in 2013, three of the Nature Coast Lady Anglers participated in the 2nd Annual Nature Coast Challenge Kayak Fishing Tournament sponsored by the Inglis Yankeetown Lions Club.  Although none of those three gals caught any of the target fish (Red Drum & Spotted Seatrout), it was a new experience for them and they really had a great time competing.  This year, 2014, two of those original three returned in addition to several other members of the NCLA (+ spouses) who didn't know about the tourney last year.  

We all met at the Inglis Yankeetown Lions Club for the scheduled 7:00 p.m. Captain's Meeting on Friday, April 25th.  As we approached the front door, we were greeted by a few of the local LC fellas who had volunteered to help with the fish fry.  They were busy holding a beer in their left hand while turning fish in the fryer with their right hand, as it should be.  We were going to be treated to a good ol' home style fish fry and pot luck dinner.  We were salivating at the thought of some delicious food.

As we walked into the Lions Club building, Donna Norton, one of the main tournament organizers, welcomed us with a smile and handed each of us the traditional "tournament goody bag" and invited us to make ourselves at home so we scouted out a table that would accommodate our troupe and began to rummage through our goody bags to see what surprises were buried in there.

So let's see what we have, shall we?

• An awesome tournament t-shirt
• Two bottles of water, which we're gonna need
• A pen to write our scores down with
• Our tournament token
• Some 303 protectant spray and wipes
• Dry Cloth Wipes
• 2014 Saltwater Fishing Regulations booklet
• Assorted hooks
• Assorted soft plastic baits
• Map of the area

We spent the next fifteen minutes bartering with one another as we traded and exchanged items among ourselves.  By the time the dinner bell rang, we were happy with what we had in our bags. 

Doug Dame, the IYLC President rang the dinner bell and those of us that were chatting simply got up from our chairs and continued our conversation as we went through the buffet line.  The topic of discussion changed from fishing to eating once we all got a good look at the amazing spread of home made dishes that had been provided by members of the Lions Club.  Fried flounder, hush puppies, potato salad, baked beans, green beans, deviled eggs, and on and on it went.  Then, of course, there was dessert.

We sat down to eat as Doug went over the official rules,  pointed out the various kayak launch sites on a Goggle Map Power Point slide, and answered any questions that came up.  We wrapped things up at around 8:30 p.m. and headed home to develop our last-minute strategies for bringing in the winning fish and to get a good night's sleep.

Well, after Captain Messier's "formal" presentation was technically done,  he sat down with us and chatted freely about anything we wanted to talk about.  We threw out a topic and he'd give us his opinion on it.  We had his undivided attention for a half an hour and he wasn't going to hold anything back.  Here is an overview of the things we talked about.

GEAR:  He prefers a 7' rod.....7' 6" is even better.  Shorter rods = accuracy.  Longer rods = distance.  Nothing under 7' in his opinion.  Medium action rod spooled with 15 lb braided line which allows for a farther cast.

15 lb diameter = 60 lb test

4 lb diameter = 15 lb test (or 15 lb of drag pressure) / you can actually bring in a 50 lb fish with this line.


DOLPHINS:  We talked about dolphin activity when they're feeding and when they're mating, which brought up another topic of the FWC's lack of concern when the general public tries to reports something unusual.  They're not very responsive.

SNOOK:  Kyle briefly discussed how temperature sensitive snook are and that it's not surprising to see them dead in the water after a few days of unusually cold temperatures.

COBIA:  The question came up about cobia bait.  Kyle said that he uses pinfish for bait and that he mostly sight fishes for them.  Cobia will follow manatees and stingrays because when those two use their tails and wings for propulsion, they will stir up quite a bit of bottom soil as they move along which exposes small crabs and shrimp for the cobia (and redfish too),  to grab up.  "Never pass up a manatee / Never pass up a stingray"

TRIPLETAIL:  What time of year can you catch them?  "Right now if it were a little warmer.  It's really just a little too cold for crab buoy fishing to be effective, but when it gets warmer, live bait hook with no weight - this is called live-lining - and nose hook a shrimp or a thin piece a cut bait."  Tripletail will always be facing the current.  The problem is that these fish aren't going to move two feet out of their spot to chase a bait.  If you don't practically give it to them, you won't catch them.  Capt. Messier is a blue crabber by trade, though, so he knows the secrets from both sides of the crab trap, if you know what I mean.

BLUE CRAB:  So we moved into the topic of blue crab.  All of the crabs that harvesters trap in the winter are males in the river.  A short warm spell in January or February will sometimes cause the females to leave the shallows and congregate in the deeper holes to lay eggs.  When the males migrate out of the seven rivers, they head N - NW and form this type of bio-mass near the Spoil Banks and pile up next to the barge canal and then will slowly spread back out.  This happens every year.  Those 3x3 crab traps are packed full and that's when you can successfully target tripletail.

MULLET:  That conversation let to mullet.  Mullet migrate as well (called a mullet run) but in a different way.  In October and November, when the first few strong cold-fronts hit, they leave the spring-fed rivers and  head off-shore to spawn.  Picture a thousand mullet all jumping at the same time - like the Asian carp do up north.  This is the time when the sharks, permit, pompano and cobia show up because of how this mullet mass can stir up the bottom exposing bait food.  You'll catch fish you just wouldn't normally expect to find in these waters at that time of year.

TARPON:   in all its size and glory, are actually considered "bait fish" to a shark.  80 - 200 lb tarpon congregate in bio-masses of their own, attracting even larger sharks who won't think twice about attacking a tarpon in four feet of water.  And this is where people scallop a month later.  It's crazy !!  But even with all of that 'danger' lurking, we're still going to set up a scalloping trip with the Capt.  We a thrill seeking bunch, I tell you !!

SHARKS:  Speaking of sharks...Kyle said that this past year, you couldn't go anywhere near King's Bay Springs without seeing sharks jumping out of the water occasionally.  Tarpon, manatees, divers and....sharks jumping out of the water.  Kyle brought up the fact that many of the shark species are off limits to keep but the bonnet head shark is still on the list for harvesting if someone wanted to.  Florida law prohibits the harvesting of so many sharks these days because of past over fishing.  They aren't any good to eat if they're over 5' anyway, but a small bonnet head is great table fare.  If you decide to keep a shark for dinner, it has to be gutted right away.  They have a lot of ammonia and acids that you don't want seeping into the meat.  You have to slice them from their 'poop shoot' all the way up to the jaw and clean out the innards really good, especially the small urine sac that runs the length of the shark....that's where the toxic fluid is stored.  If gutted right, shark fillets are delicious.

FLY FISHING:  Amazingly, we ended where we started, talking about fly-fishing.  Capt. Messier was really cool.  He invited us to organize again one afternoon so that he could really spend some quality time with us and demonstrate how simple fly casting can be.  He offered to supply all the gear if we would consider it.  What a generous offer and what a great guy!  It sounds like great fun and we'll be putting it on our calendar.

