by John Kumiski
Introduction
You want to visit Flamingo and fish with artificial lures or fly tackle. You've heard finding fish here is difficult. You've heard you need an expensive guide. You despair of ever achieving your dream.
You can find and catch fish. You can catch them on your own. You can crack the Flamingo mystique, and this report tells you how to do it!
Lots of fishing is expensive. If you visit Flamingo fishing doesn't have to be. If you like to do things yourself, you don't need a guide. You can camp in the National Park campground right next to Florida Bay, or stay in the Flamingo Lodge.
Trailering a boat to Flamingo is an excellent idea. There is no fishing available without a boat. Shallow draft boats (the popular flats boats), jonboats, canoes, and kayaks are all useful here. For those without boats, Flamingo Marina rents aluminum skiffs (for use in the backcountry, or "inside", only), and canoes, which can be used either inside or out in Florida Bay (the "outside"). You can also hire fishing guides at the Flamingo Marina.
One thing to keep in mind when going to fish here is that the area is enormous, literally millions of acres. You need to formulate a plan of attack and then stick with it until you find the fish and then figure out what they're feeding on. You'll need NOAA chart #11433, Whitewater Bay, available from NOAA, National Ocean Service, 6501 Lafayette Drive, Riverdale, MD 20737-1199. The phone number- (301) 436-6990.
Forming a plan requires information, so observing the "Flamingo Boat Show" is an excellent idea. Visit both the inside and outside boat ramps in the afternoon and ask around to see if anything caught anything. Understandably some anglers may be a bit tight-lipped about this. Others are proud to show off their catch, though. Take advantage of this.
After surveying the boat ramp, visit the fish cleaning shack, located across the boat basin from the marina store. All the owners of all those boats that just came in, as well as all of the guides working out of the marina, come in with their catch and filet it. Needless to say, the conversation is all fishing and the astute visitor takes it all in, using the intelligence gleaned thusly to fabricate his own battle plan for the following day.
The "Outside"
Tides are extremely important on the outside. If you're not familiar with the area and intend to fish any outside flats you need a rising tide. The flats around Flamingo aren't recommended to first time visitors. It is very easy to get into trouble by running aground, or by having an outgoing tide or strong wind strand you up on a flat. Should you get stuck, do not get out of your boat. Flamingo flats are extremely soft- you'll sink up to your waist in the muck.
You'll find plenty of fishing in channels east of Flamingo. You want to use shrimp-tipped jigs, 1/4 or 3/8 ounce, with a spinning rod equipped with eight or ten pound test. Fly fishers want a Wet-Cel shooting head to maximize success, either a #2 or #3. You want the bait/lure/fly to be right on the bottom.
What can you catch this way? Seatrout, redfish, jack crevalle, ladyfish, snook, tarpon, mangrove snapper and many other species.
Guide boats often float the edges of these channels. If you see them, watch what they're doing from a distance, until you figure out their pattern. Then quietly join them. As long as you don't mess up their fishing, they won't mind.
The "lakes" east of Flamingo also produce a lot of fish. In these deeper basins toward the end of April some large tarpon start to show up. They remain until July or August when they gradually begin to phase out. Smaller specimens can be found most of the year.
Channels between and around the islands will also hold redfish, seatrout, and snook. Wind drift while looking for congregations of guide boats, or other clearly visible signs of fish- skipping bait, muds, crashing fish, rolling tarpon, actual strikes, whatever.
If you have a pushpole, shove it into the bottom in the spot you find fish. You can tie off to it, or leave it there as an indicator of where the fish are. Just don't forget to pick it up again before you leave!
Why not fish the flats? As stated above, it's easy to get into trouble on the flats, since you can go from several feet of water to absolutely none in less time than it takes to read this sentence. Also, the flats are large, and many are piscatorial deserts. Even productive flats have areas that seldom hold fish. Certainly, anyone wanting to try flats fishing for the first time could work the edges of flats from the safety of deeper waters, learning where it's safe to go and also how to find and see fish.
That being said, on a rising tide it's quite easy to explore the flats in Snake Bight, only a couple minutes east of Flamingo, especially in a small aluminum boat or a canoe. It is NOT a good idea to get way up on this huge flat. The tide or wind or both can push the water out quickly, leaving you high and dry. A strong east wind can keep the water out for days- not a pleasant prospect. Stay close to the edge of the flat, looking for redfish waking or tailing, or moving behind stingrays.
When the tide starts to fall in the bight, fish move off the flats into the small finger channels that drain them. These channels can only be explored with very small boats- jonboats or canoes. They'll produce redfish and snook, as well as giving up some surprises.
Weedless gold spoons, surface plugs, weedless streamer flies, and deerhair bugs all attract the fish's attention. If the wind allows it, try a 7-weight flyrod with a floating line and a deerhair bug, size 2 or 1 if the floating grass isn't too bad. Otherwise try a #1 reverse-tied streamer. A light spin rod with 8 pound test works well here too, especially with a gold Johnson Minnow tied to the business end.
