This past week we've been concentrating on fly fishing tarpon, both during the daytime out of Flamingo and at night in Biscayne Bay....
The night scene continues to be good with small tarpon up to about 40lbs eating flies that are properly presented. My last booking was Sunday night, a late charter with Barry May out of Memphis. He had bites from at least a dozen fish in five hours fishing shadow lines, dock lights, and fender lights. Although we concentrated on tarpon, the occasional snook showed up to tease us. One upper slot fish slid out from under a lighted dock, gulped the fly, and raced back under the dock - with predictable results... The outstanding baby tarpon fishing in Biscayne Bay will continue for the rest of the summer, mostly on the falling tide. With the exception of the occasional bridge fisherman, we still seem to have the Bay to ourselves at night.
Tom Smith out of New York fished three days last week for tarpon with me out of Flamingo. Although we jumped fish every day, the fish were a bit difficult with a fly rod. There are now tarpon of every size available each day from the little ones in interior bays all the way up to giants that have returned from spawning. Every day we had shots at fish that were in the 80 and above size range. Our best fish to the boat was a solid 50lb fish that was one of those tarpon that just wouldn't quit. He took us into the backing more than four times although we were fishing a pretty stiff drag... Over the years I've learned that every tarpon is an individual and no two ever seem to fight the same. It's always an adventure with them. The fish ate little flies and they ate big flies, the only common denominator was that black flies seemed to be their preference. Next week it will probably be something else, but I always start with black in the 'Glades... Although we didn't target them everything else is biting now. We did have a few snook come after our flies along the coast and the sharks are still really turned on in the same areas that hold snook. In one creek, while poling in five or six feet of water, we actually had a medium sized lemon shark make a pass at the end of my pushpole.... hungry critter!
From now until the first cold day in October the fishing along the west coast of the 'Glades from Cape Sable north to Lostman's River will just get better and better. Although it's hurricane season and that's the time we're most likely to see one, the fishing will be outstanding if we can just get missed by those little storms....
I've finally replaced my Evinrude E-Tec 90hp motor. I was lucky enough to be one of the first gudes in south Florida to have one on his skiff. As I write this Billy Carson of Billy's Outboard Service is setting up the new motor -- another E-Tec 90... I can't say enough good things about Bombardier's motors. The old motor was in service for 28 months and will be going to another owner with plenty of life left. It's been the best motor I've ever run and I've run a few over the last 32 years... They're everything the manufacturer claims, and I'm not getting a penny for saying this.