Ironically, the last post that I put up was last year, Fishing in 2017, this is 2018 fishing. It’s only fitting that my New Year’s resolution be to write more – specifically on here. This does present a challenge though since I am writing a book and write a ton at work, but I will try to rise to the occasion.
A lot has gone down in this past year, lots of changes- some good things however, some horrible. I fished a lot this past year and certainly caught some amazing fish with amazing friends. There are too many to post all on here, but some of these photos provide a look into what went down on the water this year.
Henceforth, I hope that you enjoy this post!
Finally: The Fish!
I spent a lot of time chasing redfish this year, mostly on docks. I would say that this year I caught more redfish than any previous year. The color variations on these fish are just incredible, my friend Will Ward caught a nice one on fly that was light to dark but I caught one that was bright orange. The amazing color patterns on these fish are certainly one of the many reasons why I will always love them.
This summer in addition to chasing redfish I also would chase these giant breeder snook. Props to Jarek, we fished for these guys so many times and I could never close the deal, but he managed a few of these tanks this summer. Often times it required swimming and giving it everything you had to keep the fish from breaking you off on structure.
Wanna give another shout out here to Jarek who on a trip to the Bahamas caught his first bonefish on a fly that he tied himself! There’s no two-ways about it, that is wild stuff. Fishing in 2018 isn’t so bad!
In Conclusion
I was honored to help the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust with their juvenile tarpon habitat surveying. The genetic information and water samples that we collected will help them to learn more about where these amazing fish live and grow. These baby tarpon are the future of our fisheries, learning as much as possible about them and their life cycles will help BTT and others to help protect them and ensure that they’ll be around for us to fish for years to come.
Additionally, they helped us to make the best of a bad situation. A location in which snook, mullet, bass, tilapia, and most notably, baby tarpon lived was to be drained and paved over to build a development. BTT and the local fly fishing community rallied together and were able to save a number of fish from certain death. It was sad to see such a place full of life and a place that held so many happy memories for so many people (I even caught my first baby tarpon there) be destroyed. However, seeing so many people and a great organization work together to save so many fish was a great thing.
There were so many great fish and great times on the water this year with so many people, I wish I could recap them all. This hopefully gives you a small look into some fish that represent this year. As I said, my New Year’s resolution is to write more, so the plan is for you all to be hearing from me soon.
If you enjoyed this post, then stay tuned for more great content! 2018 fishing was amazing!
Until next time, Tight Lines.