Chevelier Bay Fishing Spot

• Last Modified By: vinny60 on 09/23/09 08:10 PM
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In Everglades National Park.Darwin's Place is named for Arthur Leslie Darwin, the last private resident of the Park, and he was only the last of a steady line of settlers who have occupied the spot known as Possum Key since the 1880s. The most famous of these was the flamboyant naturalist and plume hunter, Jean Chevelier, known to the locals as "the old Frenchman". As a child, Loren "Totch" Brown settled for a while here with his family when they took to the backcountry to live off the land during the Great Depression. The campsite is located on the channel separating Possum Key from a smaller uninhabited island less than a hundred yards away. This island shelters Possum Key from the strong easterlies that blow across Chevelier Bay and Cannon Bay. The concrete foundations of Arthur Darwin's demolished home still dominate the site, where fig and gumbo limbo trees now spread their twisted roots through the remains of the old fireplace. It's miles of mangrove shoreline... hundreds of coves and bays...quiet coastal rivers and back country lakes. Shallow water everywhere. It's sight fishing from the foredeck of a quietly poled skiff while gliding in mere inches of water in pursuit of visible fish. It's sleeping tarpon, tailing reds and lurking snook. For the dedicated shallow water angler, it's a unique opportunity to fish in one of nature's most idyllic settings. It is some of the most exciting light tackle and flats fishing there is, Everglades-style.