Capt. Carp and Sol Pt. 2

I put Capt Carp up tho the ultimate challenge after his bridge hand lining success.The location of this reprehensible event is TOP SECRET, but I will tell you it is in the Florida Keys. 

The fly of choice was really no fly at all. It is indeed Dion's Chicken. Dion's is a chain of convenience stores strung out, a few strange connotations associated with the Keys there, from Tavernier to Key West. It is the type of place where you very well could see Jay and Silent Bob chillin' pounding a couple 40's. 

Carp boy and I select the thigh meat  as maybe the greasiest and most foul, so we assumed the target fish would enjoy the tempting little snack. We had to sort through the Corn Dogs, Ham Coquette's, Egg Rolls, and Jo-Jo-s, finally deciding on the thigh. Who doesn't like a nice thigh anyway. Fishermen eat this shit all the time, so why wouldn't fish?

We slipped in to the preferred parking spot, full renegade mode. I informed Cappy of the game plan. In and out in 10 minutes. He nodded, grab the 2 ft. Sabiki pole rigged with 10# test, 20# transition leader, and 30# bite tippet...and skulk on in.

My role was the chummer, (the skin is the best), the director, and the camera man. I was also chief watch and cheerleader. Carp held the pole and maneuvered into position, crouching at waters edge and focused. He was wearing the appropriate HH Pink Floral Flex Fit, turned backwards gangsta style, and the finest in Simms clandestine pondwear. All accessories you need while exhibiting covert fishing behaviors.

I began to chum the fish in, which is not that difficult because word on the street is they do prefer the chicken although I have fed them Cuban Pork before, and they like it nearly as well.

I got the fish chummed into a froth and Capt. Carp presented the bait. A nice piece of meat, double stitched onto the J hook and waited. Gulp! Fish on. Three explosive jumps as I was fumbling with the camera slathered in grease, and we looked at each other with utter amazement. Wow, it worked. 

If you've never had the good fortune to battle a Tarpon on a fly rod, try using a 2 footer. the pole was about a foot shorter than the fish. I'm not sure if it had enough backbone, but when you have been doing it as long as the Captain, meaning about 2 hours, you become creative. He really did whip that fish. He had bought a new Boga Grip in Jacksonville and was eager to try it out. What better time than right now.We slid the fish to shore, attached the Boga, and photo time. 

Carp boy was like a kid in a candy store, or an adult in a fly shop. What a truly neat experience, and don't have to do it again. Diversification and expanding your fishing avenues is what can really be fun in the world of fishing. 

We escaped and wandered to the nearest Tiki Bar to gloat and laugh about the days events. Bridge fishing with a hand line and landing a Tarpon on a short pole. That's where smiles come from.

This is urban road fishing at it's finest. These tarpon had surfed in during one of the many hurricanes that grace the Keys and are land locked. Tannin stained water, very little garbage around, houses within sight, and pleasant bench surround this less than 1 acre pond. There is not room for a back cast, so the fly rod is not the weapon of choice. I have tried here with a bow and arrow cast, did have an eat, but missed the fish badly in my bewilderment.

CC and I are in Southern Illinois and haulin' ass homeward. 1267.4 mile behind us and getting colder by the mile. We are both looking forward to seeing Craig and preparing for the summer. John and Julie need some time away from the store, or so I think, and I appreciate all they have done this winter. Thanks again, see you soon. 

Lita Ford and the Florida Turnpike

Day one over and all is well. CC and Sol are breakfasting with Carol Kuhnert in Jacksonville, meaning Folger's and Camels. The Navy breakfast, except the military has restrictions on who even they will admit and I'm pretty sure it does not include itinerant and often intermittent work behaviors of guides. The things that stand out from day one on the road are...

1. Lita Ford still rocks! Kiss me Deadly is a hit in my mind. Although I don't know if it is because the tune is catchy or I still have a teenage crush on this Blond Rocker Chick? Before going solo, she was a member of the all girls rock band, The Runaways. You may also remember her singing a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, Close my eyes forever, which is a great slow dance tune you still may hear at mid-west weddings.


2. People in Florida are abysmal drivers. I have always believed that FLA is the cesspool of the eastern seaboard, and yesterdays drivers confirm that fact. The automobile blinker is an indicator to where you would like to move your vehicle. They must not install them on cars from the deep south. Freakin' dangerous driving behaviors. Go back to NJ and learn how to drive.