He made us realize what a great area we live in when you can fish inshore from a kayak, or flats boat, or go off shore for a different type of fishing.  His energy and genuine love of the sport is contagious and we were grateful for his patience with us as he hammered him with a billion questions.  You can tell that he loves to share his knowledge with those who are honestly just wanting to learn - so for that we are very grateful Capt.!

Capt. Kyle Messier  with Florida Fishing Adventures was our guest speaker for the evening, educating us on the topic of live bait  vs artificial lures.  What we learned from Capt. Messier is that during a certain time of the year, specifically mid May all the way through the end of October, when the target fish are growing fat and sassy and pinfish begin to ravenously devour your live shrimp in a matter of seconds - is when it's time to either opt for bigger chunks of cut-bait, replace the shrimp with a soft plastic like Gulp or DOA, or try using a hard artificial lure or spoon.  For new anglers, this can be a difficult transition, especially if you've grown accustomed to using live shrimp.  Hard lures come with a few disadvantages, though.  They're generally a bit awkward to cast at first, they can be a little costly, and they typically have six hooks to manage vs just one on a jig-head or circle hook.  Another good reason to smash the barbs flat - this reduces the risk of injury to yourself or someone else close by.  On the other hand, sometimes the size of the fish is a direct correlation to the size of the lure.  Larger lures usually catch larger fish.  That's not always true, but it's the general outcome. 

Another tidbit of information to know:

A good temperature rule to follow:

Use shrimp if the waters are under 75 degrees / artificial baits/lures when over 75 degrees.

Every fish with a hook jaw looks up (trout, tarpon, ladyfish, etc.) and typically attack a top-water lure.


The MirrOlure brand makes a hard lure called the Mirrodine with its trademark "C-eyes" (or clear eyes).  Kyle recommended investing in a few of these (any color is fine) as an alternative to Gulp - just for a change of pace.  These are sub-surface lures that are designed to be worked about six inches below the water's surface.  Top water feeders, like trout, (remember how they'll attack a floating popping cork) will see this and hopefully mistake it for an easy meal.  The drawback to these lures is that if a fishes misses the hook but gets enough of it in his mouth to realize it's not the soft, natural texture he expected, chances are, he won't come back to it.  This is why soft-plastics catch more fish than hard lures do.

If the Capt. said it once, he said it a hundred times;  It's all about the mullet!  If mullet are jumping, paddle there.  If mullet are swimming, cast there.  If you catch a mullet, cut it up and use it as bait.  Want to catch more fish?  Find the mullet and nothing imitates a mullet better than a real mullet, but this artificial mullet is the next best thing.  This hard lure is called the "Live Mullet" by Live Target.  DOA makes a similar mullet lure that Kyle uses during tarpon season in May and June and there are smaller versions that work just as well.  Did we mention that mullet are a trout's favorite meal?

The cool part about spoons is that they force a fish into making an instant decision - whether or not to strike at that shiny thing that has grabbed their undivided attention, literally luring them to grab ahold.  They must be retrieved with speed in order for them to be effective because they are designed to initiate a reaction strike but they don't work in every situation or environment and they are difficult to master from a kayak so you need to be selective when you use these.  Stay with a 1/4 oz Weedless spoons, Johnson spoons, Aquadream spoons - they're all great  Silver and gold are the traditional colors but new ones being manufactured with reflective designs add a little extra help to catch redfish, snook and trout.   1/2 oz Casting and Jigging spoons, similar to what's used up north, allow for a longer cast and are effective down here when targeting jacks, Spanish mackerel, bonita and bluefish from now until November, and they're fairly inexpensive.

A quick discussion about bait scent.  Capt. Messier is not a big fan of bait scent but admitted that every product had a time and place for use.  If you have an unscented soft plastic bait but no Gulp brand bait on hand, then, by all means, use an artificial scent, just be aware that this product can be a little messy to use.

Hey Kyle - When do you use bucktail jigs? 

"When you're fishing for Pompano"

Rapala® Skitter Walk® - Top-water lure

MirrOlure Mirrodine - sub-surface lure

1/4 oz jig-head and Berkeley Gulp

(and, of course, live shrimp)

The three most important signs to look for when searching for a good place to start fishing:

1.  AREA:  Learn how to identify a hard bottom.  Kelp grass, which is long, brown and stringy, roots itself on hard bottom so start there if you happen to paddle up on some.

2.  MOVING WATER:  Rushing water through an oyster bar cut will carry bait fish that aren't strong enough to swim against that current.  Guess who's waiting on the other side of that cut for a free meal to go by?

3.  BAIT FISH:  Look for mullet jumping.  Look for bait fish jumping - something's after them...you might as well find out what it is. 

He suggested the deeper pockets of water in and around Fish Creek and Pirate Cove.  There's an area behind Mullet Key that holds a lot of kelp grass.  At Pirate Cove you'll look for oyster bar.  Water that 'shimmys' is usually a dead giveaway there's a shallow bottom, oyster bar, or a grass patch below it.  And you'll want a lure that is designed for shallow water.

When you're fishing in low tide, you need a bait that works in low tide.  The Mirrodines that he mentioned earlier un 6 inches under the water and are fine.  Jig-heads will just sink to the bottom regardless of the depth but jerk-baits are fantastic.  These are rigged with what's called a worm hook and if it's done right, it's 100% weedless and acts as a top-water lure, looking as close to a bait fish as anything else.  With a weedless set up, you can target redfish on the oyster bars and trout in the kelp beds without too much trouble.

Click here and scroll down for a better example.

Another way they can be rigged is to be nose-hooked with a circle hook which still allows for the bait to look as natural as possible when you're retrieving it and since most fish attack at the head first, it make sense to position the hook there.  Also, when looking to buy these type of hooks, look for 1/0 or 2/0 size.

Listen - if you're going to spend your money on one thing, make sure it's good fluorocarbon leader line.  Most every angler now uses braid line which is expensive for the initial investment but will last a good 6-8 months before needed to be replaced.  Problem with braid is that it's easily visible to the fish.  The fluorocarbon leader, on the other hand, is completely invisible underwater whish is really important when you're fishing the crystal clear salt waters of Citrus County.  However, the more cuts, scrapes and abrasions the leader line develops renders it less and less invisible so keep it as in-tact as possible under the water and trim it as often as needed.

Believe it or not, fishing with flies is just as effective for catching fish as any live bait or hard artificial lure.  It's all about presentation - which is what fishing in general is all about anyway, right?  Fly anglers can catch a fish that's turned its nose up at the smell of live shrimp or the splash of a popping cork.  Some of the tiniest flies will catch some of the biggest fish.

