Pat Kane

Last month, at the Orvis-Endorsed Lodge Retreat in Key Largo, PRO Outfitters guide Pat Kane spent an afternoon on the water looking for tarpon, but there were none to be found. In fact, the captain couldn't find much of anything to cast to. As any guide knows, when you've got folks on the boat, you gotta catch some fish. So he rigged a spinning rod with a live shrimp and a bobber, cast out into a slot near some mangroves, and turned back to his anglers.

"Okay, who wants it?" he asked, proffering the rod.

 

As a Montana fly-fishing guide, Pat was loath to spin-fish, but when no one else stepped forward, he reluctantly took the rod. A few moments later, the bobber went under, Pat set the hook, and all hell broke loose. No one could see what was on the end of the line, but it was certainly big and incredibly strong. The captain was sure it was a shark, but when Pat finally wrestled the beast close to the boat, they were astonished to discover it was a huge permit.

Done