Fishing has been part of the Florida Keys experience since the only way to get here was to sail, paddle or be captured by brigands.
Zane Grey wrote about it, and Lorian Hemingway’s grandfather wrote about it, and Ernest Hemingway’s granddaughter wrote about it, and so has every American outdoors writer worth his creel and every travel writer sneaky enough to sell his boss on this boondoggle of an assignment.
They, talents all, waxed poetic.
There will be no poetry here. No desperate, noble creature from the deep leaping alliteratively in furious frenzy to shake a hook and save himself as, on the other end, a deep-pocketed intruder’s sweat glistened and muscles rippled and city-soft hands bled . . . none of that.
Just true facts.
Like the time after an hour of adventure on the high-ish seas–this was the Deep Sea fishing part–and having just lost my breakfast over the side, I looked up toward the bridge and tossed my captain a question:
Feeling pressure?
From his perch (pardon the expression), he swiveled and looked down upon the pathetic scrivener.
“I don’t feel any pressure,” he said. “You’re a writer for the Tribune, you’re doing an article about fishing in Key West–`the Key West experience’–you don’t catch anything and you get sick in my boat.
“I’m sure it’ll be a glowing review . . . “
Well.
What follows are stories, totally objective and absolutely unaffected by a little upchuck, of three classic Florida Keys fishing experiences: Party Boat, Backcountry and Deep Sea.
You’re welcome to troll along.
