Finishing Touches

 

                                                            By Susan Shea

You gifted me with a fragrance

called Wild Rose, stirring me

to find I can fully inhale myself

wanting more and more…

 

After years of standing

alone at a perfume counter

trying so many drops

of mismatch up and down

my arms

ran out of extensions

until finding you.

 

Now

I have become a rejoicing

balm in your private garden

finding full sun with

vines entwined.

About the author: Susan Shea is a retired school psychologist, who was raised in New York City and now lives in a forest in Pennsylvania. She has had a little over 100 poems accepted by publications including, Across the Margin, Ekstasis, Feminine Collective, Triggerfish Critical Review, Amethyst Review, Litbreak Magazine, A Time of Singing, Invisible City and others. 

A Green and Pleasant Land

                                                                                                     By Sarah Das Gupta

The chalk downland which stretches from Farnham in the north to the cliffs of Dover in the south was where I played, went to school, rode along its bridle paths, harvested its fields and foraged in its woods. It is an area of natural beauty with a great variety of wild life both animals and plants. An ancient landscape, it has inspired famous writers, artists, musicians and also national leaders.

Once again, the time had come around for haymaking. The grass in the one-hundred-acre field was well over knee height. The scent of poppies, cornflowers, vetch and trefoil blended with the meadow grasses. Butterflies drifted in the June sunlight and bees foraged among the flowers. This was an important time of the year in my childhood. The thirty horses we kept depended in the winter on the hay we cut in early summer. If our crop was poor, it would be costly buying supplies from other farms.

That summer, it looked as if the weather was settled and we could expect a good haul. The hayfield itself was one of the few surviving unploughed pastures in our part of the North Downs. Walking over the field, was like walking on the most luxurious Persian carpet.  You could feel history beneath your feet, the hundreds of years of undug turf and the rainbow display of wild flowers. The first stage was to cut the long grass. In a sense there was a certain sadness, watching my father driving the old Fordson tractor pulling the mower in his wake. Swathe after swathe of grass with all the jewel-like flowers, fell to the executioner’s blades. The sweet smell of the drying hay was some compensation for the sense of loss which midsummer inevitably brings. Half the year passed, the days imperceptibly shortening.

The final phase of haymaking was very much a community effort. Our family was joined by various people we only saw at haymaking time. As the local school master and referee of the village football team, my father was a well- known figure. His many ‘acquaintances’ would appear on the hayfield, helping to load the trailer when the hay had been baled or later when we were building the hay ricks.

One of the best ways of seeing the landscape is from the back of a horse. This is particularly true of the downlands of Southern England. Some of the most memorable sites are only accessible through networks of ancient footpaths and bridle ways. In summer the woods are a forest of different greens, from the emerald of the beeches to the dark, sombre green of the pines. The splendid colours of the cock pheasant contrast with the slightly sinister black of the rooks and crows. The steep sides of the downs are grazed by sheep. I remember a conversation with an old shepherd on the top of a high ridge who told me that they had tried to plough the land in the War when food supplies were under pressure. A farm worker had been killed when the tractor he was driving, overturned and rolled down the steep slope. ‘Yes, this has been sheep country for hundreds of years,’ was his parting remark.

As summer gives way to autumn, in the early morning there is a mist over the heath and as locals say, ‘the first nip in the air.’ The fields are being harrowed to pull out the dead grass and leaves. Out riding, you get a sense of the shape and sculptured nature of the downs. The lines left by the harrow, are like green contour lines, a living map of the landscape. This is also a heavily wooded area, seen at its most colourful in autumn. Riding through the autumn woods, surpasses any painted landscape. The trees are on fire, flaming red, orange and every shade of yellow. Rich, chocolate-brown conkers litter the bridle paths, blackberries shine darkly in the cold sunlight. At the medieval church of St Leonard’s, a magnificent avenue of mature beeches, like burning torches, leads to the main door.

As November begins, Guy Fawkes night approaches. The fifth of November marks the anniversary of the Gun Powder Plot when Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators were accused of plotting to blow up King James and Parliament. The history of this episode has been revised and re-interpreted but the tradition remains. Long before the Fifth, bonfires appear in fields and commons; piles of brushwood and rubbish are collected. Children make a straw-filled effigy of Guy Fawkes, to be burned on the top of the fire. This is an excuse for firework displays, barbecues, hotdogs and a community celebration, before winter sets in.

