The "Take Stock in Children Tournament" sounds like an event focused on fundraising and support for the "Take Stock in Children" program, which is a well-known scholarship and mentoring initiative aimed at helping low-income and at-risk students achieve their educational goals. These tournaments are often organized to raise funds and awareness for the program's activities.
Fishing with my son James and Friend Mike Martin at the "Take Stock in Children Tournament" in Flamingo is an incredible experience, filled with adventure, camaraderie, and dedication to a noble cause. The early morning start in nasty lightning and ran squalls to the south of us and the 35-mile run in the dark to Flamingo was interesting.
Endurance is certainly put to the test during these long days, with around 14 hours spent on the water from the moment you depart until your return. But it's all part of the challenge and excitement that comes with such tournaments.
The unique format of the tournament, which focuses on measuring the total inches of Snook, Redfish, and Trout, adds an interesting dimension to the competition. While it's an individual event, the teamwork and collaboration between you, James, and Mike Martin exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship and mutual support that can make such tournaments truly special
The "Take Stock in Children Tournament" got off to an exciting start with your son hooking a Tarpon and Mike landing a big Jack. Those early catches must have set a positive tone for the day ahead.
Starting your fishing adventure at 6:45 a.m. while it was still on the dark side of the morning demonstrates your dedication to making the most of your time on the water. Catching a 19-inch and a 17-inch Trout early on is an excellent warm-up for what was to come.
Now, with those Trout catches out of the way, it was time to shift your focus to the Snook. Using NLBN (No Live Bait Needed) lures, specifically the "Twisted T Mullet," is a smart choice for your fishing expedition. These lures are designed to mimic natural prey and are often effective in enticing a variety of fish species, including the ones you mentioned earlier like Tarpon, Jack, Trout, and Snook.
We got on the score board with Snook next. We caught 30 or so Snook up to 27 inches and lost a couple bigger. This always hurts but we continued. The bite slowed a bit and we moved on to our Redfish spot.
This spot was on fire as well, a couple decent Snook and 9 Redfish up to 23 inches. We also had another Tarpon, a Goliath Grouper and a Tripletail. We fished that spot as long as we could without getting stuck in the shallow water. The rest of the afternoon kind of slowed down a bit with no upgrades.
Day 2
We left at 5 today and made our way over stopping in Tavernier Creek looking for a big Snook on the lighted docks. It didn’t happen and we moved on trying to repeat yesterday’s bite. We pulled up to our spot at 645a.m.. Mike had the first bite which was a giant Snook and jumped off trying to land it. It’s to bad we didn’t need Tarpon because we hooked plenty. James lost another big Snook, just couldn’t stop him once it decided to get into trees.
Right about now it’s starting to get really dark, we can see the lightning explode on the surface. We along with everyone else headed for the marina. We sat there for 45 minutes just waiting to go. We made it to our Redfish spot, but water was to high. We tried but it didn’t happen today. We went back to Snook spot and it was slow. We needed to upgrade at least 1 of our Snook or Redfish .
I netted one Mullet and cut chunks. We soaked them on the bottom of a Mullet mud. It didn’t take to long and James had a bite. It was pulling pretty good and then boiled on surface, it was a big Redfish. We netted it and it measured 28 inches. This was a big help. We had another bait out while casting to a pot hole. The rod doubled over and we thought it was a Shark until a 130 lb. Tarpon Jumped a few times. He threw the hook and they got back to casting in the pothole catching Snook after Snook. Lots of fish but all in the 24-25 range. No one complains when they are catching fish but it was getting late. We had 35 miles to go in sloppy conditions.
Couldn’t do it without help from #Biscayne Rods, #Bajio sunglasses, #Penn Reels, Pure Fishing and #NLBN,
We got lucky today, there are a lot of very good anglers in this tournament. Lots of fun and beats you up can’t wait for next year.
Fishing is good! If you would like to give it a try with me give me a call at 305 333 8149.
Let’s go Cacth’em
Capt. Jim Hobales
Instagram at Caught Lookin Charters