The last week of April I took a gentleman out for a trip in the Ten Thousand Islands. His goals were to take pictures, catch fish that were available, and to enjoy the serenity of the Ten Thousand Islands. He landed a mixed bag that included Ladyfish, Redfish, Trout, and plenty of Catfish to go around. Unfortunately, we were not able to take photos of his catches, which were numerous, because the Shark and Tarpon kept interrupting our photo ops. This was a catch and release charter, so all fish were returned safely to the waters.
I had to take this past week off to get caught up in the shop. J-Stickum Custom Rods and Jigs had many orders waiting to be customized.
I was able to get out for a family/customer appreciation trip on Sunday. I can say that the summer migrations have started. Numerous trout were caught along with other species. We had just about burned through all of our shrimp, when we came across a school of Black Drum, on the mud flats. At one point, there were 100 – 200 of these guys surrounding our boat. Pictured above, Scott Furst and I with our male and female Black Drum duo. Video of Scott’s epic fail and redemption to follow. We went 2 for 3, with fights lasting 15-30 minutes. These Black Drum were caught on 10 lb. light spinning gear (Thankfully in open water).
Backwater Fishing in Naples & the Ten Thousand Islands 