# Observing those little things around us while on the water. What did you see??



## commtrd (Aug 1, 2015)

A squadron of pelicans flying in perfect formation silhouetted against a fiery very early morning sunrise. Couldn't get camera in time but will never forget how awesome that looked.


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## DeepSouthFly (Sep 7, 2016)

Man I wish I could fish where you do everyday. Sounds awesome.


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## mwong61 (Jul 28, 2013)

This past Sat I saw something I've never seen before, an Osprey flying with a fully inflated puffer in it's claws!
It was both comical and fascinating.

Had no idea Osprey ate those things. Wonder if it went on a bit of "spirit journey" after dinner....


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

I saw pinfish welcome a light colored EP pattern fly suspended just off the bottom into their school.


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## Blue Zone (Oct 22, 2011)

During my morning swim today I saw what I thought was a loggerhead. 

As I got closer, nope it was a tourist fishing out past the bar; all you could see was his head and the upper half his spin outfit.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

DeepSouthFly said:


> Man I wish I could fish where you do everyday. Sounds awesome.


I'm sure if you stop and look around, you'll see awesome things there too that'll make us all want to be there as well. Let us all know what you see!


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Blue Zone said:


> During my morning swim today I saw what I thought was a loggerhead.
> 
> As I got closer, nope it was a tourist fishing out past the bar; all you could see was his head and the upper half his spin outfit.


ROFLMAO!!! Ahhh.... you made my day with that one! LOL


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## redjim (Oct 16, 2012)

Dang Ted, you are living the life!

All I saw in the past week was a pair of sleely hot pink bikini bottoms floating through one of spots.


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## Bonecracker (Mar 29, 2007)

11 skiffs within 500 yards on Saturday! Talkin about being crowded!


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Bonecracker said:


> 11 skiffs within 500 yards on Saturday! Talkin about being crowded!


I feel yer pain!


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

redjim said:


> Dang Ted, you are living the life!
> 
> All I saw in the past week was a pair of sleely hot pink bikini bottoms floating through one of spots.


Now why is that I can't believe that's ALL you seen! LOL I don't want to hear how many juvi tarpon you've caught on fly this past 2 weeks. That will put us ALL to shame, combined! Lol


ahh... ok give us a #!


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

I've seen many of the same things you listed...love our home waters and the wildlife.

One of the cooler things I've seen was a skinny flat with scallops popping all around us at sunset. There were so many that it almost looked like it was raining all over the flat.


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## redjim (Oct 16, 2012)

Ah Ted, this summer has not been so hot where I live (central IR lagoon). They are demucking some of area around a few of my best spots and the fish aren't enjoying that much. 

But, I tell you when it gets good again you will be getting a personal invite from me to come over. I can't wait to meet you.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Two of the tops things stand out - 

A lightning strike on a marsh island that caught fire - pretty big in fact. It was time for us to get off the water.

A dead porpoise pretty far up off the shoreline on a marsh island. Thought it was a body at first, then realized it was a porpoise. A kayaker came by a little later in the same spot as I was poling out - I asked him if he saw the dead porpoise, which he said yes. I then asked him "do you think he killed himself on porpoise?" Milk shot out of my brother's nose he laughed so hard and he wasn't even drinking milk.

Not a fishing story, but a diving story. My wife and I were on the shore between dives and once saw a massive Napoleon fish near the surface with something large hanging out of its mouth. It was brown, so I thought it could be card board, or a bag. The Napoleon burped it up and it was a massive moray eel, at least 3 to 4 feet. The eel floated there in shock for a second, but the the Napoleon fish wasn't done and sucked it all the way down like a piece of spaghetti. It was amazing and disgusting all at the same time. All that happened just by staring into the ocean and seeing what was happening.

There are lots of cool things to witness if time is allowed to slow down and just watch what happens. That's one reason why I love diving - you can stare into a reef and see countless little things happening all in several square feet.


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## FSUDrew99 (Feb 3, 2015)

Had 3 manatees this past Saturday morning come up to the back of my boat while running the trolling motor slow along a shoreline. They then proceeded to take turns rubbing their backs against my trim tabs and my prop. Have a video of it too. They stayed with us for probably 10-15 mins.


