Archive for August, 2009

Time flies when you’re having fun, no doubt and this Summer was no exception… too many first time accomplishments and too many slams to count. It’s hard to believe the Fall should be better than it is now. The regulars know the promise of Fall time in Flamingo… we wait in great anticipation of cooler air and water temperatures.

In the mean time, the patient angler catches more fish. While water temperatures still exceed 90 degrees, slight changes in approach will lead to greater success. This week I took advantage of high water to find cooler temps and happy fish… when I went skinny in search of tailing Redfish, I slowed things down and switched often to stinky baits. My fly fisherman had the advantage this week… small shrimp patterned flies drew vicious strikes from all the major species. Pulling drag and high fives were very common sounds all week long… Flamingo is a special place.

First in, last out
Mike and Scott met me early last Friday morning… one of the first boats in the water. Having been out with me several times this year, they are very familiar with the drill. They expected to be on fish early and often… this day was no different. Within seconds of reaching our first spot, baby Tarpon from 5 to 20 pounds surrounded the boat… in no time, they each had one airborne. We left them biting in search of other species. For the next four hours we hopped from spot to spot, staying in front of the tide and on fish. The Snook were hiding in the grass and on edges of potholes, lying in wait for unsuspecting mullet. The Redfish were piling up on rays and tailing hard in every direction. They caught their fair share and completed their slams…

After being chased around by a few storms, things settled again. The water had risen higher than the morning high and the new water temperature was much better. As the sun began its decent, the fish fed hard. We found a large school of Snook mixed in with rolling Tarpon and had a blast… I even got in on some of the action. We ended the day with a couple of nice top water Redfish and Mike’s biggest Snook to date… the last ones out of the Park. What a day!

There are some advantages to being the last ones out…

Carla and Scott had a great day… Congratulations on your first Back Country Slam!

Another Redfish first…

Fellow PELAGIC Pro, Capt. David Trafton got in on some action as well…

The top water bite this week was just awesome…

Rapala Skitterwalk gets it done every time…

His best Shark impersonation

After a few short strikes and a couple of small Snook, Lex and Tommy struck gold with a Skitterwalk Redfish double…

Be sure to catch FSTv this week on the Sportsman’s Channel or Sun Sports… Blair Wickstrom and I hit Whitewater Bay and the Gulf Coast for some “Creek Smarts”, in a new Pathfinder 22 XLTE… http://www.floridasportsman.co….html

Until next week!

In Flamingo, lots of mosquitoes and lots of thunderstorms mean lots of fish. This time of year typically lends itself to the real Sportsman… one who can deal with the Flamingo winged natives and one who doesn’t mind sporting rain gear on occasion. The parking lot is empty and the fish see very little pressure… on some days, you feel as though you have the Park all to yourself. This week was no different… we did the mad mosquito dance every morning until we made our way out of the marina and in the afternoons we dodged some thunderstorms. The time in between was like that of dreams… tailing and schooling Redfish, hundreds of Snook corralling and smashing mullet, Tarpon big and small in shallow water eating anything that moved… What more could you ask for?

Inspiring Soul
This week I fished two days with a man I will not soon forget… a successful teacher, family man and sportsman. Confined to a wheel chair after breaking his neck in 1979, Rob Birk lives life to the absolute fullest. With very little mobility in his arms and hands, most of the daily duties we handle without issue or concern are difficult at best for him. Yet, the man let’s nothing get in his way and he does it with a smile. When he called me two weeks ago, I truly had no idea what to expect… but, I should have known when he said, “I’ll start driving tomorrow”, that he was not my typical guest. With a little help from his nephew Luke, he drove straight from Cincinnati to Homestead for a two day Everglades Adventure… now that’s hardcore.

Flamingo received Rob and Luke well… they caught over 40 Snook (to 31″) and 40 Redfish (to 32″), all while braving the bugs, storms and heat. Rob caught his biggest Snook to date (28″) and his first tailing Redfish (32″)… congratulations, my friend. You are a hell of a fisherman and an inspiration to us all. Thank you for choosing me…

Rob’s first

Luke’s first

They made a great team.

Rob wanted to share this one…

Rob’s Snook… one of many

TT = Yum Yum

Luke’s 31″ tailer

Rob was not to be outdone… a large golden tail waved him down and with one good cast, it was game on.

One heck of an accomplishment big Rob

32″ and the biggest of the two days… awesome! Please come back soon.

   

Troubled double

Two beauties and the beast…

Brett and Shannon had a great day…

All on her own.

Wade started his day off with one on fly.

He switched to spin when the wind picked up.

We doubled up a couple times.

Nice fat momma, Dave!

Until next week!

Dangerously Hot
With water temperatures exceeding the mid 90 degree mark on the flats, it can be stressing on the anglers and even more stressing on the fish. High temps mean low oxygen, which pushes Snook toward deeper water and slows the Reds down slightly. Keeping this in mind is half the battle when formulating a game plan for the day. It is also critical to understand we must handle hot water fish with extreme caution… releasing them as quickly as possible and preferably, avoid removing them from the water all together. Personally, I have skipped picture taking when handling hot water fish and spend a little extra time with the revival.

Nicole’s School Work
Jon-Erik Escribano was back, but this time he brought his better half for a little schooling. Nicole’s fishing history was limited, but she was eager to learn. After many missed opportunities, we found a large school of Redfish willing to help with her lesson. It was not long before her drag was screaming and another fisherwoman was hooked for life.

The school was at least 200 hundred fish deep…

Nicole’s first… Congrats!

Look at the color of this fish!

Last week I was visited by Matt Kelly and his son Patrick again, but this time, Redfish on fly was their mission. Patrick struck first with a perfectly placed shot to a group of tailing Reds… you would never know he first picked up a fly rod last November. He already has several Snook and Large Tarpon to his credit… and now, tailing Redfish.

    

Upgraded

Then, Dad got in on the action… before the storms blew us out of town.

In true end of Summer fashion the Redfish, Snook and Tarpon have been out in full force. The crazy thing is it all usually continues to get better and better until those cold fronts start rolling in at the end of Fall. I can hardly imagine it getting any better than it is right now. This is certainly the time of year for fly fisherman and any hardcore sight fisherman… the sky is the limit.

Until next week…