakable tarpon rolling on the surface.

Randy hooked up

 I snapped photos while Randy tried to convince it to take a jig. It was about that time that I noticed the permit tailing about 20ft off the back of my kayak. I was slowly drifting in its direction so I casted a shrimp tipped jig in front to no avail. A couple more casts in the area yielded a very big permit taking a swipe at my jig boat side, only to be spooked away for good when he saw me. I paddled over to Randy who by this time had a fish on. It was a good sized jack for Randy’s light action rod and looked like a good fight.

A nice jack crevalle

 

The storm had been creeping up on us and by 9am, it was already time to leave. We had a couple hours of fun and got off the water just in time. I headed back to Key West where my Mom and Dad, sister and brother-in-law and niece were staying at the Galleon.

There are many tall ships in Key West harbor

 

This is by far the best place to stay in Key West. The Galleon is situated on the site of one of the many warehouses that used to line Key West bight. This is where Edgar Watson of the 10 Thousand Islands cut his neighbor Santini’s throat during an argument. Santini lived and Watson had to pay $900 in restitution. This was also the place where Mel Fisher stored the treasure of the Atocha. The warehouse is long gone and now the Galleon sits in its place.

The view from the condo

Our little bait stealing friend

 

I spent the rest of the day fishing from the Galleons dock. Over the years we have caught big snapper, grouper, tarpon and just about everything in between from the dock. This day was no different and I jump one tarpon and we caught and released several nice grey snapper, cleaning a few for dinner.

Storm rolling in

A visitor

One of the smaller snapper from the Galleon dock

The next evening I was preparing for an early bedtime. I was leaving the next morning for the drive back and wanted to leave around 5am. My sister Angie had other ideas. One of the local party boats, the Gulfstream IV, runs night trips during the snapper spawn, and she wanted to go. Over the years, I have been on every party boat in Key West, and the Gulfstream has always been one of my favorites. There is always lots of room and the staff is friendly. This time was no different and the mate Gregg and his wife Cindy took care of us.



the sunset aboard the Gulfstream IV

 

We were out from 7pm to 12:30am and the trip didn’t disappoint. We were into yellowtails, big greys and even a few lane snapper. The real show was the three ladies who were having a “girls” weekend. It didn’t matter if they caught a small grunt or a 5lb grey snapper, they were excited and wanted everyone else to know about it. By the time we disembarked, I was exhausted. I exchanged contact info with Gregg and we made plans for a return trip and fishing in his favorite spots.  

Key West waterfront at night

Back at the condo and in bed by 1am, I set my alarm for 5am. “I can rest at home”, I thought. I didn’t sleep right away though. I thought about all the things I packed into a couple of days. Met up with old friends and met some new ones. Spent time with family. Even caught some fish. I closed my eyes, offered up a prayer of thanks, and drifted off to sleep. I have a good life.