South Florida's rainy season has finally taken hold and brought us some much needed heavy rain that our lawns and shrubs have needed for months. These rains spark some excellent fishing in North Biscayne Bay and Flamingo. As the freshwater enters the canal systems the salinity dams are opened to keep the canal levels from over flowing and this freshwater as it makes its way to the saltwater side of the dam becomes a feeding station for snook, sharks, snapper, redfish, barracudas, jacks, ladyfish and tarpon. Tiny baitfish and crawfish are flushed through the dams and then become stunned by the saltwater making them easy pretty for the predators. Once the freshwater has flowed into the bay for sometime the predators are pushed out over the grass flats where the brackish water is more to their liking and these fish will stay in these areas and continue to feed for most of the summer. In Flamingo in Everglades National Park the freshwater triggers the snook, redfish, goliath groupers and other predators to flee the extreme waters of the backcountry and that puts them in Whitewater and Oyster Bays where they are easier to target. It also pushes these fish into Florida Bay and the river mouths and creeks again making them easier targets. All of this freshwater set the tone for the whole summer and by far the summer is my most favorite time to fish Flamingo. Last year and years in the past my clients have enjoyed double digit catches of snook and redfish on a single day's charter fishing Florida Bay and Whitewater and Oyster Bays.
During the summer months I suggest booking half day charters in North Biscayne Bay. I like starting if possible at 7 AM and finishing a charter to 11 AM taking advantage of the time span when the fish are more active and then also fishing from 4 in the afternoon to 8 in the early evening. Another good charter especially if the winds are down which they are a lot in the summer is a charter from 6 to 10 in the evening for some hot catch and release tarpon and snook action. Offshore fishing in Miami can be great as long as the winds stay light for kingfish, dolphins, bonitos and an occasional sailfish. When fishing Flamingo in the summer I still like the 8 hr. charters because Flamingo has so many spots to fish it allows you to be somewhere throughout the day where fish are still in a feeding mood. I also run a charter that requires traveling as much as 40 miles from the Marina to rockpiles and wrecks where permit, cobia, mackerel, large jacks and goliath groupers are available. I charge an extra $50 for this charter to cover the extra fuel but this trip can be quite exciting.
Summer is a great time to take the kids out fishing and the late afternoon or evening charter in North Biscayne Bay is a good charter for the kids.
Regardless of the charter your interested don't let the summer rains scare you off from having a fishing trip of a lifetime!
Recent Catches:
Today I am fishing Gerald and Paul and we start in North Biscayne Bay. A large school of Spanish sardines has been providing me with plenty of quality baitfish for my recent charters but today they are nowhere to be found. We head over to Haulover Inlet and I spot a lone pelican diving and yes there is bait there. We Sabiki rig enough for a few hours of offshore fishing and head out to 100 feet of water. The first bait in the water gets eaten by a 25 pound sailfish and Gerald makes quick work of the sailfish that was caught on a Daiwa Tierra 3500 reel loaded with a 14 pound Berkley braid and a Key Largo rod. A quick couple of pictures and we release the sail unharmed. Back to fishing and a half dozen missed strikes and a storm forces us to head for cover. We hide for a few minutes under the Haulover Cut Bridge and then quickly catch a few more baits and then try our luck at some snook fishing. Before we head in the guys had release three snook and Paul caught a nice 32 inch 10 pounder that was kept for dinner. Paul's fish was caught on a live free lined pilchard hooked to a #1 Mustad long shank hook.
Today I am in Flamingo with Carole Neidig and her father Walter. Walter had read a lot about Whitewater Bay but had never fished it before so that is where we would concentrate our efforts today. Casting ¼ ounce Hook Up lures tipped with Gulp shrimp and Pogy's Carole and her dad caught and released one nice redfish, six snook, two goliath groupers that had to be carefully worked out from under the mangroves, loads of snappers, jacks, ladyfish and barracudas plus at least a dozen sea trout of which six big ones were kept for dinner. Walt lost a nice redfish plus a sight casted goliath grouper and Carole pointed out a Bald eagle sitting on a tree top.
Back in Flamingo today with Mark and his 8 year old son Will. Today we are going to fish Florida Bay! We head to a baitfish flat and quickly catch a bunch of pinfish and ballyhoo and then head for our first spot. Unfortunately another fisherman has beaten us to the spot so we head to spot two. Here we use my Power Pole Anchor to hold us off an island point as we cast live baits on a Hook Up lures, live baits under a Cajun Thunder and Gulp baits on a Hook Up lure. The Cajun Thunders get a few hits but no hook ups when Will gets a big bite and is quick into a monster 10 pound redfish. The tide is running hard and the large red just won't come to the Stow Master net. I can touch the leader but I can't get the fish in the Stow Master. Each time I think we have him he runs off again. Will keeps working the fish but you just can't catch every fish you hook and this one gets away. A touched leader is a legitimate catch so Will has part of a slam under his belt. Mark misses a couple of small snook and we are off to spot three. This is a nice grass flat and there is lots of pinfish and small ballyhoo on this flat. Will is getting a hit on almost every cast using a Cajun Thunder with a live ballyhoo. Mark is casting the Hook Up lure and constantly getting hit. Before we leave this spot we have caught a dozen sea trout with most being in the three pound class plus a Spanish mackerel, lots of snappers and a few catfish and had a giant shark check us out. The next spot is Lake Ingram where Mark catches another nice trout and Will hooks up to a 40 pound tarpon that ate a live pinfish under a Cajun Thunder. The tarpon jumps at least 4 times and makes some great runs and Will is doing a great job on the fish. Will really needs this tarpon because it is the hardest of the Grand Slam fish. The tarpon makes another head shaking jump and the leader parts and the fish is gone. We settle down and get back to fishing and quickly loose a snook and a mystery fish and catch a few catfish before heading to our last spot. Will has fallen asleep but Mark continues to cast the Hook Up lure and Gulp shrimp and catches a few snappers in this spot. We spooked two large snook but no hits so we head back to the ramp. On the way in we have a bunch of bottle nosed dolphins playing in front of the boat.
Well that's how this past week went and you can clearly see the possibilities that South Florida has to offer fishermen during the summer.
Well that catches us up for now!
Give me a call and let's go fishing!
786-436-2064
Check out my new web site and see your monthly catches and pictures.
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
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
Capt. Alan Sherman
"Get Em" Sportfishing Charters
786 436 2064
shermana@bellsouth.net
www.getemsportfishing.com
