FishingReports2005

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F i s h i n g R e p o r t s

J a n u a r y - D e c e m b e r 2005

JANUARY
Welcome to 2005. I hope you all had a fantastic holiday even with the COLD fronts that came weekly this past December. Did someone move the Equator and neglected to let me know?
    Well guess who won an EMMY!!!! The “Chevy’s Florida Fishing Reports” show airing on the Sunshine Network won a 2004 Sports Emmy this past December 11th. This is the first
time a first year show has achieved such an award and the Sunshine Network is delighted.
My congratulations to Capt. Rick Murphy & Whit Watson, our Hosts of the show, Ken Kavanaugh, our Producer, Dave Ferrell, the “Off The Deep End Guy” and of course all of the
“Magnificent Seven” Regional Experts that gave the weekly reports.
The “Magnificent Seven” are: 1.        Northeast Regional Expert/Capt. Scott Guthrie, 2.        Central East Regional Expert /Capt. Rodney Smith, 3.        Southeast Regional Expert /Capt.
Mike Holliday, 4.        South Regional Expert /Capt. Dave Sutton, 5.        Southwest Regional Expert /Capt. Ron Hueston, 6.        Central West Regional Expert /Capt. Geoffrey Page,
7.        Panhandle Regional Expert /Capt. Pat Dineen. Hey Sunshine.. I have a place on my mantle all ready for my EMMY !!!!!!!!
As the cold fronts continue with the winds coming from all directions, even sometimes in the same day, I find myself waiting for the right times to take my anglers out to fish. Of course
some are here on vacation and are restricted as to when they can go, but my local anglers are on stand-by for some of the best fishing they have ever seen. Watch the weather patterns
develop, and you will see a cold front diminish to a two or three day warming trend until the next front will approach. These are the golden days for the flats fisherman. The warming days
just before a new cold front moves in will be the most active days for the fish. As the barometer drops the bite will be on, all you have to do is be there.
    January will show a few more of these cold fronts and with it the blustery winds of early spring to deal with as well. Try to work a specific flat for bonefish over and over again and you
will see that there is a general set of conditions that will bring schools of fish to the flat. Wind direction, tide flow, tide time of day and of course the position of the moon. All of these factors
dictate whether you will see a few tailers or a few schools of tailers. But most importantly, be patient and enjoy the hunt, even if the score is lopsided. This is called fishing and even the very
best guides will return to the dock at times with a final score of bonefish 8 & anglers nothing.
The flyfishing is still worth trying if you use a fly with weighted eyes and allowed it to fall to at least three feet before starting to strip. I like to use clousers and Borski’s Fur Shrimp for this
due to the upward bent hook design of the fly and it’s sparse tie to help the sink rate. Colors we use are white and light tan, white and chartreuse and white and yellow.
There have been lots of fish on the outside wrecks as well. Making the trip out ten to fifteen miles from the Shark River or Sandy Key has been a gamble. The choice must be made on the
right day to make the trip or the ride back can be very uncomfortable even in a twenty plus foot hull, but the trip is worth it. Large Snapper, Grouper, Black Drum, Tripletail, Cobia and a
host of other species await you. Just use your best judgment and of course, the weather reports, and you will have plenty of work to do at the cleaning table upon your return.
Most of my fishing has been in the backcountry of Flamingo this past December. The weather has brought most of the anglers and guides alike to the sheltered back bays of Whitewater Bay.
Concentrating mostly on the creek mouths where the sweet water meets the salt has been the trick, although the outside beaches of the Cape north into Shark River have been on fire as well.
I’ll see you “On the Flats”
Gear Check
    Upon arrival of my new Mirage HPX-V, I was amazed how smooth the Yamaha 90 was as I went through the break-in process. The 256-pound engine weight is a distinct advantage when
poling in the shallowest waters of Flamingo and Biscayne Bay, especially with the captain weighting in at 245 pounds!!!!

