FishingReports2007

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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 2007

JANUARY
Cold Fronts??? Well I guess I shouldn’t complain about the lack of them but the winter fishing is dependant on the string of cold fronts we usually see during the end of November and the
beginning of December. I have been stuck on the October fishing patterns with the water temps hovering around 75 degrees in Biscayne Bay as well as the Swamp. The bonefish don’t have a
calendar to go by, only the patterns of water temperatures and barometric pressures. With the water staying warm, a 75-degree average, the bones are still showing the fall patterns, 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 or across 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. Flamingo has been on fire with the lack of cold fronts as well. I have reports of the dam in East Cape Canal and
the Lake Ingram dam sporting very good numbers of snook and redfish. The last of the incoming tides are preferred for these areas to have a wash of current into the No-Motor Zone water
having the fish move into the current and feed. The creeks and back bays of Whitewater Bay have been excellent for redfish and snook as well. I have spent a few 30-knot wind days deep in
Hell’s Bay to hide and have been rewarded with twenty snook days. Redfish, big snappers and a few small tarpon have made the casting of surface baits interesting. I love not knowing what
is going to smash your skitter walk as you make that nice skip-cast under a mangrove. Remember the hook rig that Rick Murphy told you about on the Chevy Florida Fishing report with the
weighted worm hooks for jerk baits? Well look in the pic above and you will see the response this snook had. With the weighted hook you can move the lead forward to have the nose drop
or move the lead back to have a suspending horizontal drop. The latter is great for those mangrove shorelines and creek mouths of north Whitewater Bay.

As you get deeper into the backcountry of Whitewater you will see the snook get darker and darker from the influx of fresh water. The Jacks get real yellow with black back as well and are
more aggressive, I think. I am hoping you all had a very Merry Christmas and will have a very Happy and Prosperous New Year and I will see you “On the Flats’
Gear Check
I have just started using a new custom made flyrod by a company called Fetha-Styx that I have been talking to at the FFR show for over three years now, and have finally
succumbed to the temptation. Jim Mercer and his crew make some of the most outstanding rods I have ever used. Best of all he will custom make you a rod specifically for the action,
conditions and fish you are targeting. Next time you see me at the dock or at Don’s Bait & Tackle ask me to see my Fetha-Styx. I will show you a awesome stick. Why buy a mass produced
rod when you can have a custom rod for the same price. Go to www.fethastyx.com for a look.

FEBRUARY
Is this the effects of global warming? I have said this before but the effects did not last this long. Are we seeing a steady rise in temperatures and a warmer, milder winter again this year?
Down here in South Florida it has been unseasonably warm all winter and the fish are responding very well. Talking to Capt. Steve Holmes who guides in the St Augustine area I am told
the same scenario exists in the north end of Florida as well. I guess it is more a case of trends in the weather patterns rather than global warming, but all I know is the fishing conditions are
much better because of it. I am just wondering if I will have waterfront property soon!!!!!!
Miami’s Biscayne Bay has been full of tailing bonefish and should continue to get even better as the month of March approaches. Water temperatures are still in the mid-seventies and the
winds have been maintaining a somewhat easterly direction making for perfect conditions on the bay. Tagging nine bonefish in five day’s is a testament to the availability of working fish.
The bones have been active all over the bay with the warmer temperatures, from the west bay all around the Chicken Key area south to the north end of Key Largo. Large schools of fish
are up on the flats tailing and feeding. I have been on many nice schools of fish over on the east side of the bay from Cesar’s Creek south to Angelfish & Broad Creeks as well. With the
opening of snook season this February 1st we have targeted linesiders in the bay as well. Look in the creek mouths, canal mouths and channel entrances during an outgoing tide for the bets
shots. February should show a few 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 will open as of February 1st and here we
go again. Even with the winds of late winter the flyfishing will still be 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 its 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. There have been lots of fish on the outside wrecks as well.
Making the trip out ten to twenty 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.
Don’t forget the Miami International Boat Show is here again.
Show Times and Dates 2/15/2007 - 2/19/2007 Miami Beach Convention Center 1901 Convention Center Dr Miami Beach, FL 33139
Sea Isle Marina & Yachting Center 1635 N Bayshore Dr. Miami, FL 33132
Miamarina At Bayside (Strictly Sail) 401 Biscayne Blvd Miami, FL 33132
I will be attending the show with Evinrude Outboards and at the Panga Fishing Boats booth to debut the new Panga 27LX. I have had a chance to give some input on this all new Panga
design and you just have to see it. This is a totally new Panga design. Come see me at the show and I will show it to you. Until then, I’ll see you “On the Flats
Gear Check
I have been using the Odyssey Batteries on both my Maverick and the Panga and what a relief. No longer am I worrying about the bait wells, Lowrance Radio and GPS being on all
day and hoping the E-Tec will start. No longer am I uneasy about drifting for hours for swordfish with deck lights and the Hydro glow Fish Light on along with everything else. Fishing on
wrecks and being at anchor for three or four hours without starting the engine used to worry me but not any longer. Check out the very best battery on the market at: www.
odysseybatteries.com

