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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
December 14, 2004
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
This week's report is for the action that we found just before winter (a series of cold fronts that arrived this week) decided to show up, finally...
On Thursday we found reds, snook, trout and a variety of other fish in Whitewater and Oyster Bays. Action along the Gulf coast included mackeral and some very aggressive bluefish and sharks. The sharks at one river mouth were so hungry that a large seatrout was hooked and only stayed on the hook long enough to get chopped in half less than one second after being hooked. My angler immediately reeled half a trout to the boat, but the bull shark chased after it and made certain it never reached us. It's catch and release time now for trout, but not as far as the sharks are concerned...
On Friday we had an outstanding catch. Danny Bailey of Pensacola was aboard and we went first thing to an area of Whitewater Bay where a few large tarpon have been holding every morning. The big fish were widely scattered and difficult to target. We set up and poled for them casting lures while trailing a live bait. The live bait was inhaled by a large fish and the fight was on. Thirty minutes later, Danny had the fish up to the boat for a quick photo and release. I estimated the fish at around 110lbs. It was his first big one and an outstanding catch on medium heavy spinning gear. As usual we rig live baits for tarpon on an 8/0 circle hook (I favor the new Mustad #39951BLN these days...). When the weather moderates we'll begin targeting them with lures and flies again. I'm hoping it's not our last big one for the year... To facilitate a healthy release we idle the skiff forward while swimming the fish alongside until it's lively enough to pull away. Even better than the catch is seeing one swim away afterwards!
The rest of this week we'll be hunting fish in spots that allow them to warm up after cold nights. Although the tarpon will have moved back out into the Gulf, snook, reds, and trout should be on hand. Shallow areas cool off quicker than deeper water each night, but when the sun is shining they warm up quicker than anywhere else. If you can find such a spot you might find every good fish within a half mile.... Cool water fish are fussy and difficult to feed. We'll use lighter leaders, smaller lures, and pole after them as quietly as possible.
Tight Lines
Capt Bob LeMay
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