Winter brings its own beauty and changes to the landscape of the downs. On frosty mornings the field hedgerows glint as the winter sun catches the spider webs, fine as gossamer, touched with dew. The frost is stretched, a white carpet, over fields and hills. Looking from the top of the downs, it creates a patchwork, ranging from the whiteness on the high ridges to the sparkling green of the sheltered valleys. The landscape is at its most spectacular after heavy snow. One of the best views is along the Pilgrim’s Way, an ancient path which leads across a ridge of the downs towards Canterbury. Riding there after heavy snow, I would think of Chaucer’s pilgrims on their way to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket, the murdered eleventh century Archbishop of Canterbury. I would imagine the red stockings of Chaucer’s Wife of Bath, the greasy hair of the Pardoner with his phoney ‘holy’ relics and the Miller’s bawdy tale! My pony stumbling through the snow drifts, I would look out across the valley to the scarp slope. The landscape has hardly changed through the centuries, apart from the main railway into London and a golf course in the valley. Snow is a good leveler. My view from my dappled grey pony would have looked much the same as that of those travelers nine centuries ago.

The villages and market towns of the North Downs have played their part in history and legend. In the Kent town of Westerham, General Wolfe’s home at Quebec House looks much as it would have done when its owner died in 1759 at the battle of the Plains of Abraham, an important moment in Canadian history. Half a mile away, Pitt’s Cottage, has been restored, the country retreat of Pitt, the younger, the youngest ever British Prime Minister at the age of twenty-four who has the dubious distinction of being the first to introduce income tax. This small Kent market town is also close to Chartwell, the home of Winston Churchill. There must be something in the North Downs air!

Church graveyards reveal much of the history of the surrounding area, as well as providing a gothic atmosphere. The thirteenth century church of St Leonard’s at Chelsham, is a case in point. Standing on high ground, overlooking farmland, paths and lanes all lead to the church. Up until the late 1940’S, most local farms employed farm workers and their families. In the cemetery is the grand tomb of Sir Thomas Kelly, a local boy from a poor family who made a fortune in the City of London, even rising to the position of Lord Mayor. He did not forget his origins. On his death he left money to provide bread to the poor of the parish. He must have left a generous bequest as on the first Sunday in July, Kelly’s bread is still distributed. The congregation even have a choice of white or brown. I last visited the churchyard two years ago, late in the evening. The sun setting behind the church was blood red and the air strangely still. I felt it was more likely I would see Kelly’s ghost than his bread!

The landscape here has also inspired many writers. Jane Austen visited the village of Great Bookham where her godfather, Samuel Cooke was the local vicar. Perhaps it was then that she climbed Box Hill, one of the highest points on the downs. This is the setting of that disastrous picnic in ‘Emma’, surely one of the greatest of comic novels. There must be something in the local water conducive to literary inspiration. Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes while living at Hindhead and EM Forster, James Barrie and Huxley also lived at different times in the Surrey Hills.

All the seasons have their own particular beauty in this landscape but over the centuries, men have longed most for the rebirth in Spring after the long, dark winter days. Hedges are flecked with green, grass begins to grow, in the woods, seas of bluebells create waves of blooms every time the wind blows. On the slopes of the hills, the lambs gambol and the ewes graze on the new shoots of grass. The horses have done well through the winter on the store of midsummer’s hay. On the farms, men are oiling the mowers. From the Tabard Inn in Southwark, the ghosts of Chaucer’s pilgrims are already setting off.

About the Author:

Sarah Das Gupta is an English Teacher from Cambridge, UK who has lived and taught in India, Tanzania and UK. Her work has been published in US, UK, Canada, Australia, India, Germany, Romania, Croatia, among other countries.

Camping by the River Dhaleshwari

 

The Call of the River

In a gloomy morning of dilemmatic and whimsical winter, we set out, on a sudden unplanned tour, to reach the serene tranquility of Dhaleshwari River at Dhaleshwari Camping & Kayaking, without any prior knowledge to the stunning surprise awaiting us.

 

River Dhaleshwari

Dhaleshwari is a distributary river flowing out of Jamuna to make a solo trip to cover a long journey along 160 kilometers on Tangail, Dhaka and Narayanganj districts until it merges with Shitalakshya and then the mighty Meghna.

Unlike the other rivers flowing inside the heart of Dhaka, Dhaleshwari still holds the natural look of a river with the natural flow, uncontaminated water and soothing view on its both banks, especially in the Keraniganj part, which is where the Dhaleshwari Camping & Kayaking is located at. 

