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Flamingo - Everglades National Park
Capt. Ariel Cabrera
January 14, 2002
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
It was a beautiful day at Flamingo with Tom Lenihan of Massachusetts. We braced a thermo blanket across our bodies in an effort to keep us warm as we sped towards the fishing grounds. Actually I was hoping the fishing would heat things up but the cold start stayed that way for some time. The first fish of the day was a 17" redfish that was quickly released. Then my guests managed to find a jack hole that produced a dozen or so crevalles. The small tarpon rolling in the nearby channel teased us so much it was time to relocate.
A radio check with my friends from South Dade Anglers reaffirmed that the morning bite was slow but would be getting better as it warmed up. We struck out while fishing the boundary markers aboard my small skiff so I decided to move inland as the tide was rising. Here is where I lost radio contact and began seeing bent rods. Tom landed his first redfish, a five pounder. Tom also caught another five or six jacks before hitting the flats.
As cold as the water temperature was there were a few fish on the flats during the late afternoon. Tom also landed his first seatrout, a keeper using a brown skimmer jig casting to a pothole. This same pothole held at least four to six other trout that we were able to see. The water was gin clear and we saw over 15 trout altogether in about 18" of water. Many of these fish moved out as the skiff glided over their sea grass burrows. They had good reason to be spooky since the water was chilly, crystal, and a talented fisherman determined to fool these sporting fish would not surrender. Two additional seatrout were landed before the ladyfish made an appearance.
These ladies were aggressive and acrobatic as usual but it was more fun because we could see the take. The wheel ditch at the end of a channel near the marina produced at least six ladyfish, two of which were caught on fly. The guys had a great time catching a variety of fish in different locations, all in one day.
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