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Everglades report, 31 January 2017
Capt. Bob LeMay
January 31, 2017
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
I only had one booking last week (something about the weather.... seriously bad weather in the early half of the week....). Last Friday I hooked up with a couple of visitors from the midwest, Randy Ellington and his partner Bob. They were on a houseboat and we met up in Whitewater then they transferred onto my skiff and off we went... Our first few spots held a variety of fish - mostly speckled trout on the smaller side. That day we were working mostly small artificials on light spinning gear - leadheads with Gulp tails. Out near the coast Randy tossed a 1/8oz lure up against a downed tree and we were off to the races with a nice slot snook that fought all the way until I was able to grab it for a quick photo, then release. It measured right at 30" and was Randy's first snook ever... Here's a pic
[img][img][URL=http://s235.photobucket.com/user/lemaymiami/media/fishpics/EllingtonRandy%2030inch%20snook_zpse39vnurd.jpg.html][IMG]http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee111/lemaymiami/fishpics/EllingtonRandy%2030inch%20snook_zpse39vnurd.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
It was the absolute bottom of the tide -right at the beginning of the incoming and this fish was holding in less than a foot of water - looking to feed....
After a few big fish on bait -mostly sharks that did a long run then cut us off.... we did a few drops for grouper. We did get a few very strong grouper bites but the fish won every time (grouper in river bottoms tend to sit right next to downed trees, undercut banks and other similar places where they're only a foot or two from getting your leader into real trouble...). As the tide came in that morning water quality began to drop off (with a west wind coming along the coast I was expecting it...) so it was back inside and over into Oyster, then Whitewater bays where found some bigger trout and another small snook or two... Along the way Bob got his first redfish - once again those small lures around downed trees was exactly where we found our fish. Here's a pic - once again a very pleased angler with his first redfish, around 22".....
[img][img][URL=http://s235.photobucket.com/user/lemaymiami/media/fishpics/EllingtonRandyBob%20first%20redfish_zpsigdukq78.jpg.html][IMG]http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee111/lemaymiami/fishpics/EllingtonRandyBob%20first%20redfish_zpsigdukq78.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
If you look closely you can see that small leadhead with Gulp tail in the fish's mouth.
Water temps now have the big tarpon back out into the Gulf where they'll remain until the weather gets milder... But that's at least another week away I'm afraid. As a result, the moment I finish this report I'll be back in the shop filling orders for bucktail jigs and leadheads....
Now that we're in a bit colder weather I'm looking forward to fishing out of both Flamingo and Everglades City -way back inside... We'll be concentrating on finding warm shallow mud bottomed coves where the water temperatures will come up quickly after cold nights on a sunny day. Find a warm corner, out of the wind, and you might just find every fish in the neighborhood there to warm up a bit... Great sight-fishing conditions in the backcountry.
Be a hero - take a kid fishing!
Tight lines
Bob LeMay
(954) 435-5666
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