First cold front of the year
Capt. Jim Hobales
November 3, 2008
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
The first cold front really dipped our air temps and brought the water temps into the high 60's in Florida Bay. This does make certain fish easier to catch because they stack up in holes or cuts along the channel, all you have to do is fnd them.
The fish also get shallow for warmth and will lie up in potholes so using one or both of these techniques will produce fish.
103108
I am fishing with Mike and his wife Aleece at Flamingo today, it is cool and it will get breezy during the course of the day. I started out in an area that was protected from the wind and caught some nice Trout in the15-20 inch range. Aleece was having fun never experiencing a bite like we were having and catching Trout, Ladyfish and Jacks on almost every cast. We had a window of about an hour where we got hit on every cast and finally caught a couple Snook. Aleece caught her first Snook and Mike followed with an almost keeper size one. The tide fell out and with the help of the wind it got extremely low and we had to move. The rest of the day was battling the wind trying to get a big Snook for them but it was brutal. We called it around 1pm.
110108
Nadir and Michael are with me today at Flamingo, I went back to the same area as the previous day which was out of the wind. The fish were really active busting the mullet schools on a couple different points. I had Nadir casting a Gulp Shrimp and Mike with a live Shrimp on a jig head, The Gulp worked first as Nadir caught a Tarpon and a Snook on back to back cast. We were sitting on the flat as the mullet were moving with the tide past us making a perfect set up. I Power poled down and set up on a pothole on the back edge of a flat. I switched Mike to a popping cork and Shrimp so he could cast it to the back of the hole this way we didn't spook them on our approach. The next 2 hours the tide fell and they caught fish after fish Snook, Redfish, Trout, Snappers, Catfish, Jack and Ladyfish, at one point they were 20 for 20 on hits and catches! The tide got to low and I had to move, we went and fished a flat that had some cruising mudding Stingrays. These rays usually have fish with them looking for a free meal! I placed the boat between 2 mullet mud's and the Rays were cruising the clean water between the mud's. It didn't take long and the Rays showed up, Mike is an excitable guy and made a great cast over the Ray and his line was being peeled off his reel. It was hard to here the drag because he was screaming so lowd, that's what its all about! He fought the Snook to the boat where I landed it for him (more yelling), we took some photos and released it for another day. The fish were eating a motor oil and chartreuse colored paddle tail in the clear water. Mike wasn't done, next was a 22 inch Trout and then a 26 inch Redfish. I had a mullet in the live well and decide we were going to catch something big, I rigged it up and put it out on a channel edge the mullet was eally fighting into the current and got hit. I reeled it to check it out and it was completely scaled, as I always say only 2 species do this Snook or Tarpon. The fish must of been on the small side and not able to eat the 10 inch mullet only scaling the front. I had the mullet rigged in the rear so it would swim away. Mike caught another big Trout but we were done, I pitched the mullet overboard. It floated on the surface, as we started to leave a Bald Eagle picked up the dead mullet and flew a way. That was really cool to watch and we were impressed. These guys were happy and worn out as we headed back to the dock.
110208
I am fishing with good friend Eddy Carman who owns Biscayne Rod and Sam who is here from Japan. The day was beautiful and the wind wasn't so bad early on. We are on my favorite flat and I explain what to look for, there are baits getting busted but we only managed a couple Jacks. We moved on as the wind picked up, there had been a good Redfish bite in Snakebite channel for the last couple days so we headed there. We got in there and caught some fish but it wasn't on fire, at least they were biting. We caught a nice 26 inch Redfish, hooked a big Snook which jumped off plenty of Trout and Ladyfish. I decided it was time to try something else looking for big a Snook we watched as they busted mullet cast in to the potholes they were in but the only had mullet on there mind. Sam must of caught 50 Trout while Eddy and myself cast at the potholes trying to get the free jumping Snook. Although it was not a great Redfish and Snook day we caught a lot of fish and were off the water by 1 PM to catch the Dolphins game.
If I can be of any help in your fishing need give me a call 305 333 8149.
Let's go catchem,
Capt Jim hobales
Flamingo Fishing Forecast:
We are on a warming trend it will be good this week.
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