 

The Camping Site

As I said earlier, it was entirely an unplanned Friday morning tour. Waking up a little earlier than the usual Fridays, I felt like making an escape plan from the motored life and a river outside the mechanized city was the very first imagery to have struck my mind. And I ran into the unplanned trip.

I have explored several tourist spots based on the river Buriganga in the heart of Dhaka, but was utterly disappointed with the odor and the water quality of the near dead river. In this regard, Dhaleshwari River was a little far from the heart of the city, and the little distance was enough to avoid the unavoidable pollution streaming out of an over-burdened city.

I had heard about the Dhaleshwari Camping & Kayaking site from several Facebook posts, especially from a group on a cleaning campaign to free the St. Martin’s Island off the curses of plastic wastages. And Jayed Khan Khaled bhai was the one who carried all those wastages all the way from Teknaf to his camping site on a hired truck to make an eco-friendly barge on the Dhaleshwari River.

 

 The Surprise

Even without the necessary pre-booking for the site under maintenance, Jayed Khan Khaled bhai cordially accepted us as friends, not as clients and arranged a late breakfast along with the mouth-watering lunch with the aroma of a blissful village home and a mind-blowing site-seeing.

We had already made our day, quenching the long-cherished thirst for spending an entire day by the spell of a river, far from the mayhem of maddening crowd. And it was all possible because of the unbelievable congeniality and hospitality of Jayed Hasan Khaled Bhai.

We had been enjoying the short trip way beyond the expectations. And then it became a very very special one with the sudden visit of Anisul Haque sir. It was one kind of a moment to feel really fortunate about. Felt so blessed to have the company of such a celebrated personality from this close!  

 

The Nature is kind,

Enough to get you find

The ultimate solace,

Floating within

And hidden behind

The water and the wind.

The Plan ‘B’

It was close enough to reach the spot in about 40 minutes from the Dhanmondi area of the city, but still far enough to dodge the deafening chaos into the calm and quiet serenity on the very lay of the Nature. But, the Dhaleshwari Camping & Kayaking is targeted for the people in love with the raw nature in an entirely village setting. If you happen to look for the luxury offered by the traditional resorts, this might fall into plan ‘B’ for you. But, if you want to dive deeper into the tranquility of the Nature, want to enjoy the soothing greenery of a village, the bliss of a serene river and the peace hidden deep down your heart, this is the perfect kind of place that you can choose for a camping site for a day long stay or for a night to explore the magic of melting Moon flooding the flow of Dhaleshwari.

The Journey

We took an uber ride to get to the spot and the car took about 35 minutes to drop us at Dhaleshwari Camping & Kayaking at the expense of 600 BDT.  CNGs are also available from Muhammadpur bus stand at Basila to get to Kalatia Bazar, Keraniganj and from there any auto-rickshaw can drive you to the camp site on the bank of the river in a few minutes.    

Sitakunda Hill Tracks: An Amazing Beauty to Brave in the Wilderness

 

What Makes You Give it a Shot at Sitakunda:

For the nature and adventure loving tourists and for the Hindu pilgrims as well, the Chandranath Hill (Sitakunda Hill) will be definitely an interesting experience. Going up above the Chandranath Hilltop along a serpentine track cruising the forest and stepping down thousands of stairs to get closer to the waterfalls, feeling the thrill of the wilderness while watching the panoramic view of the silvery line of the sea, about 30 kilometres away off the place, is simply mesmerizing. Sitakunda, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Bangladesh can offer any traveler a complete package with hills, forests, fountains, lakes, temple of historical interest and the wilderness in beauty. The Chandranath Temple and the Sitakund Eco Park are the most-sought tourist attractions of this very blessing of the Nature.

The Chandranath Hill:

Beginning from the eastern part of the Himalayas, The Chandranath Hill goes south and southeast as long as 50 kilometers and in the way through it crosses the Feni River through Indian states of Assam and Tripura before stretching up to Sitakund upazilla under Chattogram District of Bangladesh.

 

The Chandranath Temple:

The Chandranath Temple is located at the highest pick of the Bangladeshi part of the Chandranath Hill which is also known as the Sitakund Hill. The temple is of great religious interest as a Shakti Peeth for the Hindu community and as per the Hindu sacred texts the right arm of the goddess Sati (Dakshayani) fell onto the very place. The Chandranath Temple, one of the most popular pilgrimage sites for the Hindu, is about 1152 feet high above the sea level, making it the highest spot in the Chattogram district. The track piercing the forest line to the hill top is a secluded one with thousands of chirping birds and other animals (not ferocious) like monkeys or deer passing along. And the tourists are suggested to travel in a group to reach the pick.

