Hot Fishing/No Business
Capt. Alan Sherman
August 7, 2008
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
August is always a tough time to write fishing reports due to the fact that business is normally slow due to weather conditions, bugs, families taking last minute vacations, families holding onto money to buy schools supplies and clothes for their kids up coming school year and this year because of the economy. Typically in August my family and I take a vacation as well and also I take some time off to spend it with my family before our kids go back to school so the slow business of August is somewhat expected. With that said I have had opportunity to get the boat on the water and I will share with you some of the trips and stories that go along with them.
The last week of July I found my calendar full but before I knew it two of my charters had canceled due to personal reasons. One of the charters however was fished in Flamingo and I had Dr. Ken and his brother Bob onboard. The brothers had read a recent fishing update of mine and were hoping for double digit catches of snook and redfish. The weather was beautiful and we started out by catching all the bait we needed and then headed for the shorelines looking for snook and redfish. The snook were there but on the small side and many were caught on Hook Up Lures tipped with Gulp Pogys. Water conditions were less then perfect with very milky water conditions but the guys released a half dozen snook, sea trout, jacks and ladyfish. We headed out to cleaner water and structure and the guys released a few goliath groupers, Spanish mackerel and bluefish before heading out to a well known wreck. Once there we saw permit, large jacks and sharks. In no time Bob had released a 12 pound jack crevalles that ate a Hook Up lure tipped with a 4" Gulp shrimp, permit and Bob had missed at least three big fish that ate crabs but did not get hooked. Large tarpon were rolling all around us but not hungry. While looking for some more permit along a tidal rip we spotted a nice cobia jus cruising along. The guys threw live crabs right at the cobia and a horse pilchard but the stubborn fish ignored them all but not the pinfish. The pinfish got eaten in a flash and Ken was on. The fight lasted 30 minutes on light tackle but the end result was a 26 pound cobia for the Barbie. Time to head home but a big storm came up and we had to skirt the edge top stay dry. The guys complimented me on the smooth and quite ride of my new 22' Pathfinder a F225 Yamaha four stroke. We made one last stop at a creek mouth and Ken released a nice 10 pound snook.
Now its time for the Lobster Mini Season. Here is the plan we have five on board and hope to get a legal limit for all. It's me, my son, my wife and Zach's two buddies from school. We hit the water early, no fishing rods onboard just dive equipment. We hit the hot spots of last year but nothing there. Its three hours later and we have nothing in the boat but here reports of limit catches already. Finally we start finding the lobsters. The young guys have the energy to stay in the water all day and by days end we have 46 legal lobsters. Once home its lobsters for dinner. The next day with one less person and fishing rods onboard the plan is to get our limit fast and then head offshore for dolphins. We go right to where we last saw lobsters first and in three hours we have 22 onboard and the tide has gotten too strong top snorkel so offshore we go. By days end we have the lobsters and 12 keeper sized dolphins some caught on X Raps and Skitter Walks plus released at least as many. The high light of the offshore fishing was when we saw a big black fin coming down the weedline. It turned out to be a Sun Fish and boys swam with it as they took photos.
Back in Flamingo with two of the boys. Start off catching all of the bait we need and now head for one of the creeks where we catch at least a dozen snook and a half dozen goliath groupers. We head offshore in hopes of getting some permit and cobias but nobody home. Heading back to shore we come across some big schools of threadfin herring and catch mackerel, bluefish and jacks on Rapala Skitter Walks and X Raps. Heading in to the creeks the water is red with a tannic stain from all of the rain and no fish so we head offshore to fish some structure. We hit about four or five spots loosing a few goliaths and a permit and catching some nice trout and jacks before finding three cobias two small ones and one big one. We release one small one but the third is over 30 pounds. Another great day in Flamingo!
Capt. Rick Murphy has just launched a new Web Site called Insider Fishing.(www.insiderfishing.com)
It is a subscription site that once you are signed in you can go to the site and click on any of the 20 or so Charter Captains up and down the Florida Coast and get a daily detailed fishing report. Captain Jimbo Thomas of the charter boat Thomas Flyer is doing the Dade and Broward Offshore report and I am doing the Inshore Dade and Broward fishing report. When you decide to join please mention my name Capt. Alan Sherman so I get the referral. At this moment you can log on for free to check it out.
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Precision Tackle, Capt. Hank Brown's Hook Up Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, Saltwater Assassins, Key Largo Rods, Lee Fisher Cast Nets, Smartshield, Master Repair in Stuart Florida, Power Pole, Stow Master Nets, www.Insiderfishing.com.
Tight Lines and Great Fishing!
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
Flamingo Fishing Forecast:
I will be back in North Biscayne Bay next and then have open dates so lets get out on the water and see what we can find. Tarpon have been biting in North Biscayne Bay early in the mornings at 7AM and then after the sun sets and trout, snappers, jacks, ladyfish and barracudas and a few snook during the day. Offshore when the weather allows lots of dolphin are still offshore and in Flamingo its snook, redfish, tarpon, trout, cobia, permit, snappers, jacks, ladyfish and sharks.
Target Species:
Snook, Tarpon, Trout, Snapper, Kingfish, Bonitos, Dolphins,
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