S15:E6 - “The Lower Keys Highway” (2020)
Captains Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor head to the Lower Keys for Tarpon and various types of Jacks.
The Florida Everglades make up one of the most well-known and treasured American National Parks. They are also being “strangled” by water issues. Since the damming of the Kissimmee River, the Everglades’ primary source of freshwater, this beautiful fishery has seen “endangered wildlife populations, declining water quality, water mismanagement, [and] extensive urban and agricultural development,” according to Captains For Clean Water, a conservation organization dedicated to restoring the health and natural beauty of the Everglades. Read more on Waypoint…
The Florida Everglades make up one of the most well-known and treasured American National Parks. They are also being “strangled” by water issues. Since the damming of the Kissimmee River, the Everglades’ primary source of freshwater, this beautiful fishery has seen “endangered wildlife populations, declining water quality, water mismanagement, [and] extensive urban and agricultural development,” according to Captains For Clean Water, a conservation organization dedicated to restoring the health and natural beauty of the Everglades. Read more on Waypoint…
It’s about 6:30 am, just as the sun is beginning to peek over the horizon and Capt. Labadie is charging ahead to the crew’s first destination. Since tarpon are the easiest of the three to catch in low light conditions, this is where Labadie opts to start. Rowland and Tudor remark that they were somewhat surprised at first by the guide’s choice to fish right in front of the coastline resorts and houses. On a day that they were purely targeting tarpon, the Saltwater Experience hosts would tend to go somewhere a little more remote. Labadie chose this spot because he knew the fish would be there, but, more importantly, it was on the way to their other targets, eliminating the need to backtrack later and burn up precious time. Read more on Waypoint…
When I discovered that guiding anglers was actually a way to make a living, I dove in head first. My career started in Jackson, WY at Bressler Outfitters. I was the everything guy who was the lowest on the totem pole and called “The Swamper”. I did everything from changing bearings on trailers to taking firewood to camp. I also got to do some guiding when everyone else was full and when they weren’t it was up to me to go teach fly casting at local guest ranches to try to recruit some trips.