Sitakunda Eco Park:

Sitakund Eco Park, the first Eco-park in Bangladesh, is located just on the foothills of the forest side of Chandranath Hills at Sitakund. Covering an area of about 1000 acres (4 square kilometers), the park was established in 2001 with a view to strengthening biodiversity and conservation with thousands of birds like parrots, swallows, herons, sparrows and animals like bears, deer and monkeys. The adventure lovers can climb up the hills through the track and again go down thousands of stairs to come close to the waterfalls like Suptadhara and Sohosrodhara. 

However, many more fountains and waterfalls, including Khoiyachara, Harinmara, Hatuvanga, Napittachora, Bagbiyani, Boalia, and Amarmanyaka are there to be explored in the eastern part along the hills in Mirsharai area.

 

Trekking along the wilderness of the hilly tracks and forest lines of Chandranath Hills might be really adventurous, but traveling to the spot close to the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway is comparatively a very easy one with any kind of vehicles ranging from a car, bus or auto. A day long trip to the wilderness of Sitakunda will definitely be an unforgettable tour for all the nature lovers in general.  

   

Mahamaya Lake: A Picturesque Beauty to Explore in Bangladesh

 

Mahamaya, the second largest man-made lake in Bangladesh, is an enthralling Beauty to explore for the travelers in love with the Nature. One can hardly imagine of such a soothingly enchanting water-body encircling a series of greening hills in Mirsharai, just about 50 kilometers away off Chattogram town.

“The Woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But, I have promises to keep…

The Painter is ready and so is the Canvas,

But words are not enough to paint so Deep...''

Covering an area of about 34 square kilometers, the Mahamaya Lake was inaugurated in 2010 and since then it has become a popular tourist spot for the nature-loving travelers, particularly for the mesmerizing beauty it creates with its calm and serene water-body encircling a large number of greenish hills and forests and fountains in the area.

Located just a few kilometers away off the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, the Mahamaya Lake is an easily accessible tourist destination. Beauty-lovers even from Dhaka can comfortably make a day-long tour plan to explore the scenic beauty of the Mahamaya Lake.

Mahamaya Lake, the Spectacular tourist destination has also become a popular picnic spot with numbers of recreational events including boat-ride to cruise along the scenic beauty.   

Guliakhali Beach: a Beautifully Crafted Green Beach amidst the Mangrove Forest.

Guliakhali Beach

 

Guliakhali Beach, a seashore nestling on a green carpet with mangrove forest in and around, is unquestionably a captivating landscape to tune to the music of the beaches in a different melody.

Guliakhali Beach is a green beach unlike the other beaches in Bangladesh. You can just sit on the green grass encircling the mangrove forest line and see the panoramic view of the sunset. Lots of holes naturally created by the uprooted trees in the entire landscape will be filling in with the waves during the high tide and the scenic beauty in a peaceful mind completely surrendering to the laps of nature will spell you with an enthralling magical charm.

Lost in the enthralling beauty.

Guliakhali Beach is located a few kilometers away off Sitakund town of Chattogram District. It usually takes around 20 minutes in a car to get closer to Guliakhali Beach. But the road to the beach is kind of narrow and serpentine, which can cause a little delay in reaching the spot and probably which is why the beautiful Guliakhali Beach is still far away from being a popular tourist destination like other beaches like those in Cox’s Bazar, Patenga or Anowara.

Beautiful Sunset at Guliakhali Beach.

However imagining the view of an enchanting sunset by sitting on a green field amidst a mangrove forest and the sea waves crashing into the mini-holes all around you can surely allure any lover of the raw nature to give it a shot at the Guliakhali Beach.  With an auto available in the Sitakund bus stand or in a private vehicle you can easily make a short tour plan to the beautiful Guliakhali Beach. But matching the travel time with the sunset and the high tide will make the tour definitely an unforgettable one.  

The Longest Sea Beach in the World

 Cox's Bazar: Where The Beach Meets the Blue...

