FishingFlamingo.com Weekly - 3.02.09

[Captbennyblanco]

When targeting Snook in the Flamingo Back Country, keep your approach simple. In moving water areas like rivers or creeks, Snook will tend to hold to structure, bars or fastened tightly to the bottom. Use a bait that can cover deep water effectively. I stick with either live bait or stinky artificials for best success. In shallow black water areas like Whitewater and other back country bays, Snook will tend to find dark mud bottom and will hold to structure when possible. Use a bait that can be drug through grass, mud and structure effectively. I like to use swimming soft plastics in bright colors and on occasion, suspending hard plastics like the Rapala Twitchin' Rap. This all seems fairly obvious, right? It is easy to get carried away with lure options these days... if you remember to keep it simple, you will avoid the advertising mumbo jumbo and catch more fish.

This week the Snook fishing was on fire... likely a sign that Spring is truly on its way. There were a lot of upper and over slot fish around... eager to eat a bait. Although Grouper, Redfish and Trout were plentiful, Snook were the real story this week.

Under Pressure
When I fish with clients that regularly hire guides whether local or not, I always feel the pressure... to be better than the rest. While speaking with Wade Mayberry during our ride from the visitor's center to the marina, I could tell he was no rookie to fishing with guides. The list of guides he's hired through the years was an all star list at worst. To complicate matters further that day, the 20 kt SE wind would change directions a few times and regularly gust in excess of 25 kts.

We made our way through Whitewater to the coast, where the fish cooperated in spite of the wind. He caught several small Snook and Reds, with a few bruiser Trout and a quality Gag Grouper mixed in. Determined to put him on a quality Snook or Red, we ran several miles looking for clean water to no avail. Eventually, I gave up on clean water and we hit one last spot before accepting defeat. With a little patience, the spot produced several more Snook (one slightly better than the rest) and a few Redfish, with one going 32"... mission accomplished. What an adventure!


Wade caught lots of these beautiful, clean and healthy Redfish.


Mixed in a nice Gag, which gave one heck of a fight.


Finally, an over slot Red to send us back to the marina in one piece... barely.


Here are some other pics from this week... enjoy!


Claire's Snook on fly after a hefty fight out of those trees... nice job!


Her biggest on fly to date...




This one went 44 inches, easily over 20 lbs... congrats Nick!



Until next week!

[OnTheFlats]

Nice pics Capt!

[Captbennyblanco]

[Swordfish]

Hey skipper, I have enjoyed your reports for a while. It seems that youre a sensible, knowledgeable guide, who takes a no non-sense approach to your job. I frequent the same waters you do, except I do it on a kayak, but flamingo is heaven for us anglers, I hope we can keep it that way for generations to come... The "swamp angels" aka mosquitoes do a good job of keeping all but the hardcore anglers out of ENP.

Anyway, I may soon become one of your regulars, I usually fish the campground beach in the early morning with a good ole skitter-walk and this was my reward... BTW wading down there, although it gives me the chills, pays off like no other place on earth...



I took my time releasing her, and she swam off strongly... It makes me happy to know that someone will someday catch that trophy fish and feel the pride and joy I felt when she chomped down that twitching lure...

Anyway, I look forward to your reports skipp, and be safe out there.

-sword

[Captbennyblanco]

Nice fish, especially from land... Thanks for your support!