Fishing art mailbox dorado mahi Florida colorful etsy

For years my wife Hanna and I have had a Pop-R mailbox. Actually, we had the first one for so long that it wore out and we had to replace it. I suppose if we lived in a more upscale neighborhood we’d have one replicating a Lobina Lures Rico instead, but this was the best option available. On several occasions, upon finding out that we fish, people tell us about the “fishing lure mailbox that I pass all the time on Cedar Lane” and of course it turns out to be ours.

For me, getting the mail every day is a welcomed adventure. I receive fishing lures, magazines, catalogs and occasionally small checks from the magazines and websites that publish my work. To me, a fishing-related mailbox is a sign of the good things inside. Hanna, on the other hand, does not love the daily deluge of paper, mostly because she pays all of our household’s bills. At least the mailbox itself can be a beacon of light in her darkest views.

While our production mailbox is nice, on Etsy I stumbled across some even nicer ones made by Scott Pantke Artworks of Florida. He’s currently offering them up in tarpon, snook and mahi, and while they’re all exceptional it’s the mahi that best caught my eye – probably the hardest to paint realistically, but he did a bang-up job. Plus it reminded me of our recent boat lunches in Guatemala. They’re not inexpensive, but quality comes at a cost, and even if these three species aren’t your jam, based on his evident talent I’m betting he could whip you up a snakehead or a sailfish or a trevally without breaking a sweat.