I've no idea what they've done since I bailed, but the only tarpon interactions I had were me snapping pics of the fish being hand-fed at the cleaning station at the one marina after we came in with fish. Those tarpon, some big--and a few nurse sharks-- sure enjoyed our fish guts and racks.
I have no idea where Stubbs is. Last I heard he was with R50 after a time with A+8s. I could've gotten some great shots if he was along, but Stubbs is on the road. I tend to travel light and I'm pretty sure the TSA folks wouldn't have had much of a sense of humor about Stubbs in my carry-on anyway. Hell, I had words with one TSA guy who said that he wasn't sure I could haul frozen fish in my carry on. He knows the rules now, though. F'in idiot that dude was.
Maybe if I was already retired I'd choose the road trip, but even then I kind of doubt it if my destination was only one area and not a long string of places. I want to spend my away from home time off enjoying, not worrying about long-distance driving and the associated headaches over a more than 3K mile run. Especially on a trip of only 3 nights. Second day after they made it to S. FL they were still gassed after their ride in, and both complaining of being stiff and sore from trying to sleep in the truck. I, on the other hand, was as fresh as a daisy right off the plane...
In the time it took them to drive *one way* from TX to FL I could've flown RT Boston/Tokyo. But whatever; different strokes for different folks and all that.
As far as fish, we got into some great specimens and I was pleased to knock 3 more flavors off the life list, but it was slow and our main target eluded us completely. The boys kicked off the fishing with a guided outing for peacock bass before I arrived. The story related to me was dead hilarious, but I wasn't there. STX can tell the tale when he gets back home on Tuesday. Or Wednesday. Or whenever.... Traffic, weather, fatigue, random LE searches, vehicle issues? For this kind of trip? Uh, thanks but no thanks.
