3 weeks in warm weather

[J.A. Veil]

I arrived home on Sunday from a 23-day fishing trip in Florida. I drove my van for 3,448 miles and fished on 19 consecutive days. I brought my own kayak with me. I fished with kayak guides on 9 days and used my own kayak on the other 10 days. During the trip, I caught 174 fish of 22 different species. Fish of 5 species were 25” or above; 3 of them were 30” or longer. The longest was a 72” lemon shark. I caught two new-to-me species (bandtail pufferfish and tripletail) and set new personal bests for 8 other species.

I prepared a detailed trip report that goes day-by-day to describe where and how I fished, as well as the species I caught. Anyone interested in reading this report can find it on Google Drive at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AmV...usp=share_link. From there you can read it or download it. If you are uncomfortable using Google Drive, send me a message with your email address, and I can forward a copy to you.

A few of the larger fish are shown below.

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[ronaultmtd]

That is a really nice bonefish John...shallow water drag screamers...I love their first run...you think they will absolutely spool your reel! Budget spinning reels with suspect quality drags just won't cut it bone fishing!

[Mark]

Incredible.

You're a fishing machine, John.

Congratulations on another successful trip south.

[J.A. Veil]

Thanks Ron and Mark. This is the first winter in 17 years when I lost my enthusiasm for bundling up in many layers and pursuing pickerel in tidal water with minimal success. I actually stayed off the water from Jan 21 to Feb 20. I guess I made up for that hiatus by fishing hard for 19 days in a row in Florida. It certainly was a pleasure to fish in warm conditions again. Many of the spots I fished had crystal clear water and great scenery. For years I flew to Florida for a few days to fish with a guide. I greatly enjoyed those trips. But bringing my own kayak and fishing gear with me provided opportunities to explore on my own and check out new locations.

At 70 years of age, I realize that this type of extended trip is a limited opportunity. Eventually I will not have the heath or energy to keep doing it. I encourage all of you who read this to not procrastinate in following your fishing dreams.

[ronaultmtd]

Just hit my 77 circuit of the sun a few days ago, John...ditto to your words of encouragement to the younger folks to not procrastinate...one day you turn 40 the next day 50 then 60 and before you can believe it 70...80 is well within sight for me...been one hell of a ride I have enjoyed to the fullest...can't wait for the weather to calm down enough to get back out there!

[DanMarino]

Very cool John. Those are some cool fish species and looks like a bunch of fun.