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

Bonecracker said:


> 11 skiffs within 500 yards on Saturday! Talkin about being crowded!


Save me a spot! I'll be there after July 4th.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

FSUDrew99 said:


> Had 3 manatees this past Saturday morning come up to the back of my boat while running the trolling motor slow along a shoreline. They then proceeded to take turns rubbing their backs against my trim tabs and my prop.


You didn't know that your skeg is their personal back scratcher?


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## FSUDrew99 (Feb 3, 2015)

I started feeling something through the casting platform at my feet thought at first we were rubbing bottom. My buddy was like yea there are manatees just scratching their back on the boat.


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## BM_Barrelcooker (May 4, 2011)

This morn.


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Dolphin are fun to watch when we have the kids on the boat.

I once watched an mother teaching a small juvenile how to round up mullet and crash into them on a shallow flat. I guess she was teaching it how to hunt. The reds had vacated the flat so we just sat there and watched the show for a bit before leaving.

We also have a resident dolphin that frequents one of our backwater tarpon holes. We recognize his clipped dorsal when he rolls through. Its pretty distinctive and we've seen him frequently the past two summers.


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

One evening after coming back to my dock from a topwater session, I sensed motion alongside my skiff. I looked to my side and a Dolphin had come partially out of the water and had her snout resting on my side deck right next to my side console and my ass. I screamed like a little girl....then calmed down and made eye contact with this brazen creature. She slid back in the water after maybe 10 secs and then swam alongside the skiff on her side for another minute watching me steer. 

Strangest and most surreal experience I've ever had in decades of fishing.


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## EastTNoutdoorsman (Feb 29, 2016)

Here's my second freshwater chime in of the day...As i slid up an inlet toward a feeder creek I came up on a decent size 8 point taking a drink. I've seen quite a few doe while fishing this year but that was the first buck. Since I've been targeting bass more I haven't been to the Smokies much, so no bear sightings this year.


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## Dawhoo (Oct 27, 2015)

I have been sidelined for 2 months due to trying to get through some difficult academic stuff. So due to lack of time for boat, I will ride to the nearby saltwater canal and sit for a minute and just watch. Before I was only interested in getting to the fishing site, I missed what was right in front of my eyes. I love watching the mottled ducks come and go as they are beautiful in flight. I watch birds in the sky pick out bait fish from 30 yards up. It is beautiful. God created this perfect ecological balance in our wetlands and mangrove habitats. It can not be improved from that, and ANYTHING we do that is different from the wild form WILL be detrimental.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Dawhoo said:


> I have been sidelined for 2 months due to trying to get through some difficult academic stuff. So due to lack of time for boat, I will ride to the nearby saltwater canal and sit for a minute and just watch. Before I was only interested in getting to the fishing site, I missed what was right in front of my eyes. I love watching the mottled ducks come and go as they are beautiful in flight. I watch birds in the sky pick out bait fish from 30 yards up. It is beautiful. God created this perfect ecological balance in our wetlands and mangrove habitats. It can not be improved from that, and ANYTHING we do that is different from the wild form WILL be detrimental.


Amen brotha!


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## carmenatey (Aug 29, 2015)

Saw a dolphin with a broken Dorsal fin exploding a bait ball. Then a huge redfish was about 2-3 feet in the air and dolphin caught it. Then a few months later saw the same dolphin kicking up mud in like 10 inches of water trying to get into deeper water. Out of Hernando beach/ bayport Fl.


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## fjmaverick (Sep 18, 2015)

carmenatey said:


> Saw a dolphin with a broken Dorsal fin exploding a bait ball. Then a huge redfish was about 2-3 feet in the air and dolphin caught it. Then a few months later saw the same dolphin kicking up mud in like 10 inches of water trying to get into deeper water. Out of Hernando beach/ bayport Fl.


That dolphin likes redfish.
I hate dolphin when Im fishing, only thing worse than sharks.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Since I'm not on the water. I've watch deer eat our roses and flowers. Seen turtles mate in my yard also black racer snakes. Watch my bird dog chase deer out of our yard
Just sayen


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

fjmaverick said:


> That dolphin likes redfish.
> I hate dolphin when Im fishing, only thing worse than sharks.


