South Florida
Fishing Report - Florida Sportsman
Oct. 20-22, 2006
South Florida
Deerfield Beach
to Key Largo
& Flamingo to Cape Sable
Includes Pompano Beach, Ft. Lauderdale,
Miami and Homestead.
Things are shaping up for what looks like
a fabulous South Florida weekend. Light
winds from the east to southeast are
predicted for the entire weekend and only a
slight chance of rain or thunderstorms. With
winds predicted to peak out at less then 10
knots through the weekend, this may be the
best fishing weekend in awhile.
Pompano Beach, Port Everglades, Haulover,
Government Cut to Ocean Reef:
Loads of finger mullet, larger silver
mullet, pilchards, threadfin herring,
Spanish sardines and glass minnows continue
to move south and into our area. Following
some of these baitfish schools have been
Spanish mackerel, small king mackerel, jack
crevalle, ladyfish, pompano, bluefish and
sharks. The strong northeasterly winds of
last weekend pushed some Spanish mackerel
into the area, but word on the docks is that
the spectacular fishing we expect with the
fall migration has not set in as of yet.
Only a tease, so far.
Along the beaches, it’s hit or miss
action on Spanish mackerel, bluefish,
ladyfish, jack crevalles, snook and tarpon
and an occasional school of pompano. A
little further offshore in the 40-foot
range, small king mackerel, Spanish mackerel
and bonitos have been eating free-lined live
baits. Small groups of baitfish that are
migrating south have held the attention of
many of these fish and only by spotting
diving birds are you able to locate the
predators. Along the outer reef from 80 feet
out to 200 feet, small king mackerel with
some in the 20-pound range are feeding
sporadically on live and dead baits fished
more then half way to the bottom.
A few sailfish have also been in these
depths as well as bonito. Along the Gulf
Stream’s edge, scattered debris has held a
few decent-size schools of dolphin. The only
problem is finding that magical piece of
floating debris. Once the fish are located,
cut ballyhoo and live pilchards are getting
the job done. A few small wahoo have been
holding deep under floating debris and the
new Butterfly jigs with a trace of wire
dropped a hundred feet down are being
rewarded with wahoo strikes.
Best bet with calm seas this weekend
maybe swordfishing. The word is that the
action has been hot out in 1,200 to 1,400
feet. Large squid baits fished from just
under the surface to as deep as 100 feet
with a light stick attached to the leader
and a Hydro Glow Fish Light hung from the
side of the boat is the best way to get a
swordfishes attention. If you’re a newcomer
to swordfishing, it’s a good idea to have a
few friends in another boat go with you in
case you have a boat problem.
At night along the reefs and dredge holes
along the coast a wide variety of fish like
lane, mangrove, mutton, mangrove snapper,
red grouper, bluefish and Spanish mackerel
have been available for those anchoring and
chumming and then fishing cut baits on or
near the reef bottom.
North Biscayne Bay Inshore
Loads of bait have been moving in and out
of the inlets, providing hit-and- miss
action on seatrout to 25 inches, jack
crevalles to 10 pounds, ladyfish, Spanish
mackerel, barracuda, snook, mangrove snapper
and tarpon. Look for the mackerel in open
deep water around baitfish schools and snook
and tarpon at night under bridges and dock
lights and sea trout, ladyfish, snapper and
barracudas on the grass flats. Snook and
tarpon have been crashing schools of finger
mullet at night all week long. High tide at
8:19 p.m. on Friday night might have the
snook and tarpon going nuts at the ocean
inlets, as the mullet schools move in and
out of the inlets. Catch some mullet and
hook one threw the chin and cast him back
into the mullet school. By hooking the
mullet in the chin, he will try and swim
down, making him stand out in a crowd,
becoming an easy target. Use leaders in the
40- to 60- pound range and Mustad Ultra
Point circle hooks in the 4/0 to 6/0 sizes.
South Biscayne Bay
High tide at 9:18 on Saturday morning
outside of Soldiers Key will allow flats
fishermen to get up high on the flats as
they search for tailing, mudding and cursing
bonefish and permit. A Hank Brown pink
skimmer jig tipped with a piece of Fishbites
for scent, or a live shrimp hooked to a
short shank 1/0 Mustad hook will do for the
bonefish and a frisky live silver
dollar-size blue crab hooked in the corner
of the shell by a Mustad 2/0 7766D short
shank hook and placed in a bucket of water
to be cast to a cruising or tailing permit
is all you need for a successful flats
fishing outing.
Flamingo In Everglades National Park
Low tide is 11:11 a.m. on Saturday right
outside of the marina in Florida Bay and at
8:16 a.m. outside of the Shark River
entrance. If you like fishing Florida Bay
then your in luck because there will be
plenty of water to work your way high up the
flats as you look for redfish, snook and
tarpon as they chase finger mullet and
larger silver mullet. Don’t overlook any
potholes because that is where the snook and
big trout will be waiting to ambush any
mullet that gets close. Surface plugs like
the Rapala Skitter Walk will get some great
surface strikes by reds, tarpon, snook and
sharks as well as a ý ounce Hook Up Lure
with a live finger mullet attached and cast
to the potholes, schools of mullet and edges
of the flats. Shark River and the shorelines
along the Gulf continue to be hot for snook,
redfish, tarpon and goliath grouper.
By Captain Alan Sherman |shermana@bellsouth.net
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