ADVENTURE IN THE KEYS

The Gulf of Mexico borders the U. S., Mexico and Cuba. Here is found some of the best fishing in the world. A multitude of species both inshore and offshore offer anglers a seemingly endless variety of species to pursue.
I recently spent a few days in the Florida Keys with my wife, Dian, exploring, fishing and relaxing. We enjoyed fantastic foods, unbelievable sunsets and dramatic ocean waters and learned some new facts about travel.
The Keys have a long history of serving tourists. As a result, there are quite a few older motels left in the area. To our dismay, we discovered that some misrepresent their facilities on the Internet. We booked Bonefish Inn via Hotels.com. Photos online looked great. Everything in the Keys is pricey, so we felt the $139 per night fee was fair.
We arrived at the Bonefish Inn late on Saturday night. We were immediately appalled by the condition of the room as soon as we opened the door. Horrific smells of mildew and dampness hit us in the face. I caught the toe of my shoe on a broken tile in the door way which was capable of slicing a bare foot to the bone. The room was very tiny and a small refrigerator, TV and microwave crowded very near the bed. Roaches the size of a small rodent occupied the bathroom. The ceiling sagged precariously in the shower. Dead tired we collapsed into bed and resolved to talk to the manager and go elsewhere the next day.
Upon going to the office the next morning we were treated very indignantly. The manager was conveniently not available, not even by phone. The desk clerk told us we would have to wait until 11:00 a.m. and he would show us another room. We wanted to move on and asked for a refund, which was promptly denied. After a heated discussion with the desk clerk, we left after assuring him we would file appropriate claims. TIP: We paid with a credit card and immediately turned the matter over to them. The credit card company is handling the whole matter.
We drove a few miles away to a Holiday Inn Express and booked a beautiful, clean comfortable room for $50 more per night. Be very careful when booking rooms in the Keys through an agency and don’t expect your booking agency to be of much help when problems arise. Always pay with a credit card.
Once our room problems were resolved the fun began. Just across the street from our motel e discovered the Island Fish Company restaurant. We could have spent our entire vacation there. The food proved nothing short of heavenly. The atmosphere sucked us right in. An open air veranda lay next to the water with breezes blowing the thatched roof gently. The staff met our every desire. “Bo”, a snowbird waitress from Acworth, New Hampshire advised about selections for our first evening meal.
We returned to the Island for breakfast the next morning….
After breakfast we headed to John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park in Key Largo. It is the first underwater state park in the U.S. We took a glass-bottomed boat six miles out to the coral reef. Informative guides interpreted what we were seeing. The park offers swimming beaches, camping and rental equipment for snorkeling, boating and fishing.
We spent an entire day exploring old town Key West. Yes, it is a tourist destination complete with a port of call for cruise lines. Thousands of tourists, from all over the world, mingled about the streets and shops taking in the history and charm of Key West. Magnificent old buildings and ancient wooden homes blended in with current, modern, updated facilities to create a blend of the new and the old. The charm of Key West history is well interpreted in shops and restaurants which dot the tree lined streets.
Feral chickens, including brightly colored roosters, roam the city. Descendants of cock fighting stock, the chickens are a point of high debate among city residents. Key West hired a chicken catcher in 2004, but locals stymied his efforts by sabotaging his traps.
Six-toed cats are another oddity of Key West. It is said that a ship captain gave an unusual six toed cat to Ernest Hemingway. Descendants of that cat are still a part of the Hemingway House aura.
Cats and chickens are an integral part of Key West’s blend of Cuban, West Indian, Bahamian and American cultures. With a history of pirates, ship wreckers, cigar makers and 19th century wooden homes, Key West is unique among American cities. It is a haven for writers, artists and those preferring less conventional lifestyles. Like Hemingway, Tennessee Williams, John James Audubon and Harry Truman fell under its spell. Dian and I did, too, as we watched the sun set over the Keys.
We spent part of a day with Cpt. Bob Baker, a back country fishing guide out of Islamorada. With 30 years of experience as a tarpon, bonefish, permit and redfish guide, Baker had us on giant tarpon within 30 minutes. I fulfilled a lifelong dream as I cast to huge tarpon on the flats. Schools of 50-to-100-pound tarpon cruised the flats in search of an early morning meal.
Baker patiently coached me, from his perch on the poling platform, as he spotted school after school of tarpon. I repeated the routine numerous times of casting the black tarpon toad fly, allowing it to sink and stripping it quickly. Several silver kings turned to investigate the fly, stopping my heart with each look. Each time I tensed for the strike. Most turned away, but two big fish made lunging strikes at the big fly. My heart sank with each miss. However, only minutes passed before Baker spotted more fish. “Coming straight at you, Bill,” he whispered. “Drop your fly out in front of them. Let it sink. Strip. Strip. He’s looking!”
In an instant the huge tarpon attacked. Water erupted spraying in all directions. I longed for the powerful surge of fish energy racing down the long shaft of my flyrod. Alas, I missed the hook set and the action faded as fast as it started.
Forty five minutes into our tarpon fishing adventure the wind picked up and the fish went to the bottom. Cpt. Baker boated us to several other areas, but the wind continued. Cpt. Baker proved to be an encyclopedia of history about the Keys. We vowed to try the tarpon another day. Cpt. Baker may be reached at www.bob@bobbbakersportfish.com.