Fishing With Steve, Part 3

Day two ended with some fish that were dipping their tails into the sunlight, and we saw a fish that was very close to the boat that provided a good shot, but I broke the tippet on the hook set. This was the end of day 2, and we returned home for a lovely dinner with Steve and his wife. Aaron captured a baby flounder in the adjacent dock lights with his hands, and we went to bed early to prepare for day 3, our final day.
Day 3 dawned windier and cooler that the previous day, and the clouds moved overhead with a purpose. We hooked a very large fish early, and after a few jumps and a large circle the fly came out.
During the next six hours, we were treated to some of the most challenging tarpon fishing one can have: fish that were only visible feet from the boat and all facing, it seemed, in different directions. We had two shots at fish at this close range, and both would have eaten the fly had they not seen the boat. One actually opened it’s mouth and turned away just before swallowing the fly, something I felt privileged (and slightly frustrated, I must say) to watch.

After an afternoon of this, Steve called the tarpon fishing over and he and Aaron set about trying to catch a snook against an adjacent shoreline. He did so in style, landing this 9 lb snook 30 minutes from the end of our last day:

Something is happening in the pursuit of this record. I am finding that we are fishing in challenging conditions and in places that we ordinarily would not, and this is a great (though extremely challenging) thing. I feel privileged to fish for these great critters and to enjoy the company of people like Captains Steven Huff and Aaron Snell. I am blown away by the challenge, the pursuit, and above all, the intimate interaction with these people and animals. That’s all.

ncl/tac