ConnecticutSaltWaterFishing.com: • #39: Islamorada Journal 2014…23 FEB

22 February 2014

• #39: Islamorada Journal 2014…23 FEB

Click on any pic to enlarge...see a slide show:

Thursday night's sunset.

A piledriver...come to Islamorada to install a dock or replace some dock pilings.

Thank goodness it's not doing that anywhere near here...the noise and pounding of the barge-mounted equipment can be absolutely unnerving.

On Saturday morning Wayne and I took our annual walk a mile or so down US-1 to the big Nautical Flea Market run each year by the Rotary Club to raise money for college scholarships for Upper Keys youth.

The event is so huge that warnings are posted days ahead to tell drivers about the potential for traffic delays.

People come in droves, on foot, in cars, by bicycle, and by bus.

The place is quite a mob scene...great people-watching.

For some reason my computer insists on posting this photo downside-up.

Lots of fishing gear for sale. If you know your prices and values, you can actually find some bargains.

Wayne bought some Suffix braid at about 25% the normal retail price.

I got sore feet.

Late morning, Wayne, Jeremy, and I went out to seek fish.

Saw this ultra-light which appears to be a seaplane.

We went to one of our typical spots and immediately got into some spotted seatrout.

Then this boat came along, less than 200 feet from us, threw out the anchor, and prepared to set up fishing. This is not cool. There's an unwritten rule in the Keys that you don't get within 400 yards of another boat that's fishing. Obviously these lunkheads didn't know the rule...or didn't care.

We were about done with this spot, so I motored over into the area where the other boat was going to fish, positioned our stern less than 50 feet from them, and gunned the motor blasting us out of the area.

I doubt that they got the message, but at least it would have messed up their fishing for a little while.

Truth be told, we finally had a lousy day of fishing.

Every time we've fished, until Saturday, we've caught fish by the dozens. Today, it was just tough fishing. Don't know if it was from the days of high winds we've experienced, or what. But after our first run of seatrout, it pretty much dried up...couple of jacks over there, couple of ladyfish over here...that sort of thing.

It's a shame this had to happen when Jeremy was here for his one day of fishing, but that's the way it goes...he shoulda been here yesterday (or the day before, maybe).