South Florida Inshore Fishing Will Rebound!
Capt. Alan Sherman
January 20, 2010
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
South Florida recently experienced a major cold spell that adversely affected the snook, small tarpon and bonefish populations. Small jack crevalles, ladyfish, mangrove snapper, catfish and a number of other species that moved to deeper warmer water along with the snook and tarpon found themselves with nowhere to run when water temperatures continued to drop causing them to go into shock and eventually die. To make things worse fish that were only stunned by the cold were in many cases snagged, cast netted and dip netted illegally by people that have no concern for the welfare of our fisheries. Law enforcement agencies that are under staffed and underfunded were unable to respond to the large numbers of calls by people like me that are offended by the acts of some people.
The Marina in Flamingo in Everglades Naitional Park
In the freshwater canals largemouth bass survived the cold but the peacock bass and many of the non native species did not.
This is what has happened to our fisheries here in South Florida from Melbourne south and into the Florida Keys and up along the West Coast of Florida. South Florida fisheries have endured these conditions many times over the past 100 hundred years but have always found a way to replenish its self. We can only hope that this is the case this time as well.
Because of the recent fish kills snook, tarpon and bonefish can only be targeted for catch and release and that is fine by me. These fish will need some time to recover but for now snook are protected till at least September. During my charters any snook, tarpon or bonefish that we encounter will be carefully released so as not to harm the fish in anyway.
Fortunately these three fish make up only a small part of what I like to target during all of my charters. My guiding business is set up to target a wide variety of fish species that include many fish that were able to survive this past cold spell. Fish like the sea trout, snappers, groupers, jacks, ladyfish, mackerels, bluefish, pompano, permit, cobia, sharks, tripletail, barracudas, redfish, black drum, sheepshead, porgies and grunts are all fish that I will continue to target no matter where we are fishing. And almost all of these fish are inshore species. On days when the weather allows sailfish, king mackerel, dolphins, bonitos, blackfin tunas, a wide variety of jacks and snappers can be targeted from my sea worthy 2008 22' Pathfinder Bay Boat powered by my Yamaha 2008 225 Sport Model Four Stroke outboard engine.
I will continue to fish my charters with the same approach as I always have. Fish for the fish that is available each day I am on the water therefore giving my clients their best shot at having their fishing rods bent and their reels drags screaming throughout the day.
Don't let these recent setbacks deter you from having a fishing adventure of your lifetime!
Recent Catches:
A day after the cold fronts came in I fished with a local freshwater captain in the canals in South Miami. It was a scouting trip to see if any peacock bass had survived. What we found were many dead Midas Cichlids plus many that had survived. We saw a school of peacock bass that seemed fine and at least a dozen dead or dying peacocks on the bottom. We caught three peacock bass and saw dead iguanas on the bottom of the canal plus a few dead birds.
The next day with cold temperatures still lingering I fished Ted and his client Steve in South Biscayne Bay. Water temperatures were in the low 60's and the bay fishing was dead. The only fish we caught during that short half day charter came from a patch reef off of Cape Florida where water temperatures were 72 degrees. We caught red grouper, jacks, yellowtail and mutton snappers and grunts all small.
My next charter again was in South Biscayne Bay. We started at 9 AM and fished a few deeper grass flats where we released a dozen sea trout to three pounds caught on Cajun Thunders and live shrimp and on Hookup lures tipped with a Gulp shrimp. The remainder of the day was spent fishing the Finger Channels and the guys had action from mutton snappers, red groupers, bluefish, sharks and a 2.5 pound flounder that had a follower that we did not catch. The best bait was a live pilchard hooked to a Mustad Ultra Point 1/0 short shank hook fished on the bottom.
Last trip of the week was in Flamingo. Again we started late to give the water a chance to warm up. I had John, David and Frank onboard. It is to be a half day charter and we start in Snake Bight. There are dead and dying fish pretty much everywhere we go but most are snook, small tarpon and catfish. I had a report of good fishing in Snake Bight Channel from black drum, sheepshead and redfish but we have no bites so we move up coast to try our luck in East Cape Canal. The weather is dreary with overcast skies and wind. A giant crocodile gives everyone onboard a treat as it slides off the bank and into the water of East Cape Canal. Up in the East Cape area we get our first bites fishing live shrimp hooked to a ¼ ounce red Hookup lure fished close to the bottom. For the next hour or so the guys manage to catch three black drum and three redfish to six pounds before the rain from the approaching cold front sends us home.
As water temperatures continue to climb I expect our fishing to get better and better with the exclusion of the snook. I just received a report that large tarpon are feeding during the late afternoon and into the evening off the beaches of Miami.
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 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
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
786-436-2064
w ww.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:
Almost all of the main inshore species like the SEA TROUT, JACK CREVALLES, LADYFISH, SPANISH MACKEREL, BLUEFISH, GROUPER, BARRACUDAS, TARPON and some POMPANO will be avaiable 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 that will also be available to all anglers at one time or another throughout the rest of our WINTER FISHING SEASON.
Target Species:
Tarpon, Snook, Sea Trout, Cobia, Bluefish, Spanish Mackeral, King Mackerel, Dolphins, Sailfish, Pompano, Redfish, Black Drum
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