11.4.2010
by Sam Root of http://www.saltyshores.com
All the clips in this video was shot on the Kodak Playsport back in August. Right after this my camera gear kinda walked away so I didn't really pay much attention to the video footage I got that weekend. I finally got around to looking at some of it today and it was actually pretty nice. I got some nice Tuna underwater shots down at the Marathon hump. This was work related just hanging out with some friends down there. Benny, Jeff, Chris Walters, Chris Lewis and Paul F.
With some good lighting that $150 camera did great.
About Me
- Sam Root of Saltyshores.com
- I shoot photos and videos of mostly outdoor and lifestyle. I love to fish so the main focus of that of fishing. I run a website called Saltyshores.com and use it to share my adventures through life. Hope you enjoy my blog.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
My Thailand Travels: return flight eating bugs
June 13th 2010
Friday I began the long journey back home from half way around the world. The last day in the Thailand was filled with running around getting a list of things friends and family asked for. We visited a market next to a river. I would expect the river to be totally lifeless considering how poor most of the people are here it would be fished out. On the contrary however. The fish was abundant and came up to eat out of your hands. The locals tells that it was because the market is next to temple so it is forbidden to harm wild life there. The fish apparently knows this because they were all over the place.
After dinner we were packed and ready to head to the airport. We were to fly out via Korean Airlines at about 11pm. Not knowing how the traffic was going to be we left early and got there at 9pm. We had an hour flight delay so flight out of Bangkok to South Korea was now midnight. We pass the time buying some wi-fi time, and cruise the internet which I have not done for for a bit. Apparently the US is the only airports providing free wi-fi for your laptop.
Five hours in the air we landed in South Korea for another 3 hour layover. I took this opportunity to get some much needed sleep. My brother law tells me I was snoring but I didn't care. The 30minute nap I got was well worth it. This was to be the epic flight back to New York and for whatever reason I just can not sleep well while flying. I say epic because the flight leaves 11am S. Korea time, with the time zone changes and half way around the world we were not to land on US soil until 11am (yes 24 hours later) the next day! I think it came out to like 14 hours in the hair but that is a loooooooooong time to be anywhere much less a single economy class chair in a crowded airplane.
The flight was an eternity. If it wasn't for the built in entertainment system I do not know what I would have done to keep myself busy. I must have watched 10 movies during the flight. My favorite was "How to train a dragon". Next time I do this I will have to bring my ipad, ipod as they do have a usb charger as well. There were music, new releases, classic as well as foreign movies, board games, arcade games.
After landing in NY we had to go through customs. By the way, US customs does not like you to use you cameras in that area. I was told immediately to stop and delete what I had recorded. I complied quickly. I do not think it had anything to do with my video taking but I was sent to be interview more and not just walked through after checking papers like my brother and law. They asked me all kinds of questions but at the end all was good minus a small delay. I call tell looking around that room though, that some was being sent back or interrogated more and did not look very happy.
We are now on US grounds. No sleep and looking at a Wendy's we at our lunch. I have been eating Thai or Korean food for the past 11 days and was ready to get some good American food in my stomach. It was the best hamburger I've had in a long time. We will need the energy for yet another 5 hours of layover before heading to Orlando as our final destination.
The New York airport was crowded old and dirty compare to the new Thai and Korean airport. I wasn't very comfortable but was I was glad to be one step closer to home. I killed time charging all my gear(out of the country 220v was the power) and making phone calls and following up on emails and voice mails. I did not utilize my Verizon phone in "roaming mode" while I was away. It would've cost some crazy amount plus I really did not want to be attached to a phone the entire time I was in Thailand.
After almost another 1 hour delay we were off finally. 9pm we landed in Orlando and was greeted by my brother in law's family. I'm not home just just yet. We drove to Lake Whales to drop him off then I had to make the 1.5 hour drive back to Tampa. This is cake to what I normally drive but if you count how long I have been up, I have been with out sleep for almost 48 hours now. I had to fill up on gas and down some energy drink.
