Incredible fishing!
Capt. Jim Hobales
October 1, 2013
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
092813
This was a long fishing weekend, I fished with Derek and Bill from Detroit this morning around Stiltville in South Biscayne Bay. We worked the finger channels chumming with live pilchards! We Barracudas, Mangroves, Muttons, Blue Runners, Jacks and Shark. I wanted to show them some sight fishing and got up on Soldiers flat. I had some Shrimp and chummed up a ton of Boxfish, Stingrays, a shark and 1 Bonefish. They enjoyed it but it was time to go.
Afternoon
I put the boat on the trailer and drove to Key Largo where I had a Team entered in the Take Stock in Children tournament, its for Snook, Redfish and Trout. I wanted to run toward Flamingo for the last couple of hours of daylight. My Team for the tourn. was my son James and regular team mate Mitch. On our first stop they were rigged with Rapala Skitter walks. James made a long cast to a stump and got slammed by a big Snook after a pretty good fight I netted his big Snook. We had to measure, photograph, then release it. It measured 34 inches on the nose. The finger mullet were pouring out of a creek and getting blown out of the water by 150 lb. Tarpon. We cast at the Tarpon but they were eating mullet. I anchored on a point and we had a couple quick bites. I had kept a live well full of pilchards I netted in the morning and started to throw out a few handfuls. It took all of 20 seconds and Mitch was hooked up to a big Snook . It was 31 inches, then James caught another. It kept getting better James caught a 23 inch Trout then Mitch got a 22 incher. It was getting dark and the bite was crazy. Mitch hooked up to something really strong but since it was dark we were guessing what it was, it ended up being a 27 1/2 inch Redfish. Between all this action James was catching Snook after Snook. I emptied the live well but we had one last surprise Mitch hooked a 30 lb. Tarpon which we got a leader release on, this was a crazy 2 1/2 hours.
092913
This tournament started on Friday night after Captains meeting but I was unable to fish until last night, so basically I spotted everyone a day! This morning we got out of the house and left Key Largo at 615 am. Our first spot had some action but we missed a couple bites. We ran to next spot where we fish last night and there was a boat there. We fished around the area waiting but the guys stayed there a while. We had a couple fish one a Trout and the other a Snook, then Mitch had a giant hook up it pulled a lot of drag and fought like a big Redfish. It stayed under the surface and I waited with the net then the big Snook showed herself. I netted it and it was a big one 34 3/4 inches after a couple photos we revived her and she swam off. It was time to go look for some big Reds. I went to my spot and Mitch caught a 26 incher which didn't help. My son needed one to complete his slam and eventually got hooked up only come unhooked as I was netting it. I stopped at one last spot which I haven't been to in years, 1 cast 1 - 22inch Redfish at 2:49 pm for his first Slam. I was relieved because I thought I cost him the other.
We made our way to The Big Chill in Key Largo and turned in our score sheets and waited to find out how we made out. The top score was 88 inches and we came in with Mitch at 84 1/2 and James at 79 1/2. We held our own fishing half the time, we were satisfied. Mitch got the trophy for second biggest Snook at 34 3/4. A GREAT SHOWING BY BOTH MY ANGLERS!
Flamingo Fishing Forecast:
Mullet run has started, Tarpon on beach!
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