*THE HULL TRUTH is the world's largest FREE network for the discussion of Boating & Fishing. Whether you're researching a new boat, or are a seasoned Captain, you'll find The Hull Truth Boating & Fishing Message Forum contains a wealth of information from Boaters and Sportfishermen around the world.
Welcome to the updated THT!
If you are having trouble signing in, please email feedback@thehulltruth.com with your username and we will help you. We thank you for your patience as we help you access the new site!
Random Quote: You think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?
It's been a busy few weeks here in South Florida. I was booked continuously from 14 February all the way through the 22nd with only one day off. Every year during the Miami Boat Showit's folks in the industry that work all day at the show then spend a few hours at night chasing baby tarpon. This year was no exception and it was five nights straight after the baby tarpon. Every night we found lots of fish under bridges and around docklights with most of the fish concentrated under just a few bridges. I'd like to say that the fish attacked our flies and lures but some nights we struggled. Lots of fish, but few wanting to eat. That was the case the first night with Gary Jennings of Flyfishing in Saltwaters magazine and Chris Peterson the man behind the resurrection of Hells Bay Boatworks aboard. The next night local angler, Dr. Charles Rosen, hooked five and got one to the boat on fly fishing gear. The rest of the weekend we found fish that would eat, but few stayed connected.... The fish ate flies, lures, and even live shrimp then promptly took us to school - releasing themselves without waiting for us... As I write this the night scene is coming around again and I'll be after them this weekend. The night tides will be right from the 1st through the 4th of March... Along with tarpon up to about 40lbs or more we also caught and released the occasional snook, here a few photos...[img][img]Hooked up on his first night-time tarpon[img][img]Here it is barely visible nearing the skiff[img][img]typical dock snook, ready to return back to the dock we found him at...At Flamingo the daytime action has been good with the accent on gag grouper and his larger cousin the goliath along with theusual trio of speckled trout, redfish, and snook. The following photos are from one day there with Matt Santamauro from New York, and local angler Joe Lorusso...[img][img]This was Matt's biggest goliath grouper, we didn't photo the biggest gag grouper which was only a little bit smaller...[img][img]This was Joe's biggest redfish to date, slightly over -size at 30" and 12lbs and he's well on his way to that backcountry slam...[img][img]this nice slot sized snook completed the slam...It's been that kind of week with more of the same every day. Lots of unstoppables while grouper fishing, then trout up to about 18", snook that were mostly under slot, and redfish. There's just no place like the interior areas out of Flamingo this time of year... We recorded three backcountry slams in three days.
__________________ Tight Lines
Capt Bob LeMay
[img][img]
RE: Fishing report, Biscayne nights, Everglades days
Awesome report! We always enjoyed fishing with you, Bob. And I remember the day we found the tripletail hanging on crab floats west of Flamingo and caught several on jigs.
RE: Fishing report, Biscayne nights, Everglades days
Thanks Geoff, Flamingo really is my favorite place... No two days are ever the same and there's a surprise around every corner some days. My next booking is at night locally but I'll be back down there as soon as possible.
__________________ Tight Lines
Capt Bob LeMay
[img][img]
Re: Fishing report, Biscayne nights, Everglades days
The night fishing involves all the bridges that connect Miami to Miami Beach. There's a healthy population of small (and not so small) tarpon in the shadows every night. Most guys aren't willing to snuggle up next to concrete pilings to fish them, though... Bridges are hard on skiffs. The alternative is to anchor up current about 60 to 80 feet from the bridge and drift a bait back to the shadows. For that style of fishing you're going to need 20lb gear at a minimum...
More than one local angler has hooked up with me for a night session to learn how.... We're actually sight fishing 90% of all our fish and hooking up on fish that we're looking at on fairly light gear (10# spin or an 8 or 9wt fly rod). Since we're not anchored up it's easy to chase after a hooked fish, but the tarpon still have everything on their side of the ledger... The night scene is directly related to the winter or summer shrimp runs. When the shrimp are moving everyone lines up to feed. The winter run will last through April, the summer run (with fish a little smaller at 10 to 30lbs) will get going in June and last until mid August.
__________________ Tight Lines
Capt Bob LeMay
[img][img]
Re: Fishing report, Biscayne nights, Everglades days
Thanks,
I have done that years ago on both sides of the Tuttle, trolling large rapalas. I seem to recall the south side was more productive, even though the North has the artificial. As a kid the north flat was my only fishing ground. What are you casting? Do you charter day trips in this area.
