Hi families,
It's sad to write this last update -- this trip has been phenomenal. This group of boys has real drive, an awesome attitude, loves to eat, laugh, and fish. We'll miss them! Read about our last few days below.
Day 9: We woke up bright and early excited for an action packed full day on the flats! The group enjoyed sausage egg and cheese sandwiches on english muffins, and loaded up on fuel before we took on the afternoon. After running a few errands, and hanging around camp early in the morning, we made our way over to the beach for some fishing! Many boys in the group were thrilled and determined to be out there, while the rest of the group was more just happy to be in the sun and enjoy being at the beach! Striper fishing on the beach comes with many, many difficult variables that make it so hard. First, these fish are moving constantly. Spotting them is difficult on its own, but running down the beach chasing after these fish can become stressful with a group of 15 people. We had multiple good "pods" of striper spotted, and gave it our all. After improving from their previous casting experience, all of the boys were putting their flies in the right spot, but just nothing was working. The group became very frustrated after several hours of grinding. Everyone except Mawson and the guides. We saw some determination that was truly special to see out of a kid on a trip. Despite all of the bad luck, circumstances, and missed opportunities, Mawson kept his head down, learned from the guides all day, and caught a very great striper! The moment was incredible. As Gavin was step by step walking him through the fight, William was behind the camera recording the moment. That video is sure a memory that will remain special for all three of us guides and I'm sure Mawson. The pure exhilaration of joy was amazing, and quickly turned around the dynamic of that day. We headed back to camp, enjoyed some burgers, and made our way to bed to get back at it again tomorrow!
Day 10: We woke up today in hopes for an even better day than yesterday! The morning routine looked very similar, and we made sure to hit the water at the right time. The tide in the Cape moves at a rapid rate, so we planned on getting to the beach around 1:30, and that's exactly what we did. Fishing was more of the same story, but quickly, we spotted dozens upon dozens of fish cruising really close to the beach, so all 15 of us lined up 10 yards apart from each other and began casting. After 20-30 minutes of casting at these picky fish, Max kept doing his thing. Out of nowhere, we hear "BOYS, BOYS!! I've got one!" This fish was great, and right as we saw the rod bend, Gavin, Joe and William sprinted over to Max in excitement. After walking him through the best way to secure the fish, the entire group went nuts. Luckily, one of Gavin's best friends, Leo, who was around the area was out fishing with us, and snagged awesome pictures of Max, Max and the Guides, and some other campers gathered around this beautiful fish. Although after that moment we thought we would never look back, unfortunately the fishing slowed down more and more throughout the rest of the afternoon. We decided to exit the water and head on over to a local ice cream shop. This was some of the best and most refreshing ice cream we have ever had, and we are certain that the boys enjoyed a nice treat after a long day of being in the sun. We then headed back to camp where we played some games, told some more stories, and hung out before dinner. We demolished some tasty Buffalo Mac, and headed to sleep shortly after a long day of being outside.
Day 11: Today was another reset/productive day for the group as a whole. After breakfast, we knocked out some laundry. And let me tell you, the boys for sure needed that. Wow! They began to stink! While Gavin stuck around at the Laundromat, William and Joe took the boys to a local beach on the cape, and knocked out some community service. The boys split into 4 groups of 3, and each had a trash bag where they worked together to pick up as much trash as they possibly could on the beach. We gave them some incentives for sure. The team who picked up the most trash by the end of the time period would be granted a gas station treat via William, Joe, and Gavin! The crew consisting of Mawson, Mikey, and Kai took care of business, and by a wide margin, easily picked up the most trash. After the community service, we swung back over to the Laundromat where we picked back up our clothes and headed back to camp. After the boys put their clothes away, many of the group was eager to fish later in the afternoon. Gavin and Joe took a group of boys, while William stuck back with the exhausted and worn down Kai, Max, Aiden, and Mikey back at camp to take some time off from the sun and get off their feet. The group at the beach had a ton of fun hanging out and creating more memories, and when the entire group got reunited, we cooked some dinner (chicken alfredo), and ended the night with everyone telling their favorite memory thus far of the trip, and countless stories around the campfire. We hit the sack relatively early in prep for the long travel day we had ahead of us.
Day 12: After cleaning up camp and eating some quick breakfast, we unfortunately had to make one more long travel day. Because of the World Cup, the traffic was horrible! While it was long, and somewhat frustrating, the music kept everyone engaged and excited to reach our destination, Winter Park campground. Today was our "beach day" we had planned for the trip. Instead of fishing, the group took a day off, and once we arrived mid-way through the afternoon, we ate some lunch and loaded back into the van to drive shortly over to a really cool beach. Once we got to the beach, we found a spot suitable for the entire group, and out of the way of any other vacationers. We wanted some space for the highly anticipated game of beach football! With Gavin and Joe becoming captains, we split into two even teams and began competing. William's team consisted of Michael, Tucker, Barclay, Mikey, Cade, and Mawson, while Gavin's consisted of Joe, Beckett, Jack, Aiden, Kai, Ashton, and Max! William's team dominated the entire time, with Mikey and Barclay stepping up as MVP on both the defensive and offensive side of the ball. This game was a great way to get the energy and competitiveness up. After the game, the entire group enjoyed a dip into the chilly, but refreshing water. After we arrived back at camp, tonight's dinner was essentially a free for all. Anything the boys found in the trailer they were welcome to devour. The group ended up cooking up some breakfast sausages, brats, sandwiches, and ramen. A rainstorm quickly rolled in after finishing up dinner, and we all piled into our tents after a long, but fun, travel day! It honestly worked out best. The boys were able to get some more sleep than anticipated before our earliest wakeup (5:45) for the charter boat day!
Day 13: I am writing this currently at 3:30 pm the day of, but honestly today's update couldn't wait. Today was amazing. When the alarms rang, it definitely took awhile, but after the early morning wakeup call, the boys slowly climbed out of their tents. We scarfed down some cereal, and made some sandwiches for lunch on the boat. At around 6:30, we piled into the van and headed 25 minutes north of our campsite to meet the charter guides for the morning and early afternoon. Tucker, Michael, and Max were in a boat together, the Blair twins, Jack, and Kai were in another, Mikey and Ashton were together, and Mawson, Cade, and Aiden were in the final. 4 boats, and a TON of BIG fish were caught. The boats hit the water around 7 and made their way back to the boat ramp at 1 where Gavin, Joe and William greeted them! The lights and excitement on their faces was such a good feeling to see. After a trip filled with many ups and downs on the water, we sure ended off strong and everyone was thrilled. There were so many big fish caught by every single kid, and we are now back at camp super excited for our banquet dinner! In the next couple hours, we are headed to a famous seafood place up here where every boy can enjoy a meal of their selection! We plan to have a great night, and recap on the trip as a whole before we go to bed.
We have absolutely loved getting to know each and every one of your boys, and are very proud of their improvements not just as fishermen, but as growing boys and men. Each one of them has developed into a better version of themselves, and that's really all we can ask for as guides. We shared so many laughs, stories, memories, and thrills. Thanks again!
Best,
Gavin, William, Joe
