Flamingo is Hot and Your Missing Out!
Capt. Alan Sherman
November 5, 2008
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
Fished in Flamingo yesterday during a two boat charter organized by my fellow Capt. Pete. We met our two groups of three fishermen at 7:15 in the morning on the Florida Bay boat ramp and headed into Snake Bight Channel on the beginning of the outgoing tide. In no time at all the guys were hooked up to jack crevalles, ladyfish and lots of sea trout that are now out of season. My anglers Peter and his sons Arthur and Barry were catching or getting hit on every cast as they threw live shrimp on a Cajun thunder and on ¼ ounce Hook Up lures tipped with a Gulp shrimp. Peter was throwing the artificial and jumped a small snook. Capt. Pete was eager to move on and catch the tide in East Cape Canal so we headed north only to find very dirty and muddy water due to the high winds from the recent cold front. Capt. Pete said his three anglers wanted to catch some eating fish for the table so we headed out into the Gulf and anchored in one of Capt. Pete's favorite spots. Moments after putting the chum over board the guys were hooking up with large lane snappers, mangrove snappers, small gag groupers, bluefish, large Spanish mackerel plus exciting action on small cobia, pompano and an 11 lb. Goliath grouper. After two hours of non stop action we decided to get closer to the boat ramp. Capt. Pete took a steady line back towards the ramp and we headed closer to shore to take advantage of the calmer ride. Our track took us to an island I had recently had good snook action so we gave it a try before heading in. Peter had a live shrimp on a Cajun Thunder and as soon as the rig hit the water Peter's Cajun thunder disappeared below the dingy water. He set the hook and was fast into a good fish. The fish made a long run and then bulled its way back to the boat where I was able to get my Stow Master net under it. A 28" snook! Nice way to finish off the day. At the cleaning station Peter told me he had entertained the idea of canceling our trip at the last moment due to the forecast of lots of rain on the Miami coast. He said he was glad he had not. Just goes too show you you can't always trust a weather forecast, what happens on the east coast of Florida doesn't always happen on the west side. In the future I suggested he leave the weather decisions to his Captain and he said he would.
Had a one person morning charter in North Biscayne Bay today and could not have asked for better results. Met my client at 7 AM and headed for the grass flats looking for baitfish and action. The first spot had some bait and a few fish but only produced a hook up on a gull that thought our chugger plug might make a nice meal. Unhooked the gull and headed for an area that I could see large splashes and found a huge school of bait that was getting dive bombed by a dozen pelicans that were making the large splashes I had seen. One quick cast of my Lee Fisher 10' cast net and the well was full. Probably could have fished in that spot but choose to head for the inlet where a large school of 10 pound jacks were terrorizing a baitfish school. For the next hour my client landed and released four jacks from 8 pounds to 11 pounds all on Rapala Twitchin Raps and Skitter Walks. Looking for some different action and since the wind was light and from the NW we headed along the beach looking for mackerel. Had a few hits but no hook ups so we headed a little further offshore and had over a dozen kingfish hits but only landed one plus a couple of bonitos. Went further offshore along the outer reef and missed another king and then decided to see if there might be some dolphins around. Once in the Gulf Stream we were met with some large ground swells but they were smooth and easy to fish in. Located a nice weedline and threw some chum into the water and in no time we had dolphins all around us. Everyone was a gaffer size fish. Fish from six to 11 pounds! In two hours we caught more then we could count keeping what we needed and releasing the rest. We caught the fish on Rapala X raps, Twitchin Raps and Skitter Walks plus live bait and all on light tackle. What a blast! Back at the ramp by 11:15! Can't ask for more then that!
