TALES FROM THE TUPPERWARE NAVY
Welcome back Yak fans. This month, we’re taking a road trip. I like to do a destination piece now and then, because I get to go there. I also love old Florida stories and this one is both. So we’re heading to Cedar Key. With miles of shallow water flats and huge oyster bars, this area is a shallow-water-fisherman’s dream. More on that later.
Cedar Keys’ first, (non-native) permanent occupation, came in 1839, and according to accounts, is Florida’s second oldest town. It was an active port during the Civil War and was the Western station on the Florida Railroad in 1861, and saw service until the last train in 1932.
The boom years were between 1880 and 1890, with the sawmills, established to mill the cedar that was locally cut. They were built on open water keys, so that the boats could come in. They were virtually destroyed in 1896 by a hurricane, but not before reducing what was a huge forest of cedar, kind of like the huge cypress trees in my neck of the woods. Virtually all are gone now. The mills were never rebuilt and the keys make an interesting kayak trip. One key has an old cemetery if you’re into that sort of thing.
The town has many structures dating back to the late 1800s, one of which the Island Hotel, is a great spot to sit at the bar or have a very good dinner. The bar has a huge painting of King Neptune painted in 1948 by Helen Tooker, in exchange for room and board. She was quite a character herself, and well worth the google. The hotel has been visited over the years by Jimmy Buffett, Richard Boone, (of Paladin fame) Myrna Loy and Tennessee Ernie Ford, among others.
Okay that’s all well and good, but what about the fishing? I hadn’t fished this area before, so with a little help from my friend, and fellow Coastal Angler writer, Daniel, the owner of Cedar Key Paddling, (and definitely the place to stop and see) if you decide to visit Cedar Key. Daniel put me on to all three launch sites that I used, and I caught fish at all of them. (I have to admit that might be more than I would do, and he will share with you too.) Though I caught some reds, the target species for me was the monster black drum. This was not the fish I set out to catch, but when you see those tails sticking up out of the water literally everywhere along the banks, grass lines, and open shallow bays, I knew what I had to do. So, for the next three days I went Monster hunting.
The water in the Cedar Key area was very muddy and dark. I couldn’t tell if I was in 6 inches or 6 feet water; it’s that dark, so accuracy is vital. I didn’t have any crabs but shrimp work fine as long as I dropped it right on their head, and this can lead to a lot of frustration, as they swam around and past the bait that I thought I had placed perfectly.
The terrain is so rocky that everybody uses some sort of float and I did catch some on a bobber rig, but the best was free-line and dropped it right in front of them, but be warned that you will lose setups that way from snagging on the oyster bars. Bring plenty of hooks! I was using 10-pound braid and a 30- pound leader, with a 1/0 hook, which when you hook into a 35 to 40 inch, 20 to 30-pound drum, you get quite a battle. At the end of the trip I guess I hooked into about 15 of those monsters. It’s like hooking into a freight train, and at least a 20 minute or more battle. I love the sound of drag screaming!! So head to Cedar Key; truly a step back in time, no chain stores, no fast food. I loved it and the laid-back attitude.
Well before this gets too long, I better go. Until next month, thanks for reading.
Bruce