After the 30-minute air boat ride and paying the two bucks to climb the 75 ft tall Ernest Hamilton Observation Tower, there is not much left to do in Everglades City.
Author Charles Gaines writes of Everglades City 20 or so years ago – “it is old Florida, perhaps too old”. Not much has changed since he penned those words.
It used to be a cancelled fishing trip was the result of a foul weather system, maybe even a hurricane. Your long-awaited days on the water a result of poor timing with that unfortunate event. It happens. There are also the life gets in the way matters that can turn a planned day on the flats into a day turned on its head.
I have one travel destination that seems to have had more than its share of these incidents. It is truly a fortunate thing to fish the Everglades in late April with a quality guide such as Andy Lee. You get that call in the Fall about the following year dates and there is only one possible answer. Yes! Thanks to Andy’s skill and knowledge, we have had some very special days in this amazing fishery, especially when the tarpon are swimming the outside. We have had some unexpected miscues over the years as well. In one of the early trips while staying in Everglades City with my son, Andy had to cancel a full day in the middle of a trip when his own son fell out of a tree, breaking both his arms. Let me tell you, after the 30-minute air boat ride and paying the two bucks to climb the 75 ft tall Ernest Hamilton Observation Tower, there is not much left to do in Everglades City. Author Charles Gaines writes of Everglades City 20 or so years ago – “it is old Florida, perhaps too old”. Not much has changed since he penned those words.
Then there was the call nobody wants. While preparing to board my flight to Ft Myers a couple of Springs ago, the cell phone rang. The number was the land line at my dad’s independent living facility. Not good, I thought. I could only turn back, head low. The car hood still warm sitting there in long term parking. No tarpon this year.
This one is different. The entire Caribbean seems closed. U.S. 1 is closed to tourists. Marco Island is telling visitors, “don’t come” and the police are identifying all the VRBO properties. Show up and expect to quarantine for 14 days. Even a Cat 4 hurricane devastates only a certain swath of real estate. The bounce back is “V-shaped”, new lexicon for all of us. As I reflect on the enormity of it all, the other fishing miscues and blips largely affected my fishing time. Andy, and others like him, still had their season. This pandemic is affecting the entire fishing realm. Those 100 straight days for the hard-core guides are gone. Guides and lodges are in trouble right now. Perhaps you’ve seen the message from Andy Mills. It is an appropriate plea on behalf of guides everywhere. Find and listen to this important message. During these tough times, fishing guides need a helping hand especially as the height of their season approaches and will likely vaporize before U.S.1 reopens or one can freely rent a condo on Marco Island. The plea from Mills is to mail in the balance of your booked trip. I think it’s a great idea. For one, I want that phone call this Fall.
Sonny Culp
Tail Subscriber – Birmingham, AL
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