3. I saw five live and lit cigarette's expelled from the window of inconsiderate and thoughtless drivers. I know they do not install ashtrays in cars anymore, but put it in that empty Coors Lite can for God's sake. I knew there was a use for the Silver Bullet, it is certainly not good for anything else. Note: This is the same individual that walks in front of you, opens the door to a retail joint, and lets the door close directly behind them, and directly in front of you. I despise these folks whose only goal in life is personal. Self Centered Pricks! I really want to slap them, but generally take the high road.


4. AM Radio stations, which I am a fan of, in Florida consist of 3 genre's. Religious, financial, and Latin. None of which I enjoy. There's nothing quite like listening to Spanish speaking, Jewish oriented investment babble. I can drive for hours listening to static driven talk radio, but have to defer to books on tape while in FLA.
5. Ran into your Grandmom-mom Hortense in Vero Beach at the Royal Fork Buffet. She wanted me to pass on this message..."You never call, you never write, and by God will you send the pictures of the grandkids."
6. Travelling on the Florida Turnpike is an interesting trip. It is an insulated highway with very few exits, and the occasional rest stop, but the rest stops have food services and tourist type stuff...knock off perfumes and cologne's, tacky polyester patterned shirts, overpriced bottled water, and of course the longest lines were for the Starbuck's franchise. Could not find a cup of Folger's to save my life.
7. Toll booths that require and additional $1 to continue. These occur about every 2 cigarettes. Found a pattern developing as we drove. The female attendants were not very nice. No eye contact, no smiling, no Thank You's...so no thank you. The male attendants were friendly, chatty, and told us jokes. Q: "What's the difference between a vacuum cleaner and a Harley rider? A: The vacuum cleaner has the dirtbag on the inside. Had to laugh, it is a variation on the Volvo/Porcupine joke.

Day two ahead of us, Georgia and some other states including Kentucky, Tennessee, and ending at a Motel 6 tonight. I have a weird obsession with Tom Bodet and Motel 6. I don't know the underlying mental deficiencies that fuel this psychosomatic response, but I do know that I cannot stop driving until I see the friendly red, white, and blue sign.

Part 2 of Capt. Carp and Sol Last Keys Adventure coming tomorrow.

Until then, I will be driving the world's best vehicle, speaking with my broker about GM stock, buying cartons of Camel's in Kentucky for $24, and keeping Capt. Carp out of Firework's Warehouses and Gentleman's Clubs.

Just a little tease...

Capt Carp here showing the picture tease for the next blog report. Still cold in FLA, and we are heading North on Sunday, back to MT. You may ask yourself, "Is that is Dion's Quik Chik Chicken?"...and it will be used in the next blog episode, coming soooon....

Capt Carp and Sol: Part 1

Captain Carp and I were not going to be put down by one more day of windy cool southern Florida weather. We embarked at the crack of noon on a bridge fishing journey. Talking about the metaphors and virtues of the previous article whilst choking down a couple Camels on the porch last night led us into today's excursion.

We began by finding a Cuban Hand Line at a local fishing store(always shop small destination stores when you find them, and don't buy from the French, just a rule) valued @ $4.79. Pre-rigged with an egg sinker, wire leader, and a J hook. All set there.

Couldn't help purchasing a small 2 ft. long Sabiki pole too. It was adorned with the world's smallest reel and 10# line. The fella at the counter assured us of its quality, mentioning that he had landed a 15# tarpon on a rod like the one I was playing with, $22.50. A 10 piece Mustad bait hooks package, half dozen 1/8 oz. egg sinkers, and 2 dozen live shrimp. Which way are the bridges?

Back on A1A heading west in Sol's Suburban (see blog entry 10 Best Fishing Rides of all time) when Capt Carp spots a likely bridge. The bridges one fishes in the Keys are adjacent to the highway and used by hoards of locals, Cubans, and vacationers alike. I mention Cubans because they are deadly hand liners. We were hoping to bump into one and glean any information and advice he would offer, but when the temperature drops below 70 F, most Floridians stay inside where its warm.

Now we are on the bridge over Niles Channel and it is go time. Carp boy drops his in first and me with the Sabiki pole second. Thee is really nothing better than catching fish with hand and line. Tipped with squirmy and smelly shrimps, our baited hooks did attract lots of fish's. Putting the hook in them is the hardest part. All fish love live bait, yes, even trout. Between the two of us, we did land small Yellowtail Snapper, Blue Runner's, Pinfish, Leather Jacks (if they sting you, your hand swells up like a cantaloupe), and missed a few Barracuda. What fun. Had an absolute ball. Would do it again in a New York minute.

