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.
S15:E5 - “Blackfin In The Keys” (2020)
Captains Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor venture to the Atlantic oceanside of the Keys for Blackfin Tuna.
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…
S15:E4 - “Up From The Deep” (2020)
Captains Tom Rowland and Rich Tudor head out from their Middle Keys home base to deeper waters.
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…
As a fishing guide you have to really protect yourself from the sun - if you are outside every day you have to be very careful. It used to be Zinc-Oxide Sunscreen, you would see guides cover themselves completely with this stuff to avoid sunburn. But one time I was guiding and I had a customer come and say his wife bought him this thing and he let me try it on. It was a Buff Multifunctional Headgear and within minutes of putting it on I know it was a game changer.
Towing our boats all around the Keys and all over the US. Over the years we have had some issues with our trailers and recently we found Ameratrail and they really take care of our most expensive toy. They upgraded this year and made their great product, even better. The axel has sealed ball bearings which is guaranteed to be maintenance free for 5 years.
If you only had one reel to fish with, what would it be? When fishing for redfish, snook, bonefish, small tarpon and jacks I have a go-to outfit. I use a 3 or 4000 size reel, the 4,000 with more line capacity and the 3,000 for a lighter outfit. What I usually look for it one that will be durable and stand up to all kinds of abuse. On a charter boat the reels are going to get stepped on and dropped, they will get salt all over them.
One of the most common questions I get is “What kind of rod should I get? I’m not looking to spend a lot of money but I want a quality rod.” I’m determined that the Mojo series from St. Croix is a great choice. I’ve been using them for the last few years - super high quality rod, at a reasonable price and very durable.
Using binoculars in saltwater fishing is one of the most effective ways to find the fish. Whether its inshore or offshore binoculars can really help me find fish more efficiently. I learned at a young age working on charter boats that if you find the birds you find the dolphins. When looking for birds, if you use a 10-powered pair of binoculars you will find ten-times more birds and ten-times more fish.
Fishing on the flats is can be a challenge to get those skittish fish that face significant fishing pressure and boat traffic. Rich and I will frequently stake out and try two or three times before we can get their attention. Fish like this we refer to as suffering from “lockjaw” as they will refuse to eat.
When Rich and I fish for easily spooked fish we like to get to a strategic location and then stake out there and cast for a bit before moving another 20-30 yards and repeating the process. In this case we use our Power-Poles to stop the boat while we wait for the fish to come within casting range. In some cases we will make enough blind casts to cover a stretch of shoreline or a bottom feature - like an oyster bar, sand hole or other structure.
Mercury is always raising the bar. For years we have been looking for the right motor to go on our flat skiffs. Mercury Marine came out with this Pro XS, it has the lightest wait, the most power for anything from a 18 footer down to a 16 footer.
