Russell Bay

We left Everglades City about 3 pm and motored out into an incoming tide.

We've seen several manatees. (Taste like chicken)

We went back near Russell Bay to anchor for the night.

I had some chunks of ladyfish that I had put in a jar three days ago. As you might imagine it was quite odiferous. I was sitting out on the back porch lazily catching topsail catfish.

I had just cast out my line again, and had not yet set my pole down, when something grabbed my bait and took off. My drag was loose, and this fish was screaming away from the boat at a high rate of speed. I cranked down the drag to slow him, but I never even got his attention. He spooled me in seconds, and I thought all my line was gone when my pole stopped bending over double. As it turned out, the fish had broken, cut, or bitten my steel leader off clean. I'm sure that was the largest fish I'd ever had on the end of my line - ever.

Isn't that right, Pam?

Yes, signed, Pam