Re: Fishing report, Biscayne nights, Everglades days
My days are spent in the 'Glades unless I'm in my shop tying flies , building or repairing rods (just finished a new rod to replace one blown up last Friday). These days I'm only guiding locally at night when the tides are right and a daytime booking doesn't get in the way... There's lots of different ways to fish around those bridges. It's actually the first thing I learned down here from a boat (that was the winter of 1972...). There are still guys who troll the bridges, but they should look first and troll somewhere else if there's an angler under the bridge already on station.. The lure we use the most is just a 1/4 oz. DOA shrimp, the fish take them like the real thing...
__________________ Tight Lines
Capt Bob LeMay
[img][img]
Re: Fishing report, Biscayne nights, Everglades days
Quote:
lemaymiami - 2/28/2008 4:51 AM
The night fishing involves all the bridges that connect Miami to Miami Beach. There's a healthy population of small (and not so small) tarpon in the shadows every night. Most guys aren't willing to snuggle up next to concrete pilings to fish them, though... Bridges are hard on skiffs. The alternative is to anchor up current about 60 to 80 feet from the bridge and drift a bait back to the shadows. For that style of fishing you're going to need 20lb gear at a minimum...
Late 1960's, I'd fish the bridge shadows by skiff along the Venetian, 79th St., and the Tuttle. A white jig produced snook, ladyfish, tarpon, jacks. If we lived there, I'd be on the water every nite.
Re: Fishing report, Biscayne nights, Everglades days
FYI, we're up to our fannies in "goliaths" now in the 'Glades, on any given day I could keep every angler on my skiff pulling on them if I wanted to. They range from juveniles only 6" long all the way up to fish that are just unstoppable on any gear I'm likely to use. All of the various reports you've seen about new regulations for jewfish stem from an effort by FWC to discourage television show types from dragging giant jewfish on board for the cameras.... That opinion issued by someone sitting behind a desk has not been brought before any judges that I'm aware of. The ensuing political correctness from every quarter has been a bit much, to put it mildly. I applaud their efforts to get folks to quit mistreating the giants, and find little to approve of when pros go out of their way to abuse fish just for footage ( any time you see a shark being tail roped in front of the cameras before being released, that's just what's going on..). I'll continue to handle fish carefully, unhook them properly and gently return them to the water. A few seconds for one photo (out of quite a few caught and released that day) shouldn't be cause for alarm from any quarter. It's obvious that the various TV shows have all been contacted and encouraged to mend their ways and help spread the "message". They're all in vulnerable positions and will certainly comply with that kind of request.
Now for a bit of background. I've been fortunate enough to have an opportunity to address the FWC in open session about the jewfish situation. Like many others I've pubicly recommended that they consider re-opening the fishery if biologists confirm that the stocks are in good enough shape. I'd like to see a slot limit for smaller fish with no more than one fish per boat per day (say in the 10 to 20lb range) and possibly a tag system that would allow an individual to take a giant if possible. I never want to see the jewfish legal to buy and sell again since that's what almost wiped them out years ago. The jewfish is the baddest critter in the 'Glades, they're totally fearless and will attack and eat anything they can swallow. That characteristic made them terribly vulnerable to divers armed with power heads or hook and liners using very heavy gear since they usually take up residence at one spot for great periods of time and can be specifically targetted if you know the spots.
A few years back someone decided to re-name the jewfish as the "goliath grouper" and I have no great objection to the new name. By the way, the name jewfish was never a slur on anyone, but a corruption of the original name "jawfish" and no one that I know was ever consulted when the name change occurred. If they had they might have found out that old timers in the 'Glades usually refer to them as "mangrove grouper" since that's where they spend most of their early years. It makes me wonder whether the members of whatever committee came up with the new name ever enountered one in the wild....
__________________ Tight Lines
Capt Bob LeMay
[img][img]
Fishing report, Biscayne nights, Everglades days 
Hooked up on his first night-time tarpon[img][img]
Here it is barely visible nearing the skiff[img][img]
typical dock snook, ready to return back to the dock we found him at...At Flamingo the daytime action has been good with the accent on gag grouper and his larger cousin the goliath along with theusual trio of speckled trout, redfish, and snook. The following photos are from one day there with Matt Santamauro from New York, and local angler Joe Lorusso...[img][img]
This was Matt's biggest goliath grouper, we didn't photo the biggest gag grouper which was only a little bit smaller...[img][img]
This was Joe's biggest redfish to date, slightly over -size at 30" and 12lbs and he's well on his way to that backcountry slam...[img][img]
this nice slot sized snook completed the slam...It's been that kind of week with more of the same every day. Lots of unstoppables while grouper fishing, then trout up to about 18", snook that were mostly under slot, and redfish. There's just no place like the interior areas out of Flamingo this time of year... We recorded three backcountry slams in three days. 