Another bottom feature worth looking for in this area are sandy patches, locally referred to as potholes. These holes should be worked carefully, especially at lower tide phases. Seatrout and snook like to lie here, waiting to ambush an easy meal.
Another close in and easy place to fish for crevalle, tarpon, and seatrout is in the dredge hole right behind the Flamingo Campground, next to the two spoil banks there. This hole often holds fish, is easy to fish, and fishes best on lower tide phases. Tarpon, usually small ones but with an occasional surprise, hold in here from April through November. Jacks often trap and pile into bait in here, too. You can easily see both of these fish. The tarpon will roll, and there will be no doubt about jacks eating. Early morning is the best time. Again, flats around the hole can be explored from a small boat fairly easily on a rising tide.
The Middle Ground is a seagrass covered hump off the bottom to the southeast of the East Cape Canal, about a half-mile off the shoreline. It's rare to fish here and not get some seatrout, and sometimes there's a load of them. While any type of lures will work, I particularly like Storm Lures's Chug Bug, a popping plug. It works magic on the trout, and the visuals are great fun.
The last suggestion for fishing the outside is to motor down to Cape Sable. The East Cape Canal lies eleven miles west of Flamingo. Lots of species of fish live in the canal, including snook, tarpon, black drum, snapper, sheepshead, and others. You can soak shrimp on the bottom, or use jigs, plugs, or live finger mullet, depending on what you prefer. It's not an easy place to fly fish.
You can go a little further and visit the rip off of Middle Cape, or beach the boat and walk and cast along the beach. Snook and redfish cruise right along the beach and if you look carefully as you walk you can see and cast to them. Every type of fish found in the park swims around Middle Cape, and you never know what you might latch onto here.
Another canal can be fished, the Mid-Cape Canal, two miles north of Middle Cape. It also consistently holds tarpon. On the lake end of the canal, excellent fishing can be had where the creeks empty into the lake. This fishing is usually best on a falling tide. You can easily go up into Lake Ingraham and fish in there. A WORD OF WARNING- the lake is very shallow and it's easy to get stuck. Only explore the lake on a rising tide!
At the Gulf end of the canal, the shoreline in both directions has lots of fallen trees and stumps. Work these areas thoroughly on a middle tide and you should be rewarded with both snook and redfish. Again, surprises will await you here.
The Inside
Those with a thirst for adventure who like paddling can canoe down the Bear Lake Canoe Trail to Bear Lake and blind-cast around the snags (east and north sides best) for baby tarpon, snook, and redfish. Surface plugs (or flies) are most exciting for this, and won't hang up on all the underwater snags. Or, go sight fishing around the margins of Mud Lake for redfish. You'll have to stand up in the canoe to do this. A pushpole comes in very handy. You might find a load of fish back there, or nothing at all. I've hit it both ways.
For folks who prefer something more akin to largemouth bass fishing, plugging the mangrove shorelines in the backcountry in Whitewater Bay supplies another option. Typically, electric motors move the boat down the shoreline while casters work the edges of the roots and snags. Also typically, finding fish back here is rather difficult. You need to move quickly and search all of the likeliest looking spots. Taste the water frequently. If you can find where the fresh and saltwater meet you should find some fish, and may hit a bonanza.
Although finding the best places in the maze of waterways here will always be a matter of trial and error for a newcomer, here are some suggestions. First, look for points with moving water. Work them over carefully. Polarized glasses will sometimes help in spotting laid-up fish if the water isn't too tannin-stained. Also, cover such as blowdowns in these locations will only enhance their potential.
Secondly, always explore creek or river mouths, especially on a falling tide. Gamefish congregate in these locations waiting for food to wash out with the current. Finally, if the temperature is on the cool side and the wind is blowing, try to find a sheltered, shallow, sunlit cove. Fish will often sun themselves in such areas and won't be adverse to striking a well presented lure.
A good place to try is in Coot Bay. Most fishermen blast right through here, headed for the hinterlands. When you get into the bay, fish the lee side, poling slowly while looking for fish. If you don't see any within 10 or 15 minutes, try somewhere else. The east end of this bay can be most productive of snook, reds, and tarpon.
One good thing about fishing any of the backcountry areas accessed by the Buttonwood Canal- unlike fishing outside, it's not very easy to run aground in the back. The water is fairly deep in most places, and there are no rocks or oysters until you get up near the north end of Whitewater Bay or around the Shark River.
Anglers with very small boats (motors less than 6 HP) or canoes will want to try West Lake. Redfish, snook, small tarpon, and seatrout all cruise its tannin waters. An excellent boat ramp gives access. Again, sight fish along the lake's lee side, looking for surface activity or other indications of fish feeding. Or drift with the wind and blind-