The drive home(alone finally) gave me time to reflect on the trip and the long journey half way around the world. Though it was not meant to be, this trip will definitely be a life changer for me. I am fortunate enough to see the other side many never get a chance to. If you care to listen, I will share my perspective as this blog goes on. We are fortunate here, we are compare to most of the world.
I arrive in my driveway right before midnight. I should be dead tired and falling over from lack of sleep but I was not. Now to get over the jet lag.......
------------------------------------------------------------
Eating Bugs:
While I was there I avoided most of the tourist hot spots. I leaned towards more of the local flavors. I didn't want to eat at fancy restaurants I wanted street foods. I wanted eat things I could not eat back in the states. The exotic fresh fruits and strange types of meets and insects that they eat there.
I must have sampled 10 different type of insects while I was there. From Dung Beatles, silk worms, flying ants, rice roaches, crickets, inch worms, I even tried the eggs horse shoe crabs. Most of the bugs didn't have much taste at all after it got fried. My favorites were the flying ants. The local names is "mang mun" this translates to "oil insect". The bug has oil bladder, which has an excellent taste as the gland explodes in your mouth.
Friday I began the long journey back home from half way around the world. The last day in the Thailand was filled with running around getting a list of things friends and family asked for. We visited a market next to a river. I would expect the river to be totally lifeless considering how poor most of the people are here it would be fished out. On the contrary however. The fish was abundant and came up to eat out of your hands. The locals tells that it was because the market is next to temple so it is forbidden to harm wild life there. The fish apparently knows this because they were all over the place.
After dinner we were packed and ready to head to the airport. We were to fly out via Korean Airlines at about 11pm. Not knowing how the traffic was going to be we left early and got there at 9pm. We had an hour flight delay so flight out of Bangkok to South Korea was now midnight. We pass the time buying some wi-fi time, and cruise the internet which I have not done for for a bit. Apparently the US is the only airports providing free wi-fi for your laptop.
Five hours in the air we landed in South Korea for another 3 hour layover. I took this opportunity to get some much needed sleep. My brother law tells me I was snoring but I didn't care. The 30minute nap I got was well worth it. This was to be the epic flight back to New York and for whatever reason I just can not sleep well while flying. I say epic because the flight leaves 11am S. Korea time, with the time zone changes and half way around the world we were not to land on US soil until 11am (yes 24 hours later) the next day! I think it came out to like 14 hours in the hair but that is a loooooooooong time to be anywhere much less a single economy class chair in a crowded airplane.
The flight was an eternity. If it wasn't for the built in entertainment system I do not know what I would have done to keep myself busy. I must have watched 10 movies during the flight. My favorite was "How to train a dragon". Next time I do this I will have to bring my ipad, ipod as they do have a usb charger as well. There were music, new releases, classic as well as foreign movies, board games, arcade games.
After landing in NY we had to go through customs. By the way, US customs does not like you to use you cameras in that area. I was told immediately to stop and delete what I had recorded. I complied quickly. I do not think it had anything to do with my video taking but I was sent to be interview more and not just walked through after checking papers like my brother and law. They asked me all kinds of questions but at the end all was good minus a small delay. I call tell looking around that room though, that some was being sent back or interrogated more and did not look very happy.
We are now on US grounds. No sleep and looking at a Wendy's we at our lunch. I have been eating Thai or Korean food for the past 11 days and was ready to get some good American food in my stomach. It was the best hamburger I've had in a long time. We will need the energy for yet another 5 hours of layover before heading to Orlando as our final destination.
The New York airport was crowded old and dirty compare to the new Thai and Korean airport. I wasn't very comfortable but was I was glad to be one step closer to home. I killed time charging all my gear(out of the country 220v was the power) and making phone calls and following up on emails and voice mails. I did not utilize my Verizon phone in "roaming mode" while I was away. It would've cost some crazy amount plus I really did not want to be attached to a phone the entire time I was in Thailand.
After almost another 1 hour delay we were off finally. 9pm we landed in Orlando and was greeted by my brother in law's family. I'm not home just just yet. We drove to Lake Whales to drop him off then I had to make the 1.5 hour drive back to Tampa. This is cake to what I normally drive but if you count how long I have been up, I have been with out sleep for almost 48 hours now. I had to fill up on gas and down some energy drink.
