I always get excited when old college buddy’s call me up and wanna bring their kids out fishing…I especially get excited when they are staying on Sanibel Island and it gives me an excuse to head up there and spend the day showing them one of SW Florida’s most special slices of our paradise. Dave Crawdaddy Crawley was in the boat with his 3 kids, and we were set for a good day. One text the night before, to my buddy @captnelsondiaz, on putting together a quick bait plan, and when he said Causeway I knew what he meant. Threads and chunks. We loaded up on threadfin herring, and didn’t even mess around with chumming for pilchards and pinfish on the flats. And we didn’t throw one live bait all day. We started south and worked our way north from the backside of Sanibel to the west side of Pine Island, and beat up the snook and reds at every spot. The first fish of the day was a 35 inch snook and it stampeded poor Jerry deep in the bushes, and when he let out a whine, I pounced like a school yard bully and took the poor kids rod. Back and forth we seesawed as it shook all the mangroves on the shoreline like King Kong , until it suddenly freed up and headed for open water…that’s when I suddenly realized I had stolen Jerry’s fish, and let him finish the battle for the win.
Kinsey and Connor did their part and all 3 kids hammered reds and snook all morning, before we realized someone was quiet, and staring at the dreaded Pepe Le Pew {the skunk} … well, finally at the last spot, all the way up on the north end of the Sound, Crawdaddy muscled around the kids and dragged himself a cute little red out of the bushes.
All that was left to do now was take a sweet glassy ride down the east edge of the sound, and beat the rain to the ramp down at Punta Rassa. Happy kids, sore arms and two old friends with big smiles from it all!