The amazing thing is that every single individual has the ability to create one-of-a-kind flies that actually look like the real thing once it hits the  water.  Kyle really tried to convince us that fly fishing is really so much easier than most people realize and that honestly, women master the casting technique faster and better than men do.  There's nothing sexier than a woman who can out fly-fish a man.  Seriously, ladies!!!  Want to amaze your husbands?  Master the fly rod!  The 'active ingredient', if you will, in flies are the different materials that react to the water in different ways.  Kyle's #1 "go-to" fly is called a Redfish Slider made by Tim Borski.  Another one he likes is Cathy's Crazy Legs made by a woman named Cathy Beck.  All of the best fly tiers in the world are women - all the best fly casters in the world are women.  If you don't believe Kyle on this one, just do a little research on a 'little ol' lady' named Joan Wulff' and see for yourself what all the fuss is about.  He just wanted to drive home the point that women, even those who have no confidence in their ability to fly fish, with just a small investment of time, could really excel at this sport and surprise themselves at how quickly they can become experts at it - outdoing any man with very little effort.
Even catching a "trash fish" like ladyfish with a fly on a 4 weight rod is exciting.  Try practicing in Crystal River in the winter time targeting ladyfish, trout and jacks.  It's definitely on our List Of Things To Do.

For our April 1st meeting, we invited Capt. Kyle Messier, with Florida Fishing Adventures, to come and speak to us on the topic of live bait vs artificial lures.  He seemed excited to have been asked and accepted the invitation.  We felt honored that he took the time to do so.   He arrived a few minutes early to set up and struck up a conversation with Gloria, one our members who is a fly-fisher, about green-back cut-throat trout in Estes Park, Colorado.  Capt. Messier told her that he visits a customer up in Colorado every year and fishes the Frying Pan and Roaring Fork Rivers just outside of Glenwood Springs targeting rainbow trout.  Because he fishes saltwater on a daily basis, his down-time passion is rainbow and rook trout.  Lucie jumped in the conversation at that point because she could relate to the adrenaline rush catching rook trout in Vermont, where she's from.  While Gloria, Lucie and the Capt. were chatting about trout, a few other ladies asked Theresa how her husband, RG was doing.  He had been in the hospital recently with back surgery but seemed to be recuperating okay. 

Now that most everyone had arrived and was seated, Capt. Messier made a brief self-introduction taking us back to his childhood when, "back in the day", he owned his first boat at age 12 and at age 14 got paid a quarter for every fish his customers caught.  Since then, he's had the privilege to fish in some of the most exotic places in the world.  He also mentioned that he was a certified fly fishing instructor (something that has been put on our activity agenda for the future).  He went on to say that most Citrus Co. residence don't realize they live within just miles of the most dynamic fisheries found anywhere in the southern United States due to the seven spring-fed rivers that are constantly dumping into the Gulf of Mexico and encouraged us to explore them as often as we could.  The months of April and May would be prime time to do so.

Even though his main topic of discussion was live bait vs artificial lures, Kyle felt like it would be a disservice if he didn't include fly-fishing lures in the mix.  "After all", he said, "Women are the fastest growing aspect of the sport of fly-fishing.", and he really encouraged us, as women, to give it a try - which we plan on doing at some point in the future.  We would revisit this topic later in the evening.

So Kyle begins with telling us that there are approximately 20 species of fish that are generally caught by inshore anglers in this area.  Bait used should reflect the type of bait that's swimming in the waters at that time.  Lures used should be an artificial representation of the same.  Kyle showed us examples of a few of his favorites and explained why he likes them so much.

Live shrimp is the number one bait of choice here on the coast, obviously because it's the most prevalent.  Kyle's tip is that live shrimp will stay alive a lot longer (sometimes up to two days) on a piece of damp paper towel or newspaper over ice than they will in a live-well.  Shrimp are held in temperature regulated tanks at most bait-&-tackle shops and a simple temperature change from cold water to warm water can eventually kill them.  For instance, shrimp held in a 72 degree tank won't last long when they're transported into 85 degree live-well.  This is handy information for those of us fishing from kayaks.  Take one gallon capacity Igloo brand cooler,  cover the bottom with ice or an ice pack, put a few pieces of newspaper on top of the ice, then lay your shrimp on top of the newspaper.  This puts them in a dormant state but does not kill them.  Other options for live bait are pinfish, white bait, needlefish, mullet.  These are the baits that lure manufacturers strive to recreate.

Kyle suggested that artificial baits be used when scouting for fish.  He gave us several reasons for this.  For one - artificial baits (like Berkley's Gulp brand) is less expensive by comparison to live bait which can be depleted quickly by scavenger species like blue crab, pinfish and catfish, leaving you nothing to show for your $15.00 investment just hours before..  Because Gulp style baits are 'rubbery', they aren't as easy to pick apart and consume by smaller fish, which gives you more casts between hook checks and changes.

Invest in some 3" Berkley Gulp Shrimp in the color of New Penny.

He also mentioned that shrimp molt around moon phases and Berkley also makes a molting color which should be used when fishing around the new moon and/or full moon phases.

This bait can be rigged all different ways, but Kyle's favorite is this:

A standard 1/4 oz jig-head (no preference on color or mfg - whichever is the cheapest because, theoretically, they all work the same).  Jig-heads are really nothing more than pre-weighted hooks with the weight being painted in various colors and "eyes" in a contrasting color. 

Then he pulled a dead shrimp out of a small Zip-lock baggie and pointed out the small dark spot on top of it's head which is considered its brain.  Avoid threading a hook through that part of the shrimp unless you want to cause instant death, because that's exactly what will happen.  Every other part of that shrimp is fair game.  What you're looking for is the shrimp to make its natural flicking action with its tail - that's how it propels itself through the water, making slight vibrations in the water which attract predatory fish.

Kyle taught us that pinching off the shrimp's tail is another trick he always uses because it releases scent into the water.  He demonstrated exactly what he was talking about by threading the hook through its tail as in the picture to the left.  There are so many different ways you can use this rig.  For instance...you can cast it out and just let it sit on the bottom (for redfish or founder), you can slowly retrieve it like you would an artificial bait (for trout or jacks) or you can put an adjustable bobber on the line to cover various depths.  With a bobber, you can actually 'troll' this behind the kayak as you slowly paddle.  It's very basic, but very effective.  Or you can toss it in the water, leave your reel bail open for a short time and let just drift into a certain spot you may have paddled past (depending on the current direction, of course).  Then simply take the bobber off if you want to fish the bottom for a while.

Another way to thread a shrimp on a jig-head for fishing in a strong current or fishing for sheepshead is to run the hook close to the shrimp's horn (avoiding the brain, remember), Let it sink to the bottom at which time the scent will travel in the current alerting larger fish that 'something delicious cometh this way'.  They'll take the initiative to come and check it out.  The hook in the horn area is because most fish will grab a shrimp or other bait fish by the head first.   For this reason, some researchers theorize that the big black spot at the tail of a redfish is its way of tricking a shark or dolphin into thinking it's an 'eye' instead of a tail - allowing for a quick escape.