MARCH
Well the winds should be finally calming down and the bite will drastically improved 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. With the weather being warmer than normal for this time of the year, expect to find the spring quarries here and in full regalia sooner than the calendar
dictates. The Tarpon will usually be in Flamingo’s Whitewater Bay till the April run to the Keys, but this year the bite has been on & off to say the least. The slightest bit of cold front
that comes thru gets them in the eating mood, and then they disappear. Look for the bones to start moving to the south on the outside of Biscayne Bay and the permit showing up on their
usual haunts. The bones will also start to form schools with up to 20 fish pushing a big visible head wake to shoot at.
Have you seen the Sun Sports Network Show called “Chevy’s Florida Fishing Reports” Well we’re back on the air and again with our own Capt. Rick Murphy as a co-host and yours
truly, Capt. Dave Sutton as the “South Regional Expert” The show divides Florida into eight regions with each of these regions having an expert that gives an offshore as well as an inshore
report live each week on the Sun Sports Network between 7 & 8:30 PM on Thursday night. There is also a very detailed fisherman’s weather report for the upcoming weekend, so check it
out. Also don’t forget the Herman Lucerne Memorial coming up on April 20, 21 and 22nd 2007. This is a great event and a great venue to fish for two day’s. Contact the Homestead
Hospital Foundation for tournament information at 786-243-8054
Gear Check
I have been using the Spike-it Holographic Baits with some great results. Offshore the boot-tails in a black back color put together on a 200-pound leader has been teasing up sailfish, kings
and even cobia on the reef edges from Pacific to Carysfort lights. In the backcountry the 5 inch jerk baits have slammed the snook and reds as well. You can see the whole line of Spike-it
products at www.ispikeit.com

APRIL
Miami’s Biscayne Bay has been full of tailing bonefish and should continue to get even better as the month of April unfolds. Water temperatures are up to the mid-seventies and the winds
have been maintaining a somewhat easterly direction making for perfect conditions on the bay.
Tagging nine bonefish in two days is a testament to the availability of working fish. The bones have been active all over the bay with the warmer temperatures, from the west bay all around
the Chicken Key area south to the north end of Key Largo. Large schools of fish are up on the flats tailing and feeding. I have been on many nice schools of fish over on the east side of the
bay from Caesar’s Creek south to Angelfish & Broad Creeks as well. With the Tarpon and Snook hanging around the same cuts we have had good luck soaking mullet and pilchards as well.
Look in the inside creek mouths, and channel entrances during an incoming tide for the better shots.
Spring Tarpon is in full swing from the bridges of Miami all the way over the Florida Bay and Flamingo. Whitewater Bay has been a frequent haunt for my anglers while throwing High
Rollers and #10 X-Raps in chartreuse and orange for the Kings. Landing two to four fish a day has been the average, although you need to jump another five to seven 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 have 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 in full
force. If you are planning a guided trip here in So. Florida there isn’t a better time to go.
I’ll see you ….. “On the Flats”
Gear Check
I have always been using the Assassin Jigs due to the LARGE hooks they use on lightly weighted jig heads. I have also found that Assassin makes some great plastic bait in great colors and
sizes. The Eel Assassins have been working great for snook and redfish and whenever a trout gets a look at the bait it’s a done deal.
Now Assassin has come out with new scented baits called !!! Well this stuff is as good as using live bait without the mess. They stay soft unlike the other stuff on the market and are not
oily in the bag. Ask your nearest shop to get it for you.
Check out this stuff at http://www.bassassassin.com

