(No fly zone) Non fly caught fish pictures

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Doing a bit of scouting, solo, out of Chokoloskee (the ten thousand islands area in Everglades National Park ) two days ago, working a few of the bights south of Rabbit Key when I got a surprise... That day I was checking redfish spots using both bait and lures (setting a bait next to mangrove jungle shoreline while working lures in the same area) - and always on the clock....  What I'm trying to do is spend no more than 15 minutes at any one spot and keep moving to locate spots to bring my anglers this fall.   Been doing this sort of stuff for a few years now whenever there's no bookings and all of my shopwork is caught up (that's my excuse anyway....).  That day - not one redfish at any of the spots I stopped to fish - and only a few jacks, speckled trout, and one small snook.... That bait rod though - it stayed busy with sharks of every size (and usually within 15 minutes).  That coast is just over-run with them - bulls, lemons, young blacktips...  Without a wire leader they quickly went on their way and after tying on a new hook I was down the road as well.  A bit discouraging but it's the only way I know to find out whether an area is worth a look with anglers aboard (not the kind of fishing most on this board will ever do, I know...).  Although I'm pretty sure the situation will change as waters cool off in coming weeks but that's my world.   This time of year night fishing is our best bet.  At the last spot I checked though - things changed.   A quick bite on  the bait rod and we were off to the races.  Figuring is was another hot shark at first, then I saw what looked like a big redfish - the surprise when I was able to get closer was that it was a triple tail - a big one, and the biggest I've hooked up in recent years.  Once on board my Boga Grip showed it at 12 pounds (our normal triples are sight-casted and between three and eight pounds, biting lures and flies along the coast [ particularly around pot markers and other structure... Here's a pic

not a  very good photo, the reel used was a Shimano 400 for size comparison.   I tell my anglers that have never caught one to expect what looks like a freshwater crappie - that's been living under a nuclear plant... They're very strong and even jump when hooked and can change colors from light to dark depending on where they are.  Their normal feeding tactic is to suspend motionless on their side like a clump of debris or grass then attack any small fish, shrimp, or crab that gets too close.  To  add to that they're nearly armor plated and have serious razor sharp spines and gill covers, making fileting one an adventure, until you learn the best way to go about it.   This one got invited home for dinner since they're very good eating - on a par with grouper....  Triples will readily take a fly when you find one floating near the surface.  Our usual gear is a Whitewater clouser on an 8 or 9wt rod and they're a challenge to spot, stalk, and present a fly to.... Great fun when they're around...

Just nothing like the 'glades... Tomorrow I'll be scouting out of Flamingo in the center coast of the Park about 30 miles north of Islamorada.... my focus will be on snook spots (along with tarpon)...

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Still scouting a few days later - this time out of Flamingo, about 35 miles from where that triple tail was (Flamingo is in the dead center of the Park, 30 miles due north of Islamorada for those who've never been there.   On this day I did a round trip of nearly 70 miles through the backcountry - mostly just looking to see where things stood and whether different techniques were worth a try later with anglers aboard.  One of the great things about exploring a bit is taking your time to enjoy this or that.  Here's my only photo from that day, taken from Whitewater Bay about fifteen minutes before dawn, about eight miles from the  launching point....

just nothing like the 'glades... 

[cphubert 0]

Ahh nothing like the sunrise or sunset on the water or archipelago to stir a few memories, thanks for posting it.  

[caloosa bug 0]

On 9/8/2024 at 6:52 AM, Capt Bob LeMay said:

 

just nothing like the 'glades... 

Great reports capt.! Your area of flamingo and whitewater bay is the only area that this south Florida native has never been to. I’ve fished out of chokoloskee several times,  but never headed very far south. Also out of key largo, marathon, and islamorada, but never headed north. 
 

The caloosahatchee seemed to come alive this weekend. Landed and shook off a handful of slot sized snook on Saturday with a paddle tail jig. Season doesn’t open until October 1 this year, so I carefully released them. Sunday morning I slept in some and went bank fishing at a local culvert. Fish were busting my topwater plug every few casts. I had a dozen explosions before I hooked this little tarpon. Man do I love topwater.. 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Great report and photos - as always...  Every year at the end of summer - my bookings for the 'glades dwindle to nothing - but perk up as snook season begins and it's usually local anglers on the phone (for years and years that's been 1 Sept...).  This year, with an opening date of 1 October - my phone seems to have died - but am finally getting a few bookings for that October start.  In the middle of hurricane season, our visitor stream dries up until we get near Thanksgiving,  followed by Christmas - so most of my current trips are solo, exploring (at least that's my excuse...).