Would I plan a vacation around this activity? No. I would encourage any fishing fanatic to get back to your roots boy. Spend some time doing something totally different. It's like cross training for fly fishing. Being able to observe fish behaviors 17' below you and having tactile reference to the line is something special.

Bridge fishing really is a terrific family activity. You see many families fishing together with a menagerie of poles spanning from the hand line, the bamboo stick, not fly rod, stick, to over priced poles that we scoff at the price of. I know, we are fly fisherman and don't scoff at the price of anything...somewhere we went sideways on this deal! Go out and have some fun! Just don't let junior stray too far from you, dangerous shark infested waters lay below.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Capt. Carp and Sol.

It's all Fishing Man!

We all started somewhere. It may have been last weekend, last year, or 40 years ago. For many of us it was fishing with our family as young children. The fact is that we all started sometime, somewhere. I'm not going to bore you with my first foray into fishing(I'll save that for when I am speechless and need to write a blog, coming too soon for most of you) but rather identify and rationalize the truth. Fishing brings happiness to all of us.

Fly rod in hand and casting at finicky fish is what I love. I also love throwing shrimp tipped jigs for snapper, sea trout, lady fish, or even trying my luck bridge fishing here in the Keys. I still have not dredged my home river with night crawlers under a bobber, with some sort of heavy diamond shaped sinker, yet, but I have been fantasizing about it for at least 10 years. Imagine the Browns that would respond to a wiggling worm in the spring! Hmmm....

The upshot of this writers point is just this...Fishing is for every body, there are many disciplines and methods, it does not have to cost a shitload of money, and I beg all of you not to discount any fisherman with a smile on his/her face.

I see hand liners here in FLA that are having a ball. It is just line around a large diameter spool, a hook, a sinker, and a small piece of something alive or smelly, your choice. I see $1 million+ boats, with 3 mates, electronic laden consoles, two quivers worth of rods, suitcases full of jigs, lures, stuffed bait wells, kites, hooks, extra spools for the reels, etc. Which party is having more fun?

I imagine a similar conversations by both parties...

Bridge Guy "Someday I will have a boat like that. Catch more fish, ladies chillin' in the salon, huge tuna for dinner, playboy lifestyles..."

Big Boat Guy "I wish my life was simpler. Hop out of your car, grab a couple cheap spinning rods, $4 in jigs and a bait bucket. No hassles, no obscenely high gas prices, no lazy mates, no high maintenance women in the salon. Just a few snapper on the grill for dinner."

So, you be the judge. Most of our fly fishing passions are derived from the generic fishing bug we acquired somewhere along the line. We all have different reasons for fishing, but there is a common thread, and that in itself is fishing.

It encourages happiness and joy. It creates an environment of learning and laughing with friends and family. It is riddled with hope, misfortune, learning, entertainment, and relaxation. It is all good. Soulful relation.

Next time you see an angler that is fishing in a manner that you may not enjoy, don't demean or belittle that individual...getting on your high horse does not make your fishing experience better, just be happy for him. He is after the same things you are, and fishing is a vehicle we both can use to attain these lofty, yet achievable goals. The smile on his face is a mirror image of the smile on your face.

Remember this old adage? I have added a couple lines too.

"Days spent fishing are not deducted from the total days we have been allotted on this earth. Fishing days are free. Fishing days are a balance between reality and fantasy. Fishing may be the lowest common denominator in life. Those who fish have more in common than most."

Writing this makes me want to do some hand lining tomorrow. I've never tried it. Using the most basic tools may improve my game. I can tell you it will not hurt. Just one more fishing technique and tool in my box is always a welcome addition. I just might.

It's all Fishing Man!

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.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Keys...

As I sit here watching the snow fall silently outside the window, (wishing it was spring or that I was somewhere warm) I recieve this email from Team Headhunters in the Florida Keys. Guide Mike Kuhnert is down to spend a week or two fishing with Mark before they return to Craig. They've been spending plenty of time on the water, usually with Capt. Scott Yetter. Looks like they had some success today, despite what appears to be some pretty windy conditions.