JUNE
The late spring season is here and I am hoping the winds will subside for the standard early summer patterns. It has been a constant battle with the 25 to 30 knot blow we have had for the
past months, but I have cautioned you about staying home and not fishing. The wind gives you an advantage if you know how to use it. Here is a perfect example of finding good fish in bad
situations…we were throwing the #13 X-Walk in ten inches of milky water. We were having a hard time seeing the weed lines, never mind the fish ……but with some persistence here is a
nice snooker. Fishing Biscayne Bay on a strong east wind is tough but not impossible. Use the wind to do DOWN-WIND drifts over your favorite flats. Allow your boat to broach, meaning
drift sideways in the wind, this will slow your drift down to a reasonable speed for sighting bones and permit. If poling, pole 90 degrees to the wind in the morning with your bow pointing
north with an east wind. Your speed will be manageable and you can cover some ground as you hunt for big fish.
Fishing Flamingo during the last two months of windy conditions forced me to learn the flats I thought I knew so well in a much different light. As the water drained out during the outgoing
tides I realized the importance of staying in the zones I thought had fish. Having the confidence to continue to fish as the wind emptied the whole area into a couple of washes is the secret
to success in the type of weather we have had.
If you tell yourself that catching a couple of snook and a few red’s would make the day, why not commit to an area that you know will be productive and fish it hard. These areas we all
know like around Frank, Palm and the area I call Jimmies Lake. These areas will hold fish when the entire flats drain during a low tide made worse by a strong east wind. Just have the
patience to stay on the spot and work for those fish and you will be rewarded for your efforts.
The Tarpon are moving south along the outside of Key Largo all along the shore up to Sands Cut in good numbers and have been eaters on tans and light browns early in the day and
chartreuse, peach and light olive patterns midday. There have been good numbers of tarpon moving on the outer edges of Florida Bay’s First National Bank as well 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 your only hope. The colors
I have had luck on are the same as listed above in the Bay, just add a yellow and white bunny strip in the mix for the midday bite.
I’ll see you “On the Flats”
Gear Check
I have just received another new batch of Van Staal fly reels and I am in seventh heaven. I have an old one that’s eight years old and it is just as smooth as the new ones out of the box. Van
Staal has increased the arbor size so the retrieve is just outstanding and the finish is the very best you can get. If you are in the market for a new fly reel and want to have it for a good long
time consider Van Staal. Stop in and see Ashley at Don’s bait & Tackle for a look at these great reels. He has a full line of the Van Staal products including the fly reels, spinning reels and
the pliers. Want the best? www.vanstaal.com

JULY
Has June been a month of nasty weather here in South Florida, or is it just me? Where are the calm days and the beautiful mornings I have been waiting for? The afternoon storms have been
building much too early making a short day out on the water. The water is getting to its warmest temperatures of the summer driving the bonefish to feed early in the morning and in deeper
than normal waters during the rest of the day. Target the early morning low stages of the tides for tailing fish. The second week of June we found eaters in good numbers on the inside of the
Bay, but only early and with the tide at the low incoming stages. I like to fish a lot of clousers during this time of year in light yellow and tan patterns. Remember that you also need to step
down in your rod selection for a softer presentation during the quiet times of the morning. A 7 wt. medium action rod like a Fetha Styz with a full floating line is my choice for a long quiet
cast. The rod matched up with the Van Staal 7/8 reel, makes for a lightweight and comfortable rig to handle for a day on the water. A lot of my anglers are used to the lighter weight sticks
that are used for trout fishing, and when I hand them a 9 wt. they think it’s a broomstick. Just make sure that your reel has a sufficient amount of backing to fight our Biscayne Bay Bones.

To keep your fly line, leader and fly from splashing down on the surface of the water as you make your last forward cast, aim five feet above the water and the leader will straighten out,
then float down to the surface. This will decrease the slap and also allow your leader to turn over properly. Keep your rod at the five-foot level until your leader turns then lower your rod
tip to the water to gather any slack, and you’ll find you will be in a better position for a strike, much quicker. The permit is still getting more numerous in the Bay and on the outside flats.
These guys are the toughest fish to target on fly. Compounding the problem, you also need at least a 20-pound leader to reduce the risk of separation when the fish digs his nose on the
bottom to try to get rid of the hook. I will increase my leader length to sometimes over ten feet to keep the larger diameter fly line as far away from the fish as possible. The use of P-line
Fluorocarbon Leaders has also increased my hook-up percentage a great deal.

