Early Morning

Where we are

• 
  Chokoloskee marina — Where the Mako lives, where Matt caught his first snook, where Rose waves from the last dock.
• 
  Chokoloskee Bay — The bay crossed at sunrise on every trip.
• 
  Lopez River — First client trip, Ch. 3 — the mangrove overhang between two oyster bars.
• 
  Rabbit Key Pass — The way home from the storm in Ch. 3; the escape route in Ch. 10.

Every place in the book, painted →

Fish in this chapter

• 
  Spotted seatrout 'Grass bed fishing meant trout.' Three keepers on the first client trip; Dave's trout off Little Pavilion Key. Ch. 2Ch. 3Ch. 7Ch. 16 +1
• 
  Redfish (red drum, 'spot-tail') The first keeper Matt ever caught, at Comer Key. Rose's cooler-toppling redfish at the marina. The 22- and… Ch. 2Ch. 3Ch. 7Ch. 8 +1
• 
  Mangrove (gray) snapper Dave's 22-incher; the snapper bonanza at the river mouth ('leave that snapper in the water, it'll attract… Ch. 2Ch. 3Ch. 7Ch. 13 +2
• 
  Common snook Fishing royalty. The black lateral stripe is the tell-tale. Matt's 36-inch, 20-pound monster at South Point… Ch. 1Ch. 2Ch. 4Ch. 5 +2
• 
  Grouper (goliath / gag) Matt's favorite eating fish. The 'unseen giant' that dragged the anchored Bonefisher across the channel; the… Ch. 2Ch. 3Ch. 13Ch. 14 +2
• 
  Bluegill ('brim') The 'giant brim' Russ watches with his grandson off the lake dock up north — about the size of Everglades… Ch. 3

Crew in this chapter

• 
  Matthew 'Matt' Creek protagonist Ch. 1
• 
  Daniel Walter Panther Jr. ('Uncle Dan') Matt's uncle, charter captain Ch. 1
• 
  Russ Worthington FBI agent, fishing client Ch. 2
• 
  Dave Carver FBI agent, fishing client Ch. 2
• 
  Rose Matt's oldest friend Ch. 1

Critters in this chapter

• 
  Bottlenose dolphin The playful pair at Lopez River; the mother who rams the hammerhead and bites her calf free of the net. Ch. 3Ch. 16
• 
  American alligator The marina gators tourists get too close to; the grouper thief at Lostman's; Alligator Alley; the poachers… Ch. 3Ch. 13Ch. 23
• 
  Mosquitoes, sand fleas, no-see-ums 'It was the mosquitos that chomped at his peace of mind.' Dan's homemade lavender repellent. Ch. 1Ch. 2Ch. 5Ch. 16
• 
  Oyster bars The thing that scrapes the hull, holds the Sea Belle, cuts your line, and hides the redfish. Ch. 2Ch. 3Ch. 12Ch. 18

Boats in this chapter

• 
  The Mako Center-console bay boat Ch. 1Ch. 2Ch. 3Ch. 7 +3
• 
  The agents' black SUV SUV Ch. 3

From the tackle box

Popping cork

A float with a cupped top; tug every few seconds and it 'pops' to call fish to the shrimp dangling beneath. How Matt caught his first snook and most redfish.

Yellow feather tipped with shrimp

A feathered jig with a piece of shrimp on the hook; jigged over grass for trout, bounced for snapper.

Drifting

Letting the boat move with the tide and wind while casting. 'Drifting actually meant casting.'

Live shrimp

The universal Everglades bait, kept alive in a bucket with a battery aerator.