RECREATION SPECIALIST
Captain Court Douthit
       727-204-5116
USCG Licensed & Insured
  • Home
  • Angling
    • Booking a Charter
    • Gulf Species
    • Angler's Gallery
  • Captain Court's Story
    • Tarpon Preschool

Week 9

8/28/2011

1 Comment

 

Monkeyin' Around

This week started by staying home and labeling the pages of the website to optimize our presence on search engines.  This is a time consuming process and I’m not very educated on how it works.  Any of our geek friends can feel free to weigh in on this, and offer advice.  We had dinner ready when Meredith got home from work.  Gabe and I are not real good at this but we try to be prepared at least a few nights a week.  Keeping up with him is full time work!
Tarpon Preschool in Action
Tuesday I fished with Dave in the morning and left the skiff in the marina.  Gabe and I tied flies and watched as storms passed north and south of us.  We also painted and did flash cards.  His appetite has really been BIG lately.  Today’s lunch consisted of ham, apple slices, half a banana, and bean and bacon soup.  We worked on our abc’s with his large foam letter mat.
Dunedin Sprayground
Tarpon Preschool Field Trap


Wednesday was overcast and windy.  We went to the splash park with Gabe’s buddy Keenan.  The City of Dunedin has a wonderful sprayground in the park by the community center that is open to the public and free.  Gabe loves it there.  There are several interactive water features and a slide. 

They played for three hours.  Gabe passed out for a late nap on the bike ride home.  He is very social and does a good job not being shy when around groups of kids.  Sometimes he doesn't realize that he is a little bigger than most of the kids his age.

Nautical Chart of Tampa Bay and St. Joseph Sound_ Dunedin, Florida

Thursday we went to the spoil islands in the afternoon to find crabs and play catch.  Gabe is getting much better at telling me the names of the islands.  Back at home we looked at the nautical chart I have framed on the wall.  I showed him the Islands that we frequent and explained that this chart was a map of our area. 

We talked about other areas that we fish and looked at attributes that make them more appealing such as: incoming fresh water, uninhabited shore lines, adjacent deep water cuts, and my favorite golf course run offs.  The last is not real good for the environment but the fish seem to like all the nutrients and fertilizers that run off, at least in the short term. 

After dark I took two guys out in Tampa Bay to find Snook.  We found quite a few fish, had several follows, a few eats but managed to get none of them to the boat.  When fishing the docks at night you need to have your drag turned all the way down and be ready to battle the fish away from the pilings.  These old Snook are fully aware of where the pilings are and can be pretty effective at getting an anglers line around one of them.  Also, you must have an accurate cast just to get a fly in the strike zone. 

While we were out my friend Dave called to inform me that they had gotten a Tarpon off the beach today. 
Flyfishing for Tarpon_ Dunedin, Florida
Friday was fairly uneventful we messed around the house and cleaned the skiff.  We walked to the marina park to play and had to wait out a summer shower under the shelter.  Gabe took a good nap while I tried to service my laptop to get it to make it through the summer.  Technology is great, but doesn’t seem to last long. 

I’m ready for Dewalt to come out with a laptop.  Something that is waterproof, can get run over, and a three year old can not pull the keys off of.  Actually he hasn’t removed any keys in several months.  It’s amazing how often you need a comma or an N, not to mention the shift key! 

That concludes this week of Tarpon Preschool.  
Dunedin Parks and Recreation
1 Comment

Week 8

8/22/2011

0 Comments

 
Picture

Family Comes to Visit

Monday we spent the morning straightening the house and doing the laundry.  About eleven we hit the water.  We spent some time on the island playing Wiffle Ball with a stick.  We swam and then boarded the skiff again.  We poled a couple mangrove shorelines.  As we made our way we spooked Snook, Redfish, Mullet and several kinds of baitfish. 
Picture
Tuesday I dropped the skiff in the morning and then went home and got Gabe ready.  We started by floating the tarpon flat waiting for Aunt Donna.  We met her and Bud at the Dunedin, Causeway and took them for a ride.  After catching some bait under the causeway, we dropped Aunt Donna and Gabe off on Caladesi island for a nap.  Bud and I checked three or four regular fishing spots with little luck.  After a few catfish and grunts we headed back to the island.  Gabe had taken a very short nap and the poles to his tent had broken in the wind.  Add that to the repair list.  We got home to vegetable soup that had been cooking in the crock pot all day.
Picture
Wednesday was another exciting day.  We did our chores and headed down to pick up Uncle Nathan at the Marriot on Sand Key.  The Marriot is an easy pick up.  They have stairs from the tiki bar down to the water.  We took Nathan to the first spoil island south of Clearwater causeway and poled the shore line.  Gabe stood on the front platform with him and pointed out everything he noticed.  We explored another couple islands and stopped to let Gabe show off his baseball skills.

Picture
Thursday was overcast and a higher chance of rain so we left the skiff on the trailer.  We went to Iris’s for breakfast.  When we got home we tied some snook flys and skinned Roy.  Roy was a three foot horse that our friend Libby gave Gabe for his first birthday.

Roy had been suffering from the “mange” for a while.  He was cursed by having Craft fur tail and maine that make perfect Redfish and Snook flies.  We kept the parts of his hide that make good tying material and recycled the rest.  Gabe had a lot of fun with this one!  After nap we went to the library and read books.
When Meredith got home from work Gabe told her he took all the "snow" out of Roy!

Scalloping in Homosassa

Picture
We spent the weekend at our friend's river house with their boat on the dock right out back.  Gabe instantly saw the crab trap sitting on the dock so we were constantly pulling it up and harassing the local blue crab population. 