When Flipper shows up on the redfish flat, its time to make a move.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

carmenatey said:


> Saw a dolphin with a broken Dorsal fin exploding a bait ball. Then a huge redfish was about 2-3 feet in the air and dolphin caught it. Then a few months later saw the same dolphin kicking up mud in like 10 inches of water trying to get into deeper water. Out of Hernando beach/ bayport Fl.


True story.... About 30yrs ago, my brother and I launched out of Goodland (south side of Marco Island, FL), to fish the upper 10,000 islands to fish for redfish. In one of the channels going out and south from Goodland, we saw a dolphin with his dorsel fin cut almost clean off of his back (I'm sure from a prop) and only about 2" left of fin kept it attached, but the whole fin was flopped over. Looking like it had been that way for some time at that point. We called it in to the FWC and I think they called it in to Mote Marine labs to go and get him. He was swimming slowly and looked to be in poor shape (actually looked like the thing was hurting). 




crboggs said:


> When Flipper shows up on the redfish flat, its time to make a move.










LOL

Also true story... I was born in Miami and that's where the set for the show "Flipper" was. The show was filmed between Miama and the Keys. My dad and his 2 firemen buddies had the 1st dive shop in Miami and he trained all the divers for that show. He also tested underwater sound command devices on all "6" Flippers they used and housed in the Miami Seaquarium. My oldest brother was casted as "Bud" but then marketing decided that a red headed freckled kid will drawl more viewers, so he was bumped. 

On the flip side (pun intended), I've had my share of run-in's with them over the years. Some good, some not so good.

I always thought it was cool to see a group of them round up and corral groups of mullet in skinny water, racing around the school with tails smackin the water. Seen them slinging mullet 50ft thru the air with their tails during that process.

About 2 months ago, I saw one free jumping and it did an airborne somersault, like what you would see in Sea World (never seen that in the wild tho).

25yrs ago we were offshore in the middle grounds (about 70 miles offshore in the Gulf) at night with the spreader lights on behind the boat. We were banging the snapper left and right and occasionally getting a smaller lane snapper, which we would chunk back in. We noticed a small school of juvenile dolphins working the spanish sardines beyond the light ring on the water from the lights and feeding on the released lane snapper that we were throwing back in. Thought it was weird they were way out there on their own (almost like they were lost) So my bro-in-law hooked another small lane and had it almost to the top, when it took off like a shark or cuda grabbed it, then it stopped beyond the like ring, came up to the top and started crying loudly. It was one of the small juvi dolphins. Then the weirdest thing happened. It slowly swam to the boat, head out of the water as it continued to cry softly (squealing) and came right to the boat as my bro-in-law reeled in the slack. It came right to the side of the boat sat there looking right up at us and made a whimper noise and opened up it's mouth, like it knew we would help it out. One of the guys reached down with a pair of pliers and pulled the hook out of it's mouth. It paused for a moment and than swam off to it's buddies. We all just stood there for like 10 minutes and couldn't believed what just happened there. I'll never forget that encounter.

About 6 yrs after that happened (maybe about `1998) and good friend of mine (guide) and I were just talking about how dolphins will play and tug at your fish while you were fighting it, but smart enough not to get hooked. Then I told him about that story up above. He borrowed a conventional tarpon rod for a fly charter that night where the client wanted to try it for tarpon on conventional if he couldn't get one on fly. Anyway, that night they couldn't get a poon on fly. My buddy broke out the poon stick and a ladyfish and tossed it up where the fish were. Then out of nowhere, he got the biggest hit of his life as soon as the bait hit the water and couldn't even hand it over to the client because it pulled so hard. It turned and ran towards them and he thought there would be a chance to reel in the slack and hand the rod over to his client. Then out of the water came a huge porpoise and it jumped super high and did a double somersault, just like in a dolphin show and it broke off. You can guess he had to call me pronto after that! LOL

One day we released a big 15lb jack crevalle that was caught on fly and a porpoise started playing with it (I think out of frustration cause it seemed way too big for it to eat). It would nose toss it in the air, let it land, let it go, go catch it again, push it up to the surface and nose toss it again. It did that with that fish for about 5 minutes. I guess he thought it was funny! 

Lost too many spanish macks off of Ft Desoto over the years to dolphins. That's one of the places where they learned to do that. Even hooked one about 5yrs ago at that very same spot.

