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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
October 28, 2005
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
This will have to serve as a fishing report although fishing is the one thing I haven't done this week... Although I haven't posted a report in a few weeks we were on the water almost every day until a few days before the Park closed for the storm. Fishing was very good in the Everglades just before hurricane Wilma interrupted everything, particularly the interior (Whitewater and Oyster Bays) and along the Gulf coast, from Cape Sable north to Lostman's River. With the storm coming we cancelled my last three bookings. The week before the storm was the big weather change that marks this time of year and it had nothing to do with Wilma. In one short week water temperatures dropped from almost 80 degrees at dawn to 73 or 74. Tarpon responded by feeding heavily at river mouths along with a variety of other species - mackeral, snook, grouper, and sharks. We also found good numbers of snook in interior bays. These are the first of a wave of fish that will move into the interior as coastal temperatures start to fall.
The past few weeks also included some great local wildlife scenes. Every morning we were met at the boat ramp by a hungry night heron. That same bird showed up every afternoon for a couple of shrimp tossed his way. One afternoon, near the Shark River my angler got to see a bobcat swimming from one island to another. It was a first for me. The cat carefully shook off each paw while watching us, then turned back into the jungle where he belongs. I imagine that after Wilma there will be many signs of wildlife moving back to their normal areas.
Here's the current situation. Everglades National Park is closed now but when it re-opens the fishing should be very good. The coastal areas (the west side of the 'Glades) should have been altered dramatically by Wilma. It struck a direct blow at the Ten Thousand Islands with the eye passing over Chokoloskee / Everglades City. That means the "dirty side" of the storm made a direct strike along my favorite area --the coast south of Lostman's River. I'm looking forward to my first trip back to see what's changed but that's still in the future. Port of the Islands and the Everglades City area still have good accessible fishing until Flamingo re-opens. The night fishing here in the urban areas of Biscayne Bay should still be good, but since much of it is created by lighted docks and bridges, it will get going as electricity is back on line in those areas. That brings me to the part that most customers don't see. Guiding requires fuel, both for the boat and the vehicle that you tow with... At this point that's a bit of a problem but it's getting better each day. In a few days I may actually see someone fueling a boat... I have a feeling we'll have lots of fuel before we have lots of anglers again...
With all the talk of destruction and chaos after the hurricane, there's quite a bit of good news. None of the guides that I know lost their boats. We all have a lot of property damage but few lives were lost. We were all very lucky. When we actually get back on the water that will be a bonus.
Tight lines
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