Everglades Adventure

Video trailer

This past week I had the pleasure of staying at Port of the Islands Adventure Resort with several good friends while fishing the area and filming for an upcoming project. The resort is just East of Naples and has a long history.

 

Hanging in the courtyard

Filming in the lodge

Going over the plan

Port of the Islands Resort was first known as Remuda Ranch. The resort's direct access to the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge and Gulf of Mexico made the spot a favorite of anglers and its two hotels attracted weekenders and global travel writers. Housing and condo development started around 1983, while the 86‐suite resort component of Remuda Ranch remained steady and evolved over time into what it is today.

Calm after the storm

 Port of the Islands is nestled within the Florida Everglades, the largest U.S. wilderness east of the Mississippi and the third largest National Park. This natural resource is among one of the most pristine ecological locales and is permanently protected for the benefit of the diversity of life it sustains. The western fringe of the Everglades is known as the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge and is directly accessible by boat from the Port of the Islands which is a secluded outpost on Florida’s U.S. 41.

Nature's theme park

 

The entrance road into the resort was once an airstrip, ferrying potential real estate buyers in by day, and illicit cargo out in the cover of darkness. Little remains of it’s infamous past, but now the area is being billed as an adventure resort. The full service marina has direct access to the Ten Thousand Islands, known for unequaled game fishing and birding. Paddlers can also enjoy the back country camping opportunities. Just across U.S. 41, the resort offers skeet and target shooting. Many outdoor activities are available including fishing, hunting, hiking, biking, shooting, boating and camping.

 

Our group checked in on a Tuesday afternoon. We were housed in four “cottage” units with waterfront and courtyard views. The rooms were efficiencies with small kitchenettes and cooking utensils for extended stays. Everything was very clean and well maintained and we settled in quickly. A short walk by the pool area and we were in the main lodge. The Angler’s Cove restaurant and bar is here but was closed during our stay. A couple of guys in our group, Stewart Venable and Eric Hughes, didn’t waste any time and began catching snook at the water control weir just across the street from the resort.

Nice rooms

kitchenette

 

Resort comfort

That evening the guys from Yaktastic Adventures, Rob DeVore and Rob Lee, filmed some preliminary footage while our Photographer, Chris Patricella, snapped away. Stewart, Eric, Jim VanPelt and I then went back to our rooms to prepare for an early day.

 

The first day of actual fishing had us launch into the Faka-Union canal, just across U.S. 41 from the resort. The canal is known for big snook, tarpon, largemouth bass and oscars. As we launched we could see tarpon rolling all over the surface. We made a concerted effort to use only fly gear and we caught a few smaller fish. As we spread out, Stewart and Eric tangled with some larger snook later in the morning. The tarpon eluded us that day and we headed to Everglades City for some lunch. That evening Eric and Stewart were on the snook again at the weir while Rob and Rob filmed interview sequences.

Eric staring down rolling tarpon

Looking for snook

got him

 

The next morning we headed to one of our favorite quarry lakes in the Everglades. Jim and I usually find a lot of exotics here including peacock bass. We were joined by cameraman Paul Greenleaf and production assistant/spotter Joe Jones. Between the underwater filming and the camera drone buzzing overhead, we managed to catch some fish. Most notable was Jim’s nice peacock on fly. By this time, Stewart was fishing with spinning gear and had given up on fly. Eric stubbornly kept at it and began catching fish after fish on fly. By the late afternoon we began to pack up. I found a dime-sized hole in the bottom of my Hobie Revo, probably from launching over the sharp rocks. We lunched at Joanie’s Blue Crab Café and headed back to the resort.

Small bass on fly

Jim's peacock

Peacock on fly

Planning our move

Stewart scores

 

The last day we planned to hike, with kayaks, deep into the brush. We took a little known Indian trail I had heard about, and pulled the kayaks to a very old quarry lake. The snook and tarpon were active, but after a couple of hours they proved they wouldn’t bite. We moved on to another very remote spot that we could drive most of the way to. There we stood at the launch and watched hundreds of backwater tarpon rolling on the surface. Jim, Stewart and Eric launched their kayaks and I waded into the murky water. There were small gators a few feet away. Stewart struck first with a very nice darkwater snook on a Yozuri. Eric also caught a big snook on fly. Jim and I caught tarpon culminating in the best fishing day we had.

