Strange Weather Patterns Makes For Tough Fishing
Capt. Alan Sherman
July 8, 2009
Miami - Saltwater Fishing Report
What a strange few weeks we have had here in South Florida! Winds day after day from the west, south or southwest is something we expect in the fall and winter but not in the spring or summer when winds are supposed to be from the east southeast. Recent heavy rains have been great for our lawns and to raise our water levels in the Lake and canals but have made fishing a challenge. Bay waters have had a strong tannic look to it and strong winds associated with some of the strong thunderstorms have murked up the bay waters and made fishing almost impossible in areas where fish had been holding. These same storms resulted in over a week's worth of canceled charters, some that will be rescheduled and others that are now lost. Summertime business for guides and captains in South Florida is difficult regardless of the weather but add that to the bad economic situation we are in and that makes for a terrible scenario for South Florida guides and captains of which many will not make it through this summer. We can only hope that tropical weather systems don't make it worst but if you have lived in South Florida for awhile then you know that they will.
Because of the weather conditions and canceled charters fishing reports are few and far apart not just from me but from most of the other guides and captains that I lean on to find out where the fish have been.
Due to the weather and canceled charters I have only been on the water a few times recently. My last Flamingo charter was almost a total bust. This time of the year I am always excited to fish Flamingo and that was the case during my last Flamingo charter. With normal summer like conditions a trip to Flamingo means the possibilities of double digit catch and releases of snook. Most will be small but some can exceed 30 pounds. Redfish can be very thick, sea trout large, snappers voracious, goliath groupers a nuisance, tarpon available, sharks eating your catch as you reel them to the boat, tripletail, cobia and permit out in the Gulf. But not on this day! With three anglers on board we were met with a stiff southwest wind and muddy dirty water out in the open. Thunderstorms were in the area and most of Florida Bay looked like it was getting a good dose of rain. We headed for a bait spot not far from the Marina and quickly netted as much bait consisting of pilchards, pinfish and small ballyhoo a bait that had caught us a bunch of fish on a trip just three days earlier in Flamingo. A few sharks could be seen swimming in the chumline and one of the guys wanted to catch them. Because they were small blacktips and I wanted to catch a tide we left the sharks and headed for a spot that had produced a lot of fish a few days earlier. As we approached the first spot I was shocked at how muddy the water was. We staked out and started fishing but it was as dead as it could be. For the next three hours every spot we fished was dead. Dirty water and no fish! In one spot we did manage a pair of very small snook caught on Hook Up lures tipped with ballyhoo. We fished from Middle Cape east to Florida Bay racing to one area or another as I tried to stay with the tide but virtually caught nothing at any of the spots. The guys never gave up and in one spot we did hook some large sharks but lost all of them. Our last spot produced a couple more small snook and we ended the day with the release of four small snook, a few snappers, jacks, catfish and ladyfish. At the Marina store one of the attendants asked how we did and I told him the day was awful and he told me that seemed to be the way it was for most that day and thought it might have been due to a violent storm that hit that area at 5 in the morning. Oh well that's fishing and there is always the next trip.
The rest of the week the rained fell and it wasn't till Monday that I got back on the water. Monday we fished locally and out in the Ocean. A south to southwest wind had things calm close to shore and we loaded the boat with bait and then headed offshore. Weird thing in the Ocean is that close to shore you may have a south or southwest wind and then a mile or two out the wind was southeast. We started a drift in 100 feet of water and fished that area for the next two hours having over a dozen solid strikes but landing only a 15 pound bonito and a huge bluerunner. Two fish broke lines another spit the bait out after a nice run and the others were baits cut in half or just plain cut offs from kingfish. The wind was getting stronger so we moved out a little and slow trolled some herring along a weedline. The first two strikes were cut offs probably from barracudas or wahoo so we added wire to the rigs and missed a few more fish before getting into a school of dolphin. We played with these fish for a few minutes before the fish left. On the troll again and another school of dolphins but this time they are small. We release a bunch and then head on in.
Once again in the Ocean and I am with my son Zach and my wife Dana. We load up on bait and head offshore with the hopes of catching yellowtails on the reef. The wind is up and out of the south southeast. We anchor in the first spot but never get a bite so on to the next. Here we catch and release a big bonito, two amberjacks and land a mutton snapper and release two mutton snappers. On to the next spot and its starting to get rough. This spot produces three more muttons of which two are keepers plus a few triggers and we lose a giant nurse shark. I had wanted to slow troll the Gulfstream's edge on the way in but the four foot waves that had built up meant straight line back to the ramp.
Hopefully the winds will stay out of the east and we will get a more normal rain pattern going. With east winds we can fish the Ocean and Flamingo and get the action that we are looking for on most trips.
Well that catches us up for now!
Give me a call and let's go fishing!
786-436-2064
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www.getemsportfishing.com
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 or tune into the Florida Sportsman Magazines Live Radio Show on 1080 WMCU on the AM dial or listen on the internet at www.1080wmcu.com every Saturday morning from 7 to 8 AM and here the up to the minute fishing forecasts from some of the top Capt.'s in South Florida like Capt. Jimbo Thomas on the Thomas Flyer, Capt. Bouncer Smith on Bouncers Dusky, Capt Skip Bradeen on the Blue Chips Too out of Whale Harbor Marina, Capt. Wayne Conn on The Reward Fleet, and more.
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
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Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
786 436 2064
[email protected]
www.getemsportfishing.com
Miami Fishing Forecast:
The rains have stopped for now at least and the winds have dropped but the fishing has really turned on. Snook are schooled and biting in Flamingo and Offshore kingfish, dolphins, tunas and bonitos are chomping at the baits.
Target Species:
Target Species:
Snook, Tarpon, Redfish, Cobia, Kingfish, Dolphins, Permit, Sharks
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