Fall Migration is in Full Swing!
Capt. Alan Sherman
September 22, 2010
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
The Fall Migration in South Florida is under way. Want to catch a big snook or just a snook, how about a tarpon, large shark on light tackle, big jack crevalles, redfish or a bunch of redfish, sea trout while fishing the comfortable waters of Biscayne Bay or Flamingo? Want to catch large mahi mahi or dolphins, kingfish, bonitos, sailfish, blackfin tuna and barracudas offshore? Of course you do! Than what are you waiting for? Call me! 786-436-2064 or send me an e-mail at [email protected]. Now is the time so don't hesitate! Take advantage this year of the great fishing that is happening now and will continue to happen right into early December or later. By booking now you can assure yourself that you won't let another Fall Migration of baitfish and predators slide by South Florida without you getting a taste of the action and excitement that happens when large schools of baitfish mix with a wide variety of hungry fish species like snook, tarpon, jack crevalles as large as 20 pounds, large barracudas, sea trout, ladyfish, pompano, Spanish mackerel, bluefish and sharks and that's just in the Bay. Offshore of Miami kingfish schools will be passing by, large dolphins, sailfish, bonitos, barracudas, mutton and yellowtail snappers will be available to my charters on calm days.
This past week business was dead due to the strong windy weather we have had. Fortunately for me my son was in town and when he is in South Florida I like to get him out on the water as much as I can. The same goes for my wife and daughter.
On Friday my son and I took a drive to Flamingo leaving our home around 8 AM and arriving at Flamingo at 10 AM. The wind was blowing at 20 to 25 miles per hour but we were going to make the best of it. The place was deserted. The wind had pushed a lot of water in some areas that I can't always get my 22' Pathfinder Bay boat into but today I could. In no time we had hooked a small snook on a Rapala Twitchin Rap and released a small barracuda before bumping into schools of Finger Mullet. After cast netting four dozen frisky finger mullet we baited our ¼ ounce red Hookup lures with a mullet hooked through the lips and cast the baits near the shore and for the next two hours we hooked or lost a snook or redfish. We also fished the mullet under a Cajun Thunder float and had similar results. The action would have continued but a big lemon shark moved in and ate a fish off my line and then spooked the school. We baited the shark with a live ladyfish we had caught and had the shark on for a moment before it got away. These fish were all in the slot and the biggest were about 26 inches and six pounds. We ended the day up in Snake Bight where lots of large sharks and a few alligators could be seen cruising around the flats. We hooked a few sharks but never managed to get one to boatside.
Monday was our next chance to get on the water and my wife joined us. We decided to mess around in North Biscayne Bay. We launched the boat at 11 AM and with cooler conditions and a brisk wind it was pleasant on the water. We found a school of finger mullet and quickly netted about 2 dozen and put them in the live well. Half way to Haulover Inlet we spotted some birds diving and after a few quick casts we had four dozen large pilchards and threadfin herring. We needed more bait because I wanted to hit some seawalls and live chum for large jacks and snook and maybe some tarpon. I spotted pelicans diving as we neared Haulover Inlet so went to investigate. Two huge schools of pilchards and small schools of mullet were getting smashed by large fish. The seas in the inlet were calm until you got to the mouth where four to five foot waves were rolling in on the last of the outgoing tide. We got as close to the big waves as we safely could and cast our baits into the area that fish were feeding in no time we had hooked and lost jacks in the 10 plus range and missed a few other fish that may have been tarpon or snook and then the tide changed and everything stopped. With the tide coming in the seas calmed down and I slowly worked our way into the ocean. In 15 minutes we were in 130 feet of water and in seas that were 3 to 4 feet with a few bigger swells. On a charter I might not have ventured offshore but with my family it was OK! There was only one other boat out there. Once in the right depth schools of flying fish were being chased out of the water. Other baitfishes also were being chased. When we decided to go in we had landed two dolphins in the 10 pound class and missed a few more that ate live finger mullet and pilchards plus released a half dozen bonitos, some big bluerunners and an almoco jack all on Rapala Twitchin Raps. Fresh dolphin on the grill tonight!
Yesterday with winds blowing even harder we headed back to Flamingo. Again a late start and a leisurely drive down to the Park. Again the boat ramps were mostly empty. We hit the water at 11 and went up into Snake Bight where I hoped to get away from the wind. There was wind but not as much as in the open water. We netted six dozen pinfish in no time but could only four hits on the pinfish hooked to a ¼ ounce red XL Hookup lure and only one solid hookup that turned into a 30 minute fight that ended with us never seeing the fish, Probably a ray or large shark. So we headed back to the area that we had had the redfish action. We were early for the tide and the water was like mud. Nothing happening here so we moved on. Our next spot resulted in one hit and a small redfish released. We headed into East Cape Canal to get away from the wind. Once in the canal we spotted schools of finger mullet again. One good cast and we had about four dozen. A young bald eagle flew right by us. I found a nice shoreline again that I usually can't get to in Lake Ingram and we slowly fished down the shoreline. For the next two hours we had about a dozen strikes on finger mullet fished under a Cajun Thunder float landing four nice slot sized redfish with the biggest being about six pounds. We moved to one last spot where fish were crashing a school of small baitfish. You could see Spanish mackerel, ladyfish and jacks just going nuts on the baitfish. We released a few jacks and called it a day. On the way in we passed a large crocodile sunning himself on a mud flat. At the Marina there must have been a half dozen manatees just hanging out. During our ride out of the Park I saw at least three dead snakes being eaten by vultures and one large live snake that slithered into the grass as we passed. I wondered if it might be a Burmese Python.
The rods we used were made by Key Largo Rods. The reels were all Daiwa Advantages. The line was made by a company called FINS. The bait was caught with a West Coast 3/8 inch 10 foot net and the boat was powered by a new Yamaha SHO 250 four stroke outboard engine.
Well that catches us up for now!
Don't let a bad weather forecast stop you from having a fishing adventure of a lifetime!
Give me a call at 786-436-2064 or e-mail me at [email protected]
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]
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 recently changed outboard engines on my 22' Pathfinder XL Tournament Edition Bay Boat. I had an opportunity to put one of the first Yamaha SHO 250 Four Stroke outboards on my boat and the difference has been just amazing. This engine has 25 more horsepower but carries 77 less pounds allowing me better hole shot while giving great cruising fuel efficiency. What more can a boater ask for?
I have recently 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, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, Capt. Hank Brown's Hook Up Lures, Hydro Glow Lights, Costa Del Mar Sunglasses, 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
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
786-436-2064
w ww.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 Report Thursdays Edition
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, SPANISH MACKEREL, BLUEFISH, GROUPER, BARRACUDAS, SNOOK, TARPON and some POMPANO in NORTH BISCAYNE BAY and OFFSHORE of MIAMI KINGFISH, MACKEREL, SAILFISH and DOLPHINS available on the calmer days and in SOUTH BISCAYNE BAY lots of action from a wide variety of fish like the SNAPPERS, GROUPERS, JACKS, BLUEFISH, MACKERELS, POMPANO, LADYFISH, PORGIES, GRUNTS, SNOOK and BLUERUNNERS keeping anglers busy catching and releasing fish most of the day. 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, 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 our FALL FISHING SEASON.
Target Species:
SNOOK, TARPON, SEA TROUT, REDFISH, SHARKS, KINGFISH, SAILFISH, DOLPHINS
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