Images of the Week!
At Kona Kai In Key Largo! We are attending Islamorada Birthday Trip, Via The Blue Chip 2 Sportfishing Adventures
American Press Travel News-May 5th–Key Largo and Islamorada, Florida Keys-“Bob & Barb On the Road Again” and “Stopping to Smell the Roses & Admiring the Hibiscus Flowers.. So our son David had his 50th Birthday and was spending his day on the Charter Craft, Blue Chip 2 with veteran Captain Skip Bradeen, his mate David and my sons friends John ElKoury, Billy Pope and Dave, all part of Coastal Reality of the Florida Keys, Allan Pope owner of Keys Life Magazine, Eric Dyer another of David’s childhood and lifelong friends and Captain Key Largo; my younger son Brian Epstein who runs his backcountry boat out of Key Largo and who knows where the big ones lurk and jerk the lines.
The day was blustery, but on the Blue Chip 2 we caught fish, the heck with the wind and swells. Everyone caught dinner sized yellowtail snapper, and some tuna including bonita and down deep Mutton Snappers. It was a great day and it finished with a special fishing and boating themed and decorated cake, too!
At the end of day yours truly went on Captain Skips Radio Show to talk about the day and my published Keys themed books. We ate yellowtail of the day and at least one beer at the Moose Club. Kona Kai 800-365-STAY—In Key Largo, fish here, eat here and love here!!! By the way: You can buy my signed books at Kona Kai too!
Fly buddy out to say Hi to the birthday boy, Dave.
Throw-back Monday– 1989-The Conch Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge
American Press Travel News-March 25th–Bob and Barb “Remembering great places to dine and visit! Today, the Conch Restaurant is gone. Whoever bought it after Allen Stoki passed, changed names and then new owners changed names again!
When Barb and I were pleasantly researching our book in 1988: “The Best Restaurants in The Florida Keys”, of course, we visited the Conch Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge in Islamorada, owner operated by Allen Stocki. We’d been there before and on another date, I also joined Ted Williams there for dinner when I was creating the International Gamefish Release and Enhancement Foundation. I had hoped Ted would become a Board Member-he did!
OK! I Just heard Conch prounounced “konsch” not Konk; I straightened that lure-maker out at the ICAST giant fishing show. He is now “Konk” prepared when he visits to try out his lures in the Keys!
One of the very personal specialties Stocki taught his wait personnel, was to learn by heart the more than 80-ways he could prepare a Keys Lobster. They would tick off “lobster Hawaiian, Parmesan, Lobster cheesy and Florentine, en cruet sauce, and my favorite Lobster prepared at that sorely missed by many; their Lobster Imperial!” This dish required the lobster to be taken out of the shell, sautéed in butter and then covered with Crab Imperial. The dish would be baked and served with Béarnaise Sauce. Stocki’s Chef then garnished this masterpiece with Key lime slices and parsley and served with fresh homemade bread. A dish you just never could forget! This, and more than 60-restaurants in my book, are gone now, but fortunately, many other very fine restaurants have stepped up to the plate, so-to-speak! We miss that great restaurant in our original book: “The Best Restaurants in the Florida Keys” I still have about 45-books from that first printing. Just email us for your half price signed copy!!!
Fishing Burns Calories
American Press Travel News–March 10th,-Bob and Barb “On The Road Again.” Probably have not thought about this, but fishing does burn calories. If standing on shore and casting for two hours how about 470-calories “gone?” Fly fishing as you walk in a stream, how about 670-calories an hour. In a boat, not moving around much but jigging on the bottom, about 500-calories Bank fishing, sitting on your butt after a cast of bottom baits. About 360-calories for two hours.
When your fishing, your moving, thinking, bending, casting, walking to your location and if your hooking up with scaled or unscaled critters, your burning calories.
Of course hunting and other sports burn more calories, just as brisk walking does too, but it turns out just about anything you do out in the outdoors on a sustained minute by minute basis, burns that fuel you have stored.
So, its Sunday today and I’m heading out behind my home to our bass pond for some fly fishing activity. Or maybe casting with my new/old reel I bought at a yard sale yesterday to try it out. Its not that I don’t have about 90-reels, its just I love to sell duplicate reels and gear on ebay, so I can buy more gear at yard sales-boy do I have a two car garage that just hasn’t seen a car in ages!!