July-August Everglades Fishing Report
No matter the time of year, spending time in the Everglades is always a joy for me. As expected over the summer months, it did get somewhat buggier, especially up near the mangrove shoreline where the tarpon often lay. However, I’m happy to report, we continued our pursuit of tarpon all season without too many bites (bug bites, that is)! We were fortunate to make some beautiful tarpon catches, with many more ‘jumped’ (on line) that never made it to the boat. On one occasion, about a month ago, I faced a temporary upset when a large tarpon broke free from my grasp. I wanted that photo so badly, but shortly after the experience, I realized that I didn’t really need the photo, because without a doubt, it would be imprinted in my mind for the rest of my life. Though photos are included in my charters, photo or no photo, one cannot forget a 30-45 minute battle with the ultimate game fish. Most of the fish we caught were rollers on the surface. Trying to judge where to place the fly in front of the fish can be quite the challenge. The question of ‘Did I place it right this time?’ is quickly answered when the fly is taken, your line becomes taut, and you see your target come flying up out of the water 3-5 feet! In the end, being totally exhilarated from the battle, you release your giant catch and, with mouth agape, you find yourself spending one silent moment watching in awe, as your seemingly unscathed opponent swims off toward the horizon. I could only wish that all sports fishermen, would, as a matter of protocol, release their catches. Can you imagine the fishing we would have? Change is sometimes slow to affect. Although we are a small chartering outfit, in working towards the goal of increased numbers in multiple species, we choose a ‘catch and release’ protocol with consistency.
With redfish and snook over the past few months, I found most of the fishing to be on the outside. However, as September temperatures begin to cool, we’ll see more and more fish in the backcountry. I guess you could say it’s a Fisherman’s Change of Season. With clearer water ahead, sight fishing will become much easier. Casting poppers will also be very effective over the next 3 months. Next to sight casting, casting poppers is my favorite. If you plan to come down, I can’t stress enough to take your rod out and do some practice casting in your backyard, or at your local park, using a piece of yarn as the fly. You don’t need to be able to cast 90 feet, but 35-50 feet accurately will certainly give you a better chance to hookup close to the banks or under mangrove branches, without snagging a branch. More times than not, those redfish and snook are right up against the bank. They feel safe there, plus they have lots of crabs and baitfish to feed upon. It’s all good fun, and you can never have a bad day because you’re in absolutely breath taking wilderness. Soon the masses of birds will return to spend their winter in the park, which is a super time to plan a photo shooting trip. I chartered a few eco/photo trips last winter, and all parties were thrilled taking hundreds of photos of the wildlife. Have a wonderful fall season!
Signing off……
Captain Buddy