FEBRUARY
Well the cold fronts have become a weekly tradition this past January and look like they might follow into February. It has been a mixed bag of windy days and cold fronts blowing through
from the west and north making the bonefishing very tough. With the sudden drop of five degrees in water temperature the bones retreat to the deeper flats and forage there, rather than
suffer the cold water on the shallower flats. It will take two or three days in succession to bring them back to tailing water. Watch the surface temps and get ready to fish. I have found that
the magic number seems to be 68 degrees until the bonefish will begin to migrate onto the skinny water to feed.
February will show a few more of these cold fronts and with it the blustery winds of early spring to deal with as well. Try to work a specific flat for bonefish over and over again and you
will see that there is a general set of conditions that will bring schools of fish to the flat. Wind direction, tide flow, time of tide, time of day and of course the position of the moon. All of
these factors dictate whether you will see a few tailers or a few schools of tailers. But most importantly, be patient and enjoy the hunt, even if the score is lopsided. This is called fishing
and even the very best guides will return to the dock at times with a final score of bonefish 8 & anglers nothing, every once and a while.
Snook season is open as of February 1st and here we go again. The winds of late winter/early spring are here as well. The flyfishing was still worth trying if you use a fly with weighted
eyes and allowed it to fall to at least three feet before starting to strip. I like to use clousers and Borski’s Fur Shrimp for this due to the upward bent hook design of the fly and it’s sparse
tie to help the sink rate. Colors we use are white and light tan, white and chartreuse and white and yellow.
These colors seam to be the best bet for the deep edges of the channel and the snook love them.
On my fiftieth birthday, this past January 8th 2005 we buried my best friends son. He lost his life way too soon, and way too young. When faced with the decision to take a ride with
someone who has been drinking, please say “NO” He was the son to Ron & Diane, a brother to Kera and Kelly and an uncle to Georgia & Savannah. He was a friend to many, a very good
fisherman and he was only 21 years old. He earned a “Backcountry Grand Slam” in Flamingo on my boat in 2000. We laid him to rest with his favorite rod and a High Roller along with
many other things from his friends and family.
“Peace Out” Butchie……
You will be missed “On the Flats”

MARCH
With the cold fronts finally over, now all we have to put up with is this winds of March. It seems they have started early this year and will hopefully end early. Water temperatures are
reaching the tolerable levels of 68 degrees in the morning and a late afternoon rise to 72degrees on our waters of Flamingo and Biscayne Bay, making the start of spring pleasantly
approaching.
Winter Tarpon is still ok from the bridges of Miami all the way over to Florida Bay and Flamingo. Whitewater Bay has been a frequent haunt for my anglers while throwing HighRollers
and Bagley’s mullet baits for the Kings. Landing one fish a day has been the average if we have the patience to throw, although you need to jump another three fish to keep the odds this
good. Casting poppers and shallow divers is a lot of fun for these giants, especially when they take a swing at your lure five feet away from the boat. Remember, natural colors in clean
water and bright colors in dirty water has been the measure of success on my boat this season.
Throwing a fly has only been done by the die-hard anglers who can stand up to blind casting in a fifteen-knot wind for a chance of jumping a fish up to 170 pounds. As tuff as it may
sound, this has been the tactics that has landed eight fish over a hundred pounds in the last month. Snook and redfish are all over the backcountry of Flamingo as well as the outside flats
into Florida Bay. Cobia and tripletail are on the crab pot buoys and the Spanish macks are also in full force.
I have been testing bay boats over the last year and have come to only one inevitable conclusion, I need a BIGGER BOAT for what I want to do. I have a yen to fish the deep gulf wrecks
and have had many requests for the angling adventure that exists out there. Well, I think I have found the boat to do the Job.
After much to do I have settled on a 28 foot Panga By Panga Fishing Boats of Miami. Panga.com is their web site and you can see the “ORIGINAL” Panga hull design there. Watch the
videos they have and check out the gallery of boats from Mexico to Japan. If you have any further questions just give me a call or you can call Art de la Nuez at Panga Fishing Boats. His
number is 305-971-7485. I kept coming back to this hull for it’s simple forty-year old hull design that rides a heavy chop like a deep-V, runs very efficient like a modified-V, and floats in
shallow water like a flats boat. The hull gives an uncommonly dry ride in an unruly sea and has the uncanny ability to run very fast top end speeds with a single outboard. “No boat has
ALL of these abilities,” you say, well I will prove it to you as soon as I get my new Panga hopefully by the end of March.
Fishing enthusiasts can take advantage of early-bird registration for the 2005 Herman Lucerne Memorial Backcountry Fishing Competition and save $25 on the entry fee. Presented by
Hell's Bay Boatworks and Mercury, the sixth annual catch-and-release event takes place April 15-17 in the waters of the Florida Bay and Everglades National Park. It will benefit services
at the new Homestead Hospital that is under construction just east of the Florida Turnpike off Campbell Drive and scheduled to open in late 2006.
               The charity backcountry fishing competition honors the memory of Herman
Lucerne, a devoted fisherman, community activist and former mayor of Florida City who loved children. The competition's grand prize is an 18-foot Glades skiff with a 25-horsepower
Mercury outboard motor and a Hell's Bay trailer. Trophies and a $300 cash prize will be awarded to the anglers and teams who catch the largest fish in each of the eight eligible species,
including snook, tarpon, bonefish, redfish, trout, snapper, bass and black drum. There also is a $1,000 cash prize to the top guide. The competition is an International Game Fish
Association (IGFA) sanctioned event. "We are proud of the way this competition has grown," said Lloyd Wruble,
DMD, event chairperson. "Participants enjoy friendly competition in the beautiful waters of Florida Bay, receive fabulous items in the boat bag made possible by our sponsors, and know
they are raising money that for a great cause." In addition to the presenting sponsors Hell's Bay Boatworks and Mercury,
more than one dozen companies have signed up to support the event including, Acosta Farms, Community Bank of Florida, Dion Oil Company, Eagle Claw Hooks, First National Bank of
South Florida, Florida Hi-way Marine Insurance, Florida Nurserymen Growers & Landscapers Association, Grove Services Inc., Hook & Tackle, HOPS Restaurant, Karen Realty Group,
Publix Super Markets Charities, Stainless Marine, The Mead Family Charitable Foundation and Smith-Barney.
           The entry fee for the Herman Lucerne Memorial Backcountry Fishing

