Capt. Jim Kalvin
Perhaps the most enjoyable times in my career have involved showing someone the wonders of our Southwest Florida aquatic environment for the first time. The youngsters’ eyes twinkle when they get to see a dolphin up close, catch their first fish, or experience their first summer trip with a mask and snorkel. I’ve had the privilege of accompanying dozens of youngsters on their first open-water dive trip – as a Dive Coordinator years ago, and as a parent, uncle, and grandfather later on. The old-timers have that same twinkle the first time they sink a hook into a kingfish, keeper grouper, barracuda, shark, or any number of other sportfish offshore. Sometimes just the experience of being offshore on “one of those days” is enough. The clean air, the silence, and the critters. Birds that you don’t see inshore, turtles, bait pods, and the anticipation of what’s coming next.
I had a couple of guys out two years ago that had never been more than a couple of miles off of our coast. They had been told that fishing here is nothing like the other coast and they told me that they had horrible luck – even in the best of locations. I convinced them to roll the dice with me for one trip, and it paid off. We hit a live-bottom patch at 22 miles bright and early, and the “bite” was hot! An hour and a half after we set anchor, they were whipped, and they begged to come in! We had more fish in the box than they wanted to take home (lucky me!) and they just wanted to enjoy the ride back. It was a beautiful day and the flying fish were free entertainment until we hit 40’ as we headed east, back to Gordon’s Pass. “We always have to sit at the bar, and hear everyone else talk about trips like this,” one of them said. “For the first time, we’ll be able to participate in that conversation!” I keep in touch with those gentlemen and they talk about that trip still. Travels, work, schedules, and water conditions haven’t allowed us to do that again, but we’re trying for a hook-up in April.
The kids are the best though – the first time they are in the water with fish that are bigger than they are is awesome to watch. I’ll never forget Jameson’s first spear-fishing trip. He speared a nice snapper hovering over one of the machinery spaces on the Kidd Wreck off of Marco. As he swam up and grabbed his spear, a goliath grouper came up and sucked the snapper right off the shaft! It’s hard to say how big it actually was, but I was surprised the goliath could fit out of and back into the hatch! To say that Jameson was surprised is an understatement! It was something to watch as I was hovering 10’ above him. I wish I’d had a camera! That was over 20 years ago, and he still talks about it today.
Now it’s the grand-kids’ turn! The beach camp-outs and fishing trips are already happening and the first sets of topwater gear have been dispersed. This summer will be their first snorkeling adventures. I’ve always told them that, rather than be the one who reads the stories, I want do the things that allow me to write the stories. Life is short and we live in a place that good people pay thousands of dollars per year to visit and enjoy what we could enjoy every day. Don’t wait until the perfect circumstance. Plan your trip and go. If weather diverts your plan, roll with it and head south on the intracoastal. I’d rather be off-shore, but I’d rather be in the 10,000 Islands, or holed-up at the Snook Inn, than mowing the grass!
Capt. Jim Kalvin is a Florida Native, a USCG Licensed 100 Ton Master, and a local Marine Contractor. He can be reached at 239-280-6054, via james.kalvin61@gmail.com, or through kcmcfl.com .