Stan the Man!
My good friend Stan…
At 90 years old, I continue to get constant phone calls, texts, and voicemails always asking if the Snook are biting, or if the Tarpon are hungry. As any conversation starting like that, I instantly looked at the tides and the weather. Conditions looked ‘Near Perfect’ so we organized a plan to catch, and land his big Tarpon of the year. Starting out with a livewell of cast netted live bait (Mullet), we shared positive attitudes and went out ready to catch a big fish.
Stan and I have fished together for the past 7 years. We have experienced some of the best fishing, and the worst together. The thing I cherish the most out of this, is seeing someone who appreciates the wildlife as a whole and admires the opportunities to catch a world class fish.
We pull up to our first spot which was only about a 5 minute boat ride. We instantly saw Tarpon rolling, busting, and laid up. We decided to check out the Caloosahatchee River first, (before heading out to the ‘more migratory’ fish) which I follow off the beaches of Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, and Captiva. This particular day, the plan worked out very well for us…
We set up anchor, and hooked up a few live Mullet. 5 minutes later we were rewarded with an epic bite on top of the water. We got tight, survived the first 3 jumps, released the anchor buoy, and it was game on! At 90 years of age, MY MAN STAN knew exactly what to do… He stayed tight, worked his way to the front fighting chair, and kept tight the entire time. Little did we know, our estimate of how big the fish was kept growing the longer the fight went, and the closer the Tarpon got to the boat. 1 hour later, I was able to get my hands on her and secure her for a quick picture. 1/1 to start the day with a 185 pound monster. Most people would say “take me to the dock”.. Not Stan. I asked if he was ready for another one and he did not hesitate to say “Alright”. Our second sit, took about 20 minutes and we were tight again. “Ohhhh Boy… Another Moose”… A Moose it was.. It dragged us all the way into a canal, and we were able to secure that one as well. 2/2 was good for the both of us to agree it was time to head home.
This man is an absolute inspiration to me and should be to everyone. To be able to share moments like this, is why I love my job.