Friends In Low Places
The week of March 10th- 18th was all about our, Friends In Low Places. The trip started out with a short stay in New Smyrna, Florida, with a good friend, Nick Fairman. Nick is the owner of what has to be the coolest and most laid back Juice and Smoothie bar there is. The original GoJuice is located in the jungles of Costa Rica and has surfed the waves back state side. Keep an Eye out for more locations in Florida and with fingers crossed, Charleston.
Nick rocking our hat at GoJuice in New Smyrna!
Continuing down the coast, Mosquito Lagoon was our next destination. We met up with our buddy, Captain Dustin Link, from East Cape Skiffs to do some fishing. As our luck would have it, the wind was blowing 15-20 mph the duration of the day. Fortunately, Captain Dustin still put us on a mess of trout and he was able to cap the day off with a 29" gator trout himself.
Captain Dustin with his gator!
Why not just go all the way to the keys, right? Well that's what we did and met up with one more childhood buddy in Marathon, Florida. The first day there was spent offshore where we managed a handful of Bonita, a pair of chunky Blackfin Tuna and finally struck gold with a Dorado (Mahi Mahi). The following day was spent on the gulf side chumming up snapper as far as the slick was visible. Mangrove were the main action, accompanied by a few smaller yellowtail and lane snapper. Like the end of every other day, a pleasant surprise came in the form of a 39" Cobia on very light tackle. After a long battle where the rod had to be passed below the bow and anchor line, a team effort landed her in what seemed like a trout net.
Clay with a Blackfin
Ethan with the Cobia
If the trip itself didn't have enough memories already, having Shore Thing Outfitters be featured on Islamoradatimes.com was pretty exciting!
Leaving our mark on the Keys!
There is nothing quite like having Friends In Low Places. We are super grateful for the hospitality and welcomeness that we were provided throughout the trip. Until next time, tight lines!