"Be a hero.... take a kid fishing"

[caloosa bug 0]

I ain’t never caught a tilapia on a topwater plug before. 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Big (and not so big...) Oscars will kill a popper or a topwater plug...  go figure... 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Had a short notice booking yesterday for Flamingo with visiting anglers Bill and Gage... With all the bad weather we've had I had no idea what to expect but it turned out to be a great day (except for the pre-dawn crowd at the boat ramp...).  We caught a few fish in Whitewater ( trout and snook)  - but all were small and we scooted out to the coast looking for better action using small lures with spinning gear.  Our first spot at a river mouth the snook were turned on - and it was fish after fish (biggest were under-slot at about 25") on lead heads with plastic tails..  We may have released a dozen all told.

 

Wanting a shot at a bigger snook I set out one live bait while we were tossing lures and it was quickly picked up - but by a six to seven foot lemon shark - and we were off to the races... Not using a wire leader I was hoping the fish would quickly cut the leader -  but as usual a circle hook picked up by a shark tends to stay with them in the corner of their mouths - so we fought it to the skiff for a leader touch and sent it on its way... At that point the tide we were fishing shut down and it was time to move...  By the way - even with hot and heavy snook action - not one shark came after our hooked fish... (except for the one that picked up that live bait..).

 

We changed targets and made a move to where a few grouper waited - and it was game on in a nearby river...Our first hook-ups - we got taken to school in a big way, the fish were holding near bottom structure and just out fought us... Finally Bill hooked up on a solid one and really hammered down on it.. Here's the pic - a 25lb goliath grouper that fought all the way to my skiff..

After that some weather came in on us and it was time to re-locate... Back in Whitewater Bay - it was grouper time again... This fish was hooked the first time on a DOA Baitbuster, worked slowly along the bottom - and of course just broke us off... After two more hooked fish that pulled or broke free, our last encounter worked in our favor -and another 25lb grouper came in for a quick photo and release... We knew it was that first fish since it still had the Baitbuster in its jaw...

 

Just nothing like the 'glades - even on bad weather days...  I was set to fish out of Chokoloskee today - but we cancelled, sometimes the weather is just too bad...

 

 

"Be a hero... take a kid fishing"

 

[caloosa bug 0]

On 10/6/2024 at 5:42 PM, Capt Bob LeMay said:

This fish was hooked the first time on a DOA Baitbuster, worked slowly along the bottom - and of course just broke us off... After two more hooked fish that pulled or broke free, our last encounter worked in our favor -and another 25lb grouper came in for a quick photo and release... We knew it was that first fish since it still had the Baitbuster in its jaw...

 

 

That’s pretty cool. Looks like an awesome trip for your clients. Great report.
 

[caloosa bug 0]

I hit the caloosahatchee Saturday morning with dad. He landed a couple nice snook with one in the slot to bring home for dinner. We caught a handful of nice bass as well.

Sunday morning I went back by my self. We have just been riding between Moore Haven and Ortona, stopping at each culvert that had water flowing. I caught many species and I missed a few snook. A few freyed up leaders confirmed. Jumped a couple small tarpon off, landed 3 big jaguar guapotes, 3 big crappies, several nice bass, a tilapia, and a few big mayan cichlids. It was a fun weekend on the river for sure.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Great report.... Down my way,  water temps have dropped seven or eight degrees from what it was just before Milton so I'm expecting good action this week... It's that time of year.. once all that storm water works it's way off of the interior - a long process.... The dry season for us begins every Halloween (if another hurricane doesn't pay us a visit...

[Swamp Fly 0]

