No luck on my first couple shots at tarpon!

[fishshooter99]

If I were another guy on this forum, that has much better writing skills than my own, I'd begin with:
Executive Summary:
1st attempt at the silver king: scrubbed, 2-3 foot waves tough winds out of the SW
2nd attempt:
Freakin' perfect. Flat, clear water. Saw numerous tarpon. None of them liked what I was offering. A huge tarpon busted a school of bait 20 feet or so from my kayak. I also got to fish with Noles. As if fishing for tarpon isn't complicated enough from a kayak, here he is with a fly rod.

3rd and final:
Saw a few fish close up, but alas still no takers.
Next year is on!

[fishshooter99]

Noles took this picture of a friend we made while fishing.

[jbdba01]

It's an addiction that can make you pull up roots from Atlanta and move to FL.

[fishshooter99]

It's an addiction that can make you pull up roots from Atlanta and move to FL.

I believe the addiction part. When a five gallon bucket sized head busted a couple of feet out of the water chasing bait 20 feet away the old heart was pumping. The only thing keeping us from retiring and moving back to Florida right now is...well eating, paying for two kids in college, etc. Those sort of things really put a damper on my fishing!

[Manning]

It really does become an addiction. You think you have it bad now wait until the first time your line goes tight and that rod loads up. From then on you are more hooked than the fish.

[jbdba01]

It's an addiction that can make you pull up roots from Atlanta and move to FL.

I believe the addiction part. When a five gallon bucket sized head busted a couple of feet out of the water chasing bait 20 feet away the old heart was pumping. The only thing keeping us from retiring and moving back to Florida right now is...well eating, paying for two kids in college, etc. Those sort of things really put a damper on my fishing!

10-4; I have one in college, one on the way as soon as he finishes. Excluding my 30-40% housing loss (I moved in 2006) and my original 20-25% loss (on paper) in the stock market, living in FL was about $100-$150/month more than GA. Or...one cheap vacation to FL.

The income tax is what gets you in GA.

When I moved here my housing insurance was about the same as GA; it's gone up about 100-150%.

House taxes have dropped about 30-40%, but that first housing tax bill you get will get your attention. They get you one way or another. Looking back on it - I def would have been better off renting up front, but that's 20/20 hindsight.

All the other major stuff is pretty much a wash - maybe 3-5% more. Salaries in general seem to be less in FL too - call it 5-10% less. So you have to buy into the "it's a lifestyle change". Expenses go up, income goes down.

From the museum of what it's worth...my limited observations on poon kayak fishing is that it's a numbers game. Eventually you will get on, but if you don't live here it can be frustrating and expensive. That's a long way to travel to go home with a goose egg. I've had a decent year in ye ol' stinkpot, but you have to deal with every googan in town. If you REALLY want to get on, hire a guide for two days. You'll jump fish in one day, but in two you'll probably get one to the boat. Yes it'll be expensive, but not if you split it with someone. Count on $500-600 per day (plus tip). I told my wife I only wanted to catch one...3 years later we're moving.

If you're just looking for the challenge I believe Noles has it right; fly fish in a kayak.