HOT FISHING in FLAMINGO in EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK
Capt. Alan Sherman
April 29, 2012
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
The first of May is just a few days away and things are slowing down a bit from the almost nonstop fishing of the past few months. I had great experiences with all of my clients these past weeks and had some exciting catches to go with it. As I sit behind the computer South Florida is in a flash flood situation. A large rain mass formed from a late strong cold front that passed through a week ago is now moving back towards the mainland allowing me some time to post pictures on my Get Em Sportfishing Face Book page and write a few articles for my web page www.getemsporetfishing charters and other web sites that I post reports and pictures on. The rain is forecasted to be part of our weather pattern for a few days more before our weather settles down again.
Our fishing here in South Florida has been very interesting to say the least. Some areas that I fish have been very good while others have been surprisingly slow. The reason for this is the weather! Forget about Global Warming! The weather that we are having is definitely unusual for South Florida but that's the thing about South Florida, wait a few minutes and it changes. I always like to take my clients to the areas that they stand the best chance of having that special day they have been hoping for and having a boat on a trailer allows me to launch the boat where the fishing is best. Some areas that I fish have been very slow due to the lack of baitfish that have become a huge part of our fishing day. Cast net a live well full of bait and it becomes easy to chum snook, jacks, ladyfish, snappers, small tarpon, mackerel, bluefish, kingfish, dolphins, tuna, bonitos and other species into a feeding frenzy. Once the fish start feeding casting a live bait into the frenzy results in an instant hookup. Anglers wishing to catch a fish on an artificial lure only need to make the cast into the area that the fish are feeding and they hookup as well. When the baitfish has not been available artificial lures is the only way to go. The arties will get the job done but it takes a bit more effort to get the results.
Fishing in North Biscayne is producing plenty of sea trout with many of the fish being small. Lately we have been fishing live baits under a Cajun Thunder float and have been rewarded with trout to 21 inches. Besides the trout quite a few small jacks, barracudas and snappers are being caught. Snook fishing had been good but recently these fish have been moving around making it hard to find them. On days when baitfish can't be obtained we have been casting ¼ ounce Hookup lures tipped with a Trigger X or Gulp soft plastic, Rapala X Raps, Twitchin Raps, Flat Raps, Clackin Raps, Skitter Walks and Subwalks. Hanging a Hookup lure with a soft plastic tail under a Cajun Thunder float is getting us a lot of action as well. We had a bunch of shots at small bull sharks in the Bay but these fish are not responding to our baits.
I have not been fishing South Bay at all.
Offshore fishing had been slow with a scattering of dolphins, a few kingfish, sailfish and blackfin tunas being caught outside of 100 feet of water. Recently the sailfishing has really picked up and some large kingfish and blackfin tuna are mixed in with the sailfish action. Windy conditions have kept me inshore recently. Spanish mackerel and bluefish seem to have moved on even though we never saw the return of the big fish schools heading north. I'm not sure if they have already moved on or haven't reached us as of yet.
I have had a few Flamingo charters in the past two weeks and had some very exciting action in the Park. Quite a few snook to 14 pounds, redfish to 27 inches, sea trout to 24 inches and lots of jacks and ladyfish.
Freshwater fishing in the canal systems of the Everglades Conservation Areas looked like it was about to take off as water levels were dropping nicely and now we are getting a lot of rain. As water levels rise the fish move back up on the flats making them difficult to target. Stay tuned because this fishery could turn on in a week or two.
All the fish that we catch or release during a day on the water on the Get Em is accomplished with great tackle built by Daiwa, Key Largo Rods, Rapala, Trigger X, Gulp Alive, Stren, Berkley, Cajun Thunders, Mustad and Hookup lures.
That catches us up on what's going on so now for some recent catches.
RECENT CATCHES:
Today I am in North Bay with Barry and his young kids. It's all about the kids so action is what we are looking for. During a six hour day the kids released sea trout to 3.5 pounds, bluefish to four pounds, jacks and missed a few Spanish mackerel. All on live baits fished under a Cajun Thunder float.