The old reliable Merkin Crab and the newer Quan Fly are the best percentage patterns I have used this season. A 9 wt. seems to be the best bet for the wilily permit and I also like a Fetha
Styz but in a faster action for this challenge as well. The faster action rods have a much better control over not only the distance but also the placement of the fly. The proper shot, at the
right time using the right fly will give you a very good chance of a hook-up to the black eyed permit
Gear Check
I have always been using the Assassin Jigs due to the LARGE hooks they use on lightly weighted jig heads. I have also found that Assassin makes some great plastic bait in great colors and
sizes. The Eel Assassins have been working great for snook and redfish and whenever a trout gets a look at the bait it’s a done deal. Now Assassin has come out with new scented baits
called BLURP!!! Well this stuff is as good as using live bait without the mess. They stay soft unlike the other stuff on the market and are not oily in the bag. Ask your nearest shop to
get you some!!!! Check out this stuff at http://www.bassassassin.com

AUGUST
The end of summer 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. I have been up in the bites, you know Garfield, Rankin and that whole shoreline all the
way to the dragover with lots of luck. Young tarpon in the five-pound class rolling about, snook taking top water Skitter-Walks or Rip Rollers, redfish tailing in the ultra 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.

Let’s 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 its 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 either my new Terrapin
Skiff or my Maverick HPX-V 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.

  By the time this article is in your hands my new Terrapin Skiff will be freshly back from the labs of NMMA and we should have a real winner. The skiff is 18’4” in length and 51” at the
water line. The overall deck span is 58” with a casting deck surface of seven feet at the bow.

We have designed huge forward and aft dry storage boxes and ten foot rod tubes forward and aft for eight rods. A full finished inner liner encompassing the cockpit and both hatches
creates a super strong design and using Carbon/Kevlar on the hull keeps the overall weight, draft and ride of this hull unlike no other boat on the market. Designed for a Honda 20 HP
Four Stroke Tiller until E-Tec finishes the R&D on its smaller horsepower engines, the cruising speed is 23 MPH with two anglers and full gear. Top speed has been around 26.7, but I am
not an average size guy at 255 LBS. so you should be able to do better. I will give you more details next month, but call me if you are looking for the very best ultra shallow, ultra light
and ultra affordable skiff on the market.

  Speaking of new boats, my new Speedcraft 25’ offshore hull is here as well. Speedcraft has been building hand laid custom boats since 1972 and their still at it. Known for building
one of the driest and best riding 25 footers on the market all I had to do is to ride in one to be a convert. This hull gives an amazing ride and powered by twin E-Tec 150’s I am cruising at
37MPH at 4200 RPM’s with a top speed of 48 MPH at 5200 RPM’s.
Upon talking to a half a dozen owners of these older hulls I found that the answer was always the same, No, she’s not for sale. The owners of these hulls are adamant about only having
to repower every once and a while and owning the hull forever. That’s a happy customer. I will be working with Angel at Caribbean Craft on the Speedcraft line looking to get the word
out about these extraordinary hulls so if you’re looking for a 25’ hull that rides like a 29’ hull call me or Angel at (305) 257-1238 and I will take you for a ride. The website is being redone
as I am writing but the address is;
http://speedcraftboats.com

I am finally able to fish the gulf wrecks again as well as catch the tail end of Dolphin season with comfort. If you have been waiting for me to finally get a big boat again ….. Call me and
we will take her out for a spin.
Take care, fish safely and I will see you “On the Flats”

SEPTEMBER

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 times I 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.

I will be fishing the “Day on the Bay-Living Legends” tournament sponsored by the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscapers Association (FNGLA) on October 13th & 14th 2007. Captains
meeting will be held at Stick & Steins in Homestead on the evening of the 12th. The Ingram Family will be this years “Living Legends” they started in the nursery business in the early
nineteen hundreds and have been a staple for top quality greenery for almost a hundred years. This is a great low entry, fun tournament with the proceeds going to the Stan Weyrick
Scholarship Fund. Entry fees are only $60 for adults and $15 for junior anglers. For more information on this event please contact Katherine Walters at 305-248-1117. Look for the results
in the next report.