The drive home(alone finally) gave me time to reflect on the trip and the long journey half way around the world. Though it was not meant to be, this trip will definitely be a life changer for me. I am fortunate enough to see the other side many never get a chance to. If you care to listen, I will share my perspective as this blog goes on. We are fortunate here, we are compare to most of the world.
I arrive in my driveway right before midnight. I should be dead tired and falling over from lack of sleep but I was not. Now to get over the jet lag.......
------------------------------------------------------------
Eating Bugs:
While I was there I avoided most of the tourist hot spots. I leaned towards more of the local flavors. I didn't want to eat at fancy restaurants I wanted street foods. I wanted eat things I could not eat back in the states. The exotic fresh fruits and strange types of meets and insects that they eat there.
I must have sampled 10 different type of insects while I was there. From Dung Beatles, silk worms, flying ants, rice roaches, crickets, inch worms, I even tried the eggs horse shoe crabs. Most of the bugs didn't have much taste at all after it got fried. My favorites were the flying ants. The local names is "mang mun" this translates to "oil insect". The bug has oil bladder, which has an excellent taste as the gland explodes in your mouth.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Tri Shear cutter, the ultimate cutting tool for fisherman.
Tri Shear line cutting tool video review. This is my first video review of a product, as just writing about it will not do it justice.
I came across the Tri Shear by Innovative Fishing Tackle at the 2009 ICAST in Orlando Florida this past July. I was pretty impressed. The tool is light weight aluminum that will cut just about any line you could possible used on a fishing boat. It cuts mono obviously but it cuts mono up to 600lbs. It cuts braid all the way up to 200lb test. The most impressive is seeing it cut steel leaders all the way up to 600lb test, single or multi strand. It never gets dull so the next cut after cutting steel can be 10lb braid.
If it does get dull the company said they would replace it. For about $80 bucks, it comes with a lanyard and a holster plus a lifetime warranty. Not a bad deal.
I couldn’t get a hold of one and I’ve been looking for them in the stores ever since. Well, I started to see them in stores lately and got a hold of one. I sat in the garage and started to look for things to cut up. I got a hold of steel shark leaders, dacron, small diameter braided line. I have to say it did it’s job nicely. This tool will be staying with me almost every time I get on the water.
Locally I have seen the tool at Tampa Fishing Outfitters in Tampa and Captain Ted’s Tackle in Charlotte County.
Tri Shear
If it does get dull the company said they would replace it. For about $80 bucks, it comes with a lanyard and a holster plus a lifetime warranty. Not a bad deal.
I couldn’t get a hold of one and I’ve been looking for them in the stores ever since. Well, I started to see them in stores lately and got a hold of one. I sat in the garage and started to look for things to cut up. I got a hold of steel shark leaders, dacron, small diameter braided line. I have to say it did it’s job nicely. This tool will be staying with me almost every time I get on the water.
Locally I have seen the tool at Tampa Fishing Outfitters in Tampa and Captain Ted’s Tackle in Charlotte County.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Everglades Alligator Photos
Feb 19th 2010
I had a few minutes this morning to go through some photos from the last couple of weeks.
From the everglades mother ship trip to the Miami Boat show.
Coming up today or tomorrow a couple of lure review by my friend Rich Osgood. I got him a prototype Sebile magic swimmer. He really digs it.
I was about 10feet away from this everglades alligator. The photos was a little out of focus I was it was low light and I was shooting in f2.8 but I thought it was a cool blurry action shot.
Miami Sky Line
Calamari
Jungle Jooooooooooooose! no it was not mine. yes I tasted it.. thumbs down.
Poor man’s way of How to shoot in the rain.
Rough Day boating and fishing that day with Sebile.
Tailers with Captain Joe Harley
I had a few minutes this morning to go through some photos from the last couple of weeks.
From the everglades mother ship trip to the Miami Boat show.
