Hello, hello! I’m sorry I haven’t been around much on the blog lately – things have been sort of crazy, and there was a slight lull in my outdoor activities… But! Never fear. Deer season is under way (even though we’ve been in the 90’s down here in SC until yesterday), dove season is in full swing (more on that coming asap!), aaaand I spent a few days in the Keys to fish with Wuan’s family.

So that’s the topic of today – the Keys! Marathon, Florida, specifically, but all those surrounding reefs and flats you can reach by boat, too.

We went down there as an early celebration of John’s mom’s birthday (Happy soon-to-be birthday, Susan!), with the intent to boat and fish and snorkel and boat some more. Maybe a beach bar for some Margs and conch fritters thrown in there for good measure, right? Exactly.

The first 3 full days were spent on the boat, and even though the fishing was off (by no fault of our captain, Parker/Paco – not even the hard-core looking fishermen in the slip next to us had any luck), we saw tons of marine life and still managed to wet a line or two and catch a few fish. No keepers, but a slow day of fishing is wayyyy better than a busy day at work. Don’t tell me you don’t agree, either.

We did manage to find the tarpon on fishing day #2. Tarpon? I know! We all tried to catch them up a little creek in the mangroves, and Allston tried his darnedest to snag on one the fly, but those buggers just weren’t picking up what we were putting down, ya know? Nothing an enormously, embarrassingly, touristy, large Corona-Rita can’t fix!

We headed down to Key West on the last day John and I were there, just to take a ride on 7 Mile Bridge and look around the famous town…  Honestly, it’s scenery reminded me a lot of Charleston, interestingly enough! We couldn’t stay long since our flight was that evening out of Ft. Lauderdale, but I’m glad we were able to check it off our list!

Speaking of going back (cough cough, John, cough)… This trip definitely gave me the bug of wanting to spend more time fishing in the Keys. There are so many great spots – from reefs to flats to creeks – that you definitely need more than a few days to really get to know the area.

This was the perfect way to end a fun-filled summer as fall rolls around. Fishing trips will grow fewer, while hunting is just now starting to rev up. I can hold on to my tan a little longer, daydream about mid-day margaritas at the office, and look back through my photos at the sunny and colorful Keys.

To the Lumpkins – a major THANK YOU for taking us on this trip, and a very happy birthday to Susan! Can’t wait to celebrate again!