Like the Berkley brand, DOA is another company that manufactures artificial shrimp in a gazillion colors.  The difference is that Berkley Gulp shrimp are marinated in a patented nasty smelling hormone scented liquid that attracts fish.  DOA shrimp aren't scented that way but are sold with a hook and weight built in.  In addition to being a bit less expensive, they are also a bit more durable than the Gulp.  A Gulp shrimp is like a sponge, if it is left on a jig-head and open to the elements too long, it will shrivel and harden to the point that you may not be able to salvage your jig-head at all.  But both Gulp and DOA shrimp can be used independently or tied off to a popping cork.  Some DOA shrimp are actually sold already rigged to a popping cork.  The colors of glow and gold work best according to Kyle.

If you fish anywhere in and/or near Homosassa, Crystal River and Yankeetown, the popping cork is a staple on any boat or kayak.  The cork itself does nothing to attract fish until you use it as it was designed to be used - popping it (hence the name 'popping' cork).  When the angler makes several short but strong tugs on the rod, the beads on both sides of the cork makes a popping sound which attracts curious fish to your artificial bait.  The hope is that those fish literally 'take-the-bait'.    The cigar bobber is Kyle's favorite but on windy days, he uses a bigger cork that's a little easier to spot in a pinch.  On occasion he'll use a snap swivel to connect a treble hook to the bottom of the popping cork because trout will attack the cork itself when popped instead of the bait he had on a hook several feet below.  The challenge is getting the fish's attention off of the cork and its focus on to the bait.

Also - smash the hook barbs down on a treble hook....really makes dehooking a lot easier!!

You can use a Gulp shrimp on a weighted jig-head for a faster sinking bait with a popping cork (which isn't always the best choice) or you can use a lighter, slower sinking DOA shrimp (it has air injected into it),  as bait with a popping cork.  Just make sure your cork isn't the main attraction - your bait should be!

Capt. Messier changed topics for a few minutes and gave us a little insight on how fish congregate.  You can usually find trout hanging out with schools of ladyfish and similarly, you can sometimes find redfish swimming with schools of mullet looking to eat the small and injured if given the opportunity.  Another reason you can find reds with mullet is that large schools of mullet will stir up the bottom exposing small grabs and shrimp for redfish to find.  If you're targeting redfish, look for jumping mullet and paddle there.  The trout mass with ladyfish because they are both baitfish eaters.  They sometimes work together to target baitfish.  Also, when dolphin come to call for dinner, trout can sometimes escape the danger because the ladyfish are so much more abundant which makes them easier targets for the dolphin.

Well, it wasn't so much of a "funday" for Dot, she had to drive all the way home by herself and wouldn't be staying to fish with us.  We woke up Sunday morning and sat around the table eating breakfast, drinking coffee and talking about our fishing plans for the day.  At some point during seminar on Saturday, the topic of hiring guides for Sunday fishing came up and alot of the women pooled their funds together and hired one.  That included kayak fishing as well.  When the event organizers found out that we hauled our own kayaks down for a day of fishing without the expense of a guide, they explicitly asked us not to follow the guides who were taking paid customers.  Well, goodness gracious - of course we weren't going to do that.  That would show just a plain lack of common sense and courteousness!  But I guess it's happened often enough they had to say something about it.  So, in order to avoid that scenario, we approached the kayak fishing guide and briefly explained our plans to him.  He, in turn, told us that he had no problem with us launching at the same ramp but asked us to wait until about 9:30 a.m.  He expected to have his group at their fishing destination by then.  So between the time we got up Sunday morning and made our way to the launch site, we had to bid a fond farewell to Dot, load all of our gear in the truck, and try to remember how to hook the trailer back up.  We did a pretty good job of managing our time that morning.

After Dot left us in the dust, we hitched the trailer and arrived at the Matlacha Community Park.  As we circled around the parking lot to get to the launch site, Marilee made a mental note of how many trailer parking spots there still were available.  One thing we hadn't thought about was available parking on a Sunday morning.  The park only has 30 spaces for vehicles towing trailers and by Marilee's count there were only three left.  A measure of anxiety crept in at that point.  We had to unload in a hurry if we wanted one of those three spots.  We didn't have a "Plan B" if we couldn't park the rig.

As we approached the ramp, we noticed that the kayak guide was still there trying to keep control of his group.  He gave us the impression that they would've been long gone by now.  Uh....not so much!  All three of us did our best to get the yaks and gear unloaded in a hurry.  I had a quick chat with the guide and he wasn't concerned about our arrival, just made a suggestion to paddle in a different direction once we were on the water.  Our plan was to follow Capt. Swartz's recommendation from the day before so we hoped that there would be no conflict of interest.  We'd just have to play it by ear once we were paddling out.  I jumped back in the truck and was lucky enough to pull into one of the last remaining parking spots left that morning.  Whew - that was a close one !  Props to Marilee for looking out!

I checked to make sure my truck was locked when a park official pulled up behind me.  He wanted to make sure I was aware there was a $10.00 parking fee for the day (which I was).  We ladies had noticed that on Friday when we were on our little "walk-about" of the island.  He was very nice and kindly warned me that there was a strict policy of ticketing any vehicle who failed to pay and he didn't want to see that happen.  He knew about the LLGF seminar and that the park would be full of visitors today who may not be aware of the parking fee.  Not only did he tell me about it, he offered to make the $10.00 transaction and gave me my parking pass right then and there so I wouldn't have to walk all the way to the other side of the park to put it in the drop-box.  I was appreciative.  That would save me some time.  So far things were going splendidly!  We were just lovin' our little Matlacha visit.

Marilee and Liz were busy organizing their stuff and I began doing the same.  It was in the middle of that set-up routine when Liz had a bit of a paddle malfunction.  She had two sets of paddles at home and accidentally brought two left side paddles instead of a left and right, with no way to join them together.  We spent the next few minutes channeling McGyver but just couldn't quite figure how to make it work.  Liz finally gave up and decided she would just load her yak back in the trailer and walk back to the hotel.  She didn't want to hold me and Marilee up any longer.  But that solution presented a new problem.  There was no way for me to hold my parking spot until I got back.  It would surely be taken by then which would put us back at square one.   Now what?

Then, like an angel from heaven, along comes George, the same guy that collected my parking fee a few minutes earlier.  He had swung by again to see how we were getting along.  Little did he know what we were about to lay on him.  We explained our dilemma and told him that we were in desperate need of a kayak paddle.  He was hesitant at first, I'm sure he's heard a lot of sob-stories over the years and has been burned a time or two but he seemed to be genuinely concerned about our plight and made a phone call on our behalf.  After a few minutes of conversation with a co-worker / supervisor, he got permission to loan us a set of paddles that belong to the county.  He was back in five minutes and we were more than grateful.  He really saved the day for us - no doubt! 

We paddled across the channel that is Matlacha Pass and directly toward the rising sun, according to Capt. Swartz's advice and found ourselves in a cut of water that led behind a barrier of mangroves.  By the time we made it across the Pass, the water became as slick as ice and we fished for hours.

