Diary of a Half-Back Lifestyle

**A model Florida Crawfish aka, lobster.**

American Press Travel News—3/29/2021—Bob and Barb “On the Road Again”—-Why do we travel half way back to our old home, VT, to TN., from Southern Florida? Summers in Florida are humid. With my deviated septum (partially blocked nostril) I have a hard time breathing in heavy humidity. So, when the cooler winter and spring breezes, with their lesser humidity devolve into more summer-like conditions, even starting from the first day of spring, we head for the hills of TN.. In Florida we eat seafood, in TN. its beef, chicken and garden vegetables. Fishing in Florida its sea fishes, in TN. its crappie and trout, and our favorite walleye pike. I can breathe in TN., and love the cool breezes throughout spring, summer and fall.

We live on a small farm at about 2000-feet above sea level. When the summer heats up all around our plateau, we are 8-10 degrees cooler than all the other areas, cities and towns, and just about every night is a no-AC needed event.

As an author, I find it easier to work at our farm in TN. than in Florida. Florida has too many things going on, and this causes me to divert, and avert my time from putting finger tips to keys. However, the Keys is truly a paradise for a fisherman, like me. With boating, searching for marlin and dolphin fish, the schools of tuna, the occasional wahoo, I get lost in the Gulf Stream of life. My preference these days is to sight fish for permit, bonefish, seatrout, snook, and redfish inshore, in quiet waters.

My sons David and Brian were brought up in the Keys, and were my nearly constant companion on my favorite boat “The Shalom.” That is until their fancy turned to girls and cars. We gathered our own shrimp and saltwater crawfish called Florida Lobster ( I still prefer the real northern- waters kind, with succulent claws and tail). Today, my sons have a fine boat that they own and enjoy, I have my farm and when I can visit the Keys to be with my boys and their life’s experiences! STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!!!

An Excerpt from The Book: “A Fishing History of the Keys.”

“A Florida Keys Fishy History of the Denizens of The Deep”

**Curt Gowdy and President Bush out fishing with Bob Epstein (Credit Bob T. Epstein for image)**

American Press Travel News–March 1st, The following is a short excerpt from Bob’s book: “A History of Fishing in the Florida Keys.” –From all corners of the earth, tourist visitors make pilgrimages to the Florida Keys to fish, and it’s no wonder, with more than 600 fish varieties in Florida waters, most of which are caught in the waters between Miami and the 150-miles down to Key West. And according to the writings of Zane Grey, a fabulous outdoor writer, and world famous angler, the waters between Indian Key and Bahia Honda Harbor were the very best in the world (as he wrote in the 1920’s). So, along with locals, and Americans from all over the U.S.A. who come to duel with offshore fish such as swordfish, marlin, sailfish, mackerel, tuna, wahoo, dolphin fish (Mahi Mahi), and a large assortment of other deep -sea fishes, the Keys is most noted for, it stands to reason that the real magnet drawing all to these boney islands, are these underwater finned residents of the Keys! Ask anyone about the Florida Keys, most responses would be about fishing, Key Lime pie-sort of the “apple pie & mom” of South Florida’s special nature, is what is thought of first.
Inshore, there is an entire hierarchy of fish-royalty, from the bonefish, tarpon, permit, the triage of the perfecta, to the snook, seatrout, red drum, and mangrove snapper, that today, as in the past hundred years, attract anglers to both shore, and canoe-fish as well as hiring hundreds of fishing guides and their skiffs, in pursuit of these fish for picture-trophy, and the plate as well. Today, with 43-bridges that connect each of the Keys Islands bridge fishing is also a great draw for anglers without boats, to bring their families and friends to go out to sea without ever getting their sneakers wet and still catch fish too!