You think you know me?

The lifelong journey of a florida legend.

Let’s play a guessing game. Because of my popularity among angling’s elite, I’m instantly recognizable. You may have heard of me, or possibly you have even seen something that looks very much like me hanging on someone’s wall. As a matter of fact, I’m sure you could pick me out of a crowd from a mile away.

Locally, you know that crossing paths is a different story altogether as my hungry brethren and I regularly roam your domain no more than minutes from shore. Even when you don’t know it, we’re there, and when early wintertime rolls around and the water begins to cool, we invade your territory in massive hordes beyond your wildest dreams. For every one of us you see, there are a hundred more hunting down and devouring everything in our sights. Regardless if its tasty herring, tiny tuna, or a scad, sardine, or squid- if it’s moving, it’s dead meat! If it doesn’t exhibit genuine fear for its life, then chances are, we may take a brief second look, but that’s about as much valuable energy as we’ll expend.

Before I reveal more of my secrets to you, it would only be fair if I told you a little more about myself. In my eyes, the world’s oceans are my oyster. I freely roam wherever I would like whenever I would like. Currently, I know a great deal of work is being done on your part to identify spawning grounds and determine oceanographic features such as upwelling zones, the Loop Current, warm core eddies, and associated fronts which favor the production, retention, and survival of our helpless larvae and vulnerable juveniles. I can tell you that as adults, my kind regularly prowls the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and of course, the western Northern Atlantic, where we’re especially fond of the stretch of your domain you call Stuart to Key West. If you were able to ask me why, I would tell you that when conditions are favorable, the amount of available forage is overwhelming. I’m not sure if you know it or not, but it’s like a free-for-all down there. Your extensive reef systems and countless wrecks attract a nearly endless supply of nutritious treats which are a delight when you’re far from a picky eater. If the abundant cuisine weren’t already enough to keep us satisfied, distinct color changes and sharp temperature breaks are usually loaded with tasty morsels. Stop for moment and consider that we’re capable of blistering bursts of speeds exceeding 60 mph! It should be easy to understand why out in the open water, nothing, and I mean nothing stands a chance of escape. Your problem is that you’re usually pulling baits through the water too slowly.

Bump it up a few knots so it’s not so easy for us to pick out the fakes! Really, it is getting easier and easier for us to make a healthy living right at your door steps.