For the last two months I have been informing my clients and readers that this is the time to get out on the water to take advantage of some of the best fishing of the season and the ones that did get out I'm sure had some good fishing tales to tell. Now as I write the weather conditions are changing and temperatures feel more like December or January weather but we are still in October. I think the last time I felt temperatures like these in October it may have been 10 or more years ago. That could be a good sign because 10 years ago the fishing was good maybe better then it has been especially in North Biscayne Bay for the past few years. For what ever reason a lot of the migratory fish like the mackerels, bluefish and pompano never stuck in the bay much past November and hopefully this year they will. In the past these fish have been available throughout the year and I can only hope that this is one of those years because when you add the migratory fish to the local species it always gives you something special to fish for of quality in North Biscayne Bay. So far we have had a few bluefish in the bay but no mackerel or pompano as of yet and I expect that to change maybe as soon as today. Yesterday as I was writing the Miami Heralds Fishing Update I spoke with an employee on Anglins Fishing Pier off of Commercial Boulevard. The guy was so excited I had called because anglers had been catching pompano from sun up all the way into the afternoon and the fish were still biting. He estimated that maybe 1000 pompano had cleared the rail yesterday and before the front anglers were catching a lot of bluefish and Spanish mackerel. Recently the weather has been either very windy or very rainy and now quite chilly. Put all of these conditions together and it can make for a tough day on the water. Recently I have fished three short four hour trips in North Biscayne Bay with similar results and those being tough conditions with slow fishing. All of these trips were during strong winds taking away a lot of the bay that I had hoped to fish. Half day charters can be great if the fish are concentrated and cooperate but that wasn't the case on these days. We started each trip with a live well full of finger mullet that I was able to catch with my 10' Lee Fisher cast net at the boat ramp but the water was too dirty from all of the recent winds and rain and pilchards were not available. On each trip we covered a lot of water trying to find some action but only a few jacks, ladyfish, bluefish, barracudas, small groupers, lizard fish, sea trout and lizard fish came to our baits and not on each trip. Just days before the weather changes lots of tarpon were in the bay and actively feeding on large schools of finger mullet. Large jacks, snook, sea trout, barracudas and ladyfish were also feeding on the baitfish and allowing for some hot action. Things are changing now as far as the weather and I can only hope that when things calm down the baitfish schools will regroup and the mackerels, bluefish, pompano, tarpon, snook, jacks, ladyfish, sea trout, snappers and barracudas will be there waiting for my clients.
Offshore fishing had been producing hot king mackerel action and some dolphins, lots of small tunas and the first signs of sailfish and now with bluefish, pompano and mackerels cruising the beaches so things are looking good for the offshore fishermen.
South Biscayne Bay will start seeing the mackerel, bluefish, pompano, jacks, snapper and groupers moving into the Finger Channels and that can be a lot of fun for the Variety Fishermen.
Flamingo has been the place to be if you are looking for that fishing trip for snook, redfish, tarpon, sea trout and sharks and now with cooling temperatures the mackerels, bluefish, pompano, tripletail, cobias and groupers become part of the catch.
If your in the market for a new landing net then you need to check out the Stow Master landing net line. I have owned two Stow Master landing nets in the last three years and the only reason I don't have my original net is because I allowed it to catch a mangrove tree in a small creek with a lot of current and it tore the net and broke the handle. The Stow master landing net is a knotless net that is coated with a material that almost makes hooks getting stuck a thing of the past. It has extensions and folds in half taking up half the space of a normal landing net and easily stows in a rod locker or hatch making it impossible to be blown out of you boat while traveling. Stow master nets can be bought in many of your local tackle dealers or on line at www.stowmaster.net/
Do you live on the water? Do you have a dock or sea wall behind your home? If your answer was yes and you have read my report then you need the Super Fish Light on your dock or sea wall. The Super Fish Light easily attaches to your sea wall or dock and runs off of a 110 volt power cord and once set up to go on at night and turn off at a specific time will have snook, tarpon, snappers, jacks, ladyfish and baitfish like pilchards, shrimp and glass minnows right at your back door. From there you can either name your new pets or catch them for catch and release or dinner. www.superfishlight.com I hope to have some pictures real soon of my Super Fish Light and the fish it has attracted.
Captain Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Spotfishing Charters
7864362064
[email protected]
www.getemsportfishing.com
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 or tune into the Florida Sportsman Magazines Live Radio Show on 1080 WMCU on the AM dial or listen on the internet at www.1080wmcu.com every Saturday morning from 7 to 8 AM and here the up to the minute fishing forecasts from some of the top Capt.'s in South Florida like Capt. Jimbo Thomas on the Thomas Flyer, Capt. Bouncer Smith on Bouncers Dusky, Capt Skip Bradeen on the Blue Chips Too out of Whale Harbor Marina, Capt. Wayne Conn on The Reward Fleet, the Newport Fishing Pier and more.
Check out my new web site and see the monthly catches!
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, 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
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
Flamingo Fishing Forecast:
The fishing will continue to remain very good for one type of fishing or another in Flamingop no matter what the weather conditions are like.
Target Species:
Cobia, Snook, Redfish, Mackerel, Pompano. Snapper
More Fishing Reports:
