Archive for June, 2009

Another great week rounds out a phenomenal month in Everglades National Park… with good numbers of Redfish and Snook on the flats, tons of Trout in every basin and pods of Tarpon cruising shorelines, you can take your pick or target them all! Summertime patterns are in full affect and once you get passed the mosquito welcoming committee, it’s smooth sailing…

This week was filled with heavy West winds and sometimes cool rain, but the fish did not disappoint. We managed a couple Grand Slams, many Back Country Slams, a couple 20+ Redfish days and endless Trout. It was also another week filled with client’ firsts… first Snook on fly, first Redfish on fly, first Redfish/Snook and first Tarpon. Rapala skitterwalks have been very reliable first thing in the morning or when dealing with high water. Five inch Gulp jerk shads in bright colors have worked well when Redfish are tentative eaters. Rapala Twitching Raps were big producers when fishing deep shorelines or flats. You can find all of the above at Don’s Bait & Tackle in Homestead on the way into the Park…

Doc’s Huckleberry…
Jeff (”Doc Holiday”) May came to Flamingo with one goal on his mind, catch all four back country species and complete his first Grand Slam… my glasses were sometimes fogged by potent gases, but I kept my eye on the ball. We should have known it was going to be a good day when we were met at our first stop by several hundred schooling Snook… no lie. Each cast was met by a hungry Snook until they left us.

Next, we went in search of Tarpon and found several small pods… after a few intercepted attempts, Jeff puts one in the air and successfully lands his first Flamingo Tarpon.

As the water slowly drained and the looming cloud cover finally cleared, the Redfish decided to show in grand fashion. We were literally covered in Redfish for nearly as far as you could see in every direction… and they were all active fish, crashing bait and tailing wildly. Jeff’s first presentation to a school of Reds yielded a surprise…

Then, it happened… Senor Redfish ate a perfectly placed presentation and the fight was on. It was a certified Flamingo lunker… not long at 31″, but very fat fish nonetheless.

It was bonus time after that and we exercised many Redfish and Snook thereafter. I had a great time with Jeff… the jokes were plentiful and the gases were flowing. My cheeks still hurt from laughing all day. Thanks Jeff.

More pics…

A special thanks to Kenny for more than managing second boat duties for a day with the boys from Florida Sportsman… Dueling T’s… it was a blast.

Lenny started his day off right with a nice Florida Bay Snook.

Then he proceeded to put a pounding on the Redfish… this was his first ever on the flats.

After logging his first Snook on fly, Charles worked through the tough 20+ kt West winds to find this hefty Redfish.

The Meeker Brothers didn’t let the weather get them down… Mike’s first Redfish was of the Leopard variety

After watching his first Snook of the day, a solid 31 incher get eaten by a bull shark, he made sure this one was released quickly and healthy.

Who knows how many Reds they caught… after they got the hang of it, they were exercising fish left and right.

Congrats on another couple Back Country Slams…

Until next week…

Flamingo 2009 from Gabe Lopez on Vimeo.

As I idled up to a famous Florida Bay flat, we were met by the Sun’s first peek over the horizon. When I turned the engine off, the familiar sounds of happy mullet surrounded us. I joined my long time client on the bow platform for the show… in the distance we could see dozens of wading birds and glowing golden Redfish tails. For a brief moment we just sat and watched. Back home we each had a myriad of stresses, but during that moment we had none. There simply is no substitute for time on the water… it can be your therapy, your release. I wish all of you more time on the water this Summer!

Redfish Rodeo
This week was filled with schools, and I mean BIG schools, of Redfish on every flat from Flamingo to Islamorada. I’m not sure what is tougher, poling to single tailing fish or poling in endless circles following hundreds… but, I can tell you I am exhausted and sore after a week of chasing schools around. It was certainly worth it, though… what a week!

After a few failed attempts, Perry finally landed his first ever!

Jon-Erik joined in on the melee with his first tailing Redfish.

… too many to count.

By the end of the day, they were Redfish Pros…

Lee Shaw got in on some action as well… Bass don’t pull this hard!

Mark Elliot was happy with his first tailing Redfish ever…

… but, each one was bigger than the last.

Nice work Mark!

Big Mike Battistoni from Maui Jim took some much needed personal time to bring his son down to Flamingo. He wasted no time putting the first one in the boat…

Until next week!

Whether spending a day with a guide or in your own boat, being properly prepared can mean a more successful day on the water. The next time a professional fishing circuit is in town, visit some of the Pro fisherman the day before game day. You will find them spending hours on hours checking line, changing leaders, greasing reels, organizing baits, etc… obviously, they represent the extreme side of the spectrum, but, they are the best for good reason. I used to keep a checklist I relied on while preparing for a fishing trip and it saved me more than once… sunglasses, check… hat, check… raingear, check…

If you plan on sight casting for fish, you may consider spending some time in the backyard practicing with a bucket and hookless lure. It is hugely important that you have the ability to cast several dozen feet with decent accuracy. The farther you cast and the more accurate you cast, the more fish you catch, period.

  

Mary was prepared… after a few restless weeks in anticipation of her trip to Flamingo, she calmed her nerves on her third cast. Her smile says it all…

  

Lenny had a true fight on his hands when this Goliath Grouper ate a pinfish just a few feet from the boat… what a battle.

 

Tino came to Flamingo in search of his first Snook… he caught a few that day, but you never forget your first!

 

There are a lot of big girls around… in the trees and on the flats. This one ate a large pinfish.

 

Donna was more than prepared… she made one cast to the first tailing Redfish of the day and made short work of the fight thereafter. Nice job Donna!

 

Here’s Ron with one of more than 25 Snook caught that day…

 

The couple didn’t miss a beat… with long accurate casting, they landed Redfish after Redfish… easily over 15 Redfish when it was all said and done.

 

… and more than a few over slot fish. Nice one Donna!

 

A tough duo to beat…

 

While Donna pretty much kicked his butt the first day, Ron came back strong on the second…

 

There is certainly no shortage of big Trout around… if Trout was your thing, 100 fish a day would be easy.

 

This Gag Grouper sky-rocketed on a Redfish colored Skitterwalk!

 

Sight fishing big Snook is so much fun…

 

Until next week!…