Here's a picture of Mike who caught his first Permit. What a beauty. Glad Kuhnert is getting some good fishing in before he heads back to dreary old Montana. Nothing in the world beats a Permit! Looks like Capt. Scott put him in the right position to close the deal. OK Mike, you've got that out of the way, now it's time to get back to reality. Word is, he and Mark are heading to Key West this evening for some naked bull riding...not sure what that's all about, but I hope they shower up afterwords.

Mark looks pretty happy with this Jack, and he should be. Though not one of the big three, Jacks put up a great fight. Watching a Jack (or group of them) chasing your fly or lure is about as exciting as it gets, especailly for a trout fisherman accustomed to the gentle rise of a sipping Brown Trout. They are voracious predators. On a windy day in the Keys, Jacks can really save the day. Cuda, shark or Jack...I vote for the Jack any day!

Have fun guys. Spring is on the way, and you'll both be rowing for dollars before you know it.

Just another day in the Keys

Fished with Capt. Scott Yetter again today, as I do many days he is not guiding. This number used to be a lot more, but he has become so damned popular that my opportunities are fewer. I am certainly not complaining as I really don't want to fish several consecutive days anymore, as it is only half of the reason for wintering in the Keys. The other half being resting, reading, watching the day go by, etc. I am very fortunate to be able to fish other flats Capt.'s too, Capt. Morgan, Capt. Tipler, Capt. Gorton, and John Arnold when he is here too. John is of course in MT this winter doing a fine job creating new web sites this blog site, along with Julie. All of these fellas are terrific and I encourage anybody coming to the Keys to utilize their local knowledge to increase your opportunities while fishing for these often difficult gamefish. I will get back on track...fished with Scott again today. Out at 9 am and perfectly calm coupled with blue sunny skies. Poked around for a few redfish, blank. Wind had come from nowhere, which means out of the north sucking the moisture right off the suface and suspending it in the sky in the form of dark grey clouds. Shit, foiled again.

The weather wherever you fish is so freakin' fickle!...Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

It is really all one can do. Keep your head up and secretly pray to the fish gods. If that doesn't work, then lots profanity usually make me feel better. This generally does not help matters either, but it is one of the most common paths fisherman take to relieve the pain.
Scott and I had decided to head back to the marina and call it an early day. But wait...in true Capt. Yetter fashion...we went searching for another baby tarpon spot. Scott knows a ton of these locales, and is always on the hunt for more. We ducked out of the wind in a nearby canal. Urban style. If you have not been to the Keys you may not know that there are literally thousands of these canals that were created to build vacation homes. Therefore giving waterfront to many more homes that would originaly fit on the landscape. These canals are perfect for rearing tarpon. Protected, warm, and full of bait fish. We wandered around through the mazes talking and looking for rolling fish. Nada. By the time we exited the canal system the sky was blue once again. Aborted the respite and safety of the marina and ran to a nearby flat. Still heavy winds out of the NE and hid behind a east-west facing key. Now out of the wind and looking for a couple bones. 15 minutes of staring at beautiful water without seeing a target. If you have not saltwater fished, and your experience is trout based, you may be in for a rude awakening. There are hours filled with waiting with fly in hand poised to cast at a bone, permit, tarpon...we spotted a pair of little permit, 5 pounders, sniffing the edge hoping to find a morsel to chew on. In hindsight I was successful. This only means that I didn't spook the fish. The magic wand, aka fly rod, can scare the shit out of a permit merely by waving it around, not even getting the fly in the water! I made 4-5 perfectly executed casts in the direction of the permit, and he did not eat the fly. He also did not see the fly. Anticipating where to cast a fly at a meandering permit is like trying to predict the mood swings of a teenager, or your girlfriend. Failure. Or is it?

Is not spooking a permit with your fly considered a
success?

I say yes! It is really easy to spook those bastards. The fish did elude me and swam in a direction unbeknownst to either Scott or I. That shit just happens. They are ultimately wild creatures and permit are known to disppear into space. I felt pretty good about the experience, I will sleep just fine tonight. So the days go as I spend the reamining 2 weeks of my short 2 1/2 month truly wonderful stay in the Keys. Back home to Montana and the Missouri soon. I really am looking forward to it. I will remember all of these moments frozen in time this summer as I enjoy just another day in Craig. But until then, there will be a few more catches and exponentially more misses. Just another day in the Keys.

Captain Scott is a wonderful flats guide who just adores Tarpon, he is really good at finding them! To fish with Captain Scott Yetter in the fabulous Lower Florida Keys http://sightfishfloridakeys.com/ or give him a shout @ 305/304-6132