I met Ted at 0700 at the West Marina on the Crystal Coast for a half-day inshore trip. We pushed off on a calm morning and made a quick run around the mangrove shorelines. Early in the outing we connected on a couple of snook, short, exciting strikes that set the tone for the day. After those initial fish the tide dropped out and movement slowed, so we transitioned into the backcountry to follow the fish into quieter water. The backcountry move paid immediate dividends — we found a lively school of tarpon and landed several over the next hour and a half. We kept the pace relaxed but focused, presenting patterns that matched the clear, silvery bait in the shallows. Ted fished confidently and handled the larger tarpon with calm, steady technique; his persistence produced some memorable runs and symptoms of that classic, powerful tarpon fight. We wound things down at 1100 back at the marina. It was a productive half day with quality action on snook early and a strong finish on tarpon in the backcountry. Thanks to Ted for running with me — looking forward to getting back out and chasing more of that inshore action. Captain Jack Sparrow