By Captain Larry Jarboe
Calypso crafts beautiful earrings out of fishing lures with the hooks removed. Her displays are becoming most popular in Key Largo locations. She is using the Mangrove Tunnel paddle method where the end of the paddle is used to fend off, the grip is used to pull thru, and, once in a while, you get a chance to slide the paddle thru the water. Often, you have to spin the paddle like a baton to accomplish fending or pulling depending on the side of the tunnel where one technique or the other is needed. That is why she has the paddle held in the center of the handle. Much like a soldier handling a gun at forward arms.
The tide does most of the work. And, we motored back up the tunnel because the ocean was ripping rough. We snaked thru that tunnel without a hitch but I did run out of gas later because of the longer run against the tide. Yes, the spare fuel can was tucked away in a hull tip. NBD.
Wonderful video!
Thank you Larry and Calypso!
This is a great demo of the W700 as a not-solo skiff, and tandem canoe-kayak 😀
Yoav
Hey Larry……..can’t say maneuvering through that dense mangrove stand looks like fun to me, although having someone in front pulling the W along definitely helps. The wider section toward the end of the video looks more my speed.
Well, as Larry says in the video “you can’t do this with a regular boat”…
But the W700 is a ‘boat extraordinaire’ – an all-water, ‘go anywhere’ boat!
It’s the ATV of the boat world 😀
Packer,
Negotiating the Mangrove tunnels is like going into Jurassic Park. There are 5-6 lb. Mangrove Snappers that are waiting to be caught along with plenty of snook and small tarpon. Even the grunts are over 1 lb. The motorized Wavewalk combo is about the only way to reach these fish that are unreachable to anyone else.
I am still developing fishing techniques for such close quarters. I am building custom yak mangrove rods from old rods that I recycle. It is pretty easy to fill a small cooler of good eating fish in less than an hour while the guys on the flats are still looking for a lone bonefish to throw their shrimp at.
My buddy Dan who went with me last week said this is the most awesome thing he has seen in 40 years of living in Key Largo. He said I should run trips there. After seeing the number of fish, he said I better keep this quiet or all of Miami will catching our fish.
I explained how most folks who can’t read a tide table would get trapped on the incoming tide and only a motorized Wavewalk or mother ship combo will get someone there and back.
Dan was unconvinced. So, this is our secret.
Larry J.
Larry,
I’m thinking maybe the Emmrod, Jeff McGovern’s favorite brand of fishing rods, could do the trick for you as far as fishing in close quarters goes.
They are short and sturdy, and were initially developed for ice fishing, if I remember correctly what Jeff once told me.
Yoav
Yoav,
Personally, I prefer a rod that bends in a parabola which the Emmrod does not do. My favorite boat rod is the 4′ 9″ Ugly Stik rated for 8-20 lb. test line. The yak rods that I put together out of old 2 piece rods are less than 3 feet long but they can bend like a strong archway with a big fish on. P.S. – I like the not-solo skiff observation.
Larry J.
Larry,
Solo as in solitude…
Not-solo is the norm in small boats and skiffs. After all, being alone on board your boat, with no option to take at least another passenger with you, ever, defeats the purpose of boating as a social activity, doesn’t it?
Yoav
This morning, in the Yellow Bait House, I spotted some really good kayak rods designed for the tight quarters in mangrove creeks.
Ricky Rods in Miami is building 48″ rods that are designed for 8-12 lb. test line. They have a good strong backbone with plenty of bend. Of course, I purchased one. My first Florida rod was a Ricky rod that I bought in 1974. That solid glass rod has put a lot of food on our table.
Time to look at the tide table and plan a trip.
Larry J.