Negative Tides, Chilly Temps & High Winds!
Capt. Benny Blanco
November 24, 2008
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
When it comes to fishing in and around Cold Fronts, you can throw your typical game plan out the window. An impending Cold Front typically means increased (sometimes drastically) winds and a sharp drop in temperature. Like an immediate reach for your favorite jacket, the fish seek warmth just as fast... and they'll eat like champs just prior to the front. With these two things in mind, you can formulate a new game plan... getting out before the front is the best option, but when that cannot happen make sure you can hide from the wind and target fish hiding in deeper water or muddy bottoms. In Flamingo, you can also take advantage of the heavy North winds that simply push all the water out of Florida Bay, by targeting the edges of flats, preferably in moving water channels.
11.15.08
With my Dad's birthday coming up, I made arrangements to treat he and my brother to a day in the Park... lucky enough, it worked out to be the day just prior to the Cold Front. They were treated indeed... Tarpon were out in full force, crashing on anything that moved. Snook were stacked up on nearly every point or downed tree. Redfish were schooled up tight and literally on every flat we fished. The rust and cob webs of their rarely used fishing skills were evident, but the fish were very eager to please.
11.16.08 - The South Carolina Boys
When Graham, James & John packed their truck, boat and gear early Thursday morning for their annual camping trip to ENP, they simply could not have predicted the events that would unfold over the next four days. I will let them tell the whole story, as only they can... but, I will say that I found them Sunday morning camping outside the marina store cold, wet and tired. I was to be their grand finale, but with the winds a steady 25 mph and gusts upwards of 30 mph, my work was cut out for me big time.
We loaded into my Maverick HPX-T and headed out with little fear. Unfortuntely, the previous days' Tarpon were long gone, but the Snook were still around. They each caught a few, but the bruiser that hit John's Skitterwalk would get away twice... With the wind pushing the water out hard, we had to leave quickly. Later we found hefty Redfish taking advantage of mudding rays on the edge of channels... the muds were easy to spot in spite of the heavy winds and nearly every one had hungry fish that made short work of the bass assassin paddle tails we were using.
Week of 11.17 - 11.23.08
This week was plagued by chilly temperatures, heavy North winds and extreme low water. While many anglers chose to head into Whitewater Bay and the black waters within, I decided not to give up on the consistent fishing in Florida Bay just yet. Unfortunately, the conditions made it difficult and some days were tougher than others. Luckily, the fish did not move very far and several of them visited the inside of my HPX-T for a quick picture.
The most productive areas this week were grass flats located within close proximity of deep water. As the unusually low water raised enough to cover the grass, Reds and Snook would soon follow. The baits of choice were Saltwater Assassin paddle tails rigged weedless for versatility. A steady diet of Rapala's were mixed in whenever possible and an occasional jig head was used to fish deeper pockets. A special thanks to Buddy Yarborough, Frank Artiles, Paqi Morales, Ray & Jorge for joining me on the water this week... it was a blast and I look forward to the future trips we planned.
The highlight was a day on the water with Tyler of Castaway Customs (www.castawaycustoms.com). It was only blowing a steady 20mph, with unbelievable gusts... but, there were hungry fish everywhere. We should have known it was going to be one of those days, when on what was one of his first few casts he hooked into an upper (possibly over) slot Snook... the fight was slightly more sporty than you might like, since Tyler was using a Shimano Stradic 1000 on what looked like a Crappie rod. We would go on to catch at least a dozen more Snook and doubling up at one point in a muddy back bay. When the water raised enough, we pushed up onto a grassy flat and were surrounded by schooling Redfish... unbelievably, we never doubled up on Reds, but we definitely caught our share, easily over a dozen. Thanks for a great day, Tyler... I hope to make it up your way very soon.
Flamingo Fishing Forecast:
Whitewater Bay is heating up, but Florida Bay is still on fire... be selective for your days in Florida Bay and expore the back country on others. Flamingo continues to offer the best fishing around... Contact a cyberangler guide today and book your trip right away!
Target Species:
Snook, Redfish, Tarpon, Trout
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