STA-SEA’S NATURE COAST ADVENTURES
The sun is just starting to peek up from behind the miles of mangroves. The water is so still, you can see every ripple. It smells fishy–it looks fishy. My heart starts beating faster, because I know what’s in store! I quietly drop my anchor, and I try to determine what I think the fish want to eat today. Do they want to chase, or are they feeling lazy? I determine they want to chase. I cast my suspending twitch-bait as close to the grass as I can possibly get–without getting hung up. The second it hits the water, BAM, the fight begins! He pulls, and tries to shake the lure, but I know I’ve got him! I let him run a little, as I don’t want to horse him in. As he gets closer to the boat, I see he’s exactly what I’m after, snook! I quickly release him, and cast again and BAM, another fight. This time it’s a different feel. I have learned the different fighting patterns, and I already know it’s a red. I see him dart down and I can hardly contain my excitement. He’s at least 25 inches! I’m perfectly content after reeling in these awesome fish. That could have been all I caught, and I would have been happy, but I decided to keep fishing for as long as I possibly could, while the tides were right. When the sun is coming up, and the tides are going out, that is a fisherman’s dream! When you know you are at the right place at the right time, it’s an indescribable feeling. I cast out and slowly retrieve and again, it’s a fight. There is no other feeling in the world like the fight of a powerful fish! This went on for two hours and the reds and snook never stopped. What an incredible day!!! I’m so enthralled with the bite that I don’t realize I’m now in less than a foot of water, surrounded by oyster beds. I take my time heading in. The scenery is breathtaking. The dolphins are playing right next to my boat, and there is a cormorant following right behind me, waiting for some scraps, and what a sight to see directly in front of me–an 8-foot alligator, watching my every move. I can’t help but think he knows these waters, and is just biding his time, waiting for me to get stuck, waiting for me to get out and push! Getting stuck on an oyster bed out here means you will be here for hours and hours, until the tide comes back in. I’ve had to learn that the hard way! Sorry alligator, I’ve outsmarted you this time! You never know what you are going to see here in these Nature Coast waters. We are beyond blessed to have such diverse wildlife. On any given day, you can catch a glimpse of a manatee swimming right alongside dolphins and alligators. Where else in the world can you see that?
Charter Fishing with Captain Stacy
352-553-3604
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