After the redfish extravaganza, Ian Slater and I had a pair of days scheduled to get into shape for our upcoming tournament efforts. We’ve been totally focused on tarpon, at the expense of permit, both feeling that our energy is best spent in that direction. Our first day of fishing was hard–there were but a…

After the three days of being beaten down by the January permit, I had an opportunity to fish with Captains Brandon Cyr and Nick Labadie in the Sugarloaf Showdown, the now-annual tournament to benefit the Guides Trust Foundation that the Lower Keys Guides Association puts on. The tournament had been moved to January after a…

Earlier last week I had the opportunity to fish for a three-day stint, each day with a different guide and in two cases joined by a special guest. Sunday I was invited by Wes Smith to fish with Ian Slater, and we left early with high hopes. The weather had turned to our favor, warming…

Yesterday I fished for the first time since the new year, and it didn’t disappoint. I had Ian booked for the day in hopes that we might get lucky with some warm January weather, and I was off by a day or two. The conditions were improving, however, after a long period of cold weather,…

Since the last post, I’ve been able to get out for a few days in search of some barracuda and what was the last permit fishing of 2020. This December has brought with it more cold fronts than usual, but after having the spring to ourselves down here it seems like a bit much to…

Last week I returned to the Everglades to spend three days with a pretty amazing group of people. The last trip I had made there was in late February of last year, when those who are familiar with these reports will remember we finally caught the six pound record we had been after for nearly…

Over the last week I’ve been fishing lots. John O’Hearn and I were invited to fish in the IGFA Permit Invitational tournament, a new-but-welcomed addition to the Key West tournament scene. While Wednesday through Friday were the tournament days, we elected to fish three days leading up to it. I was looking forward to fishing…

Yesterday I fished with John O’Hearn, leading up to the IGFA Permit Invitational next Wednesday. We are scheduled to fish starting Monday through the end of the week, with the tournament days ending on Friday. Probably due to the lack of any major tournaments in the fall months, not to mention the recent Corona-driven cancellations…

For the last month, I’ve been fishing lots. Our trip to Mexico with the normal crew was a smashing success, with fun and permit in great supply for everyone. Here at home, fishing has been good if never superlative. The days I’ve been able to get out have been rewarding in steady supply, and a…

Since the last post, I’ve been able to get out on the water a fair amount. Keeping my life as simple as I can has meant that when things slow down (and often when they don’t), I’m able to focus only on the fishing. When the summer stalls things in Key West, I’m inevitably happy…