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Fishing Reports and Articles

Fishing Report
September / October 2006
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. 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 Rip Rollers, 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.

Here is a 18 pound snooker caught by Dave Masell in Flamingo.

Windy conditions make for a tactical approach to fishing the flats of Biscayne Bay, or even Flamingo for that
matter. Wind direction is as critical as tides when making an approach to a flat. Keep in mind that bonefish as well
as redfish have pretty good hearing and become spooky when in shallow situations. Always shut down long before
you hit shallow water on your approach to a perspective flat. I will give at least a two hundred yard cushion when
coming off plane in an area that I want to fish. Idling in a hundred yards is ok, but keep in mind the noise you make
will put the fish on alert if nothing else. This slow approach also gives you a chance to observe the flat and
prepare you anglers for the hunt.

Here is a great thing to see ... a very young redfish in Biscayne Bay.
Caught by Capt. Dave Baskin.

I have seen too many fisherman run too close to a flat and then wonder why there are no fish on it, or why the fish
are so spooky when they do see fish. Have you ever approached a flat that has another boat on it and have the
person polling start waving his arms? Most of the flatsmen you see on a flat will do a down sun, down wind drift
depending the tide flow. Drifting with the wind and with the sun at his back makes the visibility in front of the boat
the best for sight fishing. DO NOT enter a flat downwind of someone who is already on there, you will be cutting
off his drift and hence the arm waving. Take up a position up-wind of him and start your drift to one side or the
other. This will give him his room and also give you a chance to intercept fish that got by him. Most of the time, if
you watch him close, he will point out fish to his angler or even to you as he makes his way down the flat.

Gear Check

My Maverick Mirage HPX is now E-Tec Powered and is the best combination I have against the wary bonefish.
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 in Flamingo and Skitter-Walks as well as the new Spike-it soft plastic baits I
found at ICast two years ago with great results using the Quantum Cabo rods & reels in the 8-12 pound class with
Power-Pro 10 pound test lines. 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.
Tight lines & quick releases and I will see you “On the Flats”