Captiva June 2014
Dad tooke me out fishing twice, both times looking for the Reds. We fished by Buck Key using cut bait but the only keeper was a Mangrove Snapper.
A manatee swam up to the boat and for about twenty minutes we watched it swim back and forth and side to side rubbing itself against the bottom and sides of our boat. It looked like it really needed a long back scratcher. Manatee are a protected species and as cute and lovable as they are, by law they are untouchable.
If you want to see the Manatee up close, just take a walk out to the docks at Jensen’s Marina in the late afternoon and early evening and you’ll see a slew of them along the dock and seawall. Up close and personal.
Jensen’s on the Bay
Fishing all day is tiring work and Mark was up and out by daylight every day. Several hours in the morning, mid-day siesta and late afternoon until dark. He’s bringing in some trout and snapper but the Reds remain elusive. The combined fishing reports are that the numbers are still low and the general consensus is that no one can remember a time when you couldn’t get the fish to bite.
There’s plenty to do and on Sunday, Mark treated me to a boat ride over to Cabbage Key for lunch. This was a first and I really enjoyed it. The story of the day was docking the boat. We tied up and noticed two otters swimming around the boats. Dad had the foresight to tie a rope around our cooler to protect our catch from these wiley little creatures. We got out of the boat and watched them. They swam up to one boat and started to slide in. Surprise! Boat owner still sitting there. In a flash they slid back into the water. Swimming over to the next boat, they were up and in before you could blink. These little guys can make quick work of a cooler and its content of freshly caught fish. We watched in amazement as they nudged their noses up against the cooler lid, knocked it back and ate a gourmet lunch in less time than you can say Hey! Well, that was a nice little snack and over the back they went. Realizing our boat was empty, they worked together with one handling look out and the other boarding the boat. Slinking up to the front and right up to our cooler it nudged its nose agaist the cooler lid and gave it a flip. Huh? Lid not coming off. Sneak around to the back of the cooler and nudge again. Lid not coming off. Standing up it looked for the smaller one, who seemed to sense the need for assistance and quickly joined the first for a tag team effort. Together they knocked our cooler around, stood up, noticed that we were watching then dismissed us with another rough nudge to the cooler. They pushed that cooler every which a way determined to get the lid off but to no avail. Watching two otters, hair wet and slicked back, sneaking around our boat, trying to steal our fish was actually comical. Of course, we could laugh because Dad’s knot thwarted the “Saltwater Maffia’s intentions of a free lunch. In frustration they scurried back to the bait well, stood up and took a look around. Smell says fish on board, but typical antics are proving nothing is free. After giving it one last attempt they decided there was easier prey and slide off the boat in seach of another unmanned boat and unprotected cooler. Better luck next time.
Good sign that fish are in the area.
Kyle’s on his way and we’re looking forward to his arrival. Just in time for week two and another round of fishing.