So I decided I couldn't let Caloosa Bug have all of the fun and fished a local creek that I haven't fished in a long time.  I had done some Google scouting and wanted to hit a few spots since the water from the last two hurricanes was still draining and i was hoping that the bait fish were getting a free ride strait to the local predators. I had no idea how true that was to be.  Once I paddled up stream a bit and the creek narrowed the water velocity sped up and either snook or bass started harassing this years fry that were being flushed down stream.  I had brought an UL spinning rod and it was easier to use than the 3 and 5wt fly rods had in the tight quarters.  The fact that the canoe would hover for about two seconds before heading back down stream made it worse, spinning gear it was till I found fish. The first fish was a surprise, a big male tilapia on the beetle that I still had on from who knows when.  The fish busting bait started to get more regular and louder.  My first Snook came about half an hour later, I was expecting much smaller fish (more on that later).  I was not about to complain.  What I had not counted on was that my newest friend went back and told every other fish to steer clear of beetle spins.  Time to pull out the big guns, a small original Rapala minnow. I was really trying to get to some of those spots and didn't want to stop every 50' but the fish just became so aggressive I couldn't help it anymore.  I started getting grabs with a few long distance releases.  next fish to the canoe was a little bigger than the last.  I started to worry about my 10# leader.  Sure enough the next fish won the contest, so did the next.   I was out 2 lures in five minutes.  Luckily I tend to pick them up at wally world the rare times that I go.  Still, I was going to run out. I finally dug through my gear and found some 15# maxima that I use to build leaders. i was Red but it's what I had.  Good thing the fish were so crazy that even if I was refused more.  Still lost three more lures, I'm going to have to find excuses to go to Walmart.  Some of the pops sounded like a .22 LR, it took a while before I figured out some kid wasn't target practicing off in the distance.  I finally found one of my spots and could get out of the canoe to use the 5-wt.  It took a while but I finally connected with a 5# tarpon, had him on his side at my feet and unhooked. He flipped back to deeper water as I fumbled with the phone to take a pic.  Getting grabs on flies was like pulling teeth so I switched back to the spinning gear and proceeded to loose some more lures to some bigger snook and tarpon.  I lost several snook that appeared slot sized, heard and saw some blow ups from over slot sized fish.  I really needed to be using 30-40# leader.   My poor UL rod was probably cursing at me. I need to figure out my flies for this creek, the bait was mostly tilapia or cichlid fry.  I need to bring a net and scoop some out to imitate them.  I can't remember the last time my spinning gear out fished my fly gear.  As it turned out storm debris blocked me from going where I wanted further up stream but I certainly can't complain.  Temp was in the high 80's, low wind for the first time in weeks, and the water temp was truly pleasant. It's October, it's warm, and you can catch snook, large mouth bass, and tarpon on consecutive casts.  Gotta love it.  On the way back to the launch the fish started busting right next to the canoe.  My paddle was hit twice, scared the poop out of me!

 

Swamp

 

 

 

 

I encountered what I assume was dad (~10-11') a few bends earlier, not sure where mom was but I'd bet she had eyes on me.  I made a few baby gator calls but she never revealed herself.  I'd don't get too worked up about being in the water when I know gators are in the area but I kept my butt in the canoe at that spot. Sorry for not fixing the exposure in editing but if you look you'll see a whole bunch of this years hatchlings.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Life goes on… We get shredded by hurricanes- then after the storm, things get in high gear and soon it’s all renewed…

Great report

[caloosa bug 0]

On 10/26/2024 at 12:52 AM, Swamp Fly said:

So I decided I couldn't let Caloosa Bug have all of the fun

 It's October, it's warm, and you can catch snook, large mouth bass, and tarpon on consecutive casts.  Gotta love it.  

 

Good for you Swamp! 👏 Sounds like a great day on your creek. 
 

Two weekends ago I took a coworker down the river for some baby tarpon, snook, and bass fun at the many culverts that have been flowing into the river. It finally happened that with the lack of rain, they were all off, and we found no moving water anywhere . We still jumped a few tarpon and landed one small snook, but the day was saved with some June bug rubber worms and some rock ledges. We managed several nice bass up to 3lbs. 
 

Last weekend, I had an event Saturday morning selling my wife’s crafts at a park next to the river. Mid morning I noticed several clumps of hyacinths floating by.. ah ha! I said, they must have opened the spillway to release water from Lake O. It has been closed for several months. I had planned on going Sunday, but was debating on either going to the lake and check out the re-arranged monkey box after the tornadoes from Milton with a crappie jig in hand…or continue fishing the river since snook season is still open. I decided on the river and loaded up the fly rod, jig pole, and snook gear ready for whatever presented itself. After a slow morning, I went through the locks and found the Ortona spillway running nicely with clean water. Snook and tarpon were exploding on bait in every direction. I landed 3 short snook and lost a few slot fish. I also jumped off several small tarpon and caught some healthy 4 lb bass. It was steady action from 9:30 till it was almost 2 before I realized what time it was.

I plan on trailering the boat to ortona in the morning to save the 30 minute boat ride and time going through the locks. We’ll see how it goes. 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Glad your river is producing... I get the weekly Red Tide reports from the FWC and for the past two or three weeks they've been reporting another outbreak from Sarasota southwards down towards Fort Myers....  Hope that's not a sign of things to come in your area...