Remote Office

What to do when the schools close for spring break but you are busy at work and can't burn vacation time? Laptop...check, cell phone...check, wireless card...check, 8wt...check, airline ticket...check. I spent a few days working in a remote office on Marco Island last week.

The weather was cool but warmed with each passing day. Day one was semi-successful with a few mackerel, jacks and a lady fish caught. The wind and turbid water slowed things waaaaay down for the next two days, but I finally caught a break when the water warmed and cleared. I made my way down the empty beach under the nearly full moon. Waves lapped instead of crashed. After missing a strike from the beach, I made my way out on the rocks and connected with a pompano...my first ever. I caught a few more mackerel, jacks and pompano when I noticed something heavy feeding in the shallows near the beach. Armed with a clouser, I pitched and brought the fly back unscathed. I led the nervous water and started my retrieve...The fly stopped HARD. I got off a short 3" strip set and then watched all of my flyline and 150 yards of backing disappear. I was starting to think that my reel would empty and my morning fishing would end without ever knowing what I'd hooked when suddenly the stingray identified itself with a stunning leap.
Crap.
I don't know much about stingrays except that they have "sting" in their name and you are advised to shuffle on the flats because they don't like to be stepped on. I decided I wanted my flyline back, so I cranked down the Hatch's drag and pulled back on my Sage XI2 until it turned around. Once heading back my direction, I couldn't reel fast enough and headed back to the beach for the disconnect process. Once on the beach, I could see that the fly had stuck into its "shoulder" and that it hadn't actually eaten my fly.
I cut the tippet and coaxed the ray back into the water with the butt of my rod. I estimate the wingspan of this critter at 36"-40" and was happy when it calmly glided away.
I made my way back out on the rocks, retied and raised hell with a school of pompano that kept me in constant action until my laptop, cell phone and wireless card beckoned.

That evening, prior to the flight out of Ft Myers, I fished again and landed 1 pompano and a sheepshead. All in all a very nice week at work.