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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
November 30, 2005
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
Yesterday was a day of exploring the interior to the south of Everglades City. That's what I call it when I've tied one too many flies and need a day on the water whether I have an angler or not... Weather yesterday was cloudy all day with rain beginning about noon and deteriorating as the afternoon progressed. At the end of the day the run back to the ramp was in rain the whole way. Fortunately the fishing was pretty good. Lots of snook in the back now and more to come as the water temperatures begin dropping. These past few days, though, it's been warm enough to produce water temps in the 68 degree range at dawn. That will end as we move into December. Along with snook are small reds, fair sized black drum, and small jewfish that will attack any bucktail tossed their way. The surprise of the day were great schools of ladyfish almost up into freshwater. None of the flies that I tossed their way lasted long... What a situation for a beginning fly angler. The fish were hitting anything that moved, or just jumping on a fly or lure when it lay there motionless. The ladies were feeding so hard that six or more times I actually had fish on that struck the line or leader where it entered the water and got tangled up in it... I actually caught a few that weren't hooked at all... Just to spice up the action a bit, every now and then something large would attack one of the schools of ladies. They're prime forage for larger snook and any small shark that is prowling...
The best lure yesterday was still just a bucktail jig worked just above the bottom. I did have a few pops on surface lures but most were a bit short. A quick toss to the same area with a jig generally sealed the deal... When I'm running the backcountry I usually bring two fly rods, an 8 and a 10wt. Occasionally I'll opt for a 7 and 9wt instead... The two different sized rods have a lot more to do with the size of the flies we're casting than the size of the fish we're targetting. Snook heaven if you can keep them out of the bushes. I got taken to school several times that way yesterday.
Here's a minor commercial plug. I'm finally tying again for a local shop. The Fly Shop of Ft. Lauderdale will be stocking my patterns for anyone interested. Don's Bait and Tackle in Homestead is the shop with my backcountry jigs for sale. Hope I can keep both shops happy.
For first time visitors to South Florida it's hard to imagine Everglades National Park is so close to a major urban area. The Ten Thousand Islands area (Everglades City / Chokoloskee)of the Park is less than an hour and a half from Ft.Lauderdale. Just run west on Alligator Alley (I-75) to State Road 29, then south to one of the best winter fishing spots in the country.
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