Casting to a big bull red, watching it eat and enjoying the fight against the backdrop of bluebird skies, crystal-clear water and sugar-sand beaches. “That’s the ultimate experience of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. It was 40 inches long, with an estimated weight of 28 pounds. “Whew, that was close,” the native guide told me as we quickly measured, photographed and released the oversize drum. A few moments later, we boated a tired but grateful bull redfish. Yelverton fired up the outboard, and the unwelcome predator took off. “Baz, shark!” I yelled as I started stomping my feet on the deck. Suddenly, a large, dark shape zipped beneath the bow. After several determined bursts, however, I slowed the pace and, before long, had it doing big donuts around the 18-foot flats skiff. Once it realized it was hooked, the big red tried desperately to run for deeper water. Good, now stick him again, and enjoy the ride,” Yelverton said with a hearty laugh as the drag on the small spinning reel whirled like a sewing machine. I fired a cast slightly ahead and waited on the guide’s instruction.”Good, now short hops with the jig. Stevie Wonder could have seen that target in the four-foot depth. I peered into the sparkling emerald water and spotted the giant redfish cruising steadily toward us like a shiny submarine. Baz Yelverton asked quietly from his perch atop the poling platform. Big bull coming down the bar at 10 o’clock – 60 feet. It covers both the Mississippi and Florida units of the park.“OK, get ready. The following is a one-hour documentary on Gulf Islands National Seashore. It is only a few feet difference between modern civilization and beaches that remain as they have been for thousands of years. There is a marked difference between public and private land, as hotels and restaurants butt right up to the park border. The National Park Service only owns sections of the island and has kept these areas from being developed. The main island is Santa Rosa Island, home of Pensacola Beach and large areas of development. In contrast, all sections of the Florida unit can be accessed by car, for even though the park is still comprised of islands, causeways across Pensacola Bay connect them to the mainland. There is a small, mainland-based portion of the park located in the swamps of Davis Bayou near Ocean Springs (Biloxi area). Only one island has public ferry service. The Mississippi portion of the park is largely made up of barrier islands that can only be reached by boat. For all intents and purposes, they are two separate parks and are visited by two distinct sets of vacationers. The Mississippi and Florida sections of Gulf Islands National Seashore are 70 miles apart by boat and 125 miles by car-the state of Alabama sits between them. Yellowstone, Assateague Island National Seashore, and a few other parks are situated across the borders of adjacent states and are thus one, continuous mass of land. It is also one of the few National Parks that lies within two different states, and even rarer because the states do not border each other. Gulf Islands National Seashore is the largest National Seashore in the National Park system. Gulf Islands National Seashore Map (click to enlarge)
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