THE SNOOK COWBOY
WE LIVE IN ACORONACOMMERCIAL, NOTCOORS
By Craig Timbres for the species. As I looked further I found a shell hammer remnant
e-mail snookcowboy@gmail.com www.YouTube.com from the ancient Calusa Indian civilization that inhabited the area
BE GREEN !!!! more than 1000 years ago. The entire Lee island coast was home to a
kingdom of Florida natives and you can feel their spirits as you walk
Living on the Gulf coast has been one of the best the Indian mounds located on Pine Island.
experiences of my life! Living on Pine Island Sound and having
access to the barrier islands of the Lee island coast makes it really You can imagine the richness of life the area produced
hard to imagine living anywhere else. During the Summer months the before modern man made his presence known. As we watched the
crowds are all local residents, with the occasional eastern tourist from sun set below the horizon, one of my kids expressed, with joy, that
overseas. It’s not uncommon to be walking the beach and see one of her friends from the mainland said she was jealous of our
someone you know. Last month my family and I frequented Cayo family because we lived in a Corona commercial. Actually it’s a big
Costa Island for shell collecting, enjoying the silky white sand corporation trying to sell a product that makes people feel like you do
between our toes, and a swim with the manatees as they work the when you live here. I can live with that. My children have not had a
shoreline with the tides. Last weekend we spent the day on the island, silver spoon in their mouths the entire time I have raised them, but
when a group of manatees drifted up the shoreline. Cayo Costa has a raising them on the Gulf coast of Florida has been one of the richest
definitive drop from the beach and it’s not unusual to be in eight feet experiences of their lives and mine. When you come to Pine Island
of water three feet from the beach. Anyway as the manatees make sure to look us up and experience the real thing instead of
approached, I eased into the water to get as close as I could get watching it on TV.
without alarming them. I can’t express the feelings of awe as a 1100
pound mammal swims beneath and alongside you. Absolutely THE SNOOK COWBOY
breathtaking!!! They stayed a safe distance from me, as I did for
them. Manatees are massive and could break your back or neck in an Craig Timbes is a Florida native who specializes in the catch-and-
instant if they thrashed or rolled on you. Some have been known to release of Monster Snook. APine Island resident, he offers
try to mate with our local clam farmers, pinning them to the bottom instruction, guided kayak fishing excursions, owns a U.S. Patent for
until they realized they weren’t female manatees. his fishing pole, is a staff writer for The Nautical Mile Magazine,
and is a premier partner for Excitations Discovery Channel, the
As we sat on the beach and swam away the afternoon, we exclusive adventure package provider for the Discovery Channel
also noticed the tracks left by female sea-turtles that had been on the and its affiliatess.
beach the night before, laying their eggs for another generation of life
B1012_B
Page 18 www.FloridaMarineTimes.com Issue 46 August 2009
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