Bent Fishing Rods, Screaming Drags & Smiling Faces!
Capt. Alan Sherman
December 1, 2010
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
December is here and the Holidays have already started! What an unbelievable year! Just a little recap! January we had three major cold fronts that killed tens of thousands of snook, tarpon, and many other species when water temperatures got too cold. Then in March, April and May we had unusually high winds that hampered fishing. Then in April an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico that never really affected any of the areas that I fish other than to scare off dozens of customers that may have booked a Flamingo charter or a charter on the East Coast where some believed the oil may have drifted. If that wasn't bad enough then we had warmer temperatures than we have had in many years during the summer. Remove the oil spill from the scenario I just mentioned and all of the weather conditions that I just mentioned have happened in the past 50 or more years before. Somehow the fish find a way of coming back and normally stronger than ever before. When I was able to get out on the water I found more redfish in Everglades National Park then I can remember in sometime with many of them being undersized fish. A good sign for the future! My clients caught more tripletail then I can remember when fishing out of Flamingo and on some trips my clients had over two dozen shots at tripletail. Offshore we had huge schools of blackfin tuna and arctic bonitos also known as skip jack tuna. Right now we are seeing schools of pilchards in the Bay like I haven't seen in years and we had a mullet migration that seems to still be going on. And last but not least we have a large amount of Spanish mackerel in the Miami area that has been here for the last two months. The only fish that seems to be missing from the picture is the snook! But they will rebound too!
This is the time to have fun on the water with non stop action, bent fishing rods, screaming drags and big smiles on clients faces!
Fishing in Biscayne Bay recently has seen great catches of Spanish mackerel, big bluerunners, mangrove snappers to two pounds, mutton snappers over 20 inches, lots of red and black groupers with some over 20 inches and of course grunts, jacks, ladyfish, barracudas, porgies, sea trout for catch and release and on one recent charter we had a large school of pompano skipping right alongside the boat but we never hooked a one.
Offshore fishing has seen some large king mackerel, a few bonitos, a few dolphins and on almost every ocean trip I have had recently we have seen at least one sailfish and hooked but not landed any. Quite a few blackfin tuna still remain offshore and plenty of Spanish mackerel continues to feed just outside the beaches. Tarpon have been holding along the beaches and once the shrimp start to run you can expect the tarpon fishing to take off.
Although I have not had many charters to Flamingo recently I have been given many reports of lots of undersized and legal redfish being caught in Florida Bay and along the shorelines from Cape Sable north to Lostman's River. Snook fishing is still spotty and tarpon have been feeding on the calm and warm mornings along the coast. Tripletail have been holding next to crab trap buoys and big schools of Spanish mackerel and a few big cobias along with bluefish, snappers, jacks, bluerunners, ladyfish, sharks and pompano can be had by anchoring and chumming near gulf waters. Plenty of sea trout for catch and release have provided plenty of action to fill in the day.
That's what's out there to be caught!
With the Holidays here why not treat you, a family member, friend or business associate to a fishing adventure on the Get Em with captain Alan Sherman of Get Em Sportfishing Charters!
Recent Catches:
Fishing with my son Zach in Biscayne Bay with live pilchards that we caught with my ten foot Lee Fisher Cast net we caught loads of Spanish mackerel to six pounds, mangrove snappers to two pounds, bluerunners to four pounds and red groupers to three pounds and some fat sea trout. Some of these fish were caught with a Rapala X Rap as well.
Fishing with Jerry C, his daughter Adriane and son in law Chuck in Biscayne Bay the three landed 20 mackerel to six pounds, six mangrove snappers to 1.5 pounds, lots of big bluerunners, four black groupers, a bunch of red groupers to 20.5 inches, a bunch of mutton snappers and lots of jack crevalles and barracudas using live free lined pilchards and pilchards fished under a Cajun Thunder float. All of the fish were landed on 7' Key Largo spinning rods with Daiwa Advantage spinning reels loaded with Stren monofilament and FINs braided lines.
Today I have Sean, Lauren and Hurran fishing in Biscayne Bay on a ¾ day. After filling the Get Em's two massive live wells with frisky live pilchards that we caught with my Lee Fisher Cast net we traded the live baits for 15 Spanish mackerel to six pounds, lots of bluerunners to four pounds, houndfish, cero mackerel, mutton and mangrove snappers and black and red groupers.
Today I am fishing one of the Yamaha Corps representative and his family. I normally fish this gentleman in February during the Miami International Boat Show. For some reason the weather is always nasty and the water churned up from all of the boat testing that goes along with the Boat Show in February and we struggle to catch fish. But not this time! After filling our live wells with pilchards we quickly turn our live baits into dozens of sea trout, Spanish mackerel, jacks, bluerunners, barracudas and snappers. Many of the fish were caught with live baits fished under a Cajun Thunder float. The baits were hooked to a Mustad 1/0 long shank hook. Some of the fish were landed on a Rapala blue back X Rap.
Today I am out with Jim a longtime regular customer that first started fishing with me when he was just a young teenager. Today he is with his wife Miora and his son Benny and teenage daughter Deanna. We are out for a half day in Biscayne Bay. Once again after a few casts with my cast net the live wells are filled and we are catching over three dozen fish that included Spanish mackerel, bluerunners, jacks, houndfish and snappers.
Back on the water today with Marvin L and his son Larry and grandkids Dania and Angelo in Biscayne Bay. We are out for a full day and after filling the live well with pilchards we are off to the fishing grounds. In no time the rods are bent and mackerel, sea trout and bluerunners are coming over the rail at times faster than I can unhook them. The guys have caught so many fish that their arms hurt and the full day turns into a ¾ day.
Back in Biscayne Bay with Robert, Craig and Cole for another ¾ day! Once the live wells are filled we quickly turn our baits into one jack crevalles after another before looking for some tarpon that we don't find. Off to the next spot. For almost three hours the guys catch Spanish, cero and king mackerel to six pounds plus snappers, houndfish and bluerunners on free lined pilchards and pilchards fished under a Cajun Thunder float.
Last up is Jerry C and his daughter Adriane and her husband Chuck. Today after filling the live wells with just two casts of my Lee Fisher net we head offshore in search of kingfish and sailfish. After live chumming in 100 feet of water we have fish blowing our chum baits out of the water. Problem is that they won't eat our baits. Waters very clear and that is the problem. The fish can see our 1/0 and 2/0 hooks. We do manage two cut offs and witness a sailfish feeding on the slick calm waters just out of our reach before we head back into the Bay where we land five nice Spanish mackerel, release a small kingfish and cero mackerel, land a few nice mangrove snappers plus lots of houndfish and bluerunners that are released before we move on. In our last three spots we catch many mutton and mangrove snappers releasing most of them plus a half dozen red groupers keeping a 20.5 inch and 21 inch red groupers.
Well That's It For Now! YOUR NEXT!
Let's get out there are see what we can catch.
Give me a call at 786-436-2064 or e-mail me at [email protected]
Let's go catch some Fish!
Check out my new web site and to read about the weekly catches and to see your pictures.
www.getemsportfishing.com
[email protected]
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.
I have recently changed outboard engines on my 22' Pathfinder XL Tournament Edition Bay Boat. I had an opportunity to put one of the first Yamaha SHO 250 Four Stroke outboards on my boat and the difference has been just amazing. This engine has 25 more horsepower but carries 77 less pounds allowing me better hole shot while giving great cruising fuel efficiency. What more can a boater ask for?
I have recently been wearing a lot of Columbia Sports Wear on my fishing charters and the new Blood & Guts shirts are amazing. I have had mackerel, cobia and snook just splatter me with blood and one good washing and the shirts are as good as new. Check out their web site at www.columbia.com
Sponsors: Yamaha, Bob Hewes Boats, Maverick, Minn Kota, Lowrance Electronics, Daiwa, General Motors & Chevrolet, Rapala, Mustad, Ande Lines, Pure Fishing, Gulp, Berkley, Precision Tackle, Cajun Thunders, 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, 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 Report Thursdays Edition
Miami Fishing Forecast:
Miami 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, SPANISH MACKEREL, BLUEFISH, GROUPER, BARRACUDAS, SNOOK, TARPON and some POMPANO in NORTH BISCAYNE BAY and OFFSHORE of MIAMI KINGFISH, MACKEREL, SAILFISH and DOLPHINS available on the calmer days and in SOUTH BISCAYNE BAY lots of action from a wide variety of fish like the SNAPPERS, GROUPERS, JACKS, BLUEFISH, MACKERELS, POMPANO, LADYFISH, PORGIES, GRUNTS, SNOOK and BLUERUNNERS keeping anglers busy catching and releasing fish most of the day. FLAMINGO in EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK will 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, 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 our FALL FISHING SEASON.
Target Species:
Snook, Tarpon, Mackerel, Sea Trout, Redfish, Dolphins, Sailfish
More Fishing Reports:
