Fall Fishing is the Best in South Florida!
Capt. Alan Sherman
December 1, 2011
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
The weather has definitely cooled down here in South Florida and the fishing has been spectacular no matter where we have fished. If there is one bad thing happening here it is the high winds that have kept us in the bay not allowing us to get offshore where a great dolphin bite has been taking place for weeks!
Flamingo in Everglades National Park has been rewarding my anglers with Backcountry and Grand Slams with catches of redfish, sea trout, snook and tarpon.
Staying in Biscayne Bay we have had no trouble filling two live wells full of pilchards. Using these small baitfish for chum and then as bait my clients are scoring big on Spanish mackerel and bluefish that seem to be just everywhere. The action has been hot and the fish are eating Rapala X Raps, Clackin Minnows, Twitchin Raps and Skitter Walks plus Hookup lures tipped with live baits as well as the pilchards fished under a Cajun Thunder float. Free lined pilchards hooked to a Mustad long shank hook or Ultra Point 1/0 short shank hook is catching us mackerel, bluefish, snook, jacks, groupers and snappers.
The Finger Channels and Patch Reefs are starting to load up with mutton snappers, porgies, jacks, sharks, mackerel, gag, black and red groupers.
Now is the time to get into the action! What are you waiting for?
RECENT CATCHES:
Today I am with Raffi from Chicago fishing a 3/4 day in North Biscayne Bay. After filling the Pathfinders live wells with frisky pilchards we went looking for big jacks and tarpon. Once we started chumming a large school of jacks crashed into the chum. These fish were in the 8 to 15 pound range and Raffi quickly hooked up on the Key Largo 844 jigging stick and a Daiwa Advantage 4000 spinning reel loaded with Suffix 832 12 lb. braided line. In no time Raffi landed the 10 pound jack and we moved on looking for tarpon but found none. We hit a few shorelines missing a few small snook and releasing small jacks, snappers, a black grouper and barracudas. On our way to the next spot we ran into a flock of feeding terns. Raffi started casting live baits and for the next two hours it was bluefish, Spanish mackerel, sea trout and jacks.
Raffi is back with me for day two in North Biscayne Bay. Once again we loaded up with bait and headed two another spot that I thought might have some bigger mackerel and it did. For the remainder of the day we hopped from one spot to the next and released over 30 Spanish mackerel to 4 pounds, mangrove snappers to 2 pounds, jacks, bluerunners, gag groupers and a 6 pound snook.
I was chartered to fish Thurs. thru Mon. in Bimini but the trip got canceled due to dangerous weather conditions from a low pressure area out in the Atlantic and an approaching cold front that built sea up to 15 feet in the Gulf Stream. Better to be safe than sorry.
Today I am in Flamingo with my son Zach and longtime client Jerry. We hit a bait spot and loaded up on perfect size pinfish. We have a good tide up in Snake Bight where I have been doing well on redfish and snook. After working the channel for over an hour and only releasing a few small trout, lots of small jack and ladyfish and small redfish we decide to move on. We headed into the mouth of a creek up coast a ways and released a few more trout, jacks and ladyfish but manage to cast net 50 nice pilchards. In our next spot we score fishing the pilchards under a Cajun Thunder float and tipped to a ¼ ounce red Hookup lure. For the next three hours it was redfish to 22 inches, snook and loads of sea trout and jacks. Two Backcountry Slams!
Back in Flamingo with Dr. Robert and two of his friends. I was able to keep the pinfish from the other day alive and it was a good thing because that is what the snook to 24 inches, redfish to 22 inches, sea trout to 18 inches and tarpon to an estimated 100 pounds ate when hooked to a ¼ ounce red Hookup lure. Dr. Robert scored a Backcountry Grand Slam! His buddies released countless numbers of sea trout, jacks, ladyfish and a few redfish.
Back in North Biscayne Bay again with Flynn Sr., Flynn Jr. and granddad Frank. We loaded up on baitfish at the bait spot and then headed over to where the birds had been hanging out. Today only a few birds where around but the bluefish and Spanish mackerel where waiting for us. After a couple of hours the guys had released a number of bluefish and a few mac's before we moved on fore bigger fish. In the next spot bigger bluefish and hungry Spanish mackerel and jacks ate every bait that hit the water. Frank quit fishing to rest his hand and I saw Flynn Sr. massaging his hand as well. The guys were interested in a snook, grouper or snapper so we moved on to see what we could fine. We fished a bunch of spots but could only manage the release of a nice trout, snapper and a few small gag groupers.
