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Everglades National Park - Flamingo
Capt. Bob LeMay
January 7, 2003
Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report
Our last two outings at Flamingo were on cold days, very similar to what we'll have the rest of the week. Water temps are down considerably with 57 to 59 degree surface water at dawn, warming up 4 to 5 degrees during the day. Fortunately the water below the surface is considerably warmer or lots of cold sensitive fish just wouldn't survive a cold winter.
We fly-fished both days and found good numbers of fish in shallow mud coves. Most of the fish we found were good slot sized redfish and lots of snook, some well above slot size. Our best fish, though, was a 7lb snook that ate a red & white streamer. Most of the fish we found appeared to be working hard at staying warm, many partially buried in the mud for warmth. They became more active by late afternoon, but it was tough fishing with a fly rod...
Under these kind of conditions we look for shallow mud coves that are on the lee side of islands or shorelines. Unlike warmer weather we worked only the areas that were in direct sunlight and hopefully had deep water nearby. This is not a good time to use a trolling motor, it's just too shallow. Although shallow areas cool off quicker at nightfall and fish have to find deeper water overnight, they also warm up much quicker on a sunny day. The only real problem is on days when it's overcast. The sun never gets a chance to warm shallow areas and sight fishing goes out the window.
Although we haven't fished for them in a few days large numbers of trout had moved into the western portion of Whitewater Bay as of last week. The grouper fishing in Gulf rivers should also be strong right now. With a few days of light wind conditions offshore fishing for mackeral, bluefish, and cobia should be a good prospect from the boundary markers off of Gulf rivers all the way south to Sprigger Bank. Thirty to forty five minutes of chumming should tell the story in any offshore area. If the fish don't appear move a few miles and set up again. Remember that any cobia are passing through and may not appear until you've been on station for a while.
Tight Lines
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