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E.G. Simmons Park is one of our favorite places to go when we are at Sunset Cove Apollo Beach. Only a few minutes away from the house, we always make a point of coming down to the park and doing some kayaking. Paddling among the mangroves, seeing manatees (in the winter usually) and dolphins and maybe even doing some fishing. The views are amazing and it is so relaxing! Check out this video showing what it is like

One of our favorite activities is fishing in Tampa Bay. We try to do it at least once every stay at Sunset Cove. This month was no different. Our day started early, meeting Captain Branden of True Lies Fishing at the dock at 7:30, but it was only a 10 minute drive from the house. We cruised to a few different spots and started with a nice Snook:

After that we headed out into the middle of the Bay to deeper water to try and land some Mangrove Snapper for the dinner table. Once we got out there, we not only caught a few Snapper, but we also caught (and released) a few Gag Grouper and Red Grouper.

Then it was back to the Mangroves to find some Redfish. What followed was a memorable experience, where for 90 minutes we were catching Redfish on just about every cast. As long as we casted the bait close to the Mangroves in a small 10′ area, we got a hit and reeled in Red after Red! At one point, we had lines in the water with a Red fighting on each line:

All in all it was a trip we will not forget for a long time!

Hurricane Helene sent a storm surge of floodwaters in to Tampa Bay during the night on September 26th. Many areas saw the highest ever recorded water levels. Many homes were flooded damaging all their furniture, appliances and clothing, never mind their homes. We were very lucky that the water only made it as far as the top of our driveway with a little seeping into the garage. By morning the waters had receded and people could assess their losses and start putting their lives back together. Fortunately there were no fatalities or major injuries in the area. For that we are very grateful! Here is what the view was like from our front door camera at the peak of the flooding.

We decided to spend Christmas at Sunset Cove this year. Fishing off the dock, warm weather, enjoying time with the Grandparents, we are glad we did! Merry Christmas from our family to yours!