Cox's Bazar Beach

Cox’s Bazar sea beach, the most attractive tourist spot in Bangladesh, stands apart from all other beaches on earth for its astoundingly unbroken 125 km. length along the Bay of Bengal. The long open sandy beach slopes down to kiss the gentle waves dressed in silvery foams of the sea. The mighty sea seemed to seek rest in here and bow down to the longest beach welcoming millions of tourists each year to bathe their feelings with warm embracing of its waters bridging the blue with the silvery sands.

The Name beneath the Beach:

Exotica Shampan Point

Cox’s Bazar, the southernmost part of Bangladesh is a district under Chittagong division. The town known worldwide for its beach is named after Lieutenant Cox during the later part of 18th century. The British soldier used this deserted area under the then British territory to rehabilitate a tribal clan named Magh that was seeking shelter after the Burmese conquest of Arakans. Cox died premature in 1798 but did enough to live forever for his mammoth task of settling the refugees in an un-abating struggle with the local Rakhains. Once a remote place blessed with nature, now turned a most sought after tourist destination in the country. Over sixty thousand people from different tribal communities are living here now mainly on fishing, agriculture and business targeting the tourists.

Feel the Bay...Rock the Beach:

Patuartek, Marine Drive Road

Swimming in the sun burnt mirth or resting in a moon blanched night might let a prosy mind dive into a poetic vision. The romantics will easily get enthralled by the panoramic view of the setting sun flaring the reddish hues over the mysterious complexion of blue, black, silvery waves. However, you need not to be a poet to feel the thrill of riding along the esplanade while saturating your body & heart together with the drops of sea fluttering to the longest beach: sandy, unbroken and plain. Surrendering yourself to the welcoming waves of the bay can give you the coolest swimming experience – the friendly water never go that high to thrust you down from. Adventure lovers might garner some unforgettable memories by surfing over the irresistible waters or going for a fishing trip.

Nature Knows no Class :

Kolatali Point, Cox's Bazar Beach

The Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach is truly a gift of nature and remained unchained all these years without allowing any human interference. You will not find any enclave restricted for any particular class. The entire beach is yours to make your day in your way. If you are a bit more wander- lust with an interest to know the culture of the aborigine people you will have ample opportunities to fill your heart with. Each and every tribal clan such as Rakhain, Magh, and Chakma has got their own cultural identity rich in color, love and simplicity.

Pull your souls off the sands…

Mahesh Khali Island, Cox's Bazar.

Besides the beach there are other beautiful places a single stretch away from Cox’s Bazar Beach. It would definitely be a blander not to allot some time for them:

Himchhari: The Christmas tree, broken hills and the waterfalls make this beautiful place an alluring place for film shooting and picnic. It’s about 18 km away along the beach.

Himchari Hill, Cox's Bazar.

Ramu: Crossing only 10 km to Chittagong you will find a Buddhist village named Ramu. For the Buddhist it is a holy place with numbers of Buddhist temples locally known as Khyang. The temples are highly rich in archaeological interest. Along with many a lot precious artifice numbers of gold or bronze made statues of Gautama Buddha, specially the 10- feet high bronze statue on 6-feet high pedestal make this little village a must visit place for the tourists.

Sonadia: Near Cox’s Bazar there is another beautiful island with an area of only 9 sq km. The crescent shaped island hosts thousands of tourists during the winter season. Anglers from different corner of the country camp here to make some exciting fishing trips for catching over hundred species of fishes sprawling in the coastal waters. Along with making great hauls the tourists enjoy the astounding get together of millions of migratory birds from the western countries.

Dolahazara Safari Park: It is another magnificent place only 50 km away from Cox’s Bazar on the Chittagong- Cox’s Bazar highway. Adding a different taste apart from the serenity of the beach, a jungle ride makes it all special. You can watch elephants, lions, the great Royal Bengal tigers, deers, crocodiles and many other species to double your pleasure.

Maheshkhali: Another attractive island covering an area of 268 sq. km. The island is featured by the 300 feet high range of low hills stretches down the eastern coastline from the center. There lies the Adinath Temple on the top of the hills. It becomes a pilgrimage for the Hindus.

Mahesh Khali Island

Teknaf: To introduce oneself with the Magh or Arakan culture, making a journey by sampan on the river Naf or to enjoy the enchanting beauty of the picturesque small town from the hilltop resort tourists never miss a trip to Teknaf crossing only 80 km south to Cox’s Bazar.