Also last year, I went out with a baitfish chunker buddy and we went to get bait under one of the Ft Desoto piers. I threw the net and it felt like I caught something huge in the net and kept thumping. As I worked to bring up the net, 2 porpoises had shredded holes in the net and was holding on to it as they were feeding on all the baitfish I got. Needless to say, we didn't get any bait and the net was useless after that.

So fast track 1 yr later (about 3 weeks ago), my same buddy calls me and I meet up with him and we motor the boat right back to the very same spot to throw the net on. I asked him if he got a new net and he said "no", he fixed it. So I said ok, grabbed the net, we pull up to the spot and..... well you know the rest of the story!!! 

There is several areas where I fly fish the dock lights at night for snook, where, if I catch a snook, I'll throw it in the livewell until I get several (I know it's totally illegal, but it's only those few spots they do that) and then I'll TM them over to the shoreline and release them all in shallow water, away from the dolphins. Otherwise, they will hang under the boat and even look up at me waiting for me to release those snookets into its grasps! Literally, they will stand straight up and hover under water, head just under the surface, at the edge of the boat, with pectoral fins balancing there like that and look right up at me. It's the damnest thing if you've never seen it before.

Bottom line is, I'm always happy to see them, as long as they are not around in my fishing spot! 

Ted Haas


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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

@Backwater, I'm with ya -- they can ruin a spot, but they are very cool animals.

We get tons of dolphin here in the SC Lowcountry -- they love to hang around the shrimp boats, and you are guaranteed to see them around the creeks near the shrimp docks. Watching them feed in large groups is really, really cool to see, but my two favorite things to see them do are watching them burn out of a shallow creek (looks like a submarine, and their wake feels like a boat wake!), or strand feeding.

I've heard that they don't do the strand feeding everywhere, and I've only seen it done once, but it was really cool. A small school of dolphin will herd mullet near the shoreline, then push them up onto shore and get out of the water to feed on them. They all beach themselves on the same side so that they don't get in each other's way. Watching them do "the worm" trying to get back in the water is about the only un-graceful thing you ever get to see a dolphin do. It's crazy just how far out of the water they are okay with getting. I've seen a single dolphin beach itself almost completely dry before.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

bryson said:


> [IMG]http://discover.palmettobluff.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Dolphin-Strand-Feeding-2.jpg[/IMG]



Whoa....


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## TylertheTrout2 (Apr 21, 2016)

Fishing the Upper end of Estero Bay last week had a really neat encounter. Polled my buddy in a nice quiet nook to hide from the breeze...poling along looking into the water for fish we were both scarred shitless as a flock of maybe 18 Rosette Spoonbills took off right infront of us, they were all gathered deep in large Black Mangrove...have never seen so many in one flock and they were all pink as could be, was amazing! and the highlight of our evening as we didn't catch any fish lol ...truly the coolest thing Ive seen in Estero, bird wise!


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## csnaspuck (Apr 2, 2013)

A large stingray camped out right beside me (within 2 feet) on a grass flat in a foot of water yesterday while I was stake out re-tying and having a cold one. I kept looking over at him to see what his deal was. I eventually moved on but seeing that large barb within striking distance made me nervous.


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

Backwater said:


> Also true story... I was born in Miami and that's where the set for the show "Flipper" was. The show was filmed between Miama and the Keys. My dad and his 2 firemen buddies had the 1st dive shop in Miami and he trained all the divers for that show. He also tested underwater sound command devices on all "6" Flippers they used and housed in the Miami Seaquarium. My oldest brother was casted as "Bud" but then marketing decided that a red headed freckled kid will drawl more viewers, so he was bumped.
> fishing spot!
> Ted Haas


Not to derail but.....I was directing a video shoot several years ago in Miami at a place called Greenwich Studios, a huge TV production stage. During the 3 days I was there, the topic of fishing came up. They told me the most famous production to ever take place there was the TV show Flipper....as a kid, probably my favorite show of all time next to Gilligan's Island.

