CURRENT MOON
Weather Reports
Buoy Data
Site Login
Brochures
-
Mariner's Market >> Marine Electronics
Online retailer of Marine lights and accessories for boats and yachtsRead more...
- Mariner's Market >> Sunglasses and Outdoor Apparel Read more...
- Mariner's Market >> Marine Electronics Read more...
-
Mariner's Market >> Yacht Deliveries & Surveys
Mariners Market, Yacht Deliveries & Surveys, AMERICAN BOAT CARRIERSRead more...
-
Mariner's Market >> Engines and Electric Motors
The Ultimate in Electric Outboards, The revolutionary outboard: ultra-lightweight, foldable, strong, The starting point for high-efficiency outboards, The most powerful 24…Read more...
-
Mariner's Market >> Rods and Reels
Everols are hugely popular where ever men pursue fish weighing 500 to 2000 pounds. We have bigger, thicker, stronger drags that…Read more...
-
Mariner's Market >> Bait and Tackle E-tailers
Complete line of tackle and marine store serving Mexico Beach, Port St. Joe, Cape San Blas and Indian Pass, FloridaRead more...
-
Mariner's Market >> Knives, Pliers, Tools
OdorXit Has Been Removing tough smells since 1999.Read more...
-
Mariner's Market >> Kayak Fishing
Kayak Excursions, rentals, sales, and lots of other outdoor equipment. Full schedule of excursions and events available. Located in Vero Beach,…Read more...
-
Mariner's Market >> Rods and Reels
CONTACT US
755 NW 17th Ave. #107
Delray Beach, FL 33445
Toll free phone: (800) 332-3256- Mariner's Market >> Terminal Tackle
Read more...- Mariner's Market >> Terminal Tackle Read more...
- Mariner's Market >> Real Estate
Sunny Florida Deep Water Lot! | World's Best Tarpon Fishing! | Direct Access to Gulf of Mexico! | Seawall, Boat Lift…Read more...- Mariner's Market >> Bait and Tackle E-tailers
Diggin For Booty - The Premier Nautical Classified Listing Service in FloridaRead more...- Mariner's Market >> Boat and Motor Accessories
Prop Repair and Calibration for MAX Efficiency • Exclusive PSS Data Processing Systemtm • No Middlemmen • Not Your Traditional Prop…Read more... - Mariner's Market >> Terminal Tackle
Flippin’ the bird! |
|
|
| Written by Ernest Grey | |
|
Trust me when I tell you, I know what lives in the dark, stained water behind my house. Aside from the usual schools of fleeing mullet, there’s an endless variety of marine critters that routinely visit my dock. I’ve spotted snook, a variety of jacks, sea trout, catfish and even porpoises. These creatures I don’t mind, but there are other denizens that I am a bit more, let’s say, concerned with. Stingrays that are pretty freakin’ big are frequent visitors, trailing stingers large enough to drive a good size hole through any aggressor. Not to mention the occasional Florida gator that seems to find the need to nonchalantly swim by as if to just say hi. And then we’ve even got big bull sharks. I guess there’s not a whole lot one could say about the bull sharks except that they’re big enough to make you question your very own manhood. So with that being said, today I actually decided to jump in the murky, infested water. Crazy? Yeah! Stupid? Probably! But was it worth it? Definitely! Now you may be questioning why I would do such a silly thing on a day when the mullet were consistently being crashed by something huge, and I was standing on a perfectly good dock. Before we continue, I have to tell you that I really enjoy fishing from those weathered planks and I do so nearly every chance I get. I sit on the back porch with my laptop and spend hours writing, with rod rigged and ready for when ferocious jack crevalles begin busting bait within casting range. Now, I’ve caught plenty of big jacks with my plug, but it’s the pull of 15 lbs. of pure muscle on my fly rod that’s enough to well, let’s just say, put a tingle where I sprinkle. So lately I’ve put away the plug outfit and only keep my fly rod at my side, anxiously awaiting the call of my piscatorial brethren. Luckily for me, I’ve definitely caught more than my fair share of brutally strong jacks, but it’s my all time favorite fish, the elusive snook, that also commonly makes an appearance. Snook right in my backyard sounds exciting, doesn’t it? But let’s not forget that all snook aficionados will tell you that these fish can be spookier than a virgin on prom night! I don’t mean to be crude; it’s just that time after time I see the darn fish, drop a fly right to them and watch them do nothing but look up at me with pure disgust. I swear I can hear ‘em say “What are you friggin’ kidding? Just how dumb do you think I really am? I’m a snook you idiot! And there’s no way in hell I’m gonna’ eat that thing, no matter how fancy the feathers.” So time and time again I reply to the snook by saying “Please, just this once, eat it! I promise I’ll let you go. Please, for God’s sake, eat the thing! I always try my hardest. I’ve learned to cast this darn fly rod just for you. Do you have any idea know how many hours of frustration I’ve put myself through with this long stick? Do you know how many flies I’ve nailed right into the back of my head and how many times I’ve whipped myself in the back? Listen, I know it hurts to be hooked, believe me when I tell you I know, but can’t we just have some fun for a couple of minutes? And you know even if I do hook you, you know you’ll end up busting me off around one of the many barnacle encrusted pilings. I’m sure you’ll get a splash out of the spectacle