FLORIDA ROADTRIP PART 1
Currently as I sit writing this article, I am at the edge of the beachfront in Key Largo accompanied with a cold drink and a beautiful sunset. The Keys were going to be my end destination but I had plans before I arrived here. My best friend and his soon to be wife decided they wanted to have their wedding down there and I figured why not to make a trip out of it. Originally, I planned on staying down there for the full time but at last minute my brother decided he wanted to join.
I was appreciative of the company and when it came to the finer details of the trip we began to discuss them. He told me that he has never caught a Snook and that he wants to check that off his list. Fortunately I have and I know the area well from past Snooktopia trips. So that being said, the first part of our trip was going to be a stop on the Loxahatchee River to see if we could get him on a Snook!
After loading up every piece of fishing fear that we own, my brother and I were finally headed for southern Florida. Fortunately for us, my buddies still had Snooktopia the week prior to us heading down there so they already had some patterns figured out. I called one of my buddies and he explained exactly where the mullet where and what we should do. So that definitely was a huge help and saved us a lot of leg work.
After driving all night and a thousand miles later, we arrived to Jupiter and were eager to get on the water. WE launched the boat and went to the are where Donald had told me to catch bait at. My brother Blaze made a short wade, made 1 cast and we had enough mullet for the night. We decided to head to the inlet and anchor out to get an early start.
What we witnessed next is an aspect thats worth adding and without a doubt, worth the long drive. We sat and watched 100 lb.+ Tarpon jump out the water while busting pods of mullet. This spectacle is only something you see pictures and videos of but getting to witness it was something that was truly awesome. It was certainly a sight that both of us will never forget.
As the sun went down we began to get a few bites, mostly Gaftops and Jack's but it’s certainly better than nothing. I kept trying to explain to my brother how Snook fight and how powerful they can be; much like me during my first time, I didn’t believe it. The sun finally went down and as soon it got dark enough for me to turn on the running lights, Blaze’s reel started screaming. As he set the hook, she came up and we could see her head shaking in the darkness of the inlet. We both knew it was a good fish instantly and that the fight was just starting. She took off directly to the middle of the inlet and before we realized it, he was nearly spooled. Unfortunately, and how all big fish stories end, she got away by pulling the hook. After it was done, I could do nothing but laugh because my brother shared the same baffled look as I did on my first Snook. It’s a quick realization that these aren’t our normal fish.
We continued on and not too long after my brother got another bite. By the way it was acting, we knew that it had to be a Snook. After a few minutes and a good fight, my brother finally got in his first Snook. A nice 30” specimen and a solid one to start out with. The rest of the night proved to be dead but no worries, we know that they are there.
The next day we got up and decided to take our time getting everything ready. We dropped by a local dive for lunch and afterwards rigged up again for the night. As always, we headed out in search for bait first and this time it came just as easy. Luckily for us, Blaze caught 6 nice sand perch in the castnet and I instantly got excited. I knew that these perch were the recipe to catching big Snook. Around dark we done the same thing as the night before and anchored up just before dark. I grabbed the biggest sand perch in the livewell and chunked it out the back of the boat and began to wait. My brother had his doubts because it was such a big bait but I assured him that it would work.
After an hour or so of soaking that perch, out of nowhere my line began to peel out quick. I gave it several seconds before setting the hook because I knew it was such a big bait. Once I did, the fight began and it was another quick but intense fight. She took off and never stoped, even with all of my efforts to turn her. Unfortunately for me, she ran to the nearest pier pylon and broke me off. Knowing that it was the biggest bait we had and how she fought, we both knew that it was another good one.
I retied and shook my head in disbelief but I fully understand that this is exactly how it goes. We continued fishing and Blaze got another good run but the fish spit the bait before getting a hook set. We fished well past midnight before calling it and heading back to our house.
After it was all said and done, we didn’t completely hammer the Snook but we had our opportunities. I fully believe that the main reason for traveling to certain location in hopes to catch a trophy fish is about the opportunity. It’s the same reason why you fish Baffin Bay for 30” trout or Bahamas for 10 lb. bonefish or Jupiter, Florida to catch a 40” Snook. You do it because this is the best opportunity to catch a trophy size fish.
My brother and I fully understood that and we didn’t come up empty handed. We had a great time and I was able to show him a piece of Florida that I have come to love. As I previously mentioned, we are now in the Florida keys and we have a lot more water to explore. This area is completely new to the both of us and we really aren’t sure where to start. However, that is half the fun and part of the adventure. We just finished the first leg of our trip and there is plenty of more fishing to be done!