By Tammy Wilson
Every now and then, I need to grow down. I just get tired of growing up and all of the responsibilities that go with it and just need a chance to feel like a kid again. When I feel the need to grow down, I turn my eyes to the other kind of water that the IRL Coast has to offer: the sweetwater.
This time it was the Econlockhatchee River. This is one of my favorite grow down places. I’m not sure if it’s the ancient beauty of the place that makes you realize just how young we are to this planet, the incredible bluegill fishing, the 12 mile paddle, the good friends, the good food, the shenanigans that go on during such a trip or what, but I ALWAYS feel rejuvenated after a trip down the Econ. I was recently honored to do it again on the 26th of October. I could not have asked for better weather, a nicer day or finer company. We hit the water at sunrise, launching in extremely low water conditions at the ramp, into a thick fog coming off of the much warmer water. It was the first day of the year I needed a vest. A fine chill was in the air, and immediately… the fish were biting.
What normally takes 4 hours of fishing to get to the lunch area took 7 hours, because we were enjoying the fishing so much. What normally took an hour for lunch took a couple hours, because we just were not prepared, and nobody cared about that. We got the grill together, the coals going (eventually) and we sat and ate some of the finest riverside slaw dogs and boudin that the world has to offer. And we laughed.
After lunch it was pretty much just a straight paddle to get out in time for sunset. Nobody pushed themselves. It was just a steady paddle. As the sun set on the horizon, we pulled the last of the kayaks out of the water. That would have been mine. First in, last out. I wasn’t quite ready to go, but I had to. It was time to go be a grown up again.