Draggin' kayaks through the brush

watching the rollers

Our little buddy

Walking through the sawgrass

Stewart's nice snook

Eric hooked up

A Double

 We spent the rest of the day filming short scenes for the film. All too soon the adventure was over. Rob and Rob left later that afternoon. I left that evening and the rest of the guys left the next morning. We all had a great time fishing with friends and hanging out at the resort. To plan your next adventure, visit http://poiresort.com for more information. Also, watch out for the film of our adventure, Bass on the Road 2 coming out in late summer and available on Vimeo.

Hobies in Captiva

 

 

The folks at Hobie recently invited me to their second annual Hobie writer’s Event being held on Captiva Island in May. Outdoor Writers and Editors from around the country are invited for a few days of fishing and kayaking, and to check out some of Hobie’s products. The event ran for eight days with the participants arriving and leaving in shifts throughout the week.

Captiva Charm

 

I drove up from Bonita Springs, about an hour to the South, to join the group for fishing. I arrived at Captiva Charm, the beautiful bay front home that was the headquarters, to find it already alive with activity. Ingrid Niehaus, Director of Public Relations for Hobie, was busy coordinating the fishing for the day, as Frank Stapleton, Keeton Eoff, Butch Newell, Jerry McBride and John Donohue were gathering gear and getting ready to head to the launch.

Ingrid working diligently

 

Frank and Butch

 

Lots o' kayaks

The day’s launch was in Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel, just a short drive away. We launched in the backwater in an attempt to find shelter from the wind. That was short lived as we soon found 12+mph winds coming across Hardworking Bayou. The group split up and I headed out to the outer islands with a group of anglers and Jeffery Fortuna, Hobie’s Photographer. The fish were scarce, but even so there were a few snook caught. I managed a small trout outside, and then returned to the backwater where I found Butch and Frank working the mangroves. The wind was a little easier there, so I fished along side for a while. Aside from having a larger snook follow my paddletail to the kayak, I saw no other signs of fish.

 

Catching snook

 

Ding Darling backwater

Back at headquarters I met up with Morgan Promnitz, Fishing Product Manager for Hobie. I had the chance to check out Captiva Charm, the large rental home Hobie had secured for the weeklong event. This 4 bedroom 5 bath home sleeps 12 people. It’s a 3 floor facility with a huge kitchen, dining and living room, large verandah, pool and private beach access on the Gulf. There is lots of parking, a private boat dock and wet bar at pool level. This is a beautiful rental property right in the heart of Captiva. The property is very popular, but there are dates available through Royal Shell Vacation Properties at www.royalshell.com. Hobie's media guests enjoyed their beautiful accommodations at the Celebration House - www.captivaislandinn.com.  Perfect accommodations and layout for groups, complete with pool, right across from the Key Lime Bistro.

 

Charming backyard

 

The lodge

 

Beautiful grounds

 

I left that afternoon, having talked fishing all day with Butch, Morgan, Jerry and Frank, with a promise to return Monday for more fishing. One of the Editors had a flight cancellation and was stuck at the airport. I managed to swing by and pick him up, delivering him the next morning for an early flight.
 

Morgan working on fly gear

 

The long dock

 

Friday came around and I arrived early at Captiva Charm. Everyone was slowly waking as we all had coffee and planned the morning fishing. Sam Root had arrived a few days before and he and I took off to get a jump on the fish. All of our early planning was for naught as the Refuge was closed and the windy conditions had persisted. Sam went his way and I went back to the house for some more fish stories.

A refreshing pool

 

All too soon I had to leave. I had a weekend planned in Matlacha and the Hobie folks had some packing to do. I invited them to come back for some fishing when the weather was better, and said my goodbyes till ICAST. It was great spending time with writers and Editors of such caliber and I look forward to talking to them all again.

Captiva Charm view

Thinking about redfish on fly

Headquarters

The private drive