workinprogress
08-19-2009, 11:27 PM
I rented a small place with a boat ramp (that's a complimentary description of the load of gravel that was dumped at the edge of the yard - but hey, it's waterfront) in Everglades City, and Austin (my 5 yr old son) and I have been here for 6 days. We are going back home tomorrow *001* but have had a great time. Aside from a friend of mine who came down and fished for 2 days, it has just been Austin and me. I could write a book about the experiences we have had this week, but I will try to keep it as brief as possible.
Last Saturday was our second day here, and we were joined by a good friend of mine who Austin refers to as "Uncle Steve". We went 10 miles south to some spots we like, and spent several hours there. Our day was shortened by some northbound rainclouds headed toward us so we ran wide open up the coast hoping to beat the rain back to the dock. As we turned into the channel, which is about 3 miles long back into Everglades City, we saw a woman on a 22ft v-bottom waving 2 orange pool noodles at us. We pulled alongside of their boat and found that she and her husband were having fuel problems and could not get their motor to run. After some very quick questions Steve and I determined the man was at least as qualified of a mechanic as either of us were, and that there was nothing we could do to help him get the motor running. There was no doubt we were minutes away from the heavy rain moving over us, but we saw no lightning. My first priority when on the water with Austin is his safety, but getting wet never hurt anyone. Their 22 footer had a bimini top on it, and after short introductions I told them I would try to pull them in, but I wanted Austin to board their boat to stay somewhat protected from the impending rain. She made me feel much better about that choice when she said, "He'll be better off in here anyway, and don't worry, I'm a Grandma." I had him dressed in his rain gear, but being under the bimini instead of in the driving rain seemed like a no-brainer to me. When I rigged my j16, I never thought of pulling tubes, skis, or 22ft boats.*surrender* I was very concerned about the cleats being ripped off and having no other connection point to tow with, so we went slowly. I had been going a painstakingly slow 3mph for just a few minutes when the heavy rain started. It was more of a discomfort than a safety issue, but honestly the rain was so hard I had to use the gps to navigate. After about 15 minutes, out of nowhere and in a driving rain, an Everglades National Park Ranger comes flying up to us in his patrol boat. You can imagine his surprise to see such a small boat trying to pull a much larger one, and he said he would take over. I got Austin back on the boat with Steve and I, and the rain was starting to blow over. Never mind the rain gear we all had on or the bimini top Austin had been under, after that kind of rain all 3 of us were soaked down to our shorts. We were headed for home when Austin started hollering something at me, so I let the boat come off plane to hear what he had to say. He shocked me.*006* "Dad, why were we coming in?" "Because of the rain, son." "Isn't the rain gone now?" "Yes." "Well then let's go fishing!" We waved as we passed the boat we had been towing on our way back out to continue fishing, and I was really proud of my son, the soaking wet 5 yr old who was more concerned about catching fish than being dry.
I've only been fishing for a couple of years, and I'm sure we would have caught more fish if I were a little more experienced. That being said, we caught enough fish to keep it fun, and I had an incredible week with my son.
Here are a few highlights:
Austin caught this 18" trout, and "Uncle Steve" is helping with the picture.
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/noahsdad_photo/Austins18introut.jpg
Austin caught this 22" snook with no help, and can you see him beaming with pride?
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/noahsdad_photo/Austins22insnook.jpg
Uncle Steve caught this top of the slot redfish, and I would like to thank those of you who made posts advising to cook redfish on the grill with the scales/skin still on. I basted the fillets in garlic butter as I grilled it and it was fantastic!!*yay*
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/noahsdad_photo/StevesRedfish.jpg
Even 'ol Dad got in on some of the action with this 30 1/2 in. redfish.
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/noahsdad_photo/DaddysRedfish.jpg
Last Saturday was our second day here, and we were joined by a good friend of mine who Austin refers to as "Uncle Steve". We went 10 miles south to some spots we like, and spent several hours there. Our day was shortened by some northbound rainclouds headed toward us so we ran wide open up the coast hoping to beat the rain back to the dock. As we turned into the channel, which is about 3 miles long back into Everglades City, we saw a woman on a 22ft v-bottom waving 2 orange pool noodles at us. We pulled alongside of their boat and found that she and her husband were having fuel problems and could not get their motor to run. After some very quick questions Steve and I determined the man was at least as qualified of a mechanic as either of us were, and that there was nothing we could do to help him get the motor running. There was no doubt we were minutes away from the heavy rain moving over us, but we saw no lightning. My first priority when on the water with Austin is his safety, but getting wet never hurt anyone. Their 22 footer had a bimini top on it, and after short introductions I told them I would try to pull them in, but I wanted Austin to board their boat to stay somewhat protected from the impending rain. She made me feel much better about that choice when she said, "He'll be better off in here anyway, and don't worry, I'm a Grandma." I had him dressed in his rain gear, but being under the bimini instead of in the driving rain seemed like a no-brainer to me. When I rigged my j16, I never thought of pulling tubes, skis, or 22ft boats.*surrender* I was very concerned about the cleats being ripped off and having no other connection point to tow with, so we went slowly. I had been going a painstakingly slow 3mph for just a few minutes when the heavy rain started. It was more of a discomfort than a safety issue, but honestly the rain was so hard I had to use the gps to navigate. After about 15 minutes, out of nowhere and in a driving rain, an Everglades National Park Ranger comes flying up to us in his patrol boat. You can imagine his surprise to see such a small boat trying to pull a much larger one, and he said he would take over. I got Austin back on the boat with Steve and I, and the rain was starting to blow over. Never mind the rain gear we all had on or the bimini top Austin had been under, after that kind of rain all 3 of us were soaked down to our shorts. We were headed for home when Austin started hollering something at me, so I let the boat come off plane to hear what he had to say. He shocked me.*006* "Dad, why were we coming in?" "Because of the rain, son." "Isn't the rain gone now?" "Yes." "Well then let's go fishing!" We waved as we passed the boat we had been towing on our way back out to continue fishing, and I was really proud of my son, the soaking wet 5 yr old who was more concerned about catching fish than being dry.
I've only been fishing for a couple of years, and I'm sure we would have caught more fish if I were a little more experienced. That being said, we caught enough fish to keep it fun, and I had an incredible week with my son.
Here are a few highlights:
Austin caught this 18" trout, and "Uncle Steve" is helping with the picture.
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/noahsdad_photo/Austins18introut.jpg
Austin caught this 22" snook with no help, and can you see him beaming with pride?
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/noahsdad_photo/Austins22insnook.jpg
Uncle Steve caught this top of the slot redfish, and I would like to thank those of you who made posts advising to cook redfish on the grill with the scales/skin still on. I basted the fillets in garlic butter as I grilled it and it was fantastic!!*yay*
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/noahsdad_photo/StevesRedfish.jpg
Even 'ol Dad got in on some of the action with this 30 1/2 in. redfish.
http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee318/noahsdad_photo/DaddysRedfish.jpg