St. Martin Island: Lying only 8 km. away of Teknaf it is one of the most beautiful coral islands of the world. Due to its large number of coconut trees local people call it Narikel Zinjira (coconut rows). The water along the coast is crystal clear and one can see the living corals and the enthralling view only 20 feet deep down the sea. Here people live entirely on the blessings of nature. The green landscape, birds, flying fishes, dolphins and sea tortoises make this only coral island of the country even more alluring. Passing a moonlit night by camping here will definitely give you some enviable moments with a life time effect.

Plan a trip to discover the longest beach...

For making a wonderful vacation a trip to the longest beach hidden in Bangladesh will definitely add a little more color to your life. You can get there either by bus or plane. In both ways you are guaranteed a comfortable journey. You need not worry about hotels or motels. Numbers of quality hotels or motels are built there due to the rush of wanderlust people round the year.

Patuartek Point, Marine Drive Road.

FISHING IN THE FLORIDA KEYS

 

Florida Keys:

If you have ever dreamt of drinking ‘the life to the least’ by making an adventurous trip to one of the most diversified place on earth, by laying the soul on to the ever warm lap of nature to get back the feeling lost in the mechanized life or by going wild with some blood-curdling fishing experiences in an anglers dream world, Florida keys are out there to let your dream touch down the reality. In the southernmost part of the USA, Florida Keys stand as an island archipelago on the Strait of Florida where the Atlantic with its freezing current merges with the warm waves of the Gulf of Mexico.

 

Where nature brings the souls together

There are around 1700 islands forming the keys that begin about 15 miles south of Miami and extend up to the Key West while finding their tails in the uninhabited islands near Dry Tortugas. The keys are subdivided as Upper Keys, Middle Keys, Lower Keys and the Outlying Islands. The first major key is the Key Largo followed by the Islamorada, the sport fishing capital of the world. The next major key is the Marathon, the heart of the keys, set apart by the seven-mile bridge shown in one of the James Bond sagas, the True Lies. But above all lies the Key West, the ultimate destination for the nature lovers and adventure seekers as well. It is where writers find their source of inspiration and anglers either past-timer or expert, find their way through hunting over two hundred species of fish sprawling in the crystal blue water of the Key West.

Legend has it that Earnest Hemingway wrote his A Farewell to Arms while seeking a peaceful time on the ever enchanting landscape of the keys where the ocean appears in different colors. This is where he wrote To Have and Have Not, his only novel with an USA setting. Not only that, popular TV serials entitling Key West or Drive found their plot in the setting in the Key West, the most populated and sought after city under Monroe County. All these are the clear indication of an enviable spot for each and everybody planning to be gone in the wilderness or lost in the tranquility. In fact the tropical climate that never let the area go beyond the freezing point in the known history; the highly rich bio-diversity in the forested areas of Dry Tortugas; presence of coral reefs; and most importantly the crystal clear water abound in fishes enough as to turn it a fishing paradise for the anglers, make the Florida keys an alluring tourist attraction.

Fishing in the Keys:

There is hardly any fishing loving junk would be found in the entire USA to be unheard of the fishing paradise, the Florida Keys. Many a lot legendary anglers were born in the keys and famous present day anglers like Flip Pallet, Lefty Kreh, and even Jimmy Buffett have given birth to many mouth watering adventures on the alluring water of the Keys. If you want to join the legend or even have the real taste of fishing expedition, there are several ways you can opt for:

Deep Sea Fishing:

Giants are there to cast challenges like running the risk of your life.

Probably this is the most exciting fishing experience that makes always you feel like chasing down the legendary giants like marlin, sailfish, wahoo or even little sharks in the enthralling beauty of the scene putting Gulf of Mexico on one side and laying the strait of Florida on the other. Boarding on big ships, hunting big fishes, going for big tackles: all these big things may happen on a single trip for an offshore fishing which will definitely turn the adventure a worth remembering event in your life with all its colors and flavors. You necessarily need not to be an expert angler. Just bring your boat down the sea with a guide or charter a boat available all the year round or be a part of a big ship waiting to take you to the Gulf Stream. There are always a number of experienced captains to guide you through in your fishing spree, taking you to some great fishing spots like Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa, Sarasota or the Orlando Florida area.

The incredibly excellent climate along the gulf is best suited for salt water fishing charters that can lead you to chasing after species such as marlin, sailfish, waho, king mackerel, cobia, tuna, amberjack, spanish mackerel, dolphin ( locally known as mahi mahi), shark, barracuda and many others you have ever imagined of. Grouper and snapper are also worth mentioning as they are available all the year round specially near Tampa Bay, the grouper fishing capital of the world.

