Hope you had as much fun as my clients this Thanksgiving
Capt. Alan Sherman
December 4, 2013
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
As always whenever we have a holiday my phone rings off the wall with client's wanting to get in a little fishing before and after Thanksgiving and this Thanksgiving was no different. I always stress a little before the Holidays wondering if the weather will cooperate and will the fishing be as good as I want it to be. I believe that this Thanksgiving holiday lived up to all of that. If you were one of my lucky clients that had an opportunity to fish with me during this Holiday I am sure that you had a great time. Instead of going on and on with what I expect the fishing to be in the future let me tell you how it was this past two weeks right up to yesterday.
Unfortunately for Andrew and his fishing buddy I probably tried to do too much during this four hour charter in stormy conditions in Biscayne Bay. Tarpon is the species of fish that Andrew is always looking to catch but tarpon have not been an easy target recently and won't be for another month or so. So I had been having some real good gag grouper action in Biscayne Bay trolling large Rapala X Raps. We gave it a try but only managed a small gag grouper and two lost fish before trying for sea trout and bluefish before the guys decided it was time to go do a little golfing.
On the Friday after Thanksgiving I participated in a two boat five hour charter in Flamingo. There were six people in the party. Three guys and three women! I was given the three women. Angie her daughter Sharma and Imelda. Loaded with 12 dozen shrimp I headed for my first spot. As I was explaining to the ladies what we were going to do the first bait out a shrimp under a Cajun Thunder float disappeared under the water. Sharma had that fishing rod and struck the fish hard. A snook, her first ever! Landed and released the next bait had the same results but this time it was a slot size redfish. For the next two hours the girls landed four redfish three in the slot and released a smaller one. Besides the snook we had a couple of nice sheepshead, jacks, ladyfish and catfish. We lost a few nice fish before we moved on. The area around us was loaded with white pelicans, roseate spoonbills, terns, gulls, herons and skimmer birds. It was really pretty on this day. For the remainder of the day the girls landed jacks, ladyfish, catfish and sea trout.
Later that day I had David and his niece Ruby age 7 and a half in Flamingo again. Another half day charter that resulted in a snook for each angler, also their first snook ever on their first casts. For the next three hours the pair caught and released another 11 snook, redfish, sheepshead, jacks, ladyfish, sea trout and black drum.
There is no rest for the weary during the Holidays. Today I have Steve and Joel in Biscayne Bay. After loading two live wells with pilchards we went looking for some fish to feed them to. After a few hours of slow fishing and only a few Spanish mackerel to show for it we hit a spot and the guys caught 25 mutton snappers to 17 inches, three gag groupers to 7 pounds, bluerunners, porgies and mangrove and yellowtail snappers.
Today I have a half day charter with Marc and his son Johnathan in Biscayne Bay. Once again the bait was easy and off we went looking for some action. I set out a pair of Rapala #8 X Raps and in no time we were into a big Spanish mackerel and juvenile king mackerel bite. The guys caught about a dozen of the fish releasing half before we moved on. We fished a nearby grass flat with Cajun Thunder floats and live pilchards and had steady action from sea trout, jacks, bluefish and two gag groupers.
With Thanksgiving behind us I now have a few days to get caught up but the weather was just too nice not to fish yesterday so I called up a good friend Brian to see if he was free to bend some fishing rods. Brian never lets a fun day pass him by so he was up for it. We met a 8 AM and hit the water. Bait was easy and we headed offshore of Miami with overcast skies and light winds. Once offshore you could see loads of birds feeding on baitfish that small blackfin tuna were chasing. We started fishing. Brian missed a few right away but locked onto a nice tuna to get the skunk off of us. I missed a few on a Rapala X Rap and then the sun broke through the clouds and the bite shut down. We each hooked a small shark before we moved closer to shore. In this spot we caught some real nice mangrove and lane snappers plus a bunch of needlefish and bluerunners. Time to move on. Now closer to the beach we started chumming and in no time we had dozens of Spanish and juvenile king mackerel around the boat. Fishing with live baits was getting us tons of strikes but the fish kept cutting our Mustad long shank hooks off our lines. I switched to the Rapala #8 X Raps and that was the key. For the next hour or more we caught small king or Spanish on almost every cast. With almost two limits of mackerel in the boat we headed offshore again. Clouds were covering the sun and the birds were up and feeding on small baits being chased to the surface. Soon after tossing our baits in the water we had dolphins all around the boat. These fish were in the six to eight pound range and we landed five or six before the school left. Just like that the sun came out again and the fishing shut down. We kept fishing as drifted north with the current catching and releasing two artic bonitos also known as skipjack tuna before the sun got covered up by the clouds. Just like that the birds were up and feeding and we were in the midst of a dolphin feeding frenzy. We caught over 30 fish releasing all but the bigger ones before we headed in.
I have open dates and the fishing will continue to be good for some time.
This is what South Florida, Get Em Sportfishibng Charters and I have to offer you! All you have to do is call, text or e-mail me and it's done.
I have open dates in my calendar so if you're interested in getting in on some hot fishing action give me a call at 786-436-2064 or drop me an e-mail at [email protected]. Let's set it up today!
www.getemsportfishing.com, e-mail [email protected]
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Check out my report in the Miami Herald's Sports section under Fishing Updates each Thursday, the Florida Sportsman Magazines South Florida Internet Fishing Report
www.floridaspotsman.com), my monthly Action Spotter Fishing Report for the South Region in the Florida Sportsman Magazine each month.
Sponsors:
Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Suffix, Trigger X, Mustad, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, Capt. Hank Brown's Hookup Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Saltwater Assassins, Key Largo Rods, Lee Fisher Cast Nets, Smartshield, Master Repair in Stuart Florida, Stow Master Nets, Columbia Wear, Tempress Seating, Aluminum Fabricating Inc.
Miami Fishing Forecast:
Fall fishing is here and the fishing in Biscayne Bay, Offshore of Miami and in Flamingo in Everglades National Park will be red hot for the next four months. Look forward to catching SEA TROUT, JACK CREVALLES, LADYFISH, BARRACUDAS, SNOOK, TARPON, MACKEREL, BLUEFISH, POMPANO in NORTH BISCAYNE BAY, IN SOUTH BISCAYNE BAY GROUPER, SNAPPER, MACKEREL, COBIA, JACKS, SNOOK,POMPANO AND BLUEFISH and OFFSHORE of MIAMI, KINGFISH, BLACKFIN TUNA, MACKEREL, JACKS, BLUEFISH, COBIA, SAILFISH and DOLPHINS will be available on the calmer days and in FLAMINGO in EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK we always have a huge amount of wildlife like the WHITE PELICANS, ROSEATTE SPOONBILLS, SKIMMER BIRDS,GULLS, OSPREYS, EAGLES, TERNS, EGRETS, HERONS, ALLIGATORS, CROCODILES, BOTTLE NOSED DOLPHINS, MANATTEES, SHARKS and TURTLES and of course the wide variety of fish that migrate into FLORIDA BAY and the GULF waters during the cooler months of the year.
Target Species:
SNOOK, TARPON, SHARK, REDFISH, SEA TROUT, MACKEREL, DOLPHINS, TUNA
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