Jimmy Albright was also the one who took it upon himself to deal with any improprieties committed by members of the guiding community while on the water. He could have cared less what you did on land, but you had to answer to Jimmy if he had gotten word that you were observed committing some egregious act of malfeasance such as: motoring or poling too close to someone who was on the spot first and was poling or waiting for fish, or using the motor to run across a flat or fishing area, or any altercation erupting between guides while they were engaged with clients, etc... These old timers were the ones who developed this fishery and they were the ones who knew how guides had to operate in order to keep the fishery robust. There was protocol; there were ways you did things - like how you would approach a bank or area that had fish - or using your push-pole and not your motor when near other fishermen. It was all about consideration - consideration for other fishermen, and consideration for the fish. Thus, everyone learned the rules and operated accordingly, and if you didn't, then you would get a call from Cecil who would tell you that Jimmy wanted to talk to you. That's how things worked, and these things worked smoothly, and as a result the fishery and Florida Bay were the beneficiaries.

The lives of these men were dedicated to this fishery. They knew nothing else. They cared for nothing else. This was why, when the time came for them to pass on, their last wish was to be buried in Florida Bay.


Florida Bay - the life and final resting place of Jimmy Albright, Cecil and Peggy Keith, and Jack and Dori Brothers. It was an honor and a privilege to have known and worked with these people.