Unexpected Voices

Where we are

• 
  South Point (abandoned post office) — Matt's spot. The snook, the smugglers' meeting, the sleeping-bag night. (The real Smallwood Store sits at Chokoloskee's south tip.)
• 
  Dan's cottage and rookery — Stilt house with banyans out front and pelicans out back. Fictional location — place near the island's east side.

Every place in the book, painted →

Fish in this chapter

• 
  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
• 
  Tarpon ('silver king') The trophy fish of South Florida and the tournament's main event. Old Scarface. Rose's 68-inch, 81-pound… Ch. 1Ch. 2Ch. 7Ch. 8 +3
• 
  Striped mullet The baitfish the Bagley Mullet lure imitates. Mullet 'splashing in the current' is part of the Everglades… Ch. 4Ch. 5Ch. 6Ch. 15

Crew in this chapter

• 
  Matthew 'Matt' Creek protagonist Ch. 1
• 
  Daniel Walter Panther Jr. ('Uncle Dan') Matt's uncle, charter captain Ch. 1
• 
  'Rawley' Simms Grocery-store owner / undercover FBI agent Ch. 2
• 
  James W. Creek ('Dad') Matt's late father Ch. 1
• 
  Bertha and Oscar Pelicans of the rookery Ch. 2

Critters in this chapter

• 
  Brown pelican Bertha and Oscar; the hooked pelican Snapper carries to the door; the fish-head thief at Lostman's. Ch. 2Ch. 5Ch. 7Ch. 13 +1
• 
  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
• 
  Gull Matt's confidant about the lavender repellent. Ch. 5

Boats in this chapter

• 
  Two boats and a car at South Point The night exchange in Ch. 5. Ch. 5

From the tackle box

Bagley Mullet lure

Dan's black-and-silver mullet imitation that 'glistens in the moonlight.' The lure that caught the South Point snook.

Reading the tide

Fish the hour either side of high tide; 'morning high' means plenty of water over the oyster bars. Dan: the water isn't rising, the earth is turning through bulges of water pulled by sun and moon.

Aerator

Battery-powered bubbler that keeps bait shrimp alive overnight.

Matt’s list

• Patience, patience, sunscreen, and patience — added this chapter

See the whole list →