Been two weeks since my last report - not surprising since I was broken down. Finally got my new motor installed and yesterday was it's first day on the water. This will be my third Evinrude E-Tec 90 motor and I can't say enough good things about them (my last one was nearing 2700 hours when we finally replaced it...). Made the trip down to Flamingo yesterday and managed to put four hours on the motor while doing a bit of exploring. Yes, the fish were biting. I'll let the pics tell most of the story.
This big girl was caught and quickly released in Whitewater Bay, weighed right at 12lbs. To release her properly I soaked a towel, lay it on the deck, took just one quick pic then carefully put her back in the water and revived her before the release. For perspective that reel is a Calcutta 250 and the topwater plug is a Tog Dog Jr. by Mirrolure. Most of my anglers use spinning gear so I enjoy the occasional opportunity of going "old school" in the backcountry. This fish was back in the water by 7:30 Am and it was a great start to the day.
Running out to the coast while putting the motor through it's paces (these motors require no break in but it's a good idea to vary the rpms during the double oiling period, the first ten hours of operation) had me north of the Little Shark River and in an area with lots of baitfish being bothered by every fish in the neighborhood.... I wanted a redfish for the table but never guessed that I'd have to pull it out of a shark's mouth to succeed.....
As you can see that shark thought this was his 23" redfish...
Farther to the north this fine 29" snook was almost shark food as well. He jumped once and a hungry shark was all over him. I had to work hard to get him to the skiff in one piece. For perspective the reel is a Cacutta 400 ( a size larger than the first Calcutta)...
After a quick photo I released this snook and pointed him away from the shoreline.....
The last fish of the day was this small redfish...
another release....
Along the way we also found speckled trout (so for a change the guide got a backcountry slam), and lots of other "hungries" including small sharks up to about six feet long. This time of year they're everywhere and I think must be right in with the reds and snook .... In some cases you hook a fish and it's jumped on in less than 3 or 4 seconds.... Any hooked fish with a shark on him puts on a desperate fight (come to think of it ... so would I....).
Put four hours on the new motor and will be back with a charter tomorrow. The weather this time of year is a bit tough but the fish are biting....
Tight lines
Bob LeMay
(954) 435-5666