April 2020 Blues Vol 36 No 4

Blue Waters off Key
West are Calling
After three weeks of Coronavirus
stay-at-home orders I am
craving some of my now canceled
outdoor adventures. Last
month we were supposed to
have gone on an African Safari
and this month is supposed
to be our annual fishing trip to
Key West. Both are bucket list
worthy trips and the Key West
trip is always one of the highlights
my year. Back in 1989,
Shell retailer Hayden Blaylock
decided to create an event to
raise money for the National
Mental Health Association
and organized a charity fishing
tournament. Over the next 30
years, the Shell Key West Challenge
would raise more than
$2 million in contributions for
the Mental Health Association
and now the Diabetes Research
Institute. So the charity brought
me to Key West for the first
time and it is the charity, the
fishing, and the charm of Key
West that keeps me going back
year after year.
Key West is one of my favorite
places to fish in the world
because of the diversity of the
species of fish all located close
to shore. You can fish the shallow
flats to catch tarpon and
within minutes move to inshore
fishing the reefs for grouper,
snapper, mackerel, permit, or
barracuda and then minutes
later be fishing deep water for
dolphin, tuna, and sailfish. Even
if you don’t love to fish, Key
West can be one of the most
beautiful boat rides you have
ever been on as the color of the
water changes from aquamarine
to light blue to deep purple
as you cross over the various
ocean floors at varying water
depths. The crystal-clear waters
can simply take away any
stress our regular lives might
create and right now, we could
all use a little stress relief.
If you haven’t ever fished Key
West, I would encourage you to
add it to your list of future vacations.
It is a great place to go
with friends and have everyone
bring their significant others as
the town of Key West is great
for non-fishing guests to walk
around and explore during the
day. The restaurants in Key
West are outstanding and the
nightlife is such that you need
to set limits or I promise you
even the smallest of waves offshore
can make for a long day
recovering from a late night
at Sloppy Joes Bar. If you go, I
recommend staying at the Margaritaville
Key West Resort and
Marina and fishing with either
of the Tyson brothers of the
Super Grouper charters. My favorite
restaurants are B.O.’s Fish
Wagon for quick fish and beer
for lunch, Louie’s Backyard for a
nice dinner and Blue Heaven for
the best breakfast.
If nothing else while you
have some extra time staying
at home over the next couple
of months, go online and check
out the gallery of pictures from
previous years trips on the Shell
Key West Challenge website
(www.shellkeywestchallenge.
com) and just imagine yourself
floating on those beautiful
blue waters catching some of
the most amazing fish on this
planet.
58 The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE The BLUES POLICE MAGAZINE 59