Catching sailfish in an offshore trip can give you the ultimate thrill.

To make your offshore fishing adventure a success, selecting a good charter with an expert captain is always important as they are to take the responsibility of taking you to a perfect fishing spot, providing you with required tackles along with their expertise and above all for ensuring a happy ride giving you all the thrills of running after the giants. Captain Frank, Bill Wallace, Ben Morehouse, Mike LeDrew, Rob Delph and many other experts are there to lead you to the gulf in the charters like Offshore Hustler, Coolwater, Outcast, Coolcast, Dream Catchers etc.

Flats Fishing:

Your intense motivation might get you to an exhilarating end.

The enigmatic back-country water surrounding the uninhabited mangrove islands offers the most challenging and addictive angling in the world. Famous anglers like Zane Grey applied their expertise in catching landing sailfish, giant tarpon and specially bone fish moving across the miles of shallow sands and grass flats encircling the keys. It is all about your dedication and patience that can make you a success in flats fishing. Once you spot a fish under the pristine water, the next thing you get to do is to ensure an accurate cast before it sees you. You timing as well as the position of your boat determines how you would come up with your sight casting challenges. This kind of visual fishing is actually unexplainable as far as putting things into perspective is concerned; but an efficient  key west guide can lead you to an unforgettable experience of facing a one on one situation with the spooky species already known about their vulnerability comparing to deep sea.

Going on with a flat fishing in an environment of unparalleled beauty all you need is to have shallow boat, an expert guide to spot the fish and position the boat in your convenience and some light tackles like spinning rod or fly. Back-country water, coral reef or some ship wrecked areas might be great for a thrilling chase after species such as tarpon, permit, bone-fish, red fish, snook, sea trout, barracuda, jacks, sharks, and cobia.

Fishing on the line where the black meets the blue

Along with these offshore or inshore fishing, there are other ways out to replenish your angling experiences with reef fishing, harbor fishing and particularly the bridge fishing, feeling a romantic and inviting look of nature instilling into your heart. Excellent fishing can be added to smoothening time from the bridges like Ling key, Tom’s Harbor, Seven Mile, Spanish Harbor, Shark Channel and some other bridges open for fishing.

Fishing Calendars:

For the best catching experiences in fishing in Key West or in Florida keys a fish calendar might be a great help as many of the species available in the area are migratory and visit the place during a particular time of the year. Although there are species caught all through the year; considering the best statistics of the species caught all the year, some of the most sought after fishes are listed below along with the best time to go for fishing.

Wahoo: Best fall, winter & spring but caught all year.

Black Grouper & Gag Grouper: Best in winter and spring.

Tarpon: Best from Late February to September but can be caught all the year.

Permit: Best during spring & summer but caught in all the year.

Hogfish and Lobster: Best from August to March

Amberjack: Best in spring

King Mackerel or Kingfish and Black fin Tuna: Fall, winter & early spring are the best time for fishing.

Barracuda: all the year

Sailfish: Best in Late October to early December again in late March to April

Dolphin (also called Mahi Mahi or Dorado): Best in spring & summer but caught all through the year.

Blue Marlin:Best months are October & November and again in May & June, but caught all the year.

Yellowtail snapper: best in May to September

Mangrove snapper: best from April to July

Bone fish: April to October.

Fishing Tournaments:

Real fun lies in catching & releasing in a fishing sport

Fishing tournaments organized all through the year make the Key West more lucrative to the highly skilled anglers or the fishing lovers altogether. People from all walks of life can participate in the tournaments in different categories. Men, women or juniors compete with their peers to catch more than 30 species of fish. The list of some fishing tournaments held in the Key West is as follows:

January: Key West Lions Club Fishing Tournament.

April: World Sailfish Championship.

March to November: Key West Fishing Tournament that run for seven months providing opportunities to the people in general.

 May: Yamaha Dolphin Masters Invitational.

March: Cuban American Heritage Fest Tournament.

Last but not the least, it worth’s telling that to bring back the real taste of your life and to shed off the burden of your regular activities fishing in the Florida Keys might be a great experience with an everlasting effect. Making an enviable trip to deep sea fishing, going for some flat fishing or participating in a fishing sport with your friends can really fill your heart with some unforgettable memories on the crystal blue water of the Straits of Florida.