A good friend from high school Nikki Offerman booked a charter for her husband Bob for their aniversary. Not only did she book a charter, she also got tickets for him to watch his favorite team the Buffalo Bills play the Miami Dolphins on Sunday the day after the charter. What a girl?

I decided to change things up a bit and spend the morning fishing for Tarpon in the River. I still had bait left over from the day before in the wells which gave us extra fishing time. There were probably 20 shinners and 50 or so pinfish which was more than enough for a day of river fishing. We arrived at our destination around 7:30. Just like clock work they were rolling everywhere on que. I bet we saw well over 100 tarpon roll in the first hour we were there. I baited 5 five rods with shinners and pinfish, then sat 3 in the rod holders and put the other two in their hands.

Next we caught up on old times until we had some action. Bob had the first action when a Tarpon boiled on his bait but missed it. Nikki was next with a nice large "SAIL CAT" she really hates those things. After that Bob got back in on the action and jumped a Tarpon in the 30 pound range but missed the hookset. Then a big Canal Tuna goes screaming off with one of the baits while it was wrapped around the motor. We managed to get it untangled and Nikki pulled in a hearty 5 pounder.

The bite eventually slowed but the Tarpon kept rolling all over the place. Finally we got one more strike. I was reeling up a line to check on the bait to see if it was alright. While reeling in, the line got tight and I felt a fish on the other end. I thought it was a catfish but didn't know for sure. I told Nikki to hand me her rod so she could catch the fish on the other rod. Before she was able to get her rod to me a 40-50 Tarpon flew in the air and busted the 20 pound fluro leader on the way down. Nikki said she would have gotten to me a little faster but since she thought it was a catfish she wasn't in that big of a hurry.

Even though the Tarpon were still around and rolling I decided to try another spot down the river where I have been doing well with the snook. When we get there I bait both Nikki and Bob up and cast there baits into the mangroves. Bob was in the process of asking me how to catching these fish when one slammed his line and nearly pulled the rod out of his hand. Meanwhile Nikki hooks up with a nice fish. I coached her to pump the rod to pull the fish away from the fallen trees so it would not break her off. To my surprise a nice healthy redfish surfaced, which was quite humorous to me. Recently a friend and I were talking about how we never catch redfish in the river and look what shows up.

Next it was Bob's turn to get in on the action. I tossed his bait right next to the bank under the mangroves. Within 10 seconds he had a red on. Bob couldn't believe how hard they pulled. After a good fight we boated a nice 23 inch red. Now it was Nicks turn again and when I tossed her bait underneath the cover she got a hit instantly. She did a much better job this time pulling the fish from the cover. It is amazing how well the girls listen when you coach them on how to catch a fish. We fished the spot for another 20 minutes and only managed one hit. Time to head in. When we arrived at the dock, I took this nice picture of their reds before they became dinner.

In conclusion, it was nice catching up with a high school friend and meeting her husband. I believe they both had a good time and I think Bob ended up with a great weekend. Especially since his Bills put a hurting on the dolphins.

If you are looking for some tackle busting, leader fraying, excitement then give Captain Chancey a call @ (239)540-7529

Until next time may you have line singing, leader fraying, and tackle busting action!!!!