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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
November 5, 2002
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
This past week it's all happening along the Gulf coast from south of the Shark River to Lostman's. Every day we've had shots at tarpon from 50 to over 100lbs. Our biggest in the boat was one of about 60lbs. Snook have been co-operating on bait, lures, and flies --more about the snook action in a moment. We've been catching redfish every day just about every way possible along with speckled trout. For a change of pace we kept an eye just offshore for birds getting excited. Under them we found spanish mackeral up to about 5lbs and large schools of jacks from 5 to 10lbs. It's just that time of year when all of the factors are in place for great days on the water. Water temps are still up, 74 first thing in the morning warming to 78 or 79 by afternoon. There's great quantities of bait along the coast and the weather has been picture perfect.
The highlight of the week was yesterday with Sean Kelley and his father Jack aboard. Jack was down from up north to visit the grandchildren and try some of the action that Sean had told him about... His first snook of the day was over 20lbs (quite a bit over, it was almost 4ft long...) released at boatside. In short order he stuck another one almost as big, but it jumped off. Sean then struck, fought and boated a tarpon of about 60lbs which was photographed and released. The rest of the day the fish were a little smaller but the action was steady. We ended the day near Lostman's River where Jack struck another snook over 20lbs which released itself next to the boat without our assistance. What a day! My guess is that the big females we found were feeding up for the trip inside as the water cools for winter. A few years back when it was legal to kill and eat the big breeders I never would have expected to hit three in one day.... The tight restrictions now in place should make even more "big mamas" a possibility. I'm looking forward to it
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