 |
Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
September 10, 2003
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
Although it's been three weeks since my last report we've been on the water at least three or four days a week during that time... This is a prime time along the Gulf coast of the 'Glades. Every day the baitfish are growing a bit larger and the schools of bait along the coast are more prominent. On the inside Whitewater Bay is starting to show the first large schools of finger mullet with larger fish usually nearby...
We've been fishing tarpon, snook, redfish, and speckled trout in the mornings. Some days we've found all four, but most of the time it's been tarpon and one or two of the remaining species. This is definitely the time of year for that backcountry grand slam, when an angler can catch and release all four in a single day. One of my anglers managed it last week along with snapper, gag grouper, black drum, and jewfish (goliath grouper). More about that later.
We've found that the mornings have brought the most action, with the afternoons a bit slower along the coast as the water temps rise each day. The remedy is to run back inside about a mile or so from the Gulf and fish river corners on fast moving tides for snapper, grouper and jewfish (most of the jewfish are just unstoppable next to undercut river banks). Every corner will have one area where there is quiet water just downcurrent from where a river bank sticks out and blocks a hard moving tide. Those eddies are only good on one tide or another. A spot that provides protection from current on an incoming tide is not fishable on a falling tide and vice versa. We've been fishing them with tipped jigs or live bait and having fast action until all the fish in a given spot have sore lips... This is straight up and down fishing over rock bottom next to every imaginable tangle, including downed trees, undercut mangrove banks, and every other snag so we're losing lots of gear. Most of the goliath grouper in these spots are just too much to handle. We have managed to bring a few in for release up to about 20 lbs. That's a pretty nice fish on 10# spinning gear. We've also tangled with big goliaths around outside markers when we've tried for them and been taken to school by fish that were at least 100 lbs and over. On every occasion the angler looks back and vows to beat the next one.... It's been fun!
This is the time of year when big tarpon are feeding up to prepare for winter along the coast near river mouths and in quiet bays. Every day we've had shots at fish that were from 50 to as big as they get. It will be like this until the first cold day in October and during the week you'll rarely see another boat so a quiet approach is very possible. Tarpon heaven...
More Fishing Reports:
|
|
|
|