Coming up today or tomorrow a couple of lure review by my friend Rich Osgood. I got him a prototype Sebile magic swimmer. He really digs it.
I was about 10feet away from this everglades alligator. The photos was a little out of focus I was it was low light and I was shooting in f2.8 but I thought it was a cool blurry action shot.
Miami Sky Line
Calamari
Jungle Jooooooooooooose! no it was not mine. yes I tasted it.. thumbs down.
Poor man’s way of How to shoot in the rain.
Rough Day boating and fishing that day with Sebile.
Tailers with Captain Joe Harley
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Wang Anchor Photos shoot and the new Mirro Lur Scented baits. Lil John and the Provoker!
Most of the day was spent working on a video project that wasn’t the most exciting thing in the world. It was a website corporate video about repairing potholes. Yes, not exactly jumping tarpon on fly exciting but it pays the bills so can’t complain. 
I got a few request for images from the magazines so I had to search in my archives as most of the photos were sent off almost a year a go. Perhaps things are looking up for the magazines finally. I know I have been pretty busy with request for video and photography lately. Who knows this could be the year the economy stabilize. I know many guides that are hurting pretty bad right now due to the slow down. The recent fish kill did not fair well for the fishing industry either.
In the afternoon I had a studio shoot with Tom of Wanganchor.com lined up. We were to shoot some product shots for his new website. This time we got Jackie a local model to make Tom’s product even cooler than it is. After all, his motto for the product is “Hang out with your wang out”. The shoot went very well and Tom was very pleased with the results. We even shot some cool video clips with Jackie saying the motto. I will be editing that footage here in the next few days.
Mirrolure is Tampa Base lure company. Their product has been proven time and time again as one of the most popular fish catching lure in our local waters. My personal favorite of theirs is the ever popular mirrodine. They had just came out with some scent soft plastics called lil Jon and provoker. I was talking to Mike, one of the guys over at Mirrolure he will be sending me some to test out, review and use here in the next couple days.
They are also sending products for us to give away for the saltyshores newletters readers. They will be sending Soft and hard plastics to give away to our readers. So if you have not join please do so by clicking on the menu link above.
I got a few request for images from the magazines so I had to search in my archives as most of the photos were sent off almost a year a go. Perhaps things are looking up for the magazines finally. I know I have been pretty busy with request for video and photography lately. Who knows this could be the year the economy stabilize. I know many guides that are hurting pretty bad right now due to the slow down. The recent fish kill did not fair well for the fishing industry either.
In the afternoon I had a studio shoot with Tom of Wanganchor.com lined up. We were to shoot some product shots for his new website. This time we got Jackie a local model to make Tom’s product even cooler than it is. After all, his motto for the product is “Hang out with your wang out”. The shoot went very well and Tom was very pleased with the results. We even shot some cool video clips with Jackie saying the motto. I will be editing that footage here in the next few days.
Mirrolure is Tampa Base lure company. Their product has been proven time and time again as one of the most popular fish catching lure in our local waters. My personal favorite of theirs is the ever popular mirrodine. They had just came out with some scent soft plastics called lil Jon and provoker. I was talking to Mike, one of the guys over at Mirrolure he will be sending me some to test out, review and use here in the next couple days.
They are also sending products for us to give away for the saltyshores newletters readers. They will be sending Soft and hard plastics to give away to our readers. So if you have not join please do so by clicking on the menu link above.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
World Record Snooks, Found dead near the Manatee River after the freeze of Jan 2010
World Record Snook perhaps. This Five feet Monster snook was found dead on the banks of the Manatee River after the freeze.
February 1st, 2010
Author: Sam Root of Saltyshores.com
Perhaps a World Record snook for sure.
When I first looked at it, I thought it was a big drum of some sort but a closer look reveal it is definitely a snook.
This Giant snook measured 60″ long. Yes that is a real 5 feet long snook not just a fish story. This leviathan was found dead on the side of the Manatee river after an unprecedented freeze that took the lives of millions of fish.
February 1st, 2010
Author: Sam Root of Saltyshores.com
Perhaps a World Record snook for sure.
