Key Largo Backcountry Fishing 11/20/09
Capt. Bob Fernicola
November 20, 2009
Key Largo - Saltwater Fishing Report
After and during the hard blow followed by a weak cold front last week I have run some days in the backwaters of Everglades national park. While the wind was up we fished the eastern bay off Key largo and concentrated our efforts in creek mouths mainly to find calm water to fish. With plenty of current due to the wind fish were eating good in every spot I hit. Jacks pounded our first few cast with fish up to 4 or 5 lbs. After thinning out the jacks good sized mangrove snapper were all over our shrimp baits almost instantly to the point of switching to lures to get to other fish species (mainly snook).It was the right move as the first 2 cast hooked up with snook.
We continued to switch back and forth from bait and lures and landed about 20 snook and hooked and lost many others. Most fish were on the smaller size about 24"but still lots fun to catch on a light spin rod. Not as plentiful as the smaller fish I have reports of a few lunkers up to 40"in creeks as well.
After the wind slowed down I did a few days around Flamingo. Fishing grass flats on the drift we pulled in some of the best trout I have seen in a while. You had to cast a few times to get hit but most all the fish were good sized (20" to 26").
Fishing the deeper water moats around the Island in front of Flamingo was fast. Almost every cast would get hit with a mixed bag of Snook,reds,snapper,jacks and ladyfish. Some of the interior bays are holding a ton of baby tarpon with a stray snook or two mixed. The key to getting these fish to eat is a light leader (if any), really small lures and super quite approach.
Tight lines Capt. Bob
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