Last trip of the week for me before I head back to the Bahamas this weekend. Today I have Jerome C and his buddy Tom with me and we are fishing the Finger Channels and Patch Reefs an area in South Bay that last year produced nonstop action from lots of surface and bottom species. After filling the well with pilchards we hit a half dozen spots down south and caught and landed or released a dozen mutton snappers, mangrove snappers, gag, black and red groupers to 22 inches, bar jacks, porgies, Spanish mackerel, a bunch of sharks and a barracuda.
My new boat has 60 hours on it and is ready to go. Everything new and working the way it's supposed to. The Yamaha SHO 250 Four Stroke is purring away and the 22' Pathfinder is sliding through the water smoother than ever. My new Frigid Rigid cooler is in place and my new Tempress seats are fastened in tight. The Minn Kota Talon is quiet and has given me a full extra foot of anchoring depth. My new Minn Kota I-Pilot trolling motor is quiet as well and the GPS lets me do so many things it is really amazing. I am getting better with my new Humminbird 1197c SI.
I have open dates for the next month so give me a call and let's go catch some big trout, snook, tarpon, redfish, jacks, ladyfish, mackerel, kingfish, dolphins and tunas.
Give me a call at 786-436-2064 or e-mail me at [email protected].
Look me up on Facebook at Get Em Sportfishing Charters! LIKE IT!
Let's go catch some Fish!
Check out my new web site and to read about the weekly catches and to see your pictures.
www.getemsportfishing.com
[email protected]
Rick Berry of Key Largo Rods (www.keylargorods.com) recently got in a new shipment of jigging rods. There model numbers are 843 and 844. These are 7 foot spinning rods with a lot of beef that will easily handle 12 to 30 and 15 to 40 pound braided line and a one to two ounce vertical jig. I have been using them for live bait fishing for snook, tarpon, sailfish, bonitos and dolphins and am very excited about the strength and feel of these new rods. I can't wait to give them a shot on snapper and grouper on the reefs! Check out the Key Largo Rods web site or give the shop a call and have a few made up.
Want to stay cool and look like you belong on the water? Than gear up with some Columbia Sportswear! For starters slip on a pair of cool fitting and quick drying Aruba III Zip Off Pants. They are so light you won't even know you're wearing them and they quickly turn into shorts if you feel the need. Find yourself in Flamingo in Everglades National Park where at times bugs can be a problem then add The Bug Shield long sleeve shirt that has the new Insect Blocker technology that keeps six-legged pests at bay and it offers Omni-Shade UPF 40 sun protection, and Omni-Wick advanced evaporation technology that keeps you cool, dry, and collected - leaving you free to focus on the adventure at hand. And then last but not least slip on a pair of Omni Free gloves and neck-buff that is outfitted with a UPF 30 sun protection enough sun protection to get the Skin Cancer Foundation's seal of recommendation.
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.
I have been wearing a lot of Columbia Sports Wear on my fishing charters and the new Blood & Guts shirts are amazing. I have had mackerel, cobia and snook just splatter me with blood and one good washing and the shirts are as good as new.
Check out their web site at www.columbia.com
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, 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, Power Pole, Stow Master Nets, superfishlight.com, Columbia Wear, Tempress Seating, Aluminum Fabricating Inc.
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
786-436-2064
www.getemsportfishing.com
Field Editor of the Florida Sportsman Magazines Action Spotter Report South Region
Field Editor of the Florida Sportsman Magazines Internet Fishing Forecast South Region
Editor of the Miami Heralds South Florida Fishing
Flamingo Fishing Forecast:
I expect the fishing to be pretty consistent for the next three or four months with lots of SEA TROUT, JACK CREVALLES, LADYFISH, BARRACUDAS, SNOOK, TARPON in NORTH BISCAYNE BAY and OFFSHORE of MIAMI KINGFISH SAILFISH and DOLPHINS available on the calmer days and in FLAMINGO in EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK will 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. SNOOK, TARPON, REDFISH, SEA TROUT, SHEEPSHEAD, TRIIPLETAIL, BLACK DRUM, SNAPPER, GOLIATH AND GAG GROUPER, POMOPANO, COBIA, MACKEREL, PERMITS, BLUEFISH and I'm sure I am leaving a few other fish species out will be available to all anglers at one time or another throughout the rest of the Fall and Winter months.
Target Species:
SNOOK, TARPON, MACKEREL, TROUT, REDFISH, DOLPHINS, SAILFISH, SHARKS
More Fishing Reports:
