<H3>• #38: Islamorada Journal 2014…21 FEB </H3>

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Click on any photo to enlarge...get a slide show: Wednesday night's sunset. Here's a shot of the area where I work on fishing tackle. I think it was Michael who asked me why I needed so many pairs of pliers. I explained that one grips very well but is not good at cutting; another grips and cuts but doesn't cut the line close enough to the knot; another will cut anything but doesn't grip for beans; etc. On one day off the water I finally got my bonefish fly box sorted out. Now, if I ever go fishing for bonefish.... I explained before that my right arm has been very painful because I've done something to the upper arm muscle while casting and reeling in so many fish [old age couldn't have anything to do with it!]. So I changed over a spinning reel to left-hand casting, right-hand reeling and went out on the basin wall to give it a try. It worked pretty well...a bit awkward...even caught a fish: A Lane Snapper. Here's a detail shot of the snapper's tail... ...and scales... ...and eye. Put him back in the water safe to swim another day. Barry was out in the basin...looking for Zachary, no doubt. Jeremy and his bride-to-be, Emily arrived on Wednesday. Here Jeremy on the basin wall checking out the fish species. Those white trails you can see in the background are the dreaded... ...cigarette boats that arrive in the Keys each year at this time to participate in some event down in Key West...apparently it's the Miami Boat Show Poker Run...whatever that is. Horribly noisy beasts, these boats invariably contain people yelling to each other: "We gotta stop for gas...we gotta stop for gas!" Jeremy, Emily, and... ...Bridget joined me aboard Shoo-Fly for a short tour on the Bay side of Islamorada. We had to avoid the Atlantic side as winds were kicking up to 19 kts. from the SSE which would have made for an uncomfortable ride. We saw some of the cigarette boats heading south... ...a cattlemaran*... ...and this fellow who appears to be operating an outboard motor-powered Hobie Cat...which normally uses a sail. Clouds blew by overhead and dropped a few sprinkles on us that quickly evaporated. *Yes, it's correctly "catamaran"; the pejorative, "cattlemaran," relates to how they herd a bunch of people on board.