December fishing in Everglades City & Everglades National Park

Capt. Brandon Acosta
December 5, 2013
Everglades City - Saltwater Fishing Report

The near shore flats are alive with action, and if you can get out on a beautiful sunny day without much wind, you will be rewarded with sore arms! All sorts of action fish will enthusiastically take what you bring to offer. I like to start out fishing the 3-5' grass flats on an incoming tide with a bucktail type jig. Try using jigs with a lot of flash in the tail like a Don's Potbelly Jig. Grab a handful because the fish go crazy over them, and will most likely tear them into pieces on you. I like to throw them using 10lb line, with 2' of 20lb fluorocarbon leader. Trout, Reds, Snook, Mackerel, Bluefish, Ladyfish, Pompano, Jacks, and just about everything in between will hit them.
The backwaters have come alive with action too. Target Snook for some great "Catch and Release" action in the mid backwater creeks and back bays. They will most likely be hiding in the deeper mangrove root pockets waiting for their next meal to swim by on the outgoing tide. Try a Gulp Shrimp, live shrimp, or better yet some live Pilchards!
Sheepshead and Mangrove Snapper will become a regular catch on the hard oyster bottoms and deep mangrove root pockets in the Gulf side mouths of the many rivers in the 10,000 Islands. They both can be had with just a live shrimp and a little finesse

Target Species:

Redfish, Trout, Snook, Black Drum

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