When I first looked at it, I thought it was a big drum of some sort but a closer look reveal it is definitely a snook.
This Giant snook measured 60″ long. Yes that is a real 5 feet long snook not just a fish story. This leviathan was found dead on the side of the Manatee river after an unprecedented freeze that took the lives of millions of fish.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Flamingo Fish Kill 2010, Jan 24th 2010
Flamingo Fish Kill
By Sam Root of Saltyshores.com
I just back from fishing Flamingo, Florida aka Everglades National Park. I got good news and I got bad news. Bad news is the fish kill is very very serious and unfortunately 9 out 10 of the game fish that were killed were snook. I went out there with Honson and his friend Luigi(yes like in the Mario brothers). It's been a couple weeks since the freeze so we wanted to see what has come back. We only took fly rods to see if we can get into some sight fishing.
The conditions were slick calm that morning and we could see for miles, except for one thing. Super fog! We took our time running around the gulf side of the Everglades. Once the fog lifted we saw lots of death drifting in the glass calm waters. We would pass by anything large we saw on the water. I am sorry to say most of the large fish we ran by were breeder snooks that never made it through the freeze. A very very sad sight when you see hundreds of dead fish floating knowing most of them were breeder size snooks.
While stopping at one carcass we did see lots of life compared to one week ago. One surprise was a bunch of Palolo worms. These were the same type of worms that are found in the keys during the summer months. The Tarpon just love them. There were small bait fish slurping these little guys up all around us. This was breath taking to see. Life starting to come back once again. Hopefully tarpon would follow soon.
We poled the flats in some of the creeks and saw only a couple reds. On the way out we did bump into Honson's friend Brian. Brian was using jigs with shrimp and saw some reds and snook earlier in the day. He did manage one redfish before they spooked off. We followed Brian back into the creeks and he caught a few snappers and groupers in the deeper holes. During the run we did see a few dead Goliath groupers that did not fare well in the cold.
Although it sound like no one should ever fish again, all is not lost however. There were plenty of reds and trout being caught that day. The water temperature was rising and the bait were showing back up on the flats. The fishing can only get better I believe. The only species I'm really worried about are the snooks. There were just way too many breeders dead. Not even seeing one alive all day is never good. I did not see any dead redfish and compared to the snook the Tarpon did fine considering. When we got back to the ramp later that day the researcher told us no one has caught a snook all day.
I will be checking out Chokoloskee later in the week. I am afraid I will be seeing the same thing. Hopefully, it should be warm enough for the fish that did make to safe haven offshore, to find their way back once again.
Photo notes: Dull and dreary day filled with images of dead fish. As you can see my images reflect that. The edits are very monochromatic on purpose. My camera still have color. :)
This was the scene at the boat ramp at flamingo, hundreds of dead baby tarpon and snooks. Sadly this was all too familiar. The smell was rancid.
Palola worms.
By Sam Root of Saltyshores.com
I just back from fishing Flamingo, Florida aka Everglades National Park. I got good news and I got bad news. Bad news is the fish kill is very very serious and unfortunately 9 out 10 of the game fish that were killed were snook. I went out there with Honson and his friend Luigi(yes like in the Mario brothers). It's been a couple weeks since the freeze so we wanted to see what has come back. We only took fly rods to see if we can get into some sight fishing.
The conditions were slick calm that morning and we could see for miles, except for one thing. Super fog! We took our time running around the gulf side of the Everglades. Once the fog lifted we saw lots of death drifting in the glass calm waters. We would pass by anything large we saw on the water. I am sorry to say most of the large fish we ran by were breeder snooks that never made it through the freeze. A very very sad sight when you see hundreds of dead fish floating knowing most of them were breeder size snooks.
While stopping at one carcass we did see lots of life compared to one week ago. One surprise was a bunch of Palolo worms. These were the same type of worms that are found in the keys during the summer months. The Tarpon just love them. There were small bait fish slurping these little guys up all around us. This was breath taking to see. Life starting to come back once again. Hopefully tarpon would follow soon.
