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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
January 15, 2008
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
Fishing report, Everglades interior and Gulf coast, Flamingo
I was only on the water one day last week, but it was productive. The hard cold front a few days after New Year's really changed things in the interior of the 'Glades while generating some high winds that discouraged many from getting out on the water. The sudden cold snap caused fish kills from Key Largo, bayside, all the way over to Chokoloskee, and way up inside interior waters. There were remnants of it still showing a week later in Buttonwood Canal and other areas. Fish kills in shallow 'Glades waters are something that backcountry anglers expect every few years in the shallow waters around and inside Park boundaries. We won't know how badly the snook population was affected until later in the year. One thing is certain, many on the water witnessed large numbers of goliath grouper dead and floating which just reinforces how numerous they've become everywhere. From Gulf wrecks all the way into little creeks and next to the islands of Florida Bay, the goliath grouper numbers are just amazing. Not surprising that many guides (include me in this category) and anglers are asking that the goliath fishery be re-opened, with careful controlled harvest if the population can handle it.
The good side of the cold conditions is that interior waters have cleared dramatically. Areas where the water was murky are now almost crystal clear - great sightfishing conditions! My anglers on Friday were Mike Kennedy, with CCA, and his friend Bill Mignona, a first time angler. We started off the day at a feeding station in Whitewater Bay where every cast was a fish. This time of year a shrimp under an Equalizer cork or a jig bounced across the current will just get hammered in the right places. After lots of small jacks, a few nice sized speckled trout along with some hungry mangrove snappers we ran out to one of the rivers that drain into the Gulf to catch the last of the falling tide. The creek mouths were holding lots of little ladyfish so we put a few into the live well for later while getting a few hard strikes from what were probably gag grouper or goliaths. We couldn't seem to stay connected to the bigger fish so it was off to other spots looking for action. A quick trip offshore quickly showed not much happening so it was back inside to a grouper spot that's been productive. Our best fish there was a 26" gag grouper that Mike fought to the boat with fairly light gear (15lb line for a river grouper is very light gear...)That fish weighed just about 8lbs so Mike invited him home for dinner... After a few other missed bites from fish every bit as big as the first one we managed to catch and release a small goliath and another smaller gag grouper before switching gears again. This time it was a shallow bay nearby with both snook and reds for sightfishing. After missing shots at snook up to about 10lbs we managed to find a few nice reds and Mike again scored on a nice mid slot sized redfish.
Mike carefully released this nice red to fight another day. At our last two spots, this time in Whitewater Bay, we managed a few more reds, lots of little snook, then called it a day. Both Mike and Bill got backcountry slams with trout, reds, and snook. Not bad for a few days after a serious fish kill, with one angler holding a rod for his very first time....
Although I've been working both ends of the Park for weeks and weeks now, this is the time of year when the night time baby tarpon action can be red hot in Biscayne Bay. Most of the action centers around bridges and docklights between Miami and Miami Beach. Now that the first shrimp runs have been spotted the night time tarpon scene will be happening every night all the way through April. These "babies" will average 20 to 40lbs with an occasional one much bigger and all will be right at the surface for great action. It's the perfect setup for that first tarpon on fly, or just to get in on some great angling and be back at the dock in time for the night life on Miami Beach... We'll be using 8 or 9wt fly rods or light spin or plug casting gear with 10 or 12lb line. It can be tarpon heaven when the tide is right and I'll be there this weekend...
One last point needs to be made. The Coastal Conservation Association here in Florida (CCA) is one of the greatest forces for fisheries conservation in this and other coastal states from Texas all the way up to Maine. Support them if you can, I do, and I'm very pleased with all that they've accomplished. It's an ongoing struggle to protect the fisheries, encourage sound regulations, and keep misguided folks from shutting off our access to the waters we all love. I can't say enough good things about the work they do and it's all funded by local anglers around the state.
Tight Lines
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