David is one of my very best friends. So when he moved back home to Wisconsin to have his growing family be near his extended family, I understood, but grieved nonetheless. To maintain and enjoy the bounty of his friendship, we try to get together when our calendars and lives allow and that, perhaps, has not manifested more perfectly than in the occasional "epic fly fishing trip".
These trips usually combine many of the things we love - beautiful landscapes, good music, camping, road tripping, and adventure. Just before he left VA for WI, we experimented with a small trip to the Shenandoah National Park to fish for Brook Trout on Big Run (see Big Run Farwell: https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6831622545659554584/4002037109488344692. Once back in WI, we took the trip bonding to a new level by fishing in and around Fernie, British Columbia for cutthroats and bull trout - truly epic and also bar setting (see Fernie Stoke: https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6831622545659554584/8168928221554019984). This past fall we camped and fished for our first steelhead in the famed waters of the Bois Brule in Wisconsin (see First Foray....: https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/6831622545659554584/376856371588218021). Even as we fished in the snow and cold of the Brule, we talked of our next adventure and, coaxed by our able guide Nambini, our minds returned to the Everglades. Before fishing the Elk, Bull, Oldman, Upper Elk and Fording Rivers in BC, we were supposed to fish the Everglades and Keys, but the mosquito-borne Zika virus posed too much of a threat so we abandoned that trip for another time. 2021 is the time!
Nambini jacked us up with stories of snook around Chokoloskee so under his influence, we jettisoned the Key's portion of our former trip and focused solely on the 'Glades - Chokoloskee and Flamingo. Checking the adventure box, we decided to fish it, except for a first guided day, by canoe with camping in the backcountry around Flamingo.
We found a guide, got fly recommendations and started tying, and I pulled my old, circa 1975, Sears aluminum canoe from its decadal resting place in the backyard woods. It was a mess.
Not knowing how to clean an aluminum boat, I followed my wife's suggestions and bought a heavy duty scrubbing pad and some "Bartenders Friend" cleanser. On one sunny winter day, I went to work. The initial result were promising...I kept going and took confidence from the results.Scrub, rinse with a bucket, scrub somemore. Slowly, but methodically, the dents AND the beauty of this old warrior revealed itself - battered bateau metamorphosed and was renamed "Silver King!" When not in shade, and the sun is shining on her, she's blindingly sexy!
The next step is to convert the "King" to a fly fishing utility craft. She's missing the bow and stern eyes for attaching rope. I have one; i'll have to search her resting place for the other. In the meantime, after searching on the web and lurking on Pintrest, and after some brainstorming sessions with Great Outdoor Provisions Company staff in Virginia Beach (https://greatoutdoorprovision.com/locations/virginia-beach/), I sketched out a plan for a dirtbag fly fishing customization - to store and lash camping gear, protect and stage multiple rods, dampen sound from dropped items, clip paddles, and keep tools and smaller gear handy. Here's what I did.
Rod Holder
For the trip, we will be primarily after snook, redfish, and tarpon (baby and the big ones if we happen across them). Of course, we'll throw at anything that swims! This will require an arsenal of rods - an 8wt. for reds, a 9 wt. for the snook, and an 11wt. for the big fellas. I plan to have the 9wt. at the ready and store the others but wanted them rigged and ready at a moment's notice to take advantage of any opportunity. After some consideration, I decided I wanted a rod holder that would protect the rods, but also keep them out of the way. I also wanted them secure in case we tipped the canoe.
I had some old PVC sewer pipe lying around so I cut sections and drilled four holes to be able to lash them with paracord to the undersides of the canoe thwarts. After cutting, I also smoothed the edges with a drummer tool. Here's an example of one.
Here's what it looks like with three sections. (Yes, I've cleaned the inside of the canoe since this picture was taken. R&D is messy work!)
This setup will easily handle two rods facing forward and two facing back from the front seat. My buddy and I are both right-hand casters so our lines should be in the air over the water, but nevertheless, this will keep the spare rods down and out of the way. Here's the view back from the front seat.
Padded Thwarts
I do plan to pad all the aluminum thwarts with pipe insulation and cable ties to keep from scratching up the rods as they rest on and move around - like this. (The rod butt will rest here.)
I also bought some elastic bungee cord and some extra carabiners which I'll secure to the thwart and wrap over the rod and reel and then clip on so the stored rods won't get tossed from the canoe if we swamp it. I'm bringing extra pipe insulation and a role of duct tape to pad the front bulkhead and gunnels - again to protect the rods as they rest in the ready position while we paddle.
Gear Cover/Tangle Blocker
Next, I thought it would be a good idea to craft a cover for the gear we're carrying so that stripped or cast fly lines don't drop into the gear, lashing, stored rods, etc. and snag just when we hook that tarpon of a lifetime. Of course it will not provide any waterproofing protection as the gear could get wet from water that sloshes around the floor after getting in from the uncovered sections, but my hope is that it will provide some sun protection and again, give us a clean deck.
I took an old heavy duty tarp, measured it to fit with some overlap, and cut it out like this.
I've since reinforced the cut edges with heavy duty duct tape and bought a grommet set to add some tie down points where they don't currently exist. Hopefully, this set up will allow us to tuck everything away giving us clean, snag-free surfaces fore and aft. I'm still thinking about the best way to secure it. Stand by....
Plan Execution
What's to follow is the execution of these plans for testing once we hit the water in April. Check back every couple of weeks for new additions to this post for progress on the canoe, equipment purchases, etc. I'll write a separate blog on the trip and post-trip evaluation of these modifications.
