That thing looks like a backwater dream! Are you going to run a long tiller handle?
We fished mostly at night down there too. Snook was the main target and we fished Redfish and Captiva passes mostly, throwing mirrolures from the beach. Feeling those smashing strikes and then hearing them come up and shake their heads out in the dark was super exciting. If you're an old gill netter, you've seen some good times too. We'd always cast net mullet when we were down there and they were mighty fine even though I think ours here are the best in the world. I've also done some commercial fishing, mostly mullet, but also ran a bait boat, selling pinfish and pogies.
Wow you were there. I married my wife of 33 years on Pine Island in 86. Her grandfather and father owned the hardware store at Pine Island center from 1960 till about 1990.
I was a Gulf shrimper at the time we were married but wanted to raise a family and be home to do it so started gillnetting in 84. I had gone to school with most of the guys fishing the island at that time.
Started crewing with one of my highs cool friends that I had played football with and learned how to mullet fish from him. Then started pompano and mackerel fishing offshore and trout fishing with trammel nets on the flats at night in the summer. I loved that fishing as you would paddle the flats all night looking and listening for the fish feeding on the flats around Pine Island. I learned from the best and got pretty good at it myself. Spent many a night from Boca Grande to Sanibel, Bull Bay , Turtle Bay,Two Pines South through to Sanibel. Gill nets ended in 95 and I do miss it. But it was a very hard way to make a living.
I saw gill nets ending and started guiding people and most of my clients came from Useppa and Boca Grande. I knew it was ending so I bought a fly rod and would take it with me at night trout fishing so I could take flyfishing clients as charters. I fell in love with flyfishing and about starved out because I was spending more time with the fly rod than gillnet.
Well I got carried away but that’s why I bought this little rig. Even though I’ve caught enough fish I still love to throw a fly rod.
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