As we meandered around the back side of the barrier mangroves, I discovered an unexpected deep crevice that ran along the mangrove line and noticed a particularly unusual tree formation.  Most of the other scrub on either side of this tree was lush and green.  This was a dead tree surround by healthy trees.  A cast up under there rewarded me with this little Snook and so as Liz and Marilee continued to move farther down the line, I hung out a little while longer and pulled out a few more small Snook.  Good Times !!

By 2:00 that afternoon, we'd had pretty much all the fun we could stand out there and decided to pack it in and paddle on back to the ramp.  The boat traffic in the channel had picked up throughout the day as well along with a bit of wind making for a few choppy waves but nothing we couldn't handle.  We saw a father and toddler son fishing from the small wooden platform next to the ramp and offered them the rest of our shrimp.  They were dead (the shrimp, not the father and son), but they were free (as in no cost, not emancipated) .  We shared a few fish stories with them while we loaded our kayaks and then drove back to repark the trailer before heading back to the hotel room.

We made it back to the hotel, took a shower and relaxed for a while.  Only one more decision to be made and that was "where to eat?"  Again, there were just so many good options to choose from.  Dot picked Bert's the night before and Marilee was really wanting to check out the

 Olde Fish House Marina.  She had been eyeing that place since we arrived so that's where we went.  It was still early by Island Time so there were only a few other folks there.  We had worked up quite an appetite, though, and our eyes were bigger than our stomachs so while we waited for our meals to arrive, we ordered a beer and made a "wish-you-were-here" toast to Dot and then we chowed down!!! 

We drug our tired, exhausted butts back to the hotel and went to bed early.  We had a long drive ahead of us Monday morning.

A beautiful Monday morning arrived and while most everyone else was heading to work, Liz, Marilee and I were taking in our lasts views of the little town of Matlacha in all its glory.  We packed and loaded our luggage, cleaned up any mess we had made, and thanked Bob and Diane for their hospitality while we were there.  We took a few more last-minute pictures and then sat on the deck and finished our last cup of coffee before hitching the trailer back up for the long drive back to Citrus Co.

We had an absolutely wonderful extended weekend in Matlacha and can't wait to come back here!

The FWC was first on the agenda and there's a reason for that.  Heather Sneed, who is with the Outreach & Education Dept. of the FWC happened to be the same 'Heather' who also assisted Jennifer Saranzak at our Crystal River Women's Fishing Clinic back in November, took front and center to kick things off. 

She began by explaining what the Sport Fish Restoration Program was all about and continued by teaching us about the FWRI (Fish & Wildlife Research Institute), and how they collect the ear bones from fish to do much of their research.  We also learned about stock enhancement and fish hatcheries.  But she threw us a curve-ball when she told us that Snook begin their lives as males and then some change into females. 

Reproduction

Common snook are protandric hermaphrodites, changing from male to female after maturation. This transition is identified by the presence of both male and female sex cells in the gonads and takes place when they grow to between 9.4-2.4 inches (24.0-82.4 cm) fork length which corresponds to 1-7 years of age. A study conducted in 2000, indicated that the sex ratios for common snook ages 0 - 2 are significantly skewed between the east and west coasts of Florida (USA) due to protrandry and differences in growth and mortality rates. The majority of small common snook are male and most large snook are female. Males reach sexual maturity during their first year at 5.9-7.9 inches (15.0-20.0 cm) fork length. Research shows that female gonads mature directly from the mature male gonads shortly after spawning. The probability that a common snook of a particular size will be a female increases with length or age.

After Heather "wow-ed" us with that little factoid, she changed gears to water boundaries, clarifying the difference between State, Federal and International waters when it came to mileage boundaries  and how the regulations can be interpreted differently at times.  She put a strong emphasis on the importance of conserving marine habitat by explaining that "no habitat = no fish" and that approximately 70% of Gulf inshore marine habitat depend on sea grass for life.  Another factoid she threw in there:  sea turtles eat jellyfish.  Who knew?  Heather closed her presentation by pointing to the FWC display table to her left and invited  all of us to scour the educational material she had set up there and pick up a few free packetss of circle hooks and other trinkets, courtesy of the FWC Outreach & Education Dept.  It was a pretty good start to the workshop and it got better as the afternoon progressed.

Cabot, one of the generous sponsors of the LLGF event, supplied the snacks for break time.  Before the rest of the guest speakers were given their que to take the stand, Betty pointed toward and announced the location of the Snack Station where someone behind the scenes had laid out a number of small paper plates full of assorted cheese and cracker samplers along with a couple of cases of bottled water.  We took advantage, of course, but were back in our seats within minutes as our first local fishing Captain was stepping up to speak.  We were all excited to hear what he had to say.  This, after all

Capt. Craig Timbes, a.k.a. "The Snook Cowboy",  stepped up to the podium and straight off gave us fair warning:  "Hold onto your seats, ladies, because I have so much information to dole out to you and only a small block of time to do it in.", as he tapped on his watch.  He was very energetic and a very animated and dynamic speaker and he was right, he talked faster than we could write which made us wonder if he threw back a few Redbulls before hand.  Anyway, we had two options:  A) put our pens down and just listen and hope to God we could remember even half of what he had to say, or B) risk a bad case of writer's cramp trying to scribe every word without looking up at him once.  He began by introducing himself, of course, and telling us how he got the nick-name "The Snook Cowboy".  An interesting story, then said what we were waiting to hear, "I'm going tell you every secret I can in the short amount of time I have in front of you and I don't care what any of the other guys think about that!"  Well, okay then...let's get to it!! 

Secret #1 - "Forget everything you think you know about 'when to fish'.  I'll tell you when to fish:   start 2 .5 hours after moonrise or moonset and fish for the next 4-6 hours.  Everything else will fall into place if you follow that one simple rule. 

Secret #2 - Fish 3-4 days before a full moon or new (no) moon

                      Fish 3-4 days after a full moon or new (no) moon

Secret #3 - These are the five most important aspects of a lure:  Color, Contrast, Flash, Vibration and Scent.  Use as many of those components as you can on one lure. 

Secret #4 - Predatory fish will instinctively face into the current.  Make a cast that allows your bait or lure to travel with the current...you'll cover more ground that way.

Secret #5 - For 8-12 inches of water, use a top-water lure.

Secret #6 - For mangrove areas, on hot, sunny days, cast under the overhanging branches.  They provide shade for redfish.

Secret #7 - "Pre-fish" on Google Maps and locate the deep holes for trout.

Secret #8 - Ask yourself:  "Where would a fish hide?"

There was so much more great information that Capt. Timbes gave us that afternoon but quite frankly, there just wasn't enough time to write it all down.  The last comment he made before stepping down was this, "If you only get one thing out of the past 15 minutes I've been up here, it should be this:  Set your fishing schedule on moonrises and moon sets...that's the key.  And if you have any questions about that, you can e-mail me at [email protected]".

He practically got a standing ovation!

