frank2019

Visit with lots of fishing and not much catching

Spring 2019

March 21 - 27(?)

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March 21. Visiting Frank Mann in Alva, Florida, just outside Ft. Myers. We always some fishing. Above is Al, Frank's resident gator that lived in the little fish pool until he left for bigger quarters not long ago. Frank wrote a story for my Animal Story Contest about. You can read it here..
One of the real pleasures of the trip is visiting Betty, Wiley, and Missie. They were with us (Frank, Mary Lee, Sherry, and me) on our houreboat and fishing trip to Rainey Lake near International Falls. None of us will ever forget that trip. Wonderful scenery and good fishing too..

March 19. One of our first outings this trip was to fish one of the meanders, the old Caloosahatchee river channels that were cut off from the main river when the Corp straightened it so Yankee boats (that's what Frank calls the big yachts that zoom down the river from points north on the way to Ft. Myers) could take a short cut across Florida from the Atlantic.
We didn't catch much (as in nothing) but the trip is always scenic. We saw this fully sea worthy three masted sail boat moored in one meander.

March 21, Old Friend from college days, Bob Casey, had recently retired to Ft. Myers so the three of us took a day and a half fishing Lake Okeechobee.
We didn't catch much. It was windy, rainey part of the time, and the water was so low we got stuck several times. Still, we managed to enjoy ourselve

March 23? Here we are, courtesy of Frank's life long friend Tommy Smoot, at his cabin built out on stilts on the south end of upper Captiva Island. It's off the east edge of Pine Island Sound.
Here is about the best catch of the two day trip. Tommy says ordinally you could catch snook, redfish, trout, etc. from the deck, but as usually my fishing curse held and aside from a few catfish we struck out.

Actually, Frank's catfish was the second best catch of the trip. Above Tommy holds the best catch in his left hand. It's the rod and reel I lost the day before when one of those pesky catfish jerked it off the deck while I was carelessly fetching a beer and took off with it for Mexico. I saw it go in and from it's speed and trajectory I was sure I had hooked a whale. I shrugged and accepted that it was gone forever. Nope, by some miracle Tommy snagged the line and brought in the outfit and the foot long catfish too! Tommy's faithful old lab, Buddy, went with us and though he was sleepy and slow I think the sun and rest did him good. Nothing like an old dog and adequate adult beverages to make the trip a success.

Here I am fishing in the best way known to man. Note my foot is now firmly on the rod. I may be slow to learn, but once I catch on I learn well.
Here is the porpoise that I was sure was on the way to Mexico with my rod and reel.

While we were mostly on our own out there we did have a boat load of tourists come by now and then to marvel at our fishing skills and fine appearance
What a way to live! Here is the beautiful sunset after a day of sincere fishing and tale telling. After we ate some delicious steaks and potatoes we adjourned to lounge chairs in front of a cheery wood fire on the deck and watched the stars come out in their uncountable trillions.

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March 21. Visiting Frank Mann in Alva, Florida, just outside Ft. Myers. We always some fishing. Above is Al, Frank's resident gator that lived in the little fish pool until he left for bigger quarters not long ago. Frank wrote a story for my Animal Story Contest about. You can read it here..	One of the real pleasures of the trip is visiting Betty, Wiley, and Missie. They were with us (Frank, Mary Lee, Sherry, and me) on our houreboat and fishing trip to Rainey Lake near International Falls. None of us will ever forget that trip. Wonderful scenery and good fishing too..
March 19. One of our first outings this trip was to fish one of the meanders, the old Caloosahatchee river channels that were cut off from the main river when the Corp straightened it so Yankee boats (that's what Frank calls the big yachts that zoom down the river from points north on the way to Ft. Myers) could take a short cut across Florida from the Atlantic.	We didn't catch much (as in nothing) but the trip is always scenic. We saw this fully sea worthy three masted sail boat moored in one meander.
March 21, Old Friend from college days, Bob Casey, had recently retired to Ft. Myers so the three of us took a day and a half fishing Lake Okeechobee.	We didn't catch much. It was windy, rainey part of the time, and the water was so low we got stuck several times. Still, we managed to enjoy ourselve
March 23? Here we are, courtesy of Frank's life long friend Tommy Smoot, at his cabin built out on stilts on the south end of upper Captiva Island. It's off the east edge of Pine Island Sound.	Here is about the best catch of the two day trip. Tommy says ordinally you could catch snook, redfish, trout, etc. from the deck, but as usually my fishing curse held and aside from a few catfish we struck out.
Actually, Frank's catfish was the second best catch of the trip. Above Tommy holds the best catch in his left hand. It's the rod and reel I lost the day before when one of those pesky catfish jerked it off the deck while I was carelessly fetching a beer and took off with it for Mexico. I saw it go in and from it's speed and trajectory I was sure I had hooked a whale. I shrugged and accepted that it was gone forever. Nope, by some miracle Tommy snagged the line and brought in the outfit and the foot long catfish too!	Tommy's faithful old lab, Buddy, went with us and though he was sleepy and slow I think the sun and rest did him good. Nothing like an old dog and adequate adult beverages to make the trip a success.
Here I am fishing in the best way known to man. Note my foot is now firmly on the rod. I may be slow to learn, but once I catch on I learn well.	Here is the porpoise that I was sure was on the way to Mexico with my rod and reel.
While we were mostly on our own out there we did have a boat load of tourists come by now and then to marvel at our fishing skills and fine appearance	What a way to live! Here is the beautiful sunset after a day of sincere fishing and tale telling. After we ate some delicious steaks and potatoes we adjourned to lounge chairs in front of a cheery wood fire on the deck and watched the stars come out in their uncountable trillions.