We poled the flats in some of the creeks and saw only a couple reds. On the way out we did bump into Honson's friend Brian. Brian was using jigs with shrimp and saw some reds and snook earlier in the day. He did manage one redfish before they spooked off. We followed Brian back into the creeks and he caught a few snappers and groupers in the deeper holes. During the run we did see a few dead Goliath groupers that did not fare well in the cold.
Although it sound like no one should ever fish again, all is not lost however. There were plenty of reds and trout being caught that day. The water temperature was rising and the bait were showing back up on the flats. The fishing can only get better I believe. The only species I'm really worried about are the snooks. There were just way too many breeders dead. Not even seeing one alive all day is never good. I did not see any dead redfish and compared to the snook the Tarpon did fine considering. When we got back to the ramp later that day the researcher told us no one has caught a snook all day.
I will be checking out Chokoloskee later in the week. I am afraid I will be seeing the same thing. Hopefully, it should be warm enough for the fish that did make to safe haven offshore, to find their way back once again.
Photo notes: Dull and dreary day filled with images of dead fish. As you can see my images reflect that. The edits are very monochromatic on purpose. My camera still have color. :)
This was the scene at the boat ramp at flamingo, hundreds of dead baby tarpon and snooks. Sadly this was all too familiar. The smell was rancid.
Palola worms.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Andros 32 by Sam Root of Saltyshores.com
Andros 32, How to photograph a boat from a helicopter, By Sam Root of Saltyshores.com
How to photograph a boat from a helicopter:
Well I got out today in Sarasota Florida to do a helicopter Boat shoot. The boat happens to be the new for 2010 Andros 32 .
At 6am this morning I wa making the drive down to the Sarasota airport. To meet up with the helicopter pilot. It was fridget 38 degrees out side. I bundled up and got out into the gulf of Mexico. We found the 32 feet Andros and started to do all kinds of crazy maneuvers. The pilot was awesome, he ws like 50′ from the boat at times and I had to ask to be backed off it was crazy. We even flew under a bridge following the 32 back when we were finished.
To shoot a moving object you have to have a fast shutter speed. So I set my camera to Shutter priority at 800/s or 1000/s or more if you have enough light. The faster the better. I set my ISO between 200-400. 200 if you have plenty of light 400 is low light setting, like this morning.
Since the chopper was costing $700.00 per hour I had better not screw up! I set my camera to shoot in bracket mode. What bracket mode does was shoot multiple exposure shots with one push of the button. In case there was bad lighting one out of those 3 shots would have been exposed properly. It’s kind of a insurance policy, just in case.
I also set my camera to meter center weighted. This means it meters the scene using what is near my focus. Since all I care about is exposing the boat properly and not worrying about the water etc. Since were shooting a dark colored boat a general 3D matrix exposure probably would not have worked as good.
By the end of the hour I was at almost 600 shots fired.
Here are some I had a chance to edit. Very little editing as the morning light was great. I did not use the shadows and highlights at all, as evidence in the lack of the famous halo effects.
New for 2010 Andros 32 More details as I get them. They are just 30 minutes from me so that should not be a problem.
Monday, January 11, 2010
How to make a fly fishing stripping basket, Orvis Stripping Basket.
While I was out wading and fly fishing for the redfish yesterday it’s pretty apparent to me that the fly line sitting on top of the was causing lots of drag not to mention a tangle mess. When you try to make a long cast it just doesn’t go as far due to the water resistance. I know there are wading striping baskets you can buy but they are usually $50.00 on up. Since youtube is a plethora of information these days I just did a search on making a stripping basket and came across one. Even though it’s been a couple of years since he put it up, it was very well done. I put one together with the parts I had laying around in the garage and it works pretty well. I think everything cost less than $10.00. I can say, it’s not the coolest looking thing in the world to be walking around with, but it sure does work and work well.
Now if you do want to spend the money, the best one I have used is the Orvis Stripping basket. This is what makes it better than the others available out there.
Orvis Stripping Basket
- It curves to fit your body comfortably.
- Built in conic shape to keep fly line tangle free.