APRIL
April is coming and May soon to follow. This is the best time to be a Captain here in South Florida. The Tarpon will soon be off Biscayne Bay, (they are already on the outside of
Flamingo) the bones are warming up on the flats, the permit have already shown up on our flats and the list goes on & on.
Yes it’s true, I am know going “OFF THE DEEP END” My new Panga 28 is here and I am just totally in heaven. The pic above is the 26 footer but the 28 is the same hull design
lengthened by two feet. I have a Key West style T-top, a 35-gallon live well leaning post and the best engine on the block to push her. My new 225 E-Tec by Evinrude is just amazing. Jack
at Sea Power Inc. did the deed and hooked me up with an awesome engine. How about THREE MILES a gallon from a TWO-STROKE!!!!! All the power and performance of a two stroke
with the fuel efficiency of a four-stroke engine was just a dream.
Camp-Out Inc. & Continental Trailers hooked me up with a totally tricked out aluminum trailer to get her to the water and Image Graphics will be doing a full wrap to include Quantum,
Eagle Claw, Evinrude and Fish Hedz to name only a few. I will be doing Gulf wrecks for cobia, grouper, snapper and many more as well as testing the dolphin, sailfish, and the rest of the
Atlantic species on some brand new Quantum Gear. Call to book a trip on this new Panga hull and see for yourself why this hull design has been around for over thirty years.
The winds have finally calmed down and the bite should drastically improve in the bay. The bonefish have been very present all over the southern bay in large schools, all the way down the
Upper Keys. I have seen schools in the twenties out on the inside of the Ragged Keys south down to Garden Cove flats. Inside of Rabbit key Basin has gotten much better as of late as well,
with reports of large schools moving on the strong tides. Look for tailers on the incoming tides on the outside of Elliot all along the deep edges waiting for the water to rise up onto the flats,
but keep an eye out for permit in the 2 to 3 foot water as the tide rises. Look for this to just get better as the water warms.
Tarpon have been reported moving north along the outside of Key Largo and the shore up to Sands Cut in good numbers and have been eaters on chartreuse early in the day and tans to
olive patterns midday. There have been good numbers of tarpon moving on the outer edges of First National Bank south & east all the way down to Springer Bank. Look for rollers and get
in front of them and take a shot. The patterns are a closely kept secret between the guides and to ask them for the color is my only hope. The colors I have had luck on are the same as listed
above in the Bay, just add a yellow and white in the mix for the midday bite. This will also improve, as the water gets warmer.
There is still a ban on taking the Goliath Grouper in Florida waters, but I have been catching far too many of them to feel a need for a zero bag limit. The same story is true of the gulf
fishery. Fishing the sand holes, potholes and wreaks of the gulf I have experienced the abundant numbers of Goliath’s. While snapper and cobia fishing we have found that a Goliath has
moved in to the wreak and will not allow us to boat more than four to five fish without making our snappers live-bait. Once the grouper has moved out of his hole, you cannot bring up
another fish without him jumping all over it. I think we should have a minimum size and a daily bag limit of at least one of these fish to help ease the pressure a 200-pound fish like this can
make on a small fishing spot.

