photo by Sharon Spence Lieb

Harbor Walk Village is a lively waterfront area with restaurants, bars, boutiques, boat rentals and colorful local art.

photo by Sharon Spence Lieb

At Florida's Gulfarium in Fort Walton Beach, dolphins perform in their 60,000 gallon aquarium. Watch the show or join the Dolphin Interaction Program, where you'll learn more about their behaviors.

photo by Sharon Spence Lieb

Captain David "Catfish" Knight offers terrific backcountry fishing charters on Florida's Emerald Coast. Aboard his "cover girl" boat, you'll cast for speckled trout, redfish, cobia and King mackerel.

photo by Sharon Spence Lieb

Destin's favorite breakfast spot is Another Broken Egg. This colorful cafe serves up mammoth omelets, cinnamon rolls, grits and poached eggs with fresh veggies. Just don't try on your bathign suit after breakfast.

Destin Florida is called the "World's Luckiest Fishing Village."

Since the 1960's, fisher folk from around the world have journeyed to this coastal paradise, snaring monster sailfish, amberjack, grouper, and red snapper. The town has grown from a sleepy fishing village with only 12 boats in the harbor, to a bustling tourist destination encompassing Destin, Fort Walton Beach and Okaloosa Island.

We visit colorful Harbor Walk Village where Captain Catfish welcomes us onto his boat, "Cover Girl." Turns out his real name is David Knight, but everyone calls him Captain Catfish, which gives you an idea of his coolness.

"There are so many fish out here we're practically knocking 'em over with the boat," grins CC. "You're gonna catch a 40 pound cobia or a Spanish mackerel, no problem."

Hundreds of sleek boats float underneath a robin's egg blue sky.

You see why this is "Florida's Emerald Coast." Sugary beaches shimmer white, the Gulf of Mexico glows translucent green.

Captain Catfish baits three rods with redfin herring; we pop open a few Buds, blast the radio to sing along with Bob Seeger. He croons "Going to Katmandu," but we're not. We're offshore in Choctawatchee Bay, happy as clams.

Captain Catfish takes hundreds of tourists fishing every week. In the heart of gold department, he gets a gold star. He created "Take A Kid Fishing Day" thirteen years ago, and kids from area churches and Boys and Girls Club have fallen in love with fishing, thanks to his generosity.

"Gotta keep the heritage of fishing alive and well for the next generation," he says. "Plus they see my lifestyle-no traffic, no fluorescent lit cubicle, and that's a good thing too."

A couple hours pass, the orange sun glows hot in the waning afternoon. Sweet salty air vacuums my brain clean.

Party boats overflow with lucky humans, all of us obsessed with chasing creatures that swim.

Pop open a few more Buds. Sheryl Crow's "Gonna Soak up the Sun," and she sagely reminds me, "It's not having what you want, but wanting what you've got."

I'm with ya, girl.

Bobbing under this shimmering seductive sea sky for hours. Not a fish succumbs to our baited rods.

Captain Catfish is concerned we're not having fun.

"We always get a bite of something," he scowls. "This morning we were flipping in fish." But we're content: our smiles could hold a rainbow.

On this day of wild watery beauty, sky tinting apricot, only pelicans catch fish. I'm hanging out with cool Captain Catfish. And the fish, still wild and free, feel luckiest of all.

FEEDING FRENZY

Next morning at dawn, our friend Nick Honachefsky, a journalist for "Destination Fish" Magazine, heads out for a deep-sea excursion with his lucky fishing rod. The Gulf of Mexico lets Nick play with a monster King Mackerel big enough to feed a hungry dozen.

So Nick, being a world-class generous fisherman, reels in the monster and takes his catch to the Lucky Snapper, a happening waterfront restaurant at Harbor Walk Village. From the balcony, fishing wannabes ogle Onassis style mega-yachts. Bikini babes vie for unattached millionaires.

The Lucky Snapper is the kind of lair perfect for fabricating "Fish That Got Away" stories while slurping raspberry vodka cocktails. Lucky Snapper chefs are expert in seafood prep, so Nick's King Mackerel grandly arrives grilled, blackened and fried, with cole slaw and French fries.

Nick holds court as the whole fish is devoured. Stuffed, we rush down to the dock, jumping onto mega fun Wave Riders.

That emerald water is hypnotic- you can't stand not being in it or on it.

That way you can work up an appetite for more delicious food.

If you're into lavish breakfasts, visit "Another Broken Egg."

This cheerful neighborhood bistro has friendly service and great strong coffee. Imagine a cream cheese filled omelette, topped with fresh crabmeat sautéed in garlic and adorned with melted Jack cheese. Splurge on the monster cinnamon roll, blackberry grits, or scrambled eggs with bacon and fresh spinach.

Just don't try on your bathing suit after breakfast.

At Magnolia Grill, Tom, Peg and Meg Rice welcome you to their gorgeous restored mansion in Fort Walton Beach. Bring a big appetite, as they serve family style Italian dishes like chicken piccata sautéed in butter with lemon and capers on linguini, and eggplant parmagiana with marinara sauce.

With their sublime mint ice cream cake for dessert, and a glass of Chianti, your evening will be perfect.

LUCKY FAMILIES

Our Okaloosa Island beachfront condominium, Waterscape, is aptly named.

A shimmering green Gulf of Mexico crashes onto miles of sugary white sand. At the pool, waterfalls spill over boulders and a mushroom fountain cascades water in circles.

Near the baby pool, I met a woman pushing newborn twins in a stroller.

Her 3-year-old son was gliding down a big dolphin slide.

"We drove here 11 hours straight from Tennessee," she told me.

"Was it worth it?" I asked.

"A week isn't long enough, we don't want to leave." She laughed.

"Me either," I agree.

The elegant two bedroom condos are spacious and airy, with suede couches and flat screen TVs.

Make snacks or meals in the fully equipped kitchens and enjoy pelicans soaring past your terrace balcony.

Every night, I slept blissfully with my bedroom balcony door open, lulled by sea breezes and crashing waves, as monster fish leaped through my dreams.

Now that's more luck than anyone deserves.

(Copyright by Sharon Spence Lieb).