- Belt is very well made and stays tight.
- Built in rod holder.
I’ve tried a couple other ones. For saltwater wade fishing anyways, the cons outweigh the pros.
Related posts:
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Tampa Fly fishing then Miami for sailfishing(cody, jason, jack)
The last 48 hours has came and went in a blur. Thursday I get a call from my friend Jason Stock of Jmsnooky Kayak Charters telling me he and a couple buddies(Cody Chivas and Jack of Championanglers.com) are going to Miami to do some sailfish. He said I was welcome to come along if I wanted to. Since I haven’t been sail fishing at all this season I really wanted to so I hurried pack my things and jammed them into the truck. I get a call from Tom of Wanganchor saying he wanted to get out that afternoon of redfish on fly as it was very sunny out today. Not being able to say no, I said ok, packed the fly rod and drove to meet him at the ramp.
The fly fishing for reds wasn’ t on fire but we did manage a couple fish. They were not plentiful but the ones we got were quality fish of about 31 inches. As the sun started to go sideways and we couldn’t see any more we ran back to the ramp I took off to wards Miami. Jason had called and told me they were on their way down. I caught up to them at Bass Pro shot in Ft. Lauderdale and we had some dinner at the Outback Steakhouse next door. The food was ok and everyone was excited to try get on some sail fish. Towing a 31′ Contender wasn’t and easy task but I call Cody has done this plenty of time. He was making U-turns and all kinds of crazy maneuvers.
We didn’t arrive in Miami until midnight and parking was definitely an issue. We tried to squeeze it in a place we shouldn’t have and took off the rub rails. We finally found a hotel that would let us leave the boat in the parking lot. After pulling the gear out we did the circus clown car trick and piled into my truck to drive back to the condo we were staying at. By this time it was 1:30am and we had to be up by 5:30am to try to get some bait.
530am we were up and ready. By the time ate, breakfast, pick up the boat, did a car switch, and found the boat ramp it was 8:30am before we hit the water. We ran the beaches for bait and got really lucky near south beach.(yes the famous one) We caught lots of bait but the coolest part was there were tons of tarpon every where. Rolling milling and happy. It was tough getting close to them in a 31′ Contender but we did manage to jump 2 before left for sail fishing.
The winds were blowing the wrong direction for sailfish today but we heard the bite had been good. We dropped a kite back and started to drift some baits. The southerly winds didn’t help things but we did see one boat hooked to sail fish so it kept us going. We got 3 Mahi on the drift lines. A few minutes later we doubled up on Bonito. Three more Bonito later we were starting to get frustrated. We were seeing lots of bait and flying fish scattering but no sailfish. We eventually had one sail came up to the spread and a couple free jumps but that was it for the day. The sun was going down and the opportunity was lost.
After we found a place to store the bait and got cleaned up it was 8:30pm. We tried to get with my friend Honson(a SS contributor) but he was too far out and were beyond hungry. Gave Cheese Cake Factory (excellent chain of restaurant btw: lots of food,consistantly good, a variety menu) a try but the hour wait on this Friday night was way too long for us. We found a Tony Romas on north miami beach to dine at. Two past dishes, a slab of beef ribs, a slab of baby back ribs later we were full. I wasn’t very impressed with Tony Roma’s food(or speed of the food came out)but the food was ok/average andwe were starving.
By now it’s 10pm and I had to make my way back Tampa as I my friend Jose’s wedding to attend. With very little sleep in the past 24 hours I was feeling a bit tired. Not mention the 4 hour drive and being on the water for 12 hours that day. By the time I hit alligator alley was doing the bobble head doll impression. Knowing this is quite dangerous for mine and everyone elses sake I decided to pull over for a quick knap. The quick knap turned into 3 hours as I awake at almost in the middle of an alligator ally parking lot. I tell you one thing though, I was pretty well rested. I drove back to Tamp in the rain as the front was hitting. Driving up to my drivway it was in the mid 40’s and raining. I tried to lay down to get some sleep but 45minutes was all I could do before the sun came up and I just couldn’t sleep.
