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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
September 27, 2001
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
Flamingo, Gulf coast area
The Gulf coast out of Flamingo continues to provide good fishing. Yesterday I finally got tired of staying home and building and repairing rods and did some exploring out of Flamingo. Like a lot of guides and chartermen the terrorist incidents have cost me some bookings in the last ten days.... Since that daily knowledge is my stock trade I just had to go see for myself if the fish were still biting (at least that's my excuse, as if I ever needed one)
The conditions have changed a little in the last week. The water's a bit warmer with 78 to 79 degree temps at dawn. By the end of the day some of the areas of Whitewater Bay were in the 83 to 85 degree range and still had mostly fresh water. That might help explain why all the bait is still along the west coast. As always find the bait and find the fish. Early in the morning it was fast moving schools of ladyfish and jacks just inside the rivers that drain into the Gulf. After a few on lures and flies it was time to run outside. Birds along the shorelines marked the bait and it was a mix of pilchards, herring, and spanish sardines -- most still on the small side. Everything was eating except the snook as the incoming was just ending. Reds, speckled trout, ladyfish, jacks, snapper, and tarpon from 10 to 50 lbs were feeding steadily.
The high and low point of the day was a nice 15lb tarpon caught and released with a moment or two at the boat to revive first. The tarpon made it about 50 feet from the boat before being attacked and eaten by a bull shark. For an hour after that the skiff was visited by additional very large toothy critters hoping for another shot at a tarpon. This is probably not the place to go swimming....
Chased off by weather, I ran south along the coast for a last few shots at river mouths. The last fish of the day was a jack crevalle in the 20 lb range that took my jig and didn't give it back.
If the weather holds up this weekend should be just as good.
Tight Lines
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