Papa’s Pilar

I don't know much about alcohol. My old college friends would tell you I was somewhat of an aficionado of fine, inexpensive tequilas. Not the sipping kind. I also liked rum, but never liked to mix anything with it. Nowadays I occasionally enjoy a malted beverage and maybe even a distilled one from time to time.

 A sample of Papa’s Pilar rum made its way to my door recently. The effort expended on the packaging of the samples was impressive. Two small corked bottles were nestled in a custom wooden cigar box. Even the name, Papa’s Pilar, after Hemingway’s 38 foot Wheeler custom fishing boat, has a lot of thought behind it. This blended rum is said to be for those with a “spirit of adventure”. 

Beautifully Packaged

With my limited knowledge of fine liquors I decided to enlist the help of the most interesting person I know. This gentleman is an adventurer and has pretty much seen it all, in fact its easier to name the places he hasn't been. He also has much more experience than me when it comes to the finer points and nuances of rum tasting. My dad, Bill Bramblet, is a retired Army Colonel, World Traveller, Outdoorsman and an all around awesome guy.

Eager to Begin

  We began with the Pilar Dark. The color is a deep, clear caramel tone. As we gently inhaled the aroma of the rum, we noticed sweet vanilla notes followed by hints of coffee. Swirling a little in the glass, we could see it had good legs and was not thin at all. Taking a small sip and allowing the rum to slide over the tongue, we noticed a variety of subtle and not so subtle flavors of vanilla, cinnamon, pear liquor and a lingering spicy finish. Also, notes of caramel throughout. It finished clean with no aftertaste and was surprisingly smooth. The best word I can come up with to describe this rum would be exotic, and it would best be served neat, like a good bourbon.

Next, we set our sights on the Pilar Blonde. The color of this rum is as advertised, a little on the yellow side of clear. The nose of the blonde was a little less complex and while the Colonel detected a strong lemon citrus note, I thought it was more of a subtle tropical fruit aroma. The overall nose of this rum was less sweet despite the fruitiness. The taste was much smoother than the dark, with traces of cinnamon and nuts, maybe almonds. The finish was less spicy that the rum’s darker counterpart and lingered less as well. This would be an excellent cocktail rum and possibly dangerous in a mojito. 

I don't really remember this part

 Maybe it was the rum, but the conversation turned to our travels in the Caribbean and adventures yet to be experienced. I hardly noticed when we began tasting different distilled spirits, comparing one to the other. My dad has an extensive collection and soon we were tasting scotch, bourbon and anything else with a nice label on the bottle. Apparently I must have been exhausted, because the next thing I remember was waking up from a nice midday nap. One thing I do remember well is that I like Papa’s Pilar rum. Check out their website at www.papaspilar.com for more information on how they blend their product and a lot of cool information on the history of rum and stories about the rum’s inspiration, Ernest Hemingway. 

It was just a nap

An “Average” Day Turns Interesting

A few months ago I fished in the Everglades with Glen Pla, the Host of Average Angler Adventures. We had a great time chasing down snook and peacock bass in some remote areas, and he was interested in more. So, we set aside a couple of days in February to do it again. 

Glen's bass

The winter weather in South Florida can change rapidly as fronts move through weekly turning windy and cold…..and windy. The first day began on Lake Gloria in the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve. This is a deep clear lake that has plenty of nice largemouth bass and reports of giant snook. We launched into a very cool, still morning. A beautiful mist rose from the water as a couple of wintering belted kingfishers protested our presence. The edges of the lake drop sharply to several feet, typical of man made “borrow pits” elsewhere in the Everglades. We stuck to those edges as we made our way around the lake. 

Glen struck first with a feisty largemouth on a paddle tail bait. The fish here are healthy and blemish free, and Glen’s bass was no exception. It was a decent size, but not the 8-10 pounders that are known to inhabit the lake. We continued working the edges and Glen landed a couple more smaller bass. It soon became clear the fish were not responding to my topwater lure, so I switched to a paddle tailed grub on a lead colored jighead. 

Being Watched

That seemed to do the trick and I joined the “catching” club on my second cast. The bass were running anywhere from almost as small as the lure to a few pounds in size. They also responded well to the paddle tail grub and along one stretch, I was landing a fish every cast. The wind began picking up sharply but the fish didn't seem to mind, and we continued to work every edge around the lake. We fished the lake for a few hours total before deciding to move on.

Early Morning Launch

Micro Poon

The next day we were joined by Jim VanPelt. Jim had been having luck in the area with small to medium tarpon. We met up at the Port of the Islands resort and journeyed to a nearby pond. The sun was just rising and lighting up the mixed palm, pines and live oaks on the west edge. The water was still and across the pond we could just make out a subtle disruption as the dorsal fins of rolling tarpon pierced the surface. We launched quickly despite a chill in the air, and we made our way over. Almost immediately, Jim set a hook and his little tarpon came sailing out of the water. He skillfully landed the micro poon and followed it up with two more. Glen jumped a couple of his own, but lost them yakside. We headed back to the launch as we wanted to check out one more spot. The wind began to pick up. 

Glen working on a fish

Gar!

Morning light

We headed to a favorite spot that Jim and I featured in Bass on the Road 2. The area is readily accessible, although I have never seen anyone fishing there. I turned onto the short dirt access road and, much to my surprise, there were vans and trailers everywhere! Turns out the nearby Turner River launch was closed and every kayak nature tour in the area was launching here! We found parking and launched anyway as the tourists seemed to be touring in a different direction. By now, the wind had picked up and was making sight fishing impossible. 

The Hosts meet

After a short while I was talking to Jim when I noticed a group of kayakers approaching the launch. They appeared to be fishing and Jim remarked it looked like a mutual friend of ours had brought a group there. We laughed at the thought that someone may have brought a group to one of our spots, then laughed louder at the irony when our mutual friend came paddling over! And it seems he had Jim Sammons and crew with him! It took only moments for everyone else to catch on and there we were, show hosts, camera guys, producers and guides all talking about where we had been and where we were going to try next. As we chatted, I found out they were headed to one of our peacock bass spots next. 

Funny Flotilla

The day ended up being interesting to say the least! It was great to meet Jim Sammons and all the talented guys with him and it was great to see the “No Secrets” concept in action. I figure the more the merrier and I like seeing new folks in “my” spots enjoying the same experiences that I do. When you find something good, you should share it! Just let me know when you will be there next time Esteban, and we can give you some room!

Finding Adventure in Florida Wildlife Management Areas



What'cha Lookin' At? - Spirit of the Wild WMA

 Its no secret I love the outdoors, like most folks do. Even when I was a young boy in Virginia during the cold winter months, I would pour over the latest issue of National Geographic, the Smithsonian or even early issues of Florida Sportsman. I would sometimes imagine going to those far away places as a photographer living the adventure.

Osprey Standing Guard - Babcock-Webb WMA

Morning Deer - CREW WMA - Flint Pen Strand

 It turns out that nature photography is very much like those adventures I imagined. Its actually a lot like hunting. Birds, animals and insects just don't seem to get the idea that they are supposed to freeze and say “cheese”. You have to stalk your quarry in hopes of squeezing off a precious few photos before they scamper into the brush. Florida has a plethora of unusual and rare animals to hunt with a camera and I have found the best place to start are the hundreds of Wildlife Management Areas and State Forests that are comprised of millions of acres throughout the state.

Roseate Spoonbill - CREW WMA - Flint Pen Strand

Patience is Key - Big Cypress National Refuge

 I am not much of a “birder” in the sense that I don't know the names of most birds. But, they sure are fun to photograph. They don't sit still for long and there is so many different types. I find it a very challenging adventure to seek out specific birds that are hard to photograph. For example, the Crested Caracara has a very small isolated population in Florida. I have never seen one in my area, let alone photographed one, so plans were laid for my photo hunting adventure. We travelled through Lee, Collier and Hendry Counties visiting several WMA’s and a State Forest and ended up at the Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed, or Crew. After walking miles of trails, we found them. They are skittish, so getting great photos proved to be difficult, but we were successful.

Even Insects Need Attention - Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary 

Pileated Woodpecker - Okaloacooche Slough State Forest

There are so many factors that can determine whether a wildlife photography trip ends in success such as time of day, equipment, stealthiness and patience. You cant expect to drive through a WMA and take pictures from your car, although with some luck that does happen from time to time. Its important to prepare for a sometimes lengthy hike through dense brush, or to sit in a blind for long periods of time. Getting the right shot may mean a significant investment in lenses, but some lower priced lenses can also perform well. A little research goes a long way. You can find out a lot about the species you intend to target and plan for the best time to stalk them by searching online resources. 

Herons, Spoonbills, Ibises and Storks - CREW WMA - Flint Pen Strand

Be Stealthy for Big Rewards

Perhaps the best thing about wildlife photography is just being outdoors. The more time spent quietly walking trails will reveal more animals and plants that are normally not noticed. For me, it enhances an already deep love and appreciation for nature and wildlife and you get to bring something home. I have realized that I don't have to go to those faraway places to find what I am looking for, I can explore the millions of acres right here in Florida and live the adventure.

Bald Eagle at Nest - Undisclosed WMA

Bald Eagle at Nest - Undisclosed WMA

Afternoon Deer - Picayune Strand State Forest

Bee Hive - CREW-Corkscrew Marsh Trail

Crested Caracara - CREW-Caracara Prairie Preserve

Waiting for the Water to Warm up

As part of my ongoing interview series “On the Hook”, I sometimes get to fish with some interesting people. Recently I fished with Willie Eyre, a retired MLB pitcher. Willie played for several teams including the Twins, Orioles and the Rangers. He is also an avid angler and this wasn’t the first time I had him out in a kayak.

Willie Eyre

We chose the Imperial River in Bonita Springs, a tidal creek that holds big snook year ‘round, but especially in winter. It was a little chilly and the water temperature was low, but I knew there were nice jacks cruising the river and we could play with them while the water warmed up. We launched into calm water at the U.S. 41 ramp on a falling tide, and the morning looked promising.

Fighting jacks

We chose topwater lures to start the day. All along the banks there were the crashes of jacks hitting the many schools of finger mullet. The water temp was about 65 degrees, a little too cold for a good snook bite. It wasn’t long, however, before Willie hooked up on a good jack. The fish put up respectable resistance to the light tackle as it ran circles around Willie’s Revo. It was the first of several such fish as we worked the river banks.

One of Willie's fish

The sun had been up for a few hours warming the day, but the water temps were slow to keep up. By noon the water was only 68 degrees, and while that is on the lower end of the activity spectrum, there wasn’t much going on. On the way back to the launch I spied some movement on a shallow flat. I eased up to see a couple of big snook trying to squeeze some warmth out of the sun. I tossed my TA Crossover at them, but they slowly moved off to deeper water without showing any interest.

Back at the launch

It proved to be just a little too chilly for snook that day, but we had fun with what was there. Any fish on topwater makes for a good day. We wrapped up with an interview and a few fish stories at waterside. I promised Willie the next time would be peacock bass, but we will have to wait till the water warms up for them too.