The guys took me behind the scenes and showed me the outline on the floor of what was once the largest indoor pool in the world ever created...it was filled in and cemented over many years ago. They said the pool was used for majority of scenes involving the lagoon, dock & house, the boat at rest and a lot of the interaction of Ranger Rick, Sandy and Bud with Flipper. They used huge photographic and painted murals as backdrops to depict Florida Keys scenes. They still have production photographs on the wall....way cool.

The boat Ranger Rick used, a Thunderbird Iroquois Tri-Hull is still one of the boats I would love to own one day. As a kid I thought it was totally bad ass!


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Dad said they shot a lot of scenes out around Biscayne Bay. We have pics of him with tanks on underwater with some of the Flippers they used. BTW, fun fact, that sound it made on the show is not what dolphins make! Was just created for the effect for the show. But people still use those sound clips in other commercials and shows using dolphins. Lol Just sayin...


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## rakeel (Apr 9, 2014)

Idk why, but one of my favorite things to watch when I'm fishing is blue crabs chase shrimp and glass minnows along spartina banks. It's just kind of funny to me the way they'll wait sitting really still then all of a sudden lunge after their prey with such a low success rate. 

I once saw a whole family of raccoons digging around on a mud flat. Pulling up crabs or clams and then incessantly washing them before eating. The OCD personalities of raccoons makes me laugh.

One thing that is so consistent that I do notice no matter where I fish is litter. It's probably my least favorite observation everywhere I go. I could be in the far reaches of a marsh or backlake where few can go and yet it always seems like I'll find a beer bottle, plastic bags or toilet seat. I try and fill at least one trash bag every time I go out, but it doesn't seem to even make a dent.


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## Blue Zone (Oct 22, 2011)

Over the years in bluewater I have had the fortune of witnessing marlin free jumping. A truly rare and spectacular sight; your eyes have to be fixed on a specific quadrant in open sea at the exact right moment.

While beach fishing this morning I saw two very large tarpon free jumping. Well, most likely the same guy as it was in the same general area about 20 min apart.

Where marlin manage to jump with some style and grace, a free jumping tarpon seems to jump without either, but with a degree of brute force akin to either a belly-flop or crash landing, quite different than you see with a hooked tarpon.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I don't like Flippers. When they show up the fish leave. I have seen this many times. But everyone loves to see the especially my daughter when were at her beach house in NC she has binoculars ready in case some come down the beach
Me when I swim in the ocean I wait to make sure none are around. I have heard stories of the ramming swimmers
They are also very violent among their kind. I watch the nature shows


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

Blue Zone said:


> Over the years in bluewater I have had the fortune of witnessing marlin free jumping. A truly rare and spectacular sight; your eyes have to be fixed on a specific quadrant in open sea at the exact right moment.


The one time I've seen a marlin free jump was about 30 seconds after we'd brought in our lines and were wrapping up for the day...he tail walked about 30 yards off our stern just to show off...


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## SomaliPirate (Feb 5, 2016)

Couple of weeks ago in Utah, I had some antelope come to within about 100 feet of me. Females with young. They seemed pretty curious about me and what I was doing. Either that or they were being judgmental about my poor fly casting.


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## Steve_Mevers (Feb 8, 2013)

To much to describe on this fishing trip, had to include a picture...Idaho









Backwater said:


> sjrobin (Steve) just recently did a post titled "The Adventurous Angler" which was a video about an adventurous trip to the Cascades that ?? did. So the comment I made about observing the little things around us are magnificent in their own right. That made me think and reflect about the things going on around us/me while out on the water, on and off over the last several weeks. Those things are what causes me to appreciate what we do. It's not only about the fishing and fly fishing, but the people, scenery and wildlife we encounter. We are truly bless and if you don't think you are, then you need to get out there more often and look around.
> 
> Here's what I saw and/or encountered over the last several weeks;
> 
> ...


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## Blue Zone (Oct 22, 2011)

Blue Zone said:


> During my morning swim today I saw what I thought was a loggerhead.
> 
> As I got closer, nope it was a tourist fishing out past the bar; all you could see was his head and the upper half his spin outfit.


I thought seeing somebody fishing out past the bar at Turtle Beach was a one-off. Nope, went for a late afternoon swim today and here's another. I swam out to him and let him know he might be better off turning around and casting back toward the beach. By the look on his face, he didn't take it well and ignored me. Must be from OBX...


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