Tom told me we needed to go fishing and we had to do it in the 'Belly Of The Beast'. That’s a pet name we have for the area in and around the Boca Grande Pass here in SW Florida. It's known as the tarpon fishing capital of the world and for good reason. Fortunately, for us, a side affect is the healthy population of large sharks that enjoy the company and the taste of all those silver kings. Huge hammers common in excess of 12 feet, solitary tigers and plenty of large, pack-hunting bulls are always on the guest list, especially in the summer months.

So around 11:00pm, we decided to coordinate with an incoming tide that started between 5 and 6 the next morning. Sometimes these last-minute, unplanned trips work out better than the most anticipated and orchestrated of expeditions. This spur of the moment call had also narrowed the field to just Tom and me. Because of the short notice, we were happy to have some large frozen horse mullet I picked up at 'Cook’s Sportland' earlier in the week. There were additional frozen bait items in the cooler but no time would be available to catch fresh meat before the tide.

This was May 16, 2004 and little did we know it would be one of the few memorable trips we would have that season. Soon, mother nature would be gathering forces in the Atlantic to conjure up one of the worst hurricanes to hit our shores in more than 30 years. Charlie and three subsequent storms would effectively end the fishing season for many anglers in the region.

STAY TUNED FOR FULL REPORT...

STAY TUNED FOR FULL REPORT...

STAY TUNED FOR FULL REPORT...