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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
June 22, 2004
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
It's been two weeks since my last report. In that time I've been on the water eight days. The first two days were both lure and bait fishing using primarily spinning gear. The last six were strictly fly-fishing. All eight days were very productive but we sure did lots of different things!
Starting the day down in Florida Bay is a sure way to fill your live well with nice sized pilchards and pinfish. Just hang a chum bag over the side in around 3 or 4 feet of water over grass beds in a moving current and the bait will start to show almost immediately. Along with the bait will be nice sized speckled trout, snappers, and some very hungry sharks. I lost two chum bags in one week to aggressive lemon sharks that always managed to attack the chum bag when everyone was looking the other way... I even had the unique experience of throwing my net just as a small shark of around six feet was moving in. After a few panicked moments the critter worked free of the net without damaging it. I'm not eager to repeat the incident since it usually destroys a $200 net in around five seconds... Baits on board we headed for the Gulf coast and lots of snook action. On the right tide a creek mouth will really turn on this time of year with snook from 5 to about 10lbs. Along with the snook were lots of hungry snappers, trout, and more than a few small jewfish that would attack from ambush around downed trees. We've also had good action on soft plastic baits that on occasion out-fished the live bait.
The last six days, fly-fishing, a different strategy and pattern were followed. This time of year there are lots of small tarpon and snook (some not so small) in shallow protected bays in the interior of Oyster, Whitewater, and Coot Bays. Every day we poled shallow shorelines first thing in the morning and sight-fished with good results. We also got to watch as small (and not so small) tarpon moved right alongside a group of manatee in around three feet of water. At times it was tough to tell whether moving water was tarpon, manatee, or both. It would have made a great video since we were close enough to touch both fish and animal.... On one morning we released more than 20 small snook and 4 small tarpon in one bay on a 7wt. rod and small baitfish patterns. The next day we managed to jump tarpon up to around 40 lbs in the same area. Most mornings after an hour or so fishing the shallows we ran all the way to the coast where the first of the big tarpon have returned from spawning. We jumped them up to around 50lbs and had shots at fish up to 100 using a Tarpon Snake and fishing deep with an intermediate line. By the end of the week the score was three backcountry slams on fly (tarpon, snook, and trout) and one grand slam. Joe Huggard of Luxembourg caught and released tarpon, snook, redfish, and speckled trout on fly in one day. He caught three of the species on the same fly, a small deer hair mullet pattern worked slowly at the surface. He also released the biggest tarpon of the week. We estimated it at 75lbs before releasing it.
Although the mosquitoes are fierce and hungry now the fishing will actually improve as summer progresses. Baitfish along the coast are a little over 2" now and growing. In a few short weeks there'll be all the bait you can net all along the Gulf coast. I'm looking forward to it!
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