.

OCTOBER
Fishing Biscayne Bay lately has been 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. You will find those flats that have the same current flow from the tides and the wind. Under these conditions you are
moving toward the fish while drifting down wind as well. Just broach you boat to slow down you’re the speed of the drift. The bonefish use the same tricks unless the current is different from the wind, then they are governed
by the water flow over wind.
A bonefish will always be heading in a up current direction or at least across the current, with his nose into the wind. So many times I have used the term “bird dogging” when describing a bonefish while swimming into the
current. He 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.

Tour winter flats only after a couple of cold fronts have passed through the area to see if the fish have been active on them. By winter flats I mean the darker colored grass flats that would warm up quicker than those lighter
colored bottoms. If you don’t see fish in the ten to twelve inch water range, move off the flat a little and look for muds in the two foot range. Sometimes the lower water temperatures will keep the fish from the tailing water and
move them into deeper water due to more stable temperatures.
As for fishing the bay for permit, there are still good schools of permit to be found on the outgoing tides on the outside of all of the cuts to open water. Wherever there is a good current surge, just pole up, crush up a few blue
crabs, and keep your eyes open. Just bring a five gallon bucket of patience with you and plenty of live shrimp and small crabs, and you will have a great day.

The tarpon have re-gathered in the normal haunts to feed on the fall mullet run 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. With the remaining schools of pilchards and the mullet run, fishing with artificials has been tough for these guys, so use the live bait free lined in the incoming
current for the best results.

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER
Hopefully the winds of November will fade to a manageable ten to fifteen knots for December. Bonefishing has been tough in the twenty plus winds we have had, but the fish are there.
Time and time again in the Bay I have been lucky enough to be at the right place at the right time and have a three bonefish day. The water temperatures are just right for the feeding
frenzies I have been able to pole into on Cutter Bank, the Rubicon’s and the outside flats of Elliot Key.

I have also been finding a few permit on the outside flats. We went down to the old Carysfort Marina and if you go just southeast about two hundred yards there is a shallow flat about
two feet during the low tide. I have been finding most of my permit there with a few tarpon passing by as well. If you check out your charts you will find quite a few spots like this one
that will hold permit till the water temperatures drop to below 70 degrees. After that they will move out onto the wrecks in deep water which is there wintering grounds.
Last month we spoke about water temperatures and the effect it has on the bonefish feeding patterns. Over this winter we will see water temps in the lower sixties and even down into
the upper fifties. These temperatures make bonefishing very difficult, but not impossible. Have you ever heard of the term “deep water bonefishing”? When the surface water
temperatures are in the upper fifties to the lower sixties bonefish will tend to stay in water three to six feet deep due to the more stable temperatures. Spotting fish at this depth is a real
challenge. I concentrate on looking for mud’s put up by feeding fish, as well as ray muds. As a bonefish feeds he will have his head down in the grass routing out shrimp and small
crabs creating small puff mud. These muds will appear as very little spot muds and will dissipate very fast in any current situation. As a fish moves into the current he will put up a few
of these puffs and let you know his direction and how many fish by the amount of puffs.

Here is where you just might be lucky enough to spot a “Mud House” This occurs when a large school of bones feel safe in this deeper water and begin to feed hard. Remembering
that bones will always feed into or at right angles to the current flow, your best shot is to position your boat pushing into this current. This will give you the chance to see an old mud and
work up on a school of feeding fish slowly and locate them by the ever increasing muds. This is your best shot at a double bonefish hook-up. A school of fifty to one hundred bonefish
pushing up mud in a twenty foot circle is one of the most amazing events I have been lucky enough to put an angler on.
Larger hull vessels should be aware of the flats anglers. Captains of the vessel, when you see a flats boat in the distance it is easy to see if there is a person poling up on the tower
over the outboard. If there is someone poling?

HE IS IN SHALLOW WATER
DO NOT APPROACH.