Saturday morning Gabe and I got up first  and he was in the pool within ten minutes.  Lorren couldn’t sleep in with Gabe giggling outside.  Soon she was up and her and Gabe played with the mask and snorkel until the rest of the crew was up. 

We got out on the water early hunting for scallops.  Gabe traded off between us riding around on our backs as we snorkeled looking for the tasty little shell fish.  When we spotted one we would dive down and grab it.  As we got back to the top Gabe would quickly swim to get back on our backs. 

Picture

Our day was cut short by a rock that collided with the prop. on Brian's boat.  The river certainly lived up to it’s reputation of being tough on lower units this weekend!   Although we only got about a gallon of scallops; our friends showed up with about ten gallons more.  Thanks Willy, Alyssa & Lorren!

Picture
We set up an assembly line to shuck them and started the feast with fresh scallops sautéed in butter.  We followed that with scallop ceviche, scallop scampi, and scallops broiled on the half shell to finish.  Whoo hoo were we full!

Sunday morning we ate scallop ceviche and eggs for breakfast.  We straightened up the house and loaded the boat back on the trailer.  We didn’t actually do any fishing over the weekend but we definitely enjoyed Nikki's family's river house and can’t wait to head up there again to cash in on their great red fishery.  Hopefully, prior to the close of scallop season. 

We will have a "vacation rentals" section of the web site coming soon so others can take advantage of the great locations we love also. 

See you soon!      


0 Comments

Week 7

8/14/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture

Gabe rockin' his SWC gear
Another fabulous week of “Tarpon Preschool”!  Monday was particularly fun.  Gabriel and I took our good friend Joe and his two little friends, Andrew and Conner, six-year old twin boys, out for a fishing adventure.  Gabe was nice enough to let the boys’ fish most of the time and helped out by catching bait, whether they needed it or not.   

Tuesday was a bit cloudy, so we stuck around the house.  I set up a Facebook account and researched online vendors of waterproof paper; we played a lot of tick tack toe on the drawing board, watched movies, and took a good nap!  We played cards by using them as flash cards and talking about adding and subtracting them.  We really try to focus on concentration skills and other preschool development activities on days like this.  

Ellie's Sail Shop in Clearwater, Florida
The highlight on Wednesday was our trip to Ellie’s Sail shop and Freecycle in Clearwater.  Ellie’s has been in business since 1958.  Mike Catley owns and operates the shop.  They specialize in parts for sailboats and fiberglass repair.

We are so impressed by the operation, and the operator, we are featuring Ellie’s Sail Shop as this month’s community spotlight.

We snuck out on the flat in the late afternoon. 

Dunedin Library

Thursday was sunny but windy.  We practiced  math exercises in the morning, then made our weekly trip to “story time” at the Dunedin Library.  Gabe was happy to find his friend Leah there for the first time. 

We hit the water around noon and got one fish to take the fly.  The wind picked up and the clouds rolled in just in time to meet mommy at home after work.

Friday Gabe and I got out early and fished with Jim Nielsen, but we didn’t see much. Here lately it seems as if it’s all or nothing for DP (dawn patrol).  There’s either a steady stream of willing fish or none at all.

We dropped Jim off mid-morning and picked up our buddy Dave at Mira Vista (a pocket park).  We spent a few hours on the tarpon flat without seeing a single fish, so we ended up jumping overboard and just floated along with the boat, laughing and treading water.  Gabe has been complaining a lot lately when he gets saltwater in his eyes.  I don’t remember him being that discomforted by the saltiness of the water last summer.

Frenchy's on Clearwater Beach
The weekend was action packed with company.  My Aunt Donna from Texas and her friend Bud from Kentucky arrived Saturday.  We took them out on a sunset cruise and had a delicious meal at Frenchy’s on Clearwater Beach.  Afterward we drifted around a few docks looking at the underwater lights for fish. 

Sunday, Meredith’s brother Nathan and his fiancée Ashley came down for a work trip.  After the morning rain clouds departed we met them at their hotel for a swim.  Later we ate pizza at Post Corner, a delicious family owned and operated restaurant in Clearwater.
1 Comment

    WELCOME...

    Thanks for visiting our blog.  If you're new to the site and you are unfamiliar with our summer campaign, "Tarpon Preschool", click the link below to read my story.

    Court's Story

    Poling the Flats on the Florida Gulf Coast

    Gabriel's Photo Gallery

    Essential Gear

    Redfish on the Fly

    Gabe's Keens (Sunport)

    Sunport Keens

    Review:

    Gabe's Keens are really doing their job. 

    They really protect his feet when exploring the islands and flats.  The tough soles and toes are scared from rocks and razor clams, which is a heck of a lot cooler than reals scars, because they don't make you cry! 

    They're also great for protecting him on the boat. The non-marking soles grip well on wet surfaces.  Thank you Aunt Lacey, we love these shoes!


    Gabe's Development

    Tarpon Preschool Logo

    Gabe's Setup for 1st Fish (Red Fish):

    Rod:
    5-wt. Powell Pit River fly rod and reel

    Line:
    5=wt. Scientific Angler full-floating (orange)

    Leader:
    31/2' 30-lb. fluorocarbon

    1' 15-lb. fluorocarbon

    Fly:
    Micro-sized white Puglisi pattern on #6 Mustad hook (barb crushed)

    Typical pattern I like for fishing Snook around the dock lights.


    Categories

    All

    Archives

    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly