There’s a special rhythm to life at a fishing lodge. You get up before dawn, and bolt down breakfast with a sense of expectation. All your tackle is ready to go – you went over it twice late last night – but just in case you check all your knots again and throw another hard bait into a tackle flat. Then, with one last sip of coffee and your heart starting to race, you grab your ‘yak and commence the chase.
At Tarpon Lodge in Pineland, a special corner of Lee County in Southwest Florida, the targets are snook and redfish, and that old dependable standby the sea trout. The structures are rich – oyster bars, mangrove fringes, narrow tidal creeks and potholes for miles in most any heading. Hobie’s stealthy MirageDrive® excels at hunting these skinny waters.
Select a direction, for argument’s sake upwind – it makes the trip back go down easy – and cast, cast, cast. Even the best fishing lodges reward extra effort. There’s a biter! Reel it in and go back for more.
Hours pass in minutes until it’s time to head in. Fine fishing establishments such as Tarpon Lodge aren’t only situated next to rich waters. They offer a dim, cool bar – just the thing when coming out of the sun. There isn’t a fishing story these old walls haven’t heard, but just in case, wander the original 1926 oak floors and marvel at the fish mounts, each one a trophy.
Late afternoon is a lazy time, just right for a siesta or retying leaders while reliving the day with your buddies. In the evening dine on finely prepared beef or seafood in the restaurant, or for a change of pace hop aboard the Island Girl water taxi to Cabbage Key and grab a juicy burger in the famous Dollar Bill Bar.
But don’t stay up too late. You get to do it all again tomorrow.
