Flamingo are will continue to see great fishing with more redfish and good snook action. This is one of the best times of year to fish that area.
Biscayne Bay is finally cooling off as we head into our late fall and early winter season. As temperatures start to change so do the fish inhabiting the flats, bars, and cuts in the area. Change your approach slightly and you will be in rod-bending action. This time of year it is still possible to catch a slam of bonefish, permit, and tarpon. And this can happen very early in the morning. Let me give you a game plan; try for tarpon first around bridges and cuts with some live bait and lures. Mullet and mullet lures are good. Fish them on the top or just subsurface. If no strikes occur then fish a little deeper with a jighead or troll right. Substitute a hardy bait like a pinfish or crab. Once you get your tarpon or at least try several times-make your move. Pick a bonefish flat. Look between Key Biscayne and Adam's Key-there are lots of areas. Look for moving water and visibility. You will want an area that can be poled. Stick to shrimp and crabs for baits. Be patient and keep on the lookout. In the fall I prefer oceanside flats for bonefishing because I can also try for permit in similar areas. Though there are many guides that fish permit in inside waters. Sometimes it all comes down to your luck in a given area.
I have been using the new FISHBITES extreme molded baits in Biscayne Bay and Everglades park with very good results. This has helped my customers and I weed out some of the smaller trashy and get more hookups with less time spent. These molded scents baits come in different shapes, sizes, and colors and are great because they can be cast and retrieved. Expect everything to hit them. We have caught grouper, snapper, snook, tarpon, jacks, barracuda just to name a few. Even a few trigger fish in the deeper channels. I am also saving money and spending less cash on livebait. These scent baits are more durable than the real thing. Check out www.fishbites.com for the latest on these products, they are a Florida-based company. Contact me if you want to try-I should have some samples. One other product worth mentioning is www.chumstik.com and these little scents beads are added to all my bonefishing and redfish rigs. More about these next time.
Boating in south Florida is a changing market. Miami Beach Convention Center hosted the IBEX, a boater's technical trade show. We are starting to see some trends with the builders in the nation and the way people are doing business. This past year was a difficult one but people are still purchasing, insuring, and chartering boats. Some of my clients have made purchases of up to $250K. And there are even companies putting new molds out. I am hoping to encourage some of these builders to display their boats on the new boating program I am involved in-it's called Ancla TV. If you are a boat builder or have a marine-related product and are interested in collaborating, please contact me. And contact this publisher as well.