The other day I received a copy of a new fishing magazine, Destination Fish. After reading through it I started thinking about all the places around the world I would love to fish. Many of these spots are in exotic locations with swaying palms, white sand beaches with gin clear flats that few people have ever fished. Go offshore fishing where you can catch twenty sailfish in a day or two and three marlin and only be twenty minutes from the dock. Sounds good doesn’t it? There’s only one thing stopping me, and a lot of other people for that matter, from living this dream - a lack of time and money.
Here are some of my dream destinations I’d like to fish before the man calls me to the big pond in the sky. As far as freshwater fishing goes I’d like to fly fish for large rainbow trout in New Zealand, salmon in Alaska, trout in the Patagonia region of Argentina, dorado in the Ibera wetlands of northern Argentina and plug fish for peacock bass anywhere in Central or South America.
When it comes to saltwater fishing the list is too long so here are a few from the top of my list: fly fishing for bone fish in Los Roques, an island off the coast of Venezuela. Bones, tarpon and permit in Belize. Ascension Bay, Mexico for bones and permit. Bone fishing in the Bahamas and bones in the Sychelles located in the Indian Ocean. Offshore would be the Pacific coasts of Mexico, Guatemala and Panama and the east coast of Venezuela.
I know I’ll never get to all these places but rest assured I will make a couple of these trips. Hitting the lottery would sure help to fulfill my dream but yet again another dream. Next month I’ll settle for fishing one of my favorite places in Florida, the Everglades for snook. If you have a dream destination I’d like to hear about it and maybe share it with the readers. Email me at captrco@cfl.rr.com.
Locating schools of reds in the flats is still hit and miss. I spoke with Capt. Chris Herrera the other while he was out fishing with a buddy and he did say things were slow. Two hours later I got a phone call from Chris saying they landed a couple of 27” reds right after he hung up with me. Both fish were caught on artificial baits.
Trout are still on the bite but remember trout season closes February 1st from Flagler north to the Georgia boarder. Matt Struhar and his buddy Mike Brady landed some good trout recently. Matt had one that measured 32” and weighed 9 ¾ lbs. Mike had a couple that went 3 and 5 lbs. All were caught on live mullet.


Photo: Capt. Chris Herrera holds up a couple of 27” reds that he and Tommy Hunt caught using Rip Tide 3” plastic mullet on a Rip Tide pro jig head.