Shallowfish.com

A number of folks have written to ask what happened to the old skiff I recently sold. A couple of young bucks down this way bought it, and they’re already tearing her to pieces on their way to a rebuild. If you want to see a past-her-prime skiff rise like a phoenix, keep an eye on this thread over on the FS forum: http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/zerothread?id=757288

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Seems all my buds are on a roll. My cousin recently sent me this pic from the Keys using his iPhone. He’s in Marathon, where he and his family make an annual trip down to fish the deep waters of the Atlantic for sails, wahoo, dolphin, etc. This big cow is headed for the icebox.

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My buddy Pete recently snapped the pic above and sent it my way. He’s doing very well on the browns and brookies in a secret stretch of river in Connecticut, and though he’s conservation conscious, he and his son occasionally keep a fish or two for the grill. This pic has me looking forward to my annual (business-related) jaunt to Vermont later this summer.

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As part of the epic Get John’s Damn Skiff Working Again Project, I recently purchased a used trailer from a buddy of mine. When I went to pick it up, sitting atop it was an old red ‘77 Maverick skiff (model #2). Got me interested in its history, and (with the caveat that this is second-hand info) this is what I discovered: (more…)

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As I noted in a previous post, I recently married the most fantastic woman on the planet. We just got back from a belated honeymoon of sorts in Key West, the spot of our first vacation together. (No, this post isn’t fishing related, but it’s my damn blog, so work with me). We flew across Florida Bay on a big jet boat (shaving hours off of what is normally a long drive) and arrived in town not long after noon. (more…)

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The love of my life…about to be released by the new missus.

I owe my loyal readers an enormous apology. Though I’ve been pretty damn consistent in terms of posting on a regular basis, I fell off the face of the earth for the last month or so. But I have splendid excuses lined up, including a bout of sickness, a pressing workload and - oh, yes - I up and got hitched. She’s a keeper, and, lucky for me, she’s far-sighted and I wooed her in low lighting. I’m back in the saddle again, and I’ll be resuming my normal posting schedule. In fact, plan is to ramp things up and provide even more useful and entertaining content to my angling brethren (and sist…er…thren). Thanks for your patience in my absence - I hope you’ve been racking fish in Biblical proportions.

John

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Captain Ned Small is an Everglades backcountry guide with a sterling reputation as a conservation-minded angler. He recently sent me these comments in response to a short article I posted on big snook: “The future of the sport will be a function of each of us taking the ‘long view.’ Catch and release is a form of giving back. We don’t keep any snook on my boat, that’s my decision…a quick photo and back she goes. As a wise man once said, “To know yourself, know what you love, and protect it.” Preach on, brother. A peerless sightfishing guide, Ned specializes in light-tackle pursuits, with an emphasis on fly fishing. If you’re planning a trip to the Glades to fly fish, he’s highly recommended. Check out the fly-caught fish on his gallery. Oh, and nice shirt, Ned.

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