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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
August 19, 2004
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
This time of year one way to beat the heat is to fish the small tarpon that hang out under bridges and around dock lights in the urban portions of Biscayne Bay. We hit them one night last week, getting on the water just before sundown, arriving just in time to catch them feeding at the first bridge we tried. For those who've never tried it all of the bridges that connect Miami to Miami Beach have actively feeding small tarpon at night. In the summertime the fish usually range from 10 to 30lbs. In the winter they're a bit bigger averaging from 20 to 40lbs (with a few much bigger). They're perfect fish for an 8 or 9wt fly rod or a spinning rod with 10# line. The best part is that the fish are all right at the surface so an angler can choose his (or her) target and watch the strike. Pretty exciting stuff... That night we found fish at just about every spot we looked for them. After several break-offs and more than a few spots with fish that were looking, not eating, we scored at a docklight. Doug Menne of Atlanta released one at boatside that we estimated at 40lbs and jumped several others at the same spot. All of our fish were on fly. The pattern that night was a Night Fly (small white keys-style tarpon fly on a 1/0 hook). Soon the shrimp will disappear and the fish will begin to focus on glass minnows and we'll go down to much smaller offerings.
After hurricane Charley I've been eager to check out some of the areas that I normally fish along the Gulf coast of the 'Glades out of Flamingo. Other guides and area fishing reports made it clear that Everglades National Park was hardly effected by the storm and that even Everglades City and Chokoloskee were very lucky. I did see, however, the usual signs of high winds and water along the coast. More than a few sandbars were moved, created, or disppeared in the areas that I checked south of the Shark River down toward Cape Sable. I also noted a few new snags that will be a problem at high water. The coast, though, has cleared up remarkably and the bait is thick in the creek mouths that I looked at. Any small creek mouth that's full of egrets and herons is your tip-off. While checking the area I just had to try the fishing and caught and released snook up to about 10lbs, small jewfish (the largest also about 10lbs), tarpon (the largest I jumped was only around 8-10lbs but there were fish up to 50 in the creek mouth), and a variety of other species including ladyfish, snappers, jacks, sharks, and a few "unstoppables". In short the area is approaching end of summer, the fish are hungry, and there's plenty of food for them. My next trip will be from the Shark north up to Lostman's. You just have to see things for yourself and besides I'm getting tired of repairing rods and tying flies...
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