By Capt. Matt Fueyo
The saying goes “Birds of a feather flock together,” but this time it was birds of a feather that brought us together! My girlfriend, Jess, booked a charter with some of her clients who were wanting to go fishing as part of a birthday celebration. Jess runs a business call Creative Behaviors Consulting, where she specializes in bird behavior and training. She works directly with bird owners to tackle behavioral problems and apply positive training techniques. Her clients, Tara and Donna, have a blue and gold macaw who has become a fun and pleasant addition to their family, with Jess’s guidance. As it turns out, this fishing trip would prove to be a memorable and epic day on the water, with people who appreciate the animals and nature as much as we do.
Now, Jess is no weekend warrior. She has been fishing with me for the past few years and has developed some skills that would impress any angler at any skill level. I would of course give credit to the good coaching she has had (wink wink). Tara and Donna had never been fishing before, so we wanted to make it a special day for them! We decided to catch our bait before the trip and start at 9 instead of our normal 8 am start. The reason for this is due to the fact that we can’t see those little rascals if there is no daylight. So, now the suns up and we have some baits in the live well…it’s game time! Everyone was excited, especially Capt. Bryan and myself because we loaded the wells with bait…. I mean loaded. We get to the first spot and begin to throw out our chummers. They are doing the trick and the snook that are concentrated in the mangroves and oyster beds are popping! A snook here, a flounder there, and then a jack or two. We had covered three species in the first ten minutes of fishing and we were just getting started! Capt. Bryan had been fishing all week with other guests, so he had the fish “dialed in.” We made a short move and began to chum with our small live baits. What sounded like a shot gun going off was a big tarpon feeding, and then some smaller shots rang out. The little tarpon are gulping baits left and right, it’s like Mother Nature knew we were looking for a good show. Jess hooks a nice 20 pound fish feet from the boat, which makes a ten yard run, jumping and splashing all of us within a matter of 5 seconds. Stunned and shocked we all laugh and joke as if we had no idea what just happened. Then a beautiful snook makes her appearance and gulps down one of our guest’s baits. She’s hooked up and excited, and of course there’s Jess back up on the bow, hooked up with another tarpon. Both fish are doing circles around the boat and making the ladies work for it! After a few moments of chaos, we get the fish settled down and grab them up for a quick photo! Smiles from ear to ear and high fives all the way around! “What a spot”, I tell Capt. Bryan and he just looks at me and smiles. Being a charter boat Capt. on the water every day can make you a little salty, but when they are biting like that, even the saltiest of captains will crack a smile.
I look down at my watch and realize we still have two more hours of fishing time. I’m curious as to what my captain is going to do next. He tells me he has been catching some trout on the flats, and sure enough he was right again. I’m starting to believe all the fish stories he tells me! The bite was hot and right away we hooked up with what I thought was a redfish. It turned out to be a big healthy speckled trout. An absolutely beautiful sight to see! We all cheered that the fish swam away healthy. I looked up to the chatter of a few bald eagles overhead, and thought to myself, “What an amazing day”, snook, tarpon, trout, Jacks, snappers, flounder, ladyfish and our nation’s bird overhead, keeping a watchful eye on us. It’s true that we live in paradise and just that one day of fishing reminded me that we have to enjoy every day to the fullest.
Fishing has been awesome and our northern guests are enjoying the chilly mornings. We are fishing daily and catching a variety of species on the regular. 3/0 Mustad Circle hooks with 25# leader will do the trick. Keep your tackle light and your presentation clean. Approach your area of fishing slowly and look for fish moving around the mangroves. Be cautious of other anglers on the water and remember to “match the hatch.” Tight lines!
Contact Reel Tight Fishing Charters at https://www.reeltightfishingcharters.com
