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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
November 15, 2006
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
I didn't fish much this past week. The weather was great but the anglers were just scarce... Although it always slows down a bit just before Thanksgiving, things will get going once our snowbirds return...
I used the opportunity to do some exploring out of Everglades City, running the inside as far south as Dad's Bay with side visits to some tiny bays along the way. The transition to the inside is in full swing now. Although I pay lots of attention to depth, water temperature, and my GPS, the critical measurement now is a primitive one. All day long the "taste test" provided all the information needed. Anywhere I could taste a bit of salt in the water, there were fish...and artificials were the order of the day. The few interior bays with lots of bait had schools of small jacks and ladyfish that could be seen feeding at a distance. Snook and reds were found tight to cover, particularly places with a bit of oyster nearby. In short order I had a backcountry slam, mostly on tipped jigs and Gulp rigs. Although I could have spent the day back in the interior, a quick visit out to the coast was in order to complete my survey. On that day the water was still quite muddy (this was just after a few days of west wind...) so I continued to work back inside and found the surprise of the day. A small bar all the way inside near Chokoloskee Bay looked like a likely redfish "corner"... It was the kind of spot where a current worked nicely around the perfect holding area for a few reds. The first fish was a bit out of place - a nice fat gag grouper that was almost 26"... The next fish was the redfish I was expecting. The big surprise was that the water was only about 3 feet deep, not the kind of water you'd expect a grouper in....
Every day now water temps will continue to cool, interior waters will become a bit more salty, grassy areas that only appear in freshwater conditions will begin to diminish, and we're finally moving towards winter, clear water, sight-fishing conditions. So far it's been a very mild fall and water temps are still relatively warm, but that's just not going to be the case much longer.... Places like Whitewater Bay (out of Flamingo) will see a great increase in trout numbers (remember they're catch and release only until January...). Along the coasts mackeral , bluefish, marauding jacks and others will be tearing things up and the birds will show them from a long distance away. This is also the time for aggressive blacktip and bull sharks to be following the action and feeding on the small predators. Although the periodic cold fronts will stir things up, there will always be areas with clear water and fish. Plug casting, spinning, or fly -- this is a great time of year to be on the water.
Tight Lines
Bob LeMay
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