I make while I scream curse words to myself to no end.” After pleading with the snook, they always seem to look straight up at me, shake their broad heads, smile sarcastically, and flip me the bird before swimming off. Well, it’s more like flippin’ me the fin, but I swear those damn fish know exactly what heck they’re doing. One thing you must take into consideration about snook is that the fish don’t eat. I’m pretty sure they get their nutrients through some type of osmosis. This isn’t just an assumption or a theory. You see I’m a student of piscatorial science and I followed a precise scientific method of testing and re-testing my hypothesis. In my own experiment, I took a handful of live jumbo shrimp and tossed them directly at the hovering snook. I’m talking right in front of their snouts. The snook seem to look at the shrimp with plain contempt and do nothing more than stick their noses higher up than a wealthy old guy’s twenty something year old trophy wife. At any rate, I always persevere and find myself continuing to cast flies while miserably failing to catch any snook. But like an old Scottish angler once told me, “If ye’ wunt to ketch a fush, you a’got to keep your flea ‘n the water.” So, I “kept my flea ‘n the water” as much as possible with unfortunately, dismal results. All the while in the back of my mind I could see the image of the snook flipping me the bird! It seemed that all I ever accomplished was honing my fly rod skills. This isn’t to say that I’ve never caught snook on fly before, but to catch one right in my own backyard would be a truly unique triumph. So without further ado, all of the above finally drove me to this one particular day. I was fishing on the all so familiar dock with my father. It was late in the afternoon on a hot South Florida summer day. I really had no expectations of catching anything, but it’s always satisfying to fish with Dad, if for nothing more than a quiet reflection on life. Dad was fishing his usual plug outfit: I had my fly rod. I was throwing a medium size polar fiber minnow on clear intermediate 9 weight line. So there I am, shooting the breeze with pop, casting, stripping, casting and stripping. Suddenly, I feel something unusual yet familiar. I was hung up on that same damn submerged log that I hang up on every time I let the fly sink too long in that direction. Suddenly, and to my surprise, something really unusual happened. The log jumped clear out of the water and shook its head, trying to throw the fly that by some miracle of God, it had miraculously eaten. It was only then that it dawned on me that the log had a large bucket mouth, a huge tail, and a distinct black line running down its side. It was a snook, and a big fat one at that! However trivial in the overall world of saltwater game-fishing, in my mind the fact that I was actually hooked up to a chunky snook in my own backyard, on my fly rod, was monumental! Of course hooking a big snook and landing a big snook are two totally different ball games. I managed to clear the fly line on the powerful fish’s first run, which was good. Good, until the snook made a complete about-face and bolted right back at me. Any experienced fly angler knows how difficult it is to move your wrist fast enough to retrieve line when a fast fish charges, no matter how much exercise your hand has had. The big linesider rocketed right at me, directly under my feet and methodically weaved its way right into the dock pilings. The fish moved in, out and around the pilings with such grace, I knew he had played this game before. This now brings me to the reason I decided to jump in the murky, creature infested, dark water of the St. Lucie River. After so many years and so many attempts, there was no way I was going to lose this fish. Without hesitating, I jumped in feet first and did the best I could to un-snake the line woven in between the pilings. It was the only shot I had of landing my trophy. After slicing myself on numerous barnacles, stubbing my big toe, bumping a stingray, and praying for a miracle, my dad grabbed the net and finally scooped up the tired fish. The fight lasted nearly twenty minutes, and it was unquestionably the best twenty minutes of my fishing career. I proudly held my snook for a quick photo, and with that I gently put my scaly friend back into the water where I released him just as I had promised. The snook momentarily hesitated, looked at me, flipped me the bird, and swam away! |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
Featured Articles
| Featured Articles - The Hunt for Harbour Island Yellowfin by: Alex Wexler After a short run to t... |
| Featured Articles - Slayin’ ‘em in the sand by: Sean Paxton ©Guts & Nuts Productions Shore-side shark fishi... |
| Featured Articles - Of Kings & Ghosts by: Doug Kelly Thanks to new efforts u... |
| Featured Articles - Foul Weather Flamingo by: Capt. Ariel Cabrera Halfway into the 38 mi... |
Captain's Kitchen
| Capt.'s Kitchen - Main Courses: Fish Dishes Pan Seared Tilefish Chef Kevin Kelly - Wednesday, 29 October 2008 |
| Capt.'s Kitchen - Main Courses: Shellfish Lobster Thai Chef Kevin Kelly - Wednesday, 10 September 2008 |
| Capt.'s Kitchen - Main Courses: Fish Dishes Perfectly Poached… Chef Kevin Kelly - Tuesday, 15 July 2008 |
| Capt.'s Kitchen - Main Courses: Fish Dishes Wild snapper with mango relish Chef Kevin Kelly - Wednesday, 09 April 2008 |