Next up is my son Zach and myself fishing offshore of Key Biscayne with live baits. The seas were a bit choppy but we managed to catch six dolphins to eight pounds and a lot of mangrove snappers and bluerunners.
Back on the water with Zach again before he heads to Australia with his company for the next six months. We are fishing North Bay with live pilchards and have had steady action from jacks and mangrove snappers to 2.5 pounds. We also fished along the Oceanside beach and had action from small mackerel, bluefish and jacks.
Today I have Jacob and his three young kids for a half day in North Bay. The kids were great and had a banner day releasing sea trout, barracudas, snappers, jacks and a once in a lifetime catch and release of a North Bay 4.5 pound redfish.
On the water with Jerry Cohen his grandson Jeff and Jeff's wife Jen. After catching enough live bait we headed offshore where we came across some surface action that resulted in an eight and a four pound dolphin. After searching unsuccessfully for another hour for more fish a fishermen that had just limited out on dolphins came over the VHF radio and gave his position so that anyone nearby could get into the action. A big Thumbs Up to that fellow angler! We located the spot and landed another half dozen dolphin's to eight pounds releasing just as many and landed three tripletail to six pounds before heading into the Bay where we released one jack and four snook.
Back in North Bay with David and his kids Samantha and son Charlie. Looking for action to keep the kids into the fishing we concentrated our efforts on sea trout and the kids had plenty of action releasing sea trout, jacks and barracudas.
Again in North Bay with David and David Jr. On a slow day the guys had plenty of action from jacks to five pounds, sea trout, small barracudas and mangrove snappers.
Today I have Steve and his brother Gil and Gil's step son Sam. We started in North Bay catching bait and headed offshore to see what we could fine. We headed offshore where there were reports of some good weedlines that had a few dolphins on them. Once we found the weedlines the weather started to change and the winds came up and the rain started building to the west. Nothing that my 22' Pathfinder couldn't handle. Fishing live pilchards behind the boat we had six hits and landed three dolphins to 14 pounds before deciding to head for the dock so we could beat the rain before it surrounded the area.
Today I have Steve and his son Seth in North Bay. The winds were up and catching bait was tough but the guys did manage a bunch of trout, jacks to six pounds, barracudas, a large mangrove snapper and a snook. All released!
Today I am with a good friend Jerry and we are fishing Flamingo. The tides care perfect but the winds are strong. We started the day by catching all the pinfish we needed and then we started pitching the baits hooked to a Hookup lure along the edges of a channel and in open water. By days end we had released two redfish, lots of sea trout, jacks and nine snook to 10 pounds. At one time we had two seven pound snook on at the same time and released both fish.
Back in Flamingo with repeat customer Chris and his neighbor Richard. With a great day behind us we started and ended the day with the same game plan and almost the same results. Seven snook to 14 pounds, five redfish to six pounds and lots of sea trout to 24 inches. The biggest fish of the day came on Hookup lures tipped with soft plastic fish tails.
Today I have Richard on the boat in North Bay and all he wants is a tarpon. Any size doesn't matter. After catching bait we started our quest. After doing a little searching for tarpon and only catching sea trout we headed offshore looking for some action. After two hours of slow fishing and only boating one dolphin we came back in the Bay with better tides and started looking for tarpon again. We covered a lot of water and spotted three tarpon and had two strikes but never connected. Sometimes that's the way it goes. Richard had never caught a dolphin before so that was a first as well as the sea trout, barracuda and jacks that he released.
Well that catches us up on what's been happening recently in Biscayne Bay, Offshore of Miami and in Flamingo.
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.
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, BLACKFIN TUNA, SAILFISH and DOLPHINS will be available on the calmer days and in FLAMINGO in EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK we always 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 Spring and into the summer. And don't forget about the freshwater fishing in the Glades. Any day now water levels will drop and the fish will move into the canals and LARGEMOUTH BASS AND LOTS OF PANFISH will be available.
Target Species:
SNOOK, TARPON, MACKEREL, TROUT, REDFISH, DOLPHINS, SAILFISH, SHARKS, COBIA
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