All Present and Accounted for

Yes, true, Mike and I did have a wonderful day with Capt. Scott Yetter. He possess the knack of putting guests on fish in even the worst conditions. As all tested flats Captain's do, finding successful situations, he really came through for Missouri River Outfitter Mike Kuhnert. The look on Mike's face was priceless. And who doesn't get tired of looking at Permit release photos. Water temps in the mid 60's, NE winds at 20 mph, and Scott with a great plan. Never stray from the plan, true in many, many fishing situations. Mark also had a Permit on for about 5 seconds, and then, as often the case, he released himself before the glory shot. So high and then so low. All part of fishing!

Mike, Capt. Andrew Tipler, and neighbor Bill wandered down to the cesspool of the entire eastern seaboard, Key West, for an evening filled with cocktails, topless (females) mechanical bull riding, and a couple other locales not appropriate for our entire reading audience. Mark was the designated driver, as you always need, and viewed all behaviors with a smirk glued to his face. We did see several cars on the side of the road with red and blue flashing lights accompanying them while driving home. Fun was had by all and a perfect addition to the first part of the day. Catching a Permit requires a whole lot of celebrating! It ranks up there with first fish on a dry, first 20" fish, first kiss, first time with an attractive...you get the point.

Today Mike is reloading, after a long futon slumber, for yet another flats adventure. The damn wind may not recede for a while. Scheduled to fish with Capt. Tom Morgan on Saturday, yes, Captain Morgan, the ironies of life in the lower Keys never cease to humor me. He claims to have the perfect plan...always trust your guide! So hopefully Mike will have more glorious stories to recant and maybe another trip to Key Weird? Who knows.

News Bulletin: Stopped by McDonald's drive-thru at 3 am as an antidote for the bottle of Sapphire swimming around in Mike's belly. Ordered 2 Big Mac's and 2 cheeseburgers, 2 cokes. Pretty standard and stereotypical selection for any time of the day and the fella squawked back...no Big Mac's, no cheeseburgers...what kind of deal is that? I asked if they were out and he replied no. Those two items are not available after midnight. I think this is UnAmerican! Quite possibly the two most commonly ordered items and not available. This is an outrage!! As I finish this entry I am calling McDonald's Headquarters to get to the bottom of this debacle. Stop the Insanity!

Happy Permit dreams Mike, enjoy the temporary glory, it is all downhill from here.