I had the good fortune recently to fish with good friends
Doug Stamm and Rich Jones, and brother-in-law and fishing buddy Joe Jones in
Everglades City. It was a chilly windy morning as we launched into the Barron
River on the top end of the incoming tide. The foggy air limited our visibility
as we began to make our way deep inland in search of wintering snook.
It was very early and quiet, despite the windy conditions,
as the tide carried us into the backwater. I began with a topwater bait and
everyone else with various jigs. For the first hour or so, there was no sign of
life except a good hit and miss on Doug’s jig that caused me to switch baits. We
had split up somewhat with Joe taking a detour over a grassy flat, Rich heading
deeper in the backwater with the tide, and Doug and I working the edges and
bays.
Finally, the snook bite began with Doug landing the first of
many small aggressive fish. These were not the bigger wintering snook we were
looking for, but there were plenty of them. In addition, we were catching big
ladyfish and slot trout. The tide began flowing out, so we changed directions and
started our way back. Fishing gave way to lazily drifting with the tide as we
talked about everything outdoors.
Photo by Doug Stamm
At some point during the drift back I realized just how
fortunate I was. I was chatting with Doug Stamm, an award winning outdoor
photographer and writer, and Rich Jones, a renowned Everglades fishing guide
about fishing stories and everything else. How lucky is that?
Photo by Doug Stamm
We loaded up our gear and made plans for the next trip. On
the way home I reflected on the day and thought about what a good morning it
was. I am indeed a fortunate man.
