It started as a simple lunch plan and turned into a solid day on the water.

The other day, I reached out to my buddy Art to see what he was having for lunch. He said his afternoon was clear and suggested Pub Subs. I told him we should take it a step further and have Pub Subs on the boat. He didn’t hesitate—said that sounded perfect, gave me his order, and told me to be at his house by 10:30 AM.

By 10:00 AM, I was on the road, grabbed our subs and a few bags of ice, and headed over. Art lives on a canal near the North Fork, with his boat right behind the house. Once I arrived, we loaded up and got moving.

We ran strictly on the trolling motor and started casting Rat-L-Traps as we headed to the first spot. Last trip out, Art landed a 39-inch snook just a few houses down, but we weren’t quite that lucky this time. We both got a few hits early, but nothing came tight, so after about 10 minutes we pushed on.

As soon as we reached the next spot, I hooked into something big. My drag started screaming, and it was clear this was no small fish. About 10 minutes into the fight, we saw a massive swirl. I was convinced it was a big snook, but Art wasn’t so sure because it hadn’t jumped.

A few minutes later, we got eyes on it—and it turned out to be one of the largest gar I’ve ever seen.

We managed to land it, and it measured just shy of 6 feet. Personal best for me and easily the biggest fish of the day. After a quick look and a few moments to take it in, we let it swim off strong.

Before getting back to fishing, I told Art we hadn’t prayed yet. We bowed our heads and asked for protection and, if it was His will, a few fish. From there, things picked up. We started catching a few smaller snook, nothing huge, but steady action and a great way to settle into the day.

We worked the canal until around noon, when we found a good shaded spot. Dropped the Power-Poles and finally dug into the Pub Subs—hard to beat lunch like that on the water.

Once we finished eating, we tried to move—but the Power-Pole wouldn’t come up.

Art initially thought the Power-Pole motor might have failed, but I suspected the main battery was dead. I asked him to try starting the motor, and sure enough, there was no power. Thankfully, Art always comes prepared. We pulled out some tools, disconnected the battery, and jumped it from one of the trolling motor batteries to get the engine running.

At that point, I suggested we keep the motor running while we fished.

Art decided to make a short run to help charge the battery. When we reached another stretch of canal, he shut the motor down, thinking it would help with the fishing. Unfortunately, when he went to restart it—nothing.

That was about the time I said we should call it a day. We’d already caught fish, landed a giant gar, and had a great time. Art agreed—but on the way back, we couldn’t resist stopping at a few more spots.

Glad we did.

We picked up a few more snook and ended the day with about 10 in total, plus the gar.

Back at the dock, we finally figured out the root of the issue—the GFI outlet Art uses to keep his batteries charged had tripped, so the batteries never charged. In the end, that was good news, since it meant the battery itself wasn’t bad.

All in all, a great day on the water—good company, solid action, a personal best, and Pub Subs on board. Hard to ask for much more than that. Tania and I send our best wishes to all our fellow anglers. May your time on the water be safe, blessed, and filled with tight lines and good memories. Until next time, keep casting, keep believing, and keep chasing those dreams on the water.

The Treasure Coast Chapter of Salt Strong now hosts monthly meetings at Islamorada Brewery and Distillery on the 4th Thursday of each month. These meetings offer members a range of benefits, including guest speakers and fellowship with local anglers who share their knowledge and help one another catch fish. Membership to Salt Strong includes a 20% discount on tackle, access to Smart Fishing spots, and insider information on local trends. To learn more about Salt Strong, click the link below for a FREE 30-day test drive.