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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
November 10, 2004
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
The weather shifted this week and most of the Gulf coast from Big Sable northward to the Rogers River pretty much turned off for us. Fortunately, lots of fish have moved up into Oyster and Whitewater Bays. Although water temperatures have dropped to around 68 or 69 degrees each morning, shallow bays warm up nicely and most of the fish we've found were hungry. Every day we've had snook, redfish, and speckled trout. There's an enormous amount of finger mullet in small schools and the fish are working them from the coast back into interior bays. We found solid slot sized snook working the finger mullet along island points where wind and tide had bait pushing around ambush points.... A finger mullet under a light cork rigged on a 4/0 hook was all that we needed. Of course being close to mangroves gives the fish the edge...
This is the time of year when soft plastics really come into their own. On Monday they were all we used to catch and release snook, redfish, trout, and other species. One of my anglers even caught and released a small tarpon on one at the end of the day. We're using Mustad's new weighted hook designed to hold a soft plastic jerk bait (model # 9176 UB 118 in 3/0 and 4/0). These new hooks allowed my anglers to work the baits close to structure and (most of the time) keep from snagging the mangroves when a cast went a bit too far. They were effective enough that we never reached for bait of any kind during the day...
As much as I love fishing and being there when one of my anglers scores on a good fish there's a lot more to being on the water day after day. I've learned to appreciate how lucky we are to live where we can fish and enjoy the outdoors all year long. All of us need to do whatever we can to preserve and improve the places and fish that are part of our world. For that reason I strongly support the Coastal Conservation Association. They are the only group that effectively represents us in front of the legislature and regulatory boards. Today our right to fish, our fish stocks and their habitat are under constant assault. If you're not a member please join the CCA chapter in your county. If you belong to a fishing club, the entire club can join at one time. The CCA (it was the FCA at the time) was the outfit that succesfully got the net ban amendment passed. They are the ones that will speak out against "no fishing zones" and other foolish attempts to exclude us from fishing portions of Biscayne Bay and other prime areas... Reasonable size and bag limits have been shown to work time after time in restoring and preserving fish stocks. Catch and relase works! I'll be speaking at a workshop considering commercial shrimping in Biscayne Bay today where I'm hoping they'll limit or ban altogether wing-netting of shimp in the Bay.
Join CCA. They speak for all of us....
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