My South Florida Fishing and Drinking Challenge

This abandoned railroad dock in the Gulf of Mexico holds approximately 300,000 small sharks based upon the amount
of bait they stole from me here. 

Standard 2014 Day

So, I didn't take a full week off in 2014.  And now I'm taking two weeks off.  I very much need a change of perspective.  It was great to be completely "in the groove" for 2014, and a lot was accomplished, but the sustainability of that kind of professional production is....dubious...at best.

So I've made another commitment of dubious sustainability for my two week trip.  To exercise? Meh, some.  To finish my novel? Well, I'll get closer.  No, dear readers (an average of 89 of you will read this, after all), my commitment is to fish and drink every day.  Yes, it is a challenge.  But I will pursue it faithfully.


Day 1:
Fishing:  Brackish suburban drainage canal
Drinking:   Pale Lager from Florida Brewing
Assessment:  Weird, dark water.

Day 2:
Fishing:  Kayak fishing the Peace River mangroves
Drinking:  Fosters Oil Cans
Assessment:  Caught fish! Saw beautiful birds! For the win!

Day 3:
Fishing:  Scouting / high wind
Drinking:  Rum Runners, some kind of crap called a Tiki-Rita
Assessment:  Water's still in the 60s, but fish are acting "cold."

Day 4:  Family Day
Drinking:  Orange-Cranberry Margaritas
Assessment: Noticing that no one fishes before 11am

Day 5:
Fishing:  Spring-fed freshwater lake
Drinking: None
Assessment:  Stupid to fish in the morning.  Lots of fish.  No bites.

Day 6:  Kid sick

Day 7: Christmas, kid still sick

Day 8: Surf fishing
Drinking:  DFH 60 Minute IPA
Assessment:  Fun surf fishing! Bites on every cast! Caught fish!

Day 9:  Scouting Myakka River
Drinking:  Skinny Margarita
Assessment:  Surprisingly good access...where are the fish?

Day 10:  Scouting Longboat, Siesta Key
Drinking:  Dirty Banana
Assessment:  Very expensive. Big mullet in shallow water means sharks or big reds.

Day 11:  Scouting Myakka River
Drinking:  Sangria

Day 12:  Kayak fishing Boca Grande
Drinking:  Green Flash (mixed drink)
Assessment:  Gulf Coast Grand Slam!

Day 13:  Scouting Naples, Marco
Drinking:  Watermelon Soda
Assessment:  This place is so weird.

There you have it.  I'm back in Maryland now, where it is 9 degrees compared to the average high temperature of 81 while we were in South Florida.  Bah humbug.   Detailed reports coming soon, though it's fair to say that my favorite drink was the Dirty Banana (don't judge) and my favorite fish was a 17-18" speckled trout I caught on artificial lure, in the kayak, by myself.

New Year's Day, South Florida