As I’m typing this I just left the wedding early(I gotta gotta get some rest in) and got home to write up this report. I had a couple beers and saw lots of friends I haven’t seen in a while. I will be putting some video clips up hopefully tomorrow but here are some photos I thought turned out pretty cool.
Oh and don’t forget to check out the “Sex Drive” energy drink. I found that down in Miami beach and thought.. what will they come out to market next?
Had to put his in here. A new Sex Drive energy drink!
The fly fishing for reds wasn’ t on fire but we did manage a couple fish. They were not plentiful but the ones we got were quality fish of about 31 inches. As the sun started to go sideways and we couldn’t see any more we ran back to the ramp I took off to wards Miami. Jason had called and told me they were on their way down. I caught up to them at Bass Pro shot in Ft. Lauderdale and we had some dinner at the Outback Steakhouse next door. The food was ok and everyone was excited to try get on some sail fish. Towing a 31′ Contender wasn’t and easy task but I call Cody has done this plenty of time. He was making U-turns and all kinds of crazy maneuvers.
We didn’t arrive in Miami until midnight and parking was definitely an issue. We tried to squeeze it in a place we shouldn’t have and took off the rub rails. We finally found a hotel that would let us leave the boat in the parking lot. After pulling the gear out we did the circus clown car trick and piled into my truck to drive back to the condo we were staying at. By this time it was 1:30am and we had to be up by 5:30am to try to get some bait.
530am we were up and ready. By the time ate, breakfast, pick up the boat, did a car switch, and found the boat ramp it was 8:30am before we hit the water. We ran the beaches for bait and got really lucky near south beach.(yes the famous one) We caught lots of bait but the coolest part was there were tons of tarpon every where. Rolling milling and happy. It was tough getting close to them in a 31′ Contender but we did manage to jump 2 before left for sail fishing.
The winds were blowing the wrong direction for sailfish today but we heard the bite had been good. We dropped a kite back and started to drift some baits. The southerly winds didn’t help things but we did see one boat hooked to sail fish so it kept us going. We got 3 Mahi on the drift lines. A few minutes later we doubled up on Bonito. Three more Bonito later we were starting to get frustrated. We were seeing lots of bait and flying fish scattering but no sailfish. We eventually had one sail came up to the spread and a couple free jumps but that was it for the day. The sun was going down and the opportunity was lost.
After we found a place to store the bait and got cleaned up it was 8:30pm. We tried to get with my friend Honson(a SS contributor) but he was too far out and were beyond hungry. Gave Cheese Cake Factory (excellent chain of restaurant btw: lots of food,consistantly good, a variety menu) a try but the hour wait on this Friday night was way too long for us. We found a Tony Romas on north miami beach to dine at. Two past dishes, a slab of beef ribs, a slab of baby back ribs later we were full. I wasn’t very impressed with Tony Roma’s food(or speed of the food came out)but the food was ok/average andwe were starving.
By now it’s 10pm and I had to make my way back Tampa as I my friend Jose’s wedding to attend. With very little sleep in the past 24 hours I was feeling a bit tired. Not mention the 4 hour drive and being on the water for 12 hours that day. By the time I hit alligator alley was doing the bobble head doll impression. Knowing this is quite dangerous for mine and everyone elses sake I decided to pull over for a quick knap. The quick knap turned into 3 hours as I awake at almost in the middle of an alligator ally parking lot. I tell you one thing though, I was pretty well rested. I drove back to Tamp in the rain as the front was hitting. Driving up to my drivway it was in the mid 40’s and raining. I tried to lay down to get some sleep but 45minutes was all I could do before the sun came up and I just couldn’t sleep.
As I’m typing this I just left the wedding early(I gotta gotta get some rest in) and got home to write up this report. I had a couple beers and saw lots of friends I haven’t seen in a while. I will be putting some video clips up hopefully tomorrow but here are some photos I thought turned out pretty cool.
Oh and don’t forget to check out the “Sex Drive” energy drink. I found that down in Miami beach and thought.. what will they come out to market next?
Had to put his in here. A new Sex Drive energy drink!
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