FishingFlamingo.com Weekly - 5.18.09

[Captbennyblanco]

In Flamingo if you find muddy water you’ll find the fish… hungry fish. Mullet muddied areas provide refuge, camouflage and food for predatory fish like Snook, Redfish, Trout and Tarpon. The great news is the fish that gravitate to those “muds” are there for a single main reason… to eat. While muddy water may mean poor visibility of your bait, it may also mean poor visibility of you and your skiff. Often times, the sighted fish, presentation and strike are within just a few feet of your bow… it can make for some serious nail-biting excitement. We had a few real close encounters this week… and some great results!


Graduation Gift
Andy Hogan spent the last four years at the University of Miami studying hard and acing every course he encountered. When graduation finally approached he realized he spent all this time in South Florida and never experienced Everglades National Park… and never caught a Snook. It was an easy decision when his mom asked what he wanted for graduation.
So, there we were, in Florida Bay aboard the smallest skiff and in the shallowest water he had ever experienced… and likely with the lightest tackle he ever used. The winds were certainly high and visibility was poor. After several missed strikes and even more spooky fish, we grew weary. Fortunately, Andy didn’t give up and after landing his first couple of small Snook, he was rewarded with a hefty prize… mission accomplished, but he wasn't done there. In addition to his prized Snook, Andy would go on to successfully land a Tarpon, Trout and Redfish to complete his first Back Country Grand Slam. Congrats Andy... nice job in school and on the water!






Shortly after his nice Snook, he enticed this 15 lb Tarpon out of the mangroves for a photo shoot...


... and it thanked him properly, with a splash in the face.



Later in the week, Eric caught this nice Florida Bay "Silver" Redfish... he said it was the hardest fighting fish he'd ever caught!


In spite of the 25 - 30 kt winds, my day with Kenny and Rick was filled with big fish.




This Trout was hiding in mullet mud waiting for unsuspecting prey... the strike was simply awesome.




This Redfish chased the bait down from over ten feet away, pushing a massive wake and pulling drag the second he hit.




What a Snook... easily 20 lbs... she was stalking mullet in dirty water. This picture does her very little justice... the other pic was submitted for further publication


The reptiles have been out in force lately... we saw a large Crocodile on a flat in Florida Bay!



Until next week!

[Ole Yeller]

That's a handsome dude holding that trout!