The flats boat is also fishing for the very wary bonefish. Please do not come within three hundred yards of these boats as not to spook the flat he is fishing on. When you see this type of
boat you must check your GPS for a safe route around the flat he is fishing. If you come too close to this situation you are standing the chance of running aground and not only hurting the
flat but also doing damage to your motors lower unit. The Park Rangers will only charge you $10 per foot for the damaged flats but at thirty knots you can run up a real bill. The
watercolor change is your best indicator of shallow water. If there is a tan or brown color change this means that grass is showing in shallow water. The whole shore line of Biscayne
Bay is full of such flats and small shallow channels that run through them, most of them are ok to navigate with a flats boats but not a 24-foot deep Vee hull with twin outboards. Please
check out your charts or GPS system to find your safest course and help us protect our grassflats before the “powers that be” litter our Bay with “No Motor Zone” signs.

Hoping all have Happy Holliday’s, and safe days on the water,
I’ll see you “On the Flats”

Captain Dave Sutton is sponsored by Chevrolet, Panga, Evinrude, Sea-Power, 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
WWW.TERRAPINSKIFFS.COM
WWW.CAPTAINDAVESUTTON.COM

MAY
Well late spring is here and summer, just around the corner. I have said to many of my anglers and at seminars in the past, “the fish don’t go by the calendars.” The tarpon don’t know that
it is May, and it is time to start the run south, the snook haven’t seen the news to know that it is time to come out of the backcountry and infiltrate the flats and beaches.
The Poinciana in my yard is starting to bloom at least three weeks early this year due to the warmer air temps and afternoon rains Mother Nature has been serving up. The tree, just like the
habitual fish are responding to the conditions, as should we as anglers.
Outside and inside Biscayne Bay the permit are in full force, the tarpon are running in large schools on their way south for the Keys party and the bonefish are schooling up as if it were late
May. 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 1 ½” crab on a 2/0 circle hook, at least a 20 pound fluorocarbon
leader and hold on for the fight of your life. Have your 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 on.
The Upper Keys are seeing their fair share of the big three as well. Fishing Islamorada every chance I can get, we have seen Permit on the inside of the Downtown Flat, all the way into
Rabbit Key Basin along with the bonefish and tarpon. Just west of The World Wide Sportsman docks we found laid up tarpon along the edges of the flats just waiting for the boat traffic to
slow down later in the day to feed on our carefully placed flies. Many of the Keys guides will fish into the sunset hours to have the advantage of reduced pressure and increased feeding of
almost all the species we hunt.        I have been preaching the toughness of Power-Pro for years and here is the perfect example of why I do. Fishing with my number one angler Ron Hill
from Miami down south and on the west side of Biscayne Bay I took a “Hail Mary” cast at a passing bonefish and he ate!!! Well the wind was blowing and the fish ran behind the boat with
twin turbo’s on full. Hugging the shore line at the end of the run I thought I was far enough from the mangroves but alas he wrapped me on a single shoot. I felt the drag surging and pulsing
which is something my Quantum Cabo’s drag system DOES NOT DO, so I tried to open the bail and take the pressure off the line while we motored up to the mangrove shoot to clear the
line. There was so much pressure on the line I found it difficult to open the bail for at least five or six seconds, this is where monofilament line would have popped for sure.
Upon arriving at the mangrove, while the fish was still taking line by the way, I realized this fish did a circle around the root and the tension that resulted cut into the shoot so I had to break
it off to continue the fish fight. The ten pound Power-Pro cut a quarter inch into the shoot all the way around it which made it easy to break off. I closed the bail and began to reel up the
slack and to my surprise …… I was still on. Finally landing a spunky 9-pound bonefish after having slack in my line for at least three to five minutes and being wrapped around a mangrove
shoot, Ron said to me “Power-Pro is the only reason you caught that fish captain,” and he was right.
        Well as always, I’ll see you “On the Flats”
GEAR CHECK:
        I am really enjoying my new fly rods from Fetha Styx Custom Fishing Rods. I meet Jim Mercer the owner four years ago at the Flyfishing Retailers Show in Denver and he has been
harassing me to try one of his rods ever since. This past year I took a couple home with me and have been really glad I did. He asked me one question that still sticks in my mind …. “Why
buy a production rod when you can get a custom rod made to your exacting specifications for the same price?” and he was right. I have an eight weight that was made for the conditions I
find in Biscayne Bay all the time and I love it. Check out his web site at www.fethastyx.com for a look at a full line of the finest custom made rods in the business, or just give me a call and
I will tell you all about them.