Capt. Rick Karnes took to the podium next.  Capt. Craig had done a good job of getting the audience excited, we were hoping Capt. Karnes would be able to keep the momentum going.  Although his presentation style was a bit more 'down to earth', he certainly didn't disappoint.  His subject of expertise was the introduction of artificial lures, which was awesome because the successful use of artificials are a mystery to most women and it takes practice and patience to become comfortable with the technique.  He was here to help us overcome all that.

Capt. Karnes passed out a very well written outline for each of us and we followed along as he described the three basic artificial lure types and the five 'W's of who, what, when, where and why they should be utilized.  He defined the difference between topwater, swimbait and jigs, and when to use each of them.  He reviewed all of the different reasons why artificial lures can be just as productive as live bait and more convenient, too.  Finally he went over some general guidelines to follow.  The hand-out was great because we didn't have to write too many additional notes and everything he said was right there in black-and-white to take home and refer to again later.  Awesome Job, Capt. Karnes!!!

The last speaker of the morning was Capt. Scott Swartz with an introduction to fly fishing.  His aura was a little different than the previous two speakers.  They seemed more tense compared to Capt. Swartz who was very relaxed and soft spoken.  Maybe it's the nature of fly anglers in general.  It's all about the relaxation of the sport, not the high anxiety of competing against yourself for bigger, heavier fish.  He started of by acknowledging that the majority of ladies in the room probably weren't one bit interested in the art of fly fishing but he was there for the small percentage that was.  He went on to extol the virtues of fly fishing and informed us that he runs a fly fishing school on Pine Island simply called Florida Fly Fishing School Pine Island.  He wasn't there to persuade anyone from flipping fishing styles, he just wanted everyone to have a chance to give it a try before they left.  Simple as that!

Well now...the clock struck three and the guest speakers were done playing with our heads and  filling us with a new sense of hope and determination.  That section concluded Part 1 of 3.  Part 2 was the skill-station arena, or break-out-sessions, as they are known in the corporate symposium world.  Each guest speaker was in charge of a specific skill station, depending on their area of expertise.  Volunteers who were just as proficient in other areas also made up several of the skill stations as well.  This is where the women gathered in small groups and worked on overcoming some of the obstacles that had been a cause of frustration in the past.  At this point, we all split up and wandered around the various skill stations for about an hour and a half.

We finally ended up running into each other at the "Buy A T-Shirt" table. We swore we weren't going to buy any raffle tickets or T-shirts.  Yeah, right!!

Part 2 of 3 (the skill stations) came to a close after about an hour and a half.  Most of the women were able spend enough time at whatever station or table they were most interested in and maybe even a little extra time to check out a few of the others just out of curiosity.  While all of that was going on, some busy-bee had arranged all the chairs facing the raffle prize table.  By 5:00 p.m. the buzz going around was "They're getting ready to draw raffle tickets - pass it on"  It didn't take long for that piece of info to make it's way to the ears of 85 women.  We were all in our seats, tickets in hand and ears open.  Liz was the only one in our group of four who won anything!  She won a really nice cheese & cracker gift basket donated by Cabot Cheese Co.  The event activities came to a close by 5:30 p.m.  Some of the ladies strolled back over to the T-Shirt table and finally broke down and bought one.  A few women pulled one or two of the guest speakers aside for a quick personal Q & A session and the LLGF volunteers  got busy folding tables and chairs for storage.  Our group followed suit, folding up our own chairs for transport back to the hotel.  We made some small talk with a few of the others there, they asked if we were going to the Meet & Greet at Mulletville right around the corner, but we declined.  We didn't have the energy and really wanted to have a good sit-down dinner with Dot because we knew she had to head back to Lecanto in the morning.  We thanked as many people as we could who were responsible for putting on the seminar, and then slowly made our way back to the Bridgewater Inn. 

By the time we got back to the hotel room, we were tired and hungry.  We hadn't had a nice big meal since we stopped at Miceli's Restaurant before we even checked into our hotel Friday afternoon.  Other than that, Liz had been whipping up a few quick meals in the kitchen and that's what kept us going up until now.  It was time for Liz to relax but there were so many dinner options within walking distance we couldn't decide.  Since it was Dot's last night with us, she got to choose where we ate and it ended up being Bert's Bar less than 50 yards from our hotel.

We had a really nice dinner at Bert's.  It was crowded but we dug it.  There was a live band playing inside and a different one playing outside, so that was kind of strange but, oh well!  We talked about the day and what we learned and ran into a couple of the other ladies who had been at the seminar earlier that day so that was kind of neat.  We begged, and begged and pleaded for Dot to stay but she just couldn't so we made sure we had some fun before she left Sunday morning.

Time got away from us while we were souvenir shopping and we had to hustle in order to get back to the hotel and get ready for the Ladies, Let's Go Fishing Mini University in time.  First things first - let's find our registration paperwork!  Dot and Marilee made the transition a little quicker than Liz and I so they got a head start to the Community Center, with four camp-style fold-up chairs slung over their shoulders.  Days before the event an e-mail from the organizers went out to the participants asking to bring extra chairs - seems there were more ladies registered than they had chairs for.  Marilee brought several.  Liz and I were scurrying around in the kitchen trying to whip up a fabulous club sandwich and then we eventually met up with Dot and Marilee who had thoughtfully lined all of our camp chairs up in a row.  That's how we ladies roll!!

As expected, once we walked through the doors of the Community Center, we were greeted by group of four ladies each sitting behind a table full of name badges.  They crossed our names out on their list and handed each of us a beautiful vinyl tote bag donated by the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation.  Half the fun of getting these goody bags is rummaging through them to see what interesting little treasures they've tossed in there.  So let's see what we have here...




1.   The official Ladies Let's Go Fishing three-ring binder (Education Manual)

2.   Business cards from some of the guest speakers:  Rick Karnes  ....we'll get back to him later....

3.   15% discount coupon from Bass Pro Shop of any 'qualifying' purchase from March 7th - March 20th

4.   Sea Tow business card & DVD:  "Go Boating Lee County"

5.  Card for Guy Harvey's World Headquarters Showroom

6.  Flyer for the Museum of the Islands

7.   Flyer for Mind Your Waterway Signs

8.   Coupons for Dick's Sporting Goods

9.   Flyer for iPilot GPS Trolling System

10.  Matlacha Tide Chart

11.   Flyer from the kayak fishing guides at Florida Paddlesports www.floridapaddlesports.com ...we'll get back to them later, too.

12.   Flyer from Old Pine Island Marine & Tackle

13.  Flyer for Captain Jack Fishing Charters

14.   Capt. Terry Fisher's 80 page TIDES resource guide for local boaters

15.   32 Page Pine Island Visitor's Guide 2014

16.  28 Page Pine Island Chamber of Commerce Member Directory

17.  74 Page Southwest Florida Traveler's Guide

18.   75 Page FWC Fishing Lines magazine

19.  Lee County Parks & Recreation Guide (a guide map to Lee Co. beaches, parks, pools, preserves, boat ramps, recreation centers and dog-friendly facilities   www.leeparks.org/

20.   Pine Island Nautical Chart poster

21.   75 page Hummingbird (freshwater) marketing book

22.   80 page MINN KITA marketing book

23.   35 page Fort Myers edition of the Coastal Angler

PAPER....Lots and Lots of Paper....

