South Florida's Fishing Paradise

Jim Stenson chronicles his fishing adventures from Sanibel to the tarpon capital of the world—Boca Grande—to rivers like the Manatee and the Myakka. In addition to being an immensely entertaining read with a colorful cast of characters, the book has a strong environmental message.

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This memoir captures the essence of light tackle fishing in its prime from Palm Beach to the Florida Keys, from the Everglades to the Ten Thousand Islands. In short, the best snook-fishing spots on the planet. Author chronicles his fishing adventures from Sanibel to the tarpon capital of the world—Boca Grande—to rivers like the Manatee River and the Little Manatee in Manatee County, the Myakka River in Sarasota County, the Peace River, and the Caloosahatchee River, which teemed with fish.

Colorful characters like Fat Wally, Ray Moss (aka Fertile Myrtle) take the author under their wings and show him where the fish are. Others like Dennis Hart, Walt Winton, Mark Riehmann, Pete Stroble, and Dick Clevenger become life-long friends. However, no character is stranger than Frank the Net. Frank was as rugged and eclectic as his ‘66 International Harvester. He stood six foot five and weighed close to three hundred pounds. He dressed, every day, in an upper downer, a white t-shirt, brown culottes, and a fresh pair of white sneakers. Although Frank was one of the most idiosyncratic fishermen on the planet, he and Jim became almost inseparable until the day Frank died.

In addition to being an immensely entertaining read with a colorful cast of characters, this book has a strong environmental message and is a cautionary tale about the loss of over seven million acres of pristine wetlands, the explosive growth of the sugarcane industry, the abomination of large-scale citrus farming, the foolhardiness of removing the oxbows and dredging Kissimmee River, and the damaging effects of damming and diking of Lake Okeechobee.