April Key West Fishing in a Nut Shell

I had a lot of trouble sitting down to blog last month, working on skiff's when I wasn't fishing.

Not fishing because of bad weather, fishing in bad weather, bad fishing in bad weather!

John Swift aka Swifty was in for a few days and managed to hook on the 3 rd cast of the first hour a 120 lber, we got him after some great jumps and luck.

We rubbed his shinny head and back into the briny he slid.

Swifty and I always have fun, laughs, he's an old motorcycle fag like me so we spend our days babbling about the latest hot sport bike's, helmets, boots and where to wear them next.

Fishing together is the gear oil that keeps us driving forward during our time B S ing about motorcycles.

We stop and capture a nice fish without interrupting the bike bla bla.

He's been fishing about 3 times a year for 2-3 days at a time for ? 15-20 yrs!?

Leon Jackson from Montreal was fishing with me in mid April, we lost the first day because of a cold front and spent the next few days floggin the tarpon with every fly in the box with little success, very cold water, pissed Tarpon.

We enjoyed a nice cigar and every afternoon at Tea Time, a little Single malt.

Leon Jackson/ you would expect a 7 foot NBA guy from Alabama, not a born in French Canada Stock trader.

Leon will be back May 08.

Great guy Leon.

Butch and Joan Manasse, outfitters from Y-OMIN for a couple days and after Joan pulled on a Tusker for a good while took the rest of the day off.

They are a fun couple and good sports although, Joan has a habit of poken holes in a perfectly good kiddy Kat { 200 lb Cougar with a Arrow}

Jay Reed, one of the Indiana Hoggies was in for a few days, we shot the poo about our other Hoosier pals, past fishing trips and Whiskey Hunts.

Lost of tuff fishing in April but, great friends to play with.

May brings in Jim "Red Cloud" Cloud for our 26th year of fishing together...26 YEARS

Jim also in the past has hunted Alligators and Frogs from my airboat in the glades, saw him stick a frog once!
He's much better with the flyrod, Jims family

Peter Mullet my pal that arranges Mongolian Fly fishing trips for a week of Tarpooning. He will bring his monkey along for my viewing pleasure.

Adjum Marton from Chicago will be here for a week also, we always laugh out asses off and hook big Tarpon, hope he brings his dad for even more fun.

Doin the Tarpon Shuffel

3 weeks @ 30MPH

MY GOD!

Every joint in my old body hurts, Ibuprofen, Osteo Bi-Flex Glucosamine Chondroitin with MSM

be damned!

Every few years we have a March like this, cold fronts not strong enough to push a high pressure off the Florida/Keys coast or the worse case, the little cold front gets hurled back at us
(Backdoor Cold Front)

Either way it means lots of Wind and this week like the two weeks before it has been 20-35 MPH.

Does not encourage Tarpon to slide in to the shallows for a restful spring feast and poling the Flats for Permit Shots very tuff.

But the good news is.....April...we hope.

Got to run, Arthritis Foundation Crisis Hot Line is on the phone and I must get to Wal-Greens for the 2-4-1 sale on Bi-Flex

If your coming down, bring your suction cup deck shoes!