We saw Betty Bauman, the event organizer, still taking care of a few last-minute details so we knew we had a few more minutes to spare before the seminar got underway.  That was our chance to peruse the items up for bid on the silent auction tables.

We all had received an e-mail several days before the symposium with a list of items up for bid anywhere from a pair of sterling silver fish earrings to a Grand Bahama vacation package.  Some of the smaller items were bundled together in a small bucket and auctioned off as one unit. 

We noticed Betty, out of the corner of our eye, heading for the podium so we knew this was our que to head back toward our seats and make ourselves comfortable.

Daylight slowly crept through the blinds Saturday morning prompting us to acknowledge that it was probably time to get up, although we tried to ignore it as long as possible.  We were pretty darn comfortable all snug in our beds.  We had such an action packed Friday that our bodies were secretly trying to persuade our minds to hit the virtual snooze button for another fifteen or twenty minutes.  We new it was really time to get up after the third "What time is it now?" was heard from underneath someone's covers. 

Liz was back in the kitchen working on toasted blueberry bagels with cream cheese, fresh fruit and freshly brewed coffee.  We each rotated through the shower, getting dressed and straightening up our respective sleeping quarters and eventually all sat down at the table together to eat breakfast and talk about the plans for the day.  The LLGF seminar didn't start until 12:30 in the afternoon so we pretty much had all morning to do whatever.  A couple of us took our coffee mugs outside and sat on the Adirondack chairs to just relax and breath in the fresh morning air.  It was a bit overcast and the water was as slick as glass.  It was so quiet and peaceful like you were the only person on the planet for a brief moment in time.  Dolphins were within a rock's throw and were in absolutely no hurry to get anywhere in particular.  It was as if they were putting forth just enough effort to remain stationary facing against the current as mullet and other baitfish are swept right in front of their face.  We sat and watched them for several minutes before they finally moved on.  Two or three other Bridgwater Inn lodgers made their way outside to greet the morning as well.  The two ladies staying in the room to our left were sisters from Miami and  were also here for the seminar.  The couple staying in the room to our right had traveled down from Tennessee with another couple and had reserved a charter boat for fishing that afternoon. 

Dot and Liz went back inside and came back out with their rods.  That's the spirit !!  Maybe they'd have better luck Saturday morning than they had Friday night.  No more than 30 seconds after Dot cast her line out and she had hooked up on a fish and no sooner had she realized she had a fish on, it cut her line like a razor.  It took her bait, hook and all of her leader line.  Oh, she had a few choice words to say about that and wasn't about to let bygones be bygones, no-sir-ee.  That fish was still out there and by-God she was going to catch it!  She must have spent the next half hour trying to rehook that rascal but it was no use...that thing, whatever it was, was long gone!

A quick glance at the Matlacha Pass draw bridge to our right and we wondered why there was no one fishing from the "most fishingest bridge in the world" this morning..  Very curious since there had been a hand-full of anglers on both sides of that bridge since the moment we arrived on the island the previous day.  Why was there no one there now on such a beautiful morning?  None of us really cared at that point.  Quite honestly, we considered it a perfect opportunity to 'own' the bridge for a little while.  It was too good to pass up.  Why not be the first to cast a line from it?  So we picked up our tackle boxes and rods and spaced ourselves out for a little bridge fishing hoping to blend in with the locals when they arrived.

Both Marilee, standing on the seawall in the background between the rocks and telephone pole, and Dot each got themselves another solid hook-up both resulting in cut lines once again.  Very frustrating, to say the least.  They were hoping to get another strike or two so they continued to fish that area for another half hour or so but weren't able to lure any other big 'uns to take the bait.  The bridge was still bare of local anglers after about an hour so we shrugged our shoulders and headed back to the Inn.  Obviously they (the locals) knew something we didn't.

As we were rounding the corner of the hotel office, we noticed a few folks standing on the concrete seawall and looking straight down into the water.  Wonder what they're looking at?  As we got closer, we took a quick peek ourselves to see a school of sheepshead foraging for food on the rock jetty at the base of the seawall.  The water was shallow enough and the sun was bright enough that we got a pretty good show for the next fifteen minutes.  Someone attempted to trick a few of them with some shrimp on a circle hook, but they weren't interested at all.  As a matter of fact, if you looked closely, you could see a number of free swimming baby shrimp just hanging out near the rocks and the pylons that supported the hotel itself.  It was pretty amazing.

Dot's time with us was limited.  She had to drive back to Citrus County Sunday morning because of a previous appointment she had on Monday that she couldn't miss so we had to make the most of the Saturday she was with us.  Since we weren't having much luck catching fish, we figured the next best thing to do would be to go shopping.  And since Liz,  Marilee and I had already done the scouting the day before, we already knew which stores to take Dot to for the ultimate Matlacha experience.  All we knew is that we had to be back at the hotel by 12:00 so that we could eat lunch and be at the LLGF seminar by 12:30.  We all ended up with a memento or two by the time we were done.

Given the fact that Dot was only going to be with us Saturday, we had to make the most of every minute.  Fishing from the hotel room dock, fishing from the bridge, a self-guided tour of the Matlacha Island shops, all were packed into the Saturday morning hours of 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  Now it was time to get ready for the LLGF Seminar.

Dot sauntered in the hotel room around 5:00 p.m. like she owned the place...and that's what we love about her.  She's a one-of-a-kind kind of woman.  Anybody who knows her knows what I mean by that.  We gave her a quick tour of the room and assigned her sleeping quarters.  As we got to the kitchen, we decided to take a quick inventory of what everyone brought and what, if anything, we needed to pick up.  The only thing we clearly didn't have enough of was margarita fixin's so we all four piled into Dot's car and headed straight for the local Publix in Coral Shores to pick up some Jose Cuervo, margarita mix and salt.  Then it was back to the hotel room so Liz could perform her magic.

All four of us sat down at the table and enjoyed some time of girl-talk about every subject you could think of.  The nachos hit-the-spot and we devoured them within a matter of minutes.  Liz's margaritas were to bomb!!  We each had at least two....maybe more.  It's hard to count past two when you've had a couple of them to begin with.  The evening was moving along splendidly.  Dot pulled the blinds up and opened the windows so the bay breeze could blow in.  The sun had and we decided to carry on the festivities outdoors...maybe do a little night fishing.

Dot's arrival earlier in the day just added another level of fun Friday evening.  We didn't catch any fish during our night-fishing adventure but we didn't care...there was margarita mix in the kitchen and there's not better way to drown your sorrows than that.  Clearly, we weren't too upset about it!!  We decided to retire at around 9:30 p.m. or so.  Me on the couch, Dot and Liz on each of the beds, and Marilee on the cot.  It was comfortable enough and we slept like rocks.

