August 2008

Vacation time I just finished up my 2 week vacation and i was itching to get back on the water. I fished with Rich from England on 08-16-08 we started out in Government cut but the water was crystal clear and there wasn't much action we did catch a nice Spanish Mackeral. I ran to an area that had been holding some Tarpon but the winds kicked up and we never found them. Rich did catch a bunch of Trout to 20 inches, 2 mangrove Snappers 14-16 inches and plenty of Barracudas while watching a water spout touch down across the bay from us. Unfortunately Tropical Storm Fay has made a mess of the State of Florida. I took advantage of the situation andd fished the spillways where the water is getting pumped out. The Snook had been biting good from what I heard but we only managed 4 Bass from 2- 3 1/2lbs. The next day we went back and caught 4 Peacock Bass up to 3 lbs on Twitch in raps and Power bait Hollow bellies. While catching the Peacocks there were Tarpon rolling and refused our lures only as a Tarpon can do. The southern end of the state will be fine by this coming weekend and I plan on whacking the Snook. They are in both Haulover Inlet and Government Cut, The water is dirty and the bite should turn on within the next few days. Big spawning Snook is what we will target with a little heavier tackle. The fishing down in Everglades Natonal Park should start to go off when the water settles a bit the next few days, the west winds really had it stirred up. I think Whitewater Bay could be incredible with large numbers of Snook and Redfish. The next 2 months is possible the best months to fish Whitewater Bay, the by catch is Goliath Groupers and Snappers that hit like big Snook. On one trip last year we had 25 Snook, 22 Redfish, 25 Goliaths to 25 lbs and 70 Mangrove Snappers to 20 inches. These are the days most anglers dream of and the next 2 months they can be a reality. 082408 Today, I fished with friend and fellow captain Raul Montoro in south Bicscayne Bay, we have been trying to get out together for a while. Calm seas made an appearance after a week of T.S. Fay which caused it to be windy and rainy. Bonefish and Permit were the intended species, we got out before first light and approached the flat edge very quite. It didn't take long for a Permit tail to pop up, we watched as the Permit waked off away from us. We saw plenty of Permit as the tide fell off the flat and had a few really good cast at them, but! We had a couple turn on the dime and just swim away which was frustrating. The tide was falling and we noticed a couple big wakes approaching. The school stopped and multiple fish popped up and tailed, we had some farm raised Shrimp which were decent size not like our summer shrimp. I had a 4 inch shrimp rigged thru the tail,I placed it in front of the oncoming school and that's all it took and we were hooked up. We originally thought it was a smaller fish until he came boat side and we saw the big belly. Raul tagged the fish taking weight and measurements. The fish was 28 inches and 9 lbs. The problem with this fish caused was he ran thru the school and spooked all the other fish. We let them settle down and had several other shots but they were really spooky at that point. We ran to Soldiers Key and fished along edges of the flats and had a couple more opportunities as soon as the tide started flowing in. The bonus was a keeper size Mutton Snapper caught on the edge of a mud, it was his lucky day and released. 082508 The evening Snook fishing started out quickly, Paul skipped his lure under the dock and it was knocked clear out of the water. He did this 10 times before he hooked the first Snook and then again and again. The key is small baits or flies! The Berkeley Powerbait Hollow Belly 3 inch is the ticket for these fish. I rig them with a jig that weighted on the shaft. It's only an 1/8 ounce but it cast remarkably good and then all you do is reel thru the zone. I use super glue when I rig them otherwise they wont last long. The first dock gave up a handful of fish and then we moved on trying to find stronger tide movement, we did down around the 5th street bridge. On our approach we saw a couple of Tarpon rolling and there were some big bust on the surface. The Ladyfish were destroying shrimp and Pilchards. We made cast at the Tarpon and couldn't get past the Ladyfish which were 3 lb fish The are great fighters. We made our way to Government Cut but it was like incredibly busy It was close to 11 PM and there were 30 people on the jetty which hurt our chances of getting close to the Snook, There were also boats fishing in there so I decided to head back inside the bay. We headed to the Venetian causeway and saw a couple monster fish in the lights Paul cast his X Rap into the light and he got slammed unfortunately it was a short strike. This had happened several times during the night which was frustrating. There was a monster sitting undr the light and we made a alot of cast bust he would not play. We checked out a few more spots and called it a night. 083108 The past couple of weeks have had conditions most guys don't want to go fishing in, wind and rain. I understand for most its there one day a week to get out and the want to be comfortable! Do yourself a favor go fishing in those conditions and every once in a while the conditions will repay you with plenty of fish. This past Saturday was one of those days, while driving to Flamingo it was raining, lightning and breezy and a thought of turning around crossed thru my mind. I was was with my buddy Mitch from Biscayne Rods, we have been trying to get for a few months. We arrived at the dock and the conditions were calm overcast and the tide was already half was out, and one other thing we were the only ones there on a Saturday! I ran to a spot I like and got on the trolling motor getting us into position and trying not to spook anything. Mitch was rigging his rod with a Twitch n Rap, I said I hate to do this to you but I'm going to put a Snook in the boat real quick. It didn't take long and number 1 was in the boat. I was throwing the Silver Flash Twitch n Rap and he had the Fire Tiger color. It didn't matter they both worked and we ended up with a handful of Snook as the tide bottomed out. I wanted a Tarpon so we took a ride out to the Gulf of Mexico and looked for them, it took a while but we found them. The water was muddy, we had to run around until we found the cleaner green water and that's where they where at. I changed to a X Rap and made long cast into the school of Tarpon. I got Slammed, the fished pulled 30 yards of line and all of a sudden the line stopped. I used the trolling motor to get on top and the fish was wrapped in a tree in 10 feet of water. The fish was still on but the to constant shaking wore thru my leader. All I could say was what a hit! Mitch wasn't going to be out done, he was hooked up with a nice Snook which we landed. A little friendly competion is fun, it makes you work harder. I was next with a big fish that hit my X Rap as it came over a bar, the fish measured 33 inches and was our biggest of the day. The weather was acting up and we made a run for it. I told Mitch we have to watch that island when it disappears we have to leave. I cast and turned around to look and the island was gone and the storm was a mile away. It was a big purple thunder head with black outlines, lightning and a water spout. I said lets go and not a second to soon. We made it back to the ramp got the boat on the trailer and ran over and hid for the 30 minutes, I thought we might be able to go back out. This storm didn't quit it was an outside band from Hurricane Gustov and really had some high winds and all the other bad stuff. I told Mitch lets go we caught our fish no sense of getting hurt. We had 4 1/2 hours of quality fishing sometimes you just have to take a chance! There are still plenty of Tarpon around, and of course thats always my first choice if possible. There could be an early season bait run from T.S Fay if we are lucky enough that the baits get driven down the coast. I will keep everyone informed so we can all catch our fish of a lifetime. If you need to fish give me a call at 305 333 8149 and I will help you out. Tight Lines, Capt. Jimbo Select another page || Go to Home Page

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