Day 2
12/12/23
6:07 am

"I slept fairly well. There was heavy but brief rain throughout the night. The roof was leaking and dripping right on me. I grabbed a towel and placed it on my right shoulder to block it. My sleeping pad was leaking as well, but was still pretty comfy. I just blew it back up. Didn’t take much. The sky is red this morning. Hopefully, we don’t have to take a warning. The wind has died down. If I had more spunk I’d get going straight to a flat right now".

10:42 pm

"Worn out! Excellent day. Now that was some fun angling. Tailing bones in super skinny water, way back in the creek. Then a couple of oceanside chances and a massive channel tarpon fight for Connor in the early evening. So fun. Left the house around 7:45 am. Hit the trail a touch after 8:40".

"Good hike in. Tons of rainwater on the moon flat. Got to the creek. The water was cold and high, but nothing in the island channels. Kept going. Nothing in the mogul bog in the sparse mangroves. Got to the fluff trough. Nada. Up into the white firm flat. Nada. Ditched the pack so I could keep covering ground. Boom. Saw one tailing between two small mangrove islands. The first cast spooks it. I waited for it to keep moving. Lead it big time. Wait. Small strip. Boom! All over it. Super fun. Hell ya. Good fight. It swims up into the super skinny flat when released. Interesting…"

Read more from Austin here. Photography by John McDonald. Film by Charlie Undefined Films.