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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
September 23, 2003
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
Although last week's hurricane cost me a booking (my angler's house was right in the bullseye along the Chesapeake...) we still fished three days this past week. The passing hurricane wasn't even noticed along the gulf coast with the exception of a bit of wind. Glad that thing stayed out in the Atlantic!
The best action this past week has been with giant tarpon. We struck 8 fish up to about 150lbs on every kind of gear in the past two days. Most days we hardly saw another boat in the areas we worked. Valerie and Dale Cooley each caught and released a good fish. Valerie's was her first and we estimated it at 80lbs, taken on 15# spinning tackle. Her husband, Dale, caught and released one of about 90lbs on the fly. Later that same day the third angler on the boat, Barry May, hooked one on fly that we estimated at between 120 and 150lbs. The fish ate a Tarpon Snake fly and gave a spectacular, but brief, display. The big fish jumped three times while burning off about 200 yds of fly line and backing before breaking off.... It was quite a day which also included Valerie hooking her first big tarpon on a lure right next to the boat. It was another big fish, about 100lbs, and again the fish did all the releasing.
The very next day we put three big fish in the air in three casts at another spot. It's been that kind of week!
Every morning now the water surface temperature is 77 to 78 degrees. When we drop off of plane the water temps come up about two degrees. In a few weeks that will change in a big way. We're starting to see the first migratory birds now during the day but not the large numbers that will come in the next month. The best is still to come as the baitfish grow larger and school tighter to shore.
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