With the overnight rain and me getting up early to leave the Fisher King didn't make the morning fishing on the dock. He was kind of upset when he finally rolled out of bed a couple miles down the intercoastal. We stopped at MarineMax of Venice to fuel up. Notice they do not open until 8:30! We were lucky they opened a little early for us and we went on toward Cayo Costa.
As we crossed Lemon Bay it became apparent that it was not a good location for mullet. There must have been 10,000 dead mullet floating around the bay. Anyone know why?
We were content to motor all the way until after the zig zag at Gasparilla Sound. Once in Gasparilla we sailed to Cayo Costa. The water seems to get skinnier here every trip.
We actually explored the island a little more than just the ice cream at the ranger's station. We took the trolly ride to the other side and were highly disappointed. The beach was barren sand with little to no shells. The sand was covered in a black coating making it just unpleasant to look at. The Fisher King had chosen not to bring the camera so we have no photos of the day out.
W
Wes, the dead fish are due to the red tide. We must have crossed paths heading north. Last evening, while anchored off Englewood, the wind went west for a bit in the late afternoon and both Ron and I felt that tickle in our throats and had a bit of a cough until the wind switched back. Gasparillo Sound seemed to be the worst for dead fish.
ReplyDeleteHi guys! Are you not supposed to be headed south now? It was Super Bowl time when we met and Feb last year too
DeleteWes
Great memory, Wes! We're from Michigan and we're still trying to acclimate to the heat down here, so we headed north for a few days! We stored Thyme Hyssop & Wry at Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage this past summer and decided to spend a couple of weeks exploring some of the areas north of the boatyard. One of these winters, I'd really like to explore the Panhandle, but haven't decided if this is the winter yet. We will probably begin heading towards Marathon in a couple of days, but won't be rushing. We rather like this west coast. Currently we're sitting on a mooring at Sarasota, exploring the area a bit and visiting with a good friend who now lives here. Are you and the Fisher King staying around Boot Key this season, or will you be heading back over to the Bahamas?
DeleteLooks like a Keys only trip this year.
Deletew