Chokoloskee fishing was slow, but the eating was great

One thing that you can count on when making a fishing trip with Crazy Alberto Knie is that the eating will be great if there’s a kitchen available to him. That was the case Wednesday when we joined Paul Castelli,a retired wildlife biologist with N.J. Fish & Wildlife, in Chokoloskee, Florida for a day of fishing in the Everglades.

Our main concern was catching some “eating fish” which Alberto could prepare in various ways that night for a guest I hadn’t dined with since 1972. Paul had only been out a couple of times with his duck boat since leaving his home in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey, but he had found an area with some bottom structure that would produce what we needed even if a few jigs were lost.

I quickly hooked a 13-inch sheepshead on a white jig tipped with a live shrimp, and we added a mangrove snapper, plus a spotted sea trout while releasing a short red grouper and the smallest Goliath grouper I’ve ever caught. They’re quite colorful when small as Paul shows before the release. Paul had saved a couple of sea trout and a sheepshead from his last trip, so we were good to go as Alberto needed three hours of prep for all he was planning.

Our guest was Gil Drake. a pioneering Key West flats guide who later owned Deep Water Cay Club in the Bahamas, where I fished for bonefish with himin 1972 after bringing a cold northeast wind in April that pushed the normally abundant bones off the flats and made for tough fishing. Upon returning to the States, he settled in Chokoloskee to take advantage of the fine fly fishing for snook that was available there when there was much less pressure on the Everglades fishery. Gil is in good health, but has reduced his guiding schedule.

Alberto made the most of everything we had from sushi to grilled sheepshead, though the stone crab claws were bought by Paul. There wasn’t much left of this feast an hour later!

The Canyon Runner Offshore Seminar will be held Saturday from 9-6 at Harrah’s Atlantic City. There may be a few of the $150 tickets available, but don’t make the ride before calling 732 272-4445.

The Hi-Mar Striper Club Fisherman’s Flea Market runs from 8-2 Saturday in the Port Monmouth VFW, 1 Veterans Lane. Admission is $5 for adults and free for kids 16 and under. Seminars are included.

The marine forecast in NY/NJ Bight is for northwest winds at 15-20 knots before dropping to 10-15 in the afternoon. Sunday is looking good with southwest 5-10 knots.