We were up pretty early, anxious to get on the road to Matlacha but not wanting to be in any hurry.  Marilee and I followed the scent of freshly brewed coffee and shuffled into the kitchen where Liz was busy playing hostess by laying out a small breakfast buffet of fresh fruit and cinnamon rolls.  We sat down at the breakfast bar to eat a bite and talk about the drive down.

After breakfast, we all pitched in and tidied up the kitchen and then went back to our rooms to change into some comfortable travel clothes.  All three kayaks were loaded in the trailer.  Our luggage and fishing gear were covered in garbage bags, because there was a high chance of rain, and then neatly organized in the bed of the truck leaving enough room in the cab for a fairly comfortable three to four hour ride.  By 8:30 a.m. we were fueled up with a full take and officially on-our-way!  Dot, who was also part of our original travel troupe was unable to join us for the group drive down.  She would meet us in Matlacha later in the afternoon.

The Friday morning drive down south was fairly uneventful for the most part.  The traffic was light and the weather was perfect.  We only slowed down or stopped for two reasons:  toll booths, of which there were more than I expected, and potty stops.  Other than that, it was a straight shot to Matlacha. 

It was noon by the time we took a right hand turn onto Pine Island Road.  We were only about three miles from our hotel but check-in wasn't until 3:00 so we all agreed to stop at the first decent looking restaurant we came upon and have a bite to eat before reaching our destination.  That eatery happened to be Miceli's Restaurant.  We pulled into the parking lot and maneuvered the truck and trailer so it wouldn't be in anyone's way and then walked inside.  The first thing we noticed as we were greeted by the hostess was the glass case displaying all of their decadent desserts.  If our eyes could talk, they would've said,  "Let's bypass lunch and just order a sampler of desserts".  The hostess escorted us out to the back patio where they offered outside dining and led us to a table.  It was quite breezy so we had to hold on to our napkins but the scenery next to a canal gave us a nice view.  It had a very relaxing atmosphere.

By the time we were done with lunch and walking out the door, the parking lot was PACKED !!!  It was a good thing we got there when we did!  We were now ready to find our hotel and get unloaded and situated.

As we approached the Inn's property we were immediately concerned about the lack of parking.  Little did we know that there was only enough parking spaces for approximately eight vehicles - and that's a generous estimation.  It was literally impossible to park my truck and trailer without blocking in three or more cars, but I had to park somewhere in order to check-in.  Double parking was my only option.  I just kept my fingers crossed that checking-in would be a speedy process, which, of course never is.

I walked inside and was greeted by Bob & Diane, the Inn's owners / managers who proceeded to pull up our reservations.  While the paperwork was being processed, I was delighted to learn that even though we were two hours early, our room was ready and we'd be able to get our key immediately.  They had also put an extra cot in the room for us so we each would have a little elbow-room at beddy-bye time.  That was very cool!

But I still had to solve the parking problem.  I expressed my concern to Diane and Bob about parking my trailer and was even more surprised when Bob offered to let me park the trailer at his personal residence which was only five houses from the Inn.  He even went so far as to escort us down there and stop on-coming traffic so that I could back the trailer into his driveway.  That's how tight the parking areas are in Matlacha.  Compact cars and bicycles rule!!!  Once the trailer was parked and locked, we drove back the Inn, unloaded our luggage and gear and relaxed for a bit.  There was still so much to do before the sun went down and we didn't want to waste a single minute of daylight.

Now that we were done unpacking, our bodies were telling us to just fall back on the couch or bed and take a power nap, but our brains were saying, "So much to do - so little time, get out there and explore the Island."  So that's what we did.  We walked across the Matlacha Pass draw bridge and chatted with a few of the locals about their catches.  They were all willing to share a story or two.

As we strolled through the heart and soul of Matlacha, their quirky little art galleries and retail shops, we noticed a reoccurring theme:  the four main colors of choice are sunshine yellow, fuchsia, lime green and bright blue, with a little purple thrown in here and there.  You'll see what we mean as you scroll through some of the pictures below.

Of all the art galleries and gift shops we visited that weekend, two stood out among the rest for very distinctive reasons.  The first was the Wild Child Art Gallery where there is an official greeter at the entrance with a brief description of what this gallery is all about, that being LOCAL ARTISTS ONLY.  There are certain criteria that a local Florida artist has to meet before they can have their artwork displayed in this store.  Nothing imported and trying to be passed off to the tourists as local art.  That was impressive.  Not to mention that the art inside this building was nothing short of AMAZING.  We were disappointed only in the fact that we banned from taking pictures of the artwork, which is, of course, understandable.   So we went back several times over the course of the weekend because there was just so much visual stimulation that we couldn't absorb it all in one pass-through.

The other art gallery that impressed us very much was Leoma Lovegrove's place.  Just walking into her shop gives you this sense of peace and excitement all at the same time.  The bright colors that she uses just pop out from the canvas and it makes you wish you had a room in your home big enough to hold every piece of work she's ever created....and that was just the feeling you got when you were inside the shop.  Walking through the doorway that leads to her backyard court-yard on a canal catapulted you to the next level of a fusion of pop-art and tranquility.  Hard to describe but it'll make you want to pull up a chair and sit back there for the rest of the day.  My only suggestion would be that the Girl Scouts set up a cookie-&-lemonade stand back there and rake in the coin!!  It would work, I assure you.

We continued on our own little self-guided tour of Matlacha and as we exited the threshold of Lovegrove's own little piece of Paradise, we walked next door to another art gallery/trinket shop and browsed around there a bit.  As we were making our way out, we noticed a detour doorway that led to a small, in-house ice-cream stand called Great Licks Ice Cream.  Shameless marketing ploy - but it worked.  We suddenly developed a craving for ice-cream - go figure!!

Upon leaving the ice-cream shop and heading toward yet another little local boutique, we notice several people were huddled together looking and pointing upwards.  Our heads, out of reflex and curiosity, naturally turned in that direction.  What was so interesting?  What was every body looking at?  Seems an osprey, of which there are hundreds of in Matlacha, had snagged a him/herself a fish, positioned itself on top of a nearby light post and began to devour said fish with a human audience who was appreciating the spectacle of it all.  It was a beautiful sight to see.

Island wanderings continued for the next couple of hours as we roamed in and out of most of the stores, shops and specialty boutique pointing at this, that and the other.  In the middle of Liz's making the difficult decision about whether to try on the light blue or dark blue denim jeans, the cell phone rings.  YAY - It's Dot (the fourth of our group who wasn't able to make the drive down with us).  She's made it to the Inn and is anxious to get her luggage in the room.  We all put back what pieces of merchandise we had in our hands and were considering buying, much to the disappointment of the shop owner, I might add, and high-tailed it back to the hotel, but not before Liz grabbed up a couple of "Guide to the Arts on Pine Island" booklets for us all.  It was now time for the Friday Night to officially begin!!