Stay Safe

[mikechell 0]

Reportedly, the St. Johns River is at a 100 year high. Higher than it got in 2004 when we had 4 hurricanes cross over us. I've not driven that way, yet, so I can't confirm that.

[Bimini15 0]

NOAA imagery at

https://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/Irma/index.html

now includes all of the Keys, Everglades City and Chokoloskee.

[HookedOnFTF 0]

 

It may seem a bit cold to be worried about the fishing when so many folks are in bad shape.... but all the monies coming into that area are from anglers and other visitors... for area businesses to get back on their feet - they're going to need our spending there....

My wife told me I should be ashamed for asking you about ENP status a few days ago given the magnitude of Florida's damages. I hope things get back to some level of normalcy soon. My trip is insignificant in comparison to the needs of residents now. I encourage all to support relief efforts through your local agencies. Makes me feel a little less guilty.

[mikechell 0]

There's a lot of property damage, but not much in the "loss of life" category.

 

Worrying about the fishing is what we're all doing, too.

[Kudu 0]

I frequent the Keys 4 to 5 plus times a year. Fishing is a livelihood so worrying about it is okay in my book because so many people depend on it for a living. Heading down to Key Largo soon hope to help out and if fishing is available I'll fish too if not I'll work and drink beer in the sun.

[FlatsRoamer 0]

Kudu, there will be plenty of helping out to do. Get ready to so some work lol

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

A quick update.... a buddy was over at Everglades City (the far northwest end of Everglades National Park - about 30 miles east of Naples) two days ago and he reported that the place was just stinking... with no electric, water, sewer, or telephones... and every structure with a layer of mud on the floor (varying from under an inch to over four inches...). Every building had a pile of debris in front of it as folks were in the cleaning process and forced to remove every last bit of the contents that were destroyed on any ground floor... Over on the Port of the Islands side - no flooding but still no electric (and the water was within a foot of the tops of the seawalls as the vast areas of the 'Glades to the north continued to drain from the storm..). The good news is that relief is well established over at Everglades City/ Chokoloskee with a fleet of linemen's vehicles working on bringing electric service back (and once that's established the water/sewer end of things will come back on line -although probably just a first step for their water facilities...). I'm betting that a few businesses will be up and limping along by the end of next week - but that will be an eternity for the folks that live there....

 

 

Another buddy (also a guide) did the first trip exploring from Key Largo back over to Flamingo yesterday, launching out of the Caribbean Club on the bayside, then through the Boggies (the exit on the west side of Blackwater Sound), then running to Eagle Key, then the Crocodile Dragover, then down Tin Can Channel to Snake Bight then over to Flamingo ( that run is thirty miles - one way...). He found little in the way of debris on the run - and a large number of small tarpon at Snake Bight... At Flamingo he reported lots of work to be done but he could hear chain saws and bulldozers hard at it.... Water quality varied widely on his trip with heavy amounts of dark freshwater near the mainland as the storm run-off from the mainland continues to drain down into Florida Bay - and many channels still quite murky - but also lots of places in Snake Bight that were quite fishable... Since he's booked this coming weekend - at least his anglers will have some places to fish....

 

I'll be doing my first explorations starting next week - over on the Choko side of things -probably starting with Port of the Islands then a run to the south... as we get back on line for October.... If you lived down here you'd learn that each hurricane produces different results where some are in good condition (where I live just west of Ft. Lauderdale) and others (the Keys and the Ten Thousand Islands) just get trashed and have to pretty much start over... We're still in the terrible heat of summer - but relief will begin to show as we move into October (both months the height of the hurricane "season" so it's entirely possible we could get hit again....). Just another season in paradise....

[Swamp Fly 0]

I was just poking around online and found this: https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/conditions.htm

I know Capt Bob and obviously many others including myself are concerned about accessibility to the ENP after the storm.

 

Seems that only terrestrial closures are in effect as of Sept 21 and park waters are open. Unfortunately the link for "more..." leads right back to the page that linked to that the page above. I have not been able to find a complete posted statement so interpret at your own risk.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I just posted the latest word from the National Park Service on the status of both Everglades and Tortugas Natonal Parks on this thread...

 

http://forums.floridasportsman.com/showthread.php?249969-Latest-word-from-the-Park-(Dry-Tortugas-and-Everglades

 

Anyone interested will find each week's report from the Service on that thread -until Flamingo re-opens, if no one objects.

 

The clean-up and restoration for the Ten Thousand islands area (from Chokoloskee over towards Goodland continues -but they've got a long, long way to go...). I'm told that most there were not insured and have few resources to fall back on... There's quite a bit of individual and religious aid on-going there at present (and they're going to need every last bit of it...). I'm not seeing any national or very much local news attention on that area either. All of that is either outside Park boundaries or right on the edge of it so none of the Park's efforts are headed their way....

 

If I can I'm going to launch out of Port of the Islands on Thursday for some first hand scouting out to the outside islands. You can bet that I'll be barely up on plane and standing up looking anytime the motor is on....