SARASOTA/ TAMPA BAY AREA:
November has been a great month for Tarpon. Now typically Tarpon season is May and June here in southwest Florida, but a couple of the river systems in the area hold great numbers of resident juvenile Tarpon all year. During the colder months these pint sized Silver Kings hold in areas of warmer water to feed on baitfish and crustaceans throughout the colder months. This year Sun Coast Kayak Fishing has been blessed with great resident populations in three rivers within the Sarasota / Manatee area. The size of the Tarpon has been between 20# and 40# on average but we have also jumped fish in the 80# to 100# range, though the fight only lasts a minute because the tackle is far too light. The baits we have been using with success are Rapala Xraps, MirroLure 52MR sinking twitchbaits, Yozuri Crystal Minnows and Pins Minnows with the top colors being red/white and gold. The Pins Minnows believe it or not have been the best artificial baits for hooking fish because they are small enough to mimic the small baitfish the 'Poons are keyed in on. Removing the treble hooks on these baits and replacing them with a single 1/0 J hook on the rear works very well. For the most consistent fishing and up to 10 hooks a day I have been making my own chum to resemble the flavors of the local forage the Tarpon are feeding on. After setting a careful chum line the Tarpon will concentrate within a short cast of the boat and roll and feed on the surface aggressively. Pitching jumbo shrimp and chunks of Mullet on 5/0 circle hooks is all it takes usually to incite a bite. The circle hooks insure a safe hook set for quick and easy release of the fish.
Cold fronts that set in during November also sent Snook, Redfish, and Sea Trout off of the flats and into deeper and warmer waters of area rivers and backcountry bays. Good numbers of nice sized Snook and slot sized Redfish have been easy targets. As the water warms with the mid day sun the bite really gets going especially on a strong falling tide. Targeting structure and deep bends in the rivers have been the keys to success. Baits of choice have been gold Xraps and Cotee Jigs in gold. Another key to success has been to work the baits really slow. Remembering that fish don't like to expend a lot of energy to chase down bait with the water temperatures cooling rapidly. Instead fish will wait for a bait that is easily picked off and offer more energy than it took to chase it down.
In the bays and off the beaches the Sheephead have really begun to move in these areas with great numbers. Working small jigs tipped with shrimp along oyster bars, retention walls, docks, and rocky areas has produced really great catches and some of the Sheepies have been running rather large for this early in the season. The Kingfish and Spanish Mackerel bite has come to an end in the nearshore Gulf of Mexico but fish are still around and can be caught by accident of fishing in these areas but most of these are now well offshore around the mid-range reefs.
December is going to be much of the same as November in relation to the fish we will be catching, the techniques we will be using, and the areas we will be targeting. We are definitely into winter fishing patterns now and the fishing will remain this way from now until March when we once again enter into a transition time for fish populations and the water temperatures begin to rise.
MIAMI / FT. LAUDERDALE
November was a awesome month for Peacock Bass, Largemouth Bass, and Snakehead in the canals of urban southeast Florida. In the southern canals located in the areas around Miami International and south of the city of Miami we were seeing good numbers of big Peacocks from 5# up to 8#. While the average fish was still around 2# to 3# these bigger fish have made a big showing this month. I haven't seen these numbers of bigger fish since the spring spawn. In the northern canals around Ft. Lauderdale we have been targeting not only Peacocks but Largemouth and Snakehead as well. November was a great month for Snakehead, a non-native exotic that was illegally released into the area waterways. These fish have formed a remarkable fishery in the canals in which they were introduced and the FWC has now concluded that there has been no adverse effects on local native fish populations. As the water temperatures have dropped throughout the month the Largemouth Bass bite has improved steadily. We have been taking really good numbers of Largemouth in the canals that have the most submerged and emergent vegetation. The Peacock Bass in the northern canals have been really hot this month. As the day warms the bite continues to improve until the sun starts to set at which time the bite slows down. Day of 30 or more Peacocks have been the norm. The best baits have been live shiners for the Peacock Bass, the smaller the better. The Peacocks are also hitting floating Rapalas worked very quickly around structure. For the Largemouth Texas rigged worms, soft plastic jerk baits and small top water baits have been producing very well. The Snakehead have been hitting Zoom Horny Toads and Ribbits worked quickly over submerged vegetation in shallow water.
December should continue to see an increasingly good Largemouth Bass bite in the canals. The Snakehead have already started to slow in their bite and that trend will continue until the water warms again in the spring and the fish begin to spawn. For Peacocks the southern most canals are going to continue to produce throughout the upcoming month.
EVERGLADES CANAL SYSTEM
The canal systems along the outskirts of the Everglades are home to a number of different freshwater species, most notably the Mayan Cichlid, Oscar, Largemouth Bass, and even a few Peacocks have begun to extend their range well into the area. In November the bite along Alligator Alley was exceptional for Oscar and Largemouth Bass. With the water levels still a little high and the waterways closed to all motorized boat traffic, we had the waters all to ourselves except for a few shoreline anglers at the boat launches. Using small Rapala Shad Raps ( the jointed ones ) we worked along the edges targeting emergent vegetation and overhanging trees. The Oscars have been very aggressive and readily have been hitting these baits. The average size of these fish has been larger than normal with fish over 2 ' # really common. Once a fish is caught working the area with repeated casts, these fish are in schools and where there is one there is more. The Largemouth have been taken using the same baits and targeting the same areas. While the average Largemouth has only been about 2# we have been taking really good fish of at least 5# on each trip.
December should see this trend continue. I do expect to see the numbers of Mayan Cichlids caught in these areas to increase as the water levels drop further and these fish are concentrated back in the canals and move off of the saw grass flats. The great thing about Oscars and Cichlids is that there are no regulations on them and they taste great. These tasty pan fish make a great meal on par with Crappie and the state asks people to keep as many as they want to help control the populations.
FLORIDA KEYS
This November Sun Coast Kayak Sport Fishing didn't run any trips down into the Florida Keys. December is upon is though and the sailfish bite is already in high gear off of southeast Florida from Palm Beach down into the Keys. Throughout this month we will be running a number of trips into the area in search of Sailfish in 80 to 150' of water while drifting goggle eyes.
UPCOMING MULTIPLE DAY TRIPS ANNOUNCED FOR 2009
Each year Sun Coast Kayak Sport Fishing puts together a number of multiple day trips into some of the most famed waterways of Florida. These trips not only save anglers a money by utilizing lower rates but they also give anglers the chance to spend more time fishing these prime areas than a single day charter. Lodging is provided for trips into urban areas and camping gear is provided for all camping trips. This years list includes.
3 Day/2 Night Camping Trips into the 10,000 Islands - We have been running these trips for 3 years now and it is one of my favorite trips into some of the most pristine waterways anywhere.
The Florida Keys - These are great trips. This year we will be targeting Bonefish and Permit in the upper Keys along Key Largo down to Islamorada as well as Key West Harbor for the early Tarpon bite.
Miami Area for Peacock Bass and Exotics - The urban canals of Miami for Peacocks and other exotics including Snakehead, Tilapia, Mayan Cichlid, Midas Cichlid and many more.
For more information on any of these trips visit www.fishwithdc.com and click on the Extended Trips page.