The wind chart read scarlet for 3 out of our 5 days in the Keys, but that didn’t stop us from having an outstanding trip.  Thanks to some good friends and amazing hosts, we had an air-conditioned house to stay in right along Sister Creek with a fishing skiff tied at the dock at the end of the yard. Tarpon. Barracuda. Jacks. Hooked and landed.  We saw numerous sharks (bull, black-tip, hammerheads, and something big brown and scary), countless leopard rays, and several large sea turtles.  After a few days fishing, we went sight seeing in Key West, checked out nearby Sombrero Beach and even stopped at the Everglades to see some alligators before flying back from Miami.  Things that impressed us:

1. Laid back fishing culture of the Keys

2. The speed and quickness of the predators in the water (barracudas, sharks, ‘gators)

3. Saltwater fly fishing. We are addicted. Officially.

Our friends we were staying with in Marathon, FL had told us about Robbie’s Marina in Islamorada, FL. We didn’t get a chance to stop on our way down, but after hearing that we could feed tarpon we were convinced to go on our way home. I mean, come on — who doesn’t want to do that?! After seeing N catch a couple tarpon on our trip I was ready to get a little closer to these guys. I’ve got to say, this was one of the most exhilarating moments on our trip. If you don’t know much about tarpon you should know this: these suckers can jump. To put this into perspective an 80lb tarpon can jump up to 10 feet. So, to say that laying on the dock, sticking my hand over with a bait fish on the end of it was a little unnerving. I kept wondering if they would take my hand with them. It was such a fun experience. Next time you are driving through Islamorada, be sure to check out Robbie’s Marina.

To read how this all started click here.