Bone Fishing out of Miami Heats up!!
Capt. John Dickinson
May 7, 2008
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
Spring is here in South Florida and fishing is getting busy. Anglers are taking advantage of warmer air and water temps and so are the fish. A couple last minute fronts with dryer air passed through causing winds to pick up and water temps to change sending fish back to a "wait and see" pattern. Between the fronts with the warm weather and light winds,the big schools of Tarpon moved into the shallows and anglers have had plenty of shots at them. Things with that should be pretty steady from here on out until the end of June. If you want a big Tarpon, now is the time.
We have also been fishing the Back Country of the Everglades sight fishing for Snook and Redfish. That has had a good run since late fall and we caught a number of fish this year. A few more clients want to get that big Snook and we will have a couple more trips back there by the end of the week. Recent trips in the Back Country have produced some great catches and one reason is that bait fish were in almost ever cove and bay. When you see schools of bait, the game fish wether its Snook or Redfish aren't far behind. Water has been cloudy and makes it tough to see but these fish are in shallow water and you need to look for wakes and tails. Some of these coves have Snook that are in the 15 lb class and they won't be hard to see at all. A few more weeks and I think most of the Snook will be out on the spawning areas.
The best bet for the next couple months are going to be the Bonefish and Tarpon. Tarpon come in many sizes. We like to fish for the Big Boys but we also like the scrappy 20 to 30 lb fish hiding in the mangrove forest. On a 9wt flyrod or light tackle gear ,it is hard to beat. They eat well when at times the big fish won't. Choose whatever fly pattern you have confidence in. If you are new to the game,ask your guide. Everybody has their secret pattern, but if the big fish are hungry they will eat a well placed fly. Remember they are moving because it's spawning time and they are thinking about that, not dinner. Thats why the small fish eat so well...they are too young to spawn. Bone fishing has had its good and bad days too but for the most part fishing has been consistent. On windy days we have had big fish in the deeper water mudding on the bottom. Weighted flies or a big shrimp work the best to get their attention. Make sure the fly has enough time to sink before you start to strip it and work it. Weighted epoxy flies are one of my first choices. I make them in a number of weights and colors so no matter where I am there is a perfect fly. Tailing fish in calm water.....well thats another report. Look for Bones to spend most of the day on the flat. Warmer water and sunny days will make this fishing better than it has been for most anglers. Look for moving water no matter where you go. It doesn't have to be fast ,just moving. The water temp the other day was 74 degrees on the flat. When it hits the mid eighties the Bonefish will stay in deeper water. I prefer the water to be about 80. I think that is the best . Fish are happy in the morning or afternoon and they seem to eat better most days. Permit also will be around in better numbers. When we have had good consistent warm water Capt. Andy Thompson called me and reported good Permit fishing happening with a number of fish caught at that time. Permit will move from the reef to the flat and back when the weather is good. Strong tides are best. July is a great month to fish for them but they can show up a bit early when June arrives. Another great thing is in June when everybody is still Tarpon fishing..... nobody is on your Permit spot.!!
The photo is Randy Williams of Alabama with his first Bonefish in Biscayne Bay. There wasn't a lot of fish around that day but Randy made the cast count on this fish.
Good Fishing Capt. John Dickinson [email protected]
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