JUNE
June is the best time to slam on the flats. The Tarpon are all over the inside and outside flats, Permit are here in great numbers and the bonefish are starting to school in their summer
patterns. Now is the best time to go for the big three and receive the coveted award from the IGFA. All you have to do is record your catches on film and have the paperwork from IGFA to
apply for the certificate that is a beautiful addition to anyone’s trophy wall. I want to talk a minute about light lining for big fish. This seams to be the craze of late to catch a huge fish on
the lightest line possible, well this has its drawbacks. I have caught tarpon on a Quantum seven-foot rod made for 8-15 pound test and a Quantum Cabo 40 with 10-pound test Power-Pro
and the fight that followed lasted up to two hours. This is a tremendous strain on the fish. Without taking the fish out of the water for a photo, it still took a half hour to revive the fish
enough to have a safe release. From know on I will only target large tarpon with a minimum of 15 pound test. I think this is best for the fish as well as the angler. I think it is a win-win
situation going to a heavier line. The fish has a better chance for survival, the angler has more control of the fish during the fight, and the line doesn't’t end up with as much twist after the
fight.
     June fishing should be exactly what we had hoped for in the sense of wind direction, speed and temperatures. The afternoon build-up of thunder storms dictate we start our days early
and end them around 2 pm. This is a good practice also due to the South Florida sun baking our anglers to a crisp in the afternoon. Keep in mind you must reapply a generous amount of
sunscreen every three hours and keep the flow of liquids into yourself as well as your anglers to keep from becoming toast as we head into the summer months. Reminding my anglers of
both of these necessities I feel is a very important part of being a good guide.
    With the winds of May hopefully behind us we look forward to those quiet, sun filled morning’s on our flats here in Biscayne Bay, bonefish up & tailing on the low-incoming tides,
permit in schools on the outside creek points looking for crabs and tarpon daisy chaining down the coastal flats. There are a lot of smaller resident tarpon throughout the creeks and channels
of our bay as well, just waiting for a well placed shrimp from one of my anglers to shoot skyward and show his stuff.
Gear Check
    Even with the wind being up we have been able to fly fish with the help of the Pro Trim Line Tamer. This stripping bucket takes away almost all of the aggravation when trying to cast in
a wind and is a much-needed tool on my bow when there is a 15 or 20-knot wind blowing. We have been using the Nautilus fly reels with Thomas & Thomas Horizon Graphite Fly Rods
with much the delight of my anglers. These reels are of the highest quality you can find out there on the market period. If you feel that you need to spend more money on a reel .Buy Two.

JULY
July is here and the word is the tarpon are HOT, HOT, HOT. The water temperatures were a little late this year and so are the tarpon and there normal monthly movements. When we talk
about tarpon the target months are May & June, but this year there is a lot of talk that there is a lag in the cycle of about three weeks. Tarpon don’t go by the calendar, their cycle is
dictated by the water temperatures and wind directions. So look at the runs to be a little bit late this year. Look for a good push of fish along the outside of the Keys up to Miami all
heading north and a real good concentration of fish out on the Flamingo beaches.
    With my new Panga 28 from Panga.com Fishing Boats, I am in blue water heaven. The fuel efficiency is just amazing. Leaving Homestead Bayfront Park and running out 20 miles to run
& gun for six to seven hours has only resulted in a fuel bill of $55 to $70. The Evinrude E-Tec 200 has performed flawlessly with a top speed of 46 MPH. Not bad for a 28’ boat and a
single 200 HP engine with 4 passengers aboard. I have been finding the bite to be between 400 & 700 feet through the end of June depending on the wind direction and speed. Always
looking for a well-defined weed line with the other eye on the horizon looking for birds diving the dolphin have been very cooperative. Call now to reserve a trip this summer to check out
this remarkable hull and engine combination or just to catch a bunch of dolphin, mangrove snapper, grouper and muttons aboard the Quantum Leap!
As for the bonefishing, with July here we will see the water temperatures rising still to the point of driving the bonefish off the flats during the middle of the day, although the permit will
be showing more and more as the waters heat up. Target your bonefishing on those days of an early morning, incoming tides. The influx of cooler water flooding the flats will turn on the
bite and give you a better chance of hooking the grey ghost of the flats.
            This is the best time to try for the Grand Slam of the flats. To catch a bone, permit and tarpon in the same day is very possible during the three months of summer. Permit being the
toughest of the three to get to eat, this is the time of year the greatest numbers of fish gather on our flats. Target them with a quarter to half dollar size crab on a 2/0 circle hook and 20
pound fluorocarbon leader and hold on for the fight of your life. Have your boat captain keep fairly close to help keep the line out of the fan coral and off the bottom for your best chances
to keep a fish all the way to a photo finish.
Gear Check
    I have been fishing offshore with the arrival of my new “TOY” the Panga 28, and have the chance to use a few new baits. One of them is the Fishskin Flyers by ProFish Co. I like two
colors, all clear/white and the green-orange-yellow combination This is an ultra light trolling bait that stays almost weedless with a single hook and “Boy-O-Boy” does it catch dolphin.
Check it out at http://profishco.com/fishskinflyer.asp Come out for a trip and I will show you what I mean.
    The other bait I have been using is the Feather Bullet Dorado by Chaos. The feathers have fantastic action and the color combination is the best.

AUGUST
Summer is almost gone with the dog days of August here. The fishing has been very good this season in Biscayne Bay. Permit have been overrunning the flats inside and outside of the bay
with some very large fish being caught. Targeting permit on spin is a real treat; I start off at the bait shop. Rather than getting five-dozen shrimp and a couple of crabs like I do most of the
rest of the year, I order two-dozen crabs and a dozen shrimp. The first dozen of crabs should be the size of a quarter for the large bones and smaller permit, and the second dozen should be
the size of a silver dollar. The larger crabs will give you longer casts for the tailing fish and the fish over fifteen pounds will eat them up like M&M’s
Well August is here again, and again we look forward to September first for the snook season to open. The flats are loaded with this fiery villain sitting poised to strike at a properly
presented bait. One of my favorites is the High Roller/Rip Roller in the 3.25” size and in the colors of either Florida Special or the new Green Back. Other top water baits like the new
Rapala Skitter Walk in the mullet pattern has worked very well. Capt. Rick Murphy gave me a couple of these baits after the ICAST Show to see what I thought, and I like them.
Don’t forget the plastics. My Spike-It Holographic Jerk Baits have been doing the trick in this warm water as well. Rigged Texas Style using a 1/16th oz. bullet weight for casting distance
really helps, it also allows the head of the bait to fall naturally. This has been the formula for success catching at least two or three snook before the heat of the day slows down the bite and
makes the fish hide out in the deeper edges or cuts of Flamingo. Remember that the snook is a nocturnal feeder so the best time will be at dawn and dusk for the biggest fish The early part of
the day has been the best for the bonefishing. Being on the water at sunrise is a necessity due to the cooler water temperatures. This is the toughest time for me to tag a bonefish with this
hot water. I have been on the University of Miami Bonefish Research program for almost four years now and have gotten a lot of information from the research they are performing. A single
bonefish over his lifespan is valued at $70,000.00 to the economy here in South Florida, this is just amazing to me. If you have fished with me you will notice I don’t tag all of the fish we
catch, as is my standard practice. I will only tag a bone that has been landed in the best of shape to lessen the impact on the fish and ensure it’s survival. I will take a lot of time reviving
every fish caught to ensure the fish has had a chance to recover from the fight before releasing him. I hope you all practice the same care when releasing one of our precocious bonefish. The
Mahi Mahi are at their best during the month of August and with my new Panga 28 & Evinrude E-Tec combination I am having a ball out there. Call for reservations to fish this amazing hull
and see for yourself how this boat performs.
Gear Check
I have been fishing offshore with the arrival of my new “TOY” the Panga 28, and have the chance to use a few new baits. One of them is a new processed bait called Tuff-E-Nuff. This is
a squid wing processed tough as leather and developed to stay on your hook longer. I use a long strip to drag on my feathers and if hooked right it will not spin at all. I will use smaller strips
to tip a jig and even smaller strips to catch bait. Being processed it doesn't’t STINK like un-processed squid and is very strong, and “Boy-O-Boy” does it catch dolphin. Check it out at http:
//anglerschoicebaitcompany.com/
Or give the boy’s at Anglers Choice a call at (877) 283-1670. Come out for a trip and I will show you what I mean.

SEPTEMBER
September is upon us again with the familiar warm evenings and wonderful sunsets after our seasonable afternoon thunderstorms. Snook season has opened and the hunt is on for the
linesiders. There are still plenty of fish on the beaches and creek mouths of Florida Bay west to Cape Sable. I have also been up in the bites, you know Garfield, Rankin and that whole
shoreline all the way to the drag over with lots of luck. Young tarpon in the five-pound class rolling about, snook taking top water Skitter Walks, redfish tailing in the very skinny waters, it
is the time to pole. The winds are minimal this time of year making it a time to just pole along slowly in six to eight inches of water looking for pushes and waking fish. Lets talk real skinny
water for a minute. Whether you are in Biscayne Bay or Florida Bay some of the very best times I have had guiding a client is in six to eight inches of water. Biscayne Bay and it’s bonefish
tailing on the last of an outgoing tide trying to get the last feed on before Cutter Bank goes dry is what’s its all about for me. Pushing my Maverick along leaving a Vee pattern in the grass
flats trying to get close enough to make a cast at a twelve pounder that is just tailing like there is no tomorrow, this is the very essence of flats fishing. To be on the outside of Caesar’s Creek
at a dead low just as the tide starts to flow in over the south side flats, the permit will be just on the edges of the cut. They will work up and down those edges, then as the water level rises
to the point of they’re being just enough water, they will tail on the shallow flat as they feed. The tails will look like black fillet knife blades as they stick out of the water darting along
Pushing over the hump on Snake bite flat as the tide floods the flat, the grass is slowly disappearing, and as the first wave of mullet start mudding is when the first redfish and snook will
slowly follow them. You have seen the bait being flushed out of the water as the sharks tear into the mullet...well it isn’t always a shark doing that. There will be plenty of snook, redfish
and of course large seatrout in the mix as well. But you need the shallow draft and silence of a top quality hull to get close enough.
Some of the hulls that can do this with ease are of course the Maverick HPX-V (my ride) and HPX-Tunnel hulls and most of the Hell’s Bay series of skiffs. Many people use an aluminum
hull for this kind of fishing but I have found these hulls to be very noisy as well as providing a horrendous ride in a chop. But then again some of the aforementioned tunnels ride very ruff in
a chop but the advantage is they are silent and draft only a few inches when it is most needed, when “sight fishing”.
The shallow water and stillness of this water even in a fifteen to twenty knot wind makes approaching a game fish very difficult. Part of the key is to approach very slowly with very little
movement from you as the guide poling and from your angler. This type of “sight fishing” requires very short accurate casting and buckets of patience but the dividends are priceless. One
trick to having the visibility of the guy on the tower is to have a front casting platform, or you can take your cooler and stand on it on the bow. This will elevate you sixteen to eighteen
inches and you will not believe the difference. Just remember the fish can see you better as well. Keep your movements down to a minimum, when you see a fish go a crouching position to
make your cast, and cast from the side rather than overhead. Just the movement of your rod can spook fish in eight inches of clear water.
    As I write this report I am preparing my gear for a trip to Kodiak Island Alaska. Planning on taming a couple of Halibut on the 13-15wt. Thomas & Thomas rod teamed up with the
Nautilus 12S reel will be the first order of business, then on to some silver salmon fishing. I will be sure to have a few shots upon my return and will be sure to share them with you in the
next issue of Outdoor Florida.
    Until then, good luck with the snook and I’ll see you “On the Flats”.
Gear Check
     I have been using the new 8, 10 & 15-pound Power-Pro Lines now for almost three years and I am here to say…I am a believer. The 8-pound is just like thread (has a dia. of one-pound
test monofilament) and throws a 2/0 circle hook with a medium size shrimp a country mile as the photo above attests. The long casts mean the less chance of spooking bonefish and permit
while on the flats. The 15-pound test is a great tool for getting those snook out of a mangrove shoreline. The 15-pound has a dia. of four-pound test monofilament and can spool almost 300
yards on a Quantum Cabo 40 reel. This is a great advantage for tarpon fishing and for all of the offshore species.

OCTOBER
Bonefish, Bonefish, Bonefish, this month is the best for my favorite target. With the water staying warm, an 84-degree average, the bones are feeling fall slowly coming on, and with that
warm water and the lack of a strong cold front the permit are staying around as well. I have been seeing schools of LARGE bonefish all over the bay and they have been eating on fly as well
as bait.         A bonefish will always be heading in an up current direction with his nose into the wind, so to speak. So many we have used the term “bird dogging.” A bonefish while
swimming into the current will sway back and forth to increase the chance of picking up the scent of a food source. Moving right to left as the fish moves up a flat just like a bird dog
working into the wind across a field. It really is a beautiful thing to watch. The month of September has been a little warmer than most of us fisherpeople would have ordered. The normal
cold fronts have not been present to help the bait fish start their migratory drive south, but even without the drop in temperatures the bait has arrived, and in good numbers. There’s plenty
of mullet in the bay and the fish are responding well.
The juvenile tarpon have re-gathered in the normal haunts to feed on these mullet and we as anglers and guides have been in on the action. Fish the creek mouths on the west side of Biscayne
Bay and you will see schools of tarpon, as well as, snook and an occasional school of redfish.
Gear Check
    My Maverick Mirage HPX is the best advantage I have against the wary bonefish and now with the new 90 E-Tec I have the fuel economy of a four stroke and the power of a two
stroke. . I opted for the Vee rather than the Tunnel due to having to cross Biscayne Bay almost every day. The ride it offers is something I can’t tell you about, you have to experience it for
yourself to believe. We were throwing High Rollers (Rip-Rollers) at the snook as well as the new Spike-It Holographic plastic baits with great results. Check these new baits out at www.
ispikeit.com . Maxima Fluorocarbon leaders of 30-pound test were a must due the snook activity in the area blowing up schools of mullet along the drop-off of a flat into the channels.

NOVEMBER
Here we go folks, the winter fishing is in full swing. The November cold fronts should do the trick in bringing the winter bite to a full term. Flamingo’s gulf edges will be full of Mac’s,
cobia, tripletail and snapper and the flats around the inside will be teaming with large trout, redfish and snook. December will bring the backcountry of the Everglades alive. Whitewater Bay
will soon be seeing the winter tarpon run and fishing the creek mouths on the eastern shores and bites are already producing redfish, and snook as well as a great snapper bite. Fishing
Biscayne Bay during November will be an exercise in wind resistance, and it’s just starting. Through the winter till maybe April the wind is your foremost adversary on the flats. Just learn
the flats in your area and the different drifts you will need to do during different wind directions, and you will start to see a pattern emerging. The bonefish use the same routes to enter and
feed on a flat. Depending on the current direction and if it is a tidal current of one dictated by the wind and it’s direction, you will see the patterns. Just watch for those tails working and
get ready for some action!!!!!
With the water staying warm, a 74-degree average, the bones are feeling fall slowly coming on, and with that warm water and the lack of a strong cold front the permit are staying around as
well. I have been seeing schools of LARGE bonefish all over the bay and they have been eating on fly as well as bait. A bonefish will always work a flat in an up current direction with his
nose into the wind, so to speak. So many we have used the term “bird dogging.” A bonefish while swimming into the current will sway back and forth to increase the chance of picking up
the scent of a food source. Moving right to left as the fish moves up a flat. I don’t want to get off on another rant here, but I want to address a couple of things I have been constantly seeing
on our Biscayne Bay flats. One is the constant running (on plane) over the grass flats. I have a Maverick HPX-V, and can with my trim tabs down and my Evinrude E-Tec 90 trimmed up,
I can run in 8 inches of water without cutting the grass at all. BUT I TRY NOT TO DO IT!!! Capt. Andy Thompson was fishing a tournament and I was running back in from Ocean Reef
and ..yup you guessed it … I cut a corner and blew his flat without seeing him. I was chewed out and I deserved every bit of it, sorry Andy! We are all guilty during a 25 knot day of
cutting a corner from time to time but we must try to be aware of other boats around us at all times. I have had a shot at a 14+ pound bone and a boat ran my drift and spooked him. I am
writing this to help remind myself as well as other boaters to treat our neighbors like we would like to be treated. Most of the flats boats in the 18-foot class can run in 12 to 14 inches of
water but you should take the time to go around a flat as you are heading for your next spot. Our flats here have bonefish constantly moving on and off of them throughout the tide flows as
they feed. This is why a guide will fish a flat that someone has just moved off of, if he moves off slowly. Poling to the edge of the flat and idling till you have at least three feet of water or
more is the best way to ensure that the fish have not been spooked. Taking the time to move off a flat will also ensure that you will not dig a wheel hole when you jump on plane. We all
have seen these holes on our flats as well as the long wheel ditches going all the way across, these scars will take years to recover and it gives the environmentalists ammo to use against us.
    Larger hull vessels should be aware of the flats anglers as well. When you see a flats boat in the distance it is easy to see if there is a person poling the boat. If there is someone poling,
HE IS IN SHALLOW WATER …… DO NOT APPROACH. This is the best indicator that there is a flat in the area, other than the watercolor change. The south end of Biscayne Bay is
full of flats and small channels; most of them are ok to navigate with a flats boat but not a 24-foot deep Vee hull with twins. Please check out your chart or GPS to find your safest course.
Gear Check
    Here is the reason I don’t mind fishing in the rain. Frogg Toggs are a 100% waterproof, windproof, lightweight breathable outerwear that everyone can afford. These guys have pioneered
the use of Microporous Polypropylene fabric’s and the “NO-NEEDLE” seam for NO-LEAKING.
    This rain gear is by far the best I have ever used, just ask any of my anglers who have used the on-board gear on my boat. They will tell you they have gone out and bought a set of there
own. “This stuff is as light as paper” I hear all of the time, but it is super-strong. I have a set that goes between my Maverick and the Panga for over a year, and that’s a lot of abuse !!!!!
Check out the gear at www.froggtoggs.com

DECEMBER
The 2005 American Veterans Fish-Off was another success this year. Guides took out 27 veterans fishing for the day and returned with some great stories. Thirteen Professional captains
were waiting for the vets in the parking lot of Homestead Bayfront Park with American flags and flags of all the services flying high. Guides came from as far away as Miami Beach and the
Florida Keys to participate in this year’s event.
Captain Dave Kostyo from Miami Beach aboard the boat “Knot Nancy” had a long run to fish with us and with the help of Spinnaker Marine donating some fuel to make the trip
possible boated a nice sailfish along with a wide assortment of mac’s. Captain’s Lain Goodwin & Kerry Wingo from Key Largo and their anglers/Vet’s boated a nice bonefish and the list
goes on and on.
The purpose of the event is to say “Thank-You for your service to our County” to our Vet’s who are the reason we enjoy the freedom we have. I don’t want to get off on a rant here but
people flock to this country by air, boat and even 1949 Studebakers for a particular reason. The FREEDOM!!!!!! The opportunity to live your life as an American and have the
opportunities of an American has always been the calling for the rest of the world to come to our shores. What we sometimes forget …it is our milatary's commitment to this country that
reserves our right to Freedom.
Ok, I’m done…. Back to fishing. Captain’s Matt Lofton and Rich Smith even with the wind ventured out on the patch reefs with a livewell full of four and five inch pilchards and tore’
em up. The Vet’s in 50 to 60 feet of water just off Ocean Reef slammed black groupers, big mangroves and even the mutton snappers for most of the morning.
I would like to thank all of the Captains who donated their day for the Veterans.
Ariel Cabrera, Jimmy Hixon, Michael Haines, Richie Smith, lain Goodwin, Matt Lofton, Kerry Wingo & Dave Kostyo. I would also like to thank all of the sponsors who made the event
possible. Panga Fishing Boats (Carlos Prio, Art De La Nuez & Jack Rupp owners), Evinrude Outboards, West Marine, Evolution Rods, Ashley @ Don’s Bait & Tackle, Julie Sutton
Marine Art, Sam Porco of the Youth Fishing Foundation, Ron Hill, High Rollers and Spike-It Baits.
Thanks to the above named guides and sponsors we had a great event and also great sandwiches, drinks, rods, reels, goodie bags, hats, tee shirts and other assorted fishing related gear to
hand out to our Veterans. There were very surprised faces when the Vet’s saw the quality gear we had. Thanks to all of you!!!!!

Captain Dave Sutton is sponsored by Chevrolet, Panga, Evinrude, Sea-Power, Palmas Puro Cigars, Costa Del Mar
Eyewear, Power-Pro lines, Odyssey Batteries, SOL Sunscreen, Calusa Nets, Hydro-Glow Fishing Lights, Salt Water
Assassin, Rapala, Frogg-Toggs, High Rollers, Lipper Tool, Pro-Fish, Lowrance Electronics, Van Staal, Fetha-Styx
Fly Rods and is the Florida Ambassador to Lewmar Ltd. He fishes Biscayne Bay, The Upper Keys and the
Everglades National Park. Captain Dave fishes a Maverick Mirage HPX-V, and a new Panga 27LX from Panga.com;
he is on the Quantum Pro-Team, and on the Pro-Staff of, Power-Pole, Stiffy Push Poles and many others. The
skipper would like to hear your fishing stories and reports for inclusion on the Chevy Florida Fishing Reports, his
website and print, or to book a trip, call him at 305-248-6126 or e-mail him at djsutton@bellsouth.net.
His websites are:
WWW.SALTWATER-FLYFISHERMAN.COM
WWW.ONTHEFLATSCHARTERS.COM

MAY
With a good wind comes a little security for the flats inhabitants. The bones and permit tend to really eat well during a 20-knot wind. True, it is a little harder to see them, but on the other
hand it is also harder for them to see us. The wind also covers the splash down of your offering much better. If you have ever tried to land a shrimp near a tailing bonefish in flat calm water,
you know what I mean. Most of the time you get the reaction that you have hit him in the head with a baseball or a Volkswagen!!! So if it’s blowing, don’t hesitate to go fishing, you will be
happy you did.        Look for the permit to be in the two to three foot ranges along the bonefish flats as they follow mudding rays. This is one of the easiest ways of spotting fish and a
great chance to approach those fish when they have their attention focused on something other than your approach. Work an edge looking shallow for bones as well as deep for the chance of
a shot at a permit and you will be pleasantly surprised. There is no better time to be a fisherman or guide here in South Florida than the months of April, May & June. I sometimes find it to
be the hardest at these times, when there are boats all over the place, to keep the right distance from other anglers. Other boats are cutting off my fish when I am on a tarpon run or a
bonefish flat, people are running all over the flats trying to get from one spot to another. This is when we need to discipline ourselves the most.
When you are out there fishing, please try to remember not to run over flats that someone might want to fish, even if there isn’t anyone in sight. Keep your distance from other boats that
are in line on a tarpon run. When approaching another boat, try to think of how he or she is fishing, are they drifting a flat? Are they poling down wind and away from the sun for the best
visibility? Or they set up on a point waiting for a school of tarpon to cross their path. In any of these scenarios, give way to allow plenty of room. If you can see who it is in the boat, or if
it is a Maverick or a Hell’s Bay, YOU’RE TOO CLOSE.
THE
AMERICAN VETERANS FISH-OFF
July 1st, 2005
    Were back …..and again this year, I will be looking for Licensed Captains to volunteer a half-day morning to take our American Veterans fishing. This year we will be filming the event
with a full production company and producing a nice DVD for all involved. Great fun and a whole bunch of flag waving saying thanks to our American Veterans who have served to protect
the freedom we all enjoy. If you are a Captain and want to participate or know a disabled veteran who likes to fish please contact me to get their name on the captain/angler list.
We are also looking for any contributions to help fund the event. Last year we had free lunch, drinks, tee shirts and boat bags for the vet’s and some nice trophies from Julie Sutton Marine
Art and Mike Stasko of Fine Art Printmaking for the best fish stories of the day, so please help to make this “a day to remember” for our veterans.
Contact: Capt. Dave Sutton 305-248-6126 offices 786-564-6347 cell www.saltwater-flyfisherman.com djsutton@bellsouth.net
Gear Check
    Now is the time to get out your 11 & 12 weight Thomas & Thomas fly rods to prepare for the Tarpon runs of spring. You can loosen up in Whitewater Bay blind casting for the kings to
get yourself into the rhythm of throwing the heavy rods again. Clean your reels and lines then check your backing and don’t forget to throw out any old rusty hooked tarpon flies. See
Franco at Biscayne Bay Fly Shop for the latest patterns and “lets get it on”!!!!