#evergladesfishing

[rodandbarrel]

Burmese Pythons in the Everglades Backcountry

This is a new thing to have to be aware of when camping the Everglades Backcountry. I usually go twice a year camping starting around January and up through February and even into March if the weather remains cool. I need about three good cold fronts to knock down the mosquito population so October is too buggy and December just hasn’t had enough fronts to do the trick. 

It used to be we had to worry about raccoons coming into camp and stealing our food. Bungee cords were a necessity to secure coolers and food boxes from the prying hands of raccoons that would show up at night or when we were away from camp. Today, raccoons are no longer a problem - Why? Because the pythons that now infest the Everglades have eaten them all. 

The python shown above is the same size (17-feet) of one I saw 3-years ago swimming between two mangrove islands deep in a backcountry bay not too far from this camping chickee. In all likelihood it might be the same one. 

I can tell you today before we actually step off our boats and on to a campsite we spend several minutes surveying the camp site to make sure there aren’t any eyes staring back at us. So, far I haven’t encountered a python

[rodandbarrel]

I’m no marine biologist but I caught a sexually ripe male #peacockbass ready to spawn as indicated by the pronounced hump on its forehead but again I’m no marine biologist #jodymoore #rodnbarrel #evergladesfishing https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb4meEjOkf7/?utm_medium=tumblr

[grassrootsguiding-blog]

Love of Snook

Finished up another wonderful year of tarpon fishing. I was able to sneak away from the silver king from time to time to hunt the real king of the everglades. Mr. Snook. 

[rodandbarrel]

EVERGLADES BACKCOUNTRY FISHING The seatrout were numerous in the Everglades backcountry today and we got a nice black drum for dinner.

[rodandbarrel]

My Signature Move

My signature move is when sight casting a redfish is to lay the fly right on the fishes tail - Doh!! pic.twitter.com/9Ug3t4U5Ej

— Rod & Barrel (@RodnBarrel) July 4, 2014

[rodandbarrel]

ROD&BARREL CAMPING IN THE EVERGLADES - Watson Place

Watson Place is named after Edgar J. Watson who homesteaded this place on the Chatham River in the early 1880's. He cleared the area and grew sugar cane.Watson came to Chokoloskee with checkered past. He was reputed to have killed his former lover the female outlaw Belle Starr and another man in Central Florida who crossed him. He set up his farm on the a bend in the river known as Chatham Bend and hired transient help to grow, cut and cook his sugar cane to sell as cane syrup. At the end of the season he would load his syrup and workers on his single piston engine boat and sail to the markets of Key West or Fort Myers where he sell his syrup. Curiously enough, he would always arrive alone - in this way he never had to pay his workers and became rich as a result. He built a large house on Chatham Bend. A number of murders of his immediate neighbors took place while he lived here and in 1910 several took place on his farm that he was responsible for. The towns people of the village of Chokoloskee confronted him on this once when he visited the island and when he raised his shotgun to shoot they shot him. 72-bullet holes were counted in his body.

The sugar kettle and cane press are still here. Also a turn of he century tractor and if you go back in the woods you'll find the remains of his Model T-Ford truck. His house was burned down by the park rangers after the area was turned into a park. You can still find some artifacts on the site like bed springs, broken china and concrete support posts. A poinciana tree planted by Watson and not native to the park is still there.

You can read more about Watson and his goings on in a trilogy of books written by author, Peter Matthiessen, who wrote three books on Watson and his story, The Killing of Mr. Watson, Lost Mans River, and Bone by Bone. The first two books I listed are exceptional reading and I highly recommend them.

I have camped here numerous times and if there was a place that should be haunted this should be it but I have never had any experiences or heard of any that would indicate it was haunted.

Photo by Jody Moore - all rights reserved

[rodandbarrel]

ROD&BARREL CAMPING IN THE EVERGLADES - New Turkey and Turkey Key

Turkey Keys are one of my favorite beach camping sites in the whole park. I have camped here for over 25-years and have very fond memories of this place and one really miserable memory. Once I camped here in early December thinking the mosquitoes would be gone - not the case. Sunset and dusk was bad enough but when a a full harvest moon rose up just after sunset it lit up the place like a it was day time and 'swamp angels' came out in force. To add insult to injury there was a hole in my tent that had let in about 300 mosquitoes and a rain storm early that day had flooded my tent to the point my air mattress was floating on water. I spent about an hour killing mosquitoes after I patched the tear. That night I got sick and had to go outside the tent and get swarmed all over again. I was glad to get home to my own bed after that trip. Lots of great fishing nearby and incredible sunsets can be viewed on the horizon of the great Gulf of Mexico.

Photo by Jody Moore - all rights reserved

[rodandbarrel]

ROD&BARREL CAMPING IN THE EVERGLADES - Joe River Chickee

Chickees are covered wooden platforms that dot the interior backcountry bays of the Everglades. Usually, there are two platforms connected by a walkway with a chemical toilet in the middle. There is barely enough room for sitting chairs and you may only walk 20-feet in any one direction for however many days you camp on one. Joe River Chickee happens to be close to one of my favorite fishing destinations as does Oyster Bay Chickee and in a pinch South Joe River Chickee, Watson Chickee or Shark River Chickee will do. This chickee has been my launching point for at least a dozen backcountry grand slams on fly - tarpon, redfish, snook and seatrout. Joe River is one of my most favorite morning boat rides out of Flamingo - truly spectacular on mirror calm mornings.