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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
January 1, 2008
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
Last report for 2007, Everglades backcountry and Gulf coast
Although I was only out on the water two days this past week, the fishing has been great. We've found everything from permit to tarpon depending on the water temperatures each day. This time of year a few mild days can bring water temps up to spring conditions and the fish really respond. As I write this, a really strong cold front is on its way, so we'll be back to winter conditions in less than a day...
The day before Christmas we worked the interior out to the Gulf coast and found a nice variety of fish, including grouper, jewfish, permit, speckled trout, bluefish, and some very hungry sharks. Here's a young man's first permit, taken on a lure up inside a nameless Gulf river...
At the end of that day we found so many speckled trout at one creek mouth that I barely had time to un-hook them (with three anglers it was three hookups unless someone was out of the water...). Not far away we tangled with some nice bull sharks, the biggest estimated at about 125lbs... The best fish of the day kept me too busy to reach for a camera. It was a blacktip shark that I estimated at about 90lbs on 15lb gear, a real handful on relatively light line. That fish ran up current, down current, twice under and around the pushpole... My angler was ready to sit down after the release and so was I....
On Saturday, I had Gary and James Anderson aboard for a trip purchased by gift certificate. The father and son team are local anglers, with James just graduated from FSU. By this past weekend water temperatures had climbed enough that I had high hopes of some tarpon action and they didn't disappoint at all... Most of the time anglers in the backcountry are so busy running from one spot to another that they overlook some great tarpon action, running right by fish that stay invisible until all those noisy boats have run past. This was one of those days, with water temperatures approaching 73 degrees, it was just like spring. After doing a bit of fishing in Whitewater, and not really doing anything noteworthy we headed out to the rivers near the end of the falling tide. It was the right move. Every creek had ladyfish, speckled trout, and lots of other small fish feeding on the last of the outgoing. It didn't take long to see that there were some really big tarpon in the same areas (particularly after one tried to eat one of our ladyfish right at the boat....). I quickly set up a medium heavy spinning rod with a small ladyfish on a 5/0 circle hook and allowed it to swim close to the skiff while we kept working lures... About five minutes later, that rod doubled up and James was solidly hooked up with a big fish. At first I thought it was in the 70lb range but that fish just kept getting bigger during the fight....
We carefully released the fish at boat without removing it from the water. Moments later another three boats came racing by us and probably wondered what we were up to.... Tarpon heaven. I estimated the fish to be right at 100lbs. On 15lb line it was a great catch.
At the end of the day we hit a few spots back in Whitewater Bay looking for a redfish to complete a backcountry grand slam but it wasn't happening. Instead James last cast was blown up by a nice snook to end the day. The fish didn't let the lure move 6 inches before slamming it and turning back toward the mangroves. James turned the fish and this was our last photo...
The last tarpon and last snook of the year on "Tip-Toe", a Maverick skiff that's almost 20 years old now...
Tight Lines
Bob LeMay
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