crboggs

J Ryan Marine is in that area. I've had keel work done there and know multiple other guys who have had gel, fiberglass, awlgrip, and other repairs done there. I got the referral from a well known Tampa area guide and was very happy with the work I had done.

Spent 3 days down there at the end of December. Its epic...even when the weather is rough and makes it tough to throw flies. We camped at Flamingo...hit the backwaters (Hell's Bay) one day, Florida Bay (Snake Bight) the next day, and hit Biscayne Bay on the way home day three. You should be able to reserve a camp space where you can keep the boat nearby on the trailer and launch out of the Flamingo ramps with access to the inside or the outside. Bugs were noticeable in December. Go prepared.

Tarpon in the rivers? Eureka!

I think the "community" aspect is what's missing Gary. Not sure you can get that back. I predicted it would happen when your focus shifted towards articles and monetization rather than the forum community which seemed to be the original draw of the site. Again...I don't fault you for the shift. Its your prerogative and social media has taken a bite out of forums all over the internet. I'm glad I found the board before it "evolved" and met some good folks while the board was in its prime.

Pam's the real deal, no doubt. Quite possibly the fishiest person I know.

As long as those cage GPS coords are on the Fishy Maps, I'm all good with it.

*lol* The only way those spots are shared is if you are fishing them together. Hell...I may buy a gheenoe just so I can hang out with Ron more...*lol*

The forum was very active when I found this site a few years ago, maybe 2010. Since then, the site's focus has shifted away from the forum and more towards page hits and association with Guy Harvey and etc. They're trying to monetize it. Its their decision. Can't fault them really. It takes money to grow. I still fish with several of the people I met through this forum. It was a fantastic community. I'm still learning from/with the guys I met here. But we're 100% fly fishing now and sharing info in a much smaller audience. The only people I share specifics with these days are the people who are on the skiff with me. Detailed internet fishing reports are thing of the past...not just here, but on other forums as well. I won't post where we found the school of 50+ bull reds on the negative low tide this past Sunday. I don't want a dozen jon boat lurkers soaking cut ladyfish there on the low tide this coming Sunday...

8.5 Hard to gauge its girth in that pic.

You write a pretty good report, for a mutt.

So they are moving forward with 41 and 42 even though 40 has a sunset period designated in its implementation? Doesn't that sort of assume that 40 will be a success and will be left in place, so that 41 and 42 can build upon it?

Moved here five years ago...my daughters haven't been offshore (Gulf Coast) on the "big boat" with their grandpa a single time. They're being completely locked out of access to the resource their mother grew up enjoying... So much for the next generation of anglers eh?

So...you admit that rec anglers are getting squeezed by fisheries management ... But then you say that its up to us (rec anglers) to alleviate that squeeze via more protections on spawning sites, habitat, water quality, and etc? And we're supposed to do this to protect fisheries that belong to "those who fish and those who do not fish"? That's like acknowledging that rec anglers are bent over taking it up the ass from fisheries management and that the only way to correct the situation is to grab our ankles rather than our knees so that we can take the buggery even deeper...

Vance is 100% correct. Expenses and regulations have pushed private boat owners inshore. I know people who have offshore boats sitting idle while they use their kayaks or inshore boats 90% (or more) of the time. Between myself and my in-laws we have a 26, 18, and 17. The 26 gets used once or twice a year for the red snapper derby and sits idle the rest of the year unless we trailer it to the east coast or the keys for pelagics. That means we're spending less money in the local economy on gas, ice, bait, gear, and etc...all the things locals would spend for offshore efforts. We sure as hell don't pay for offshore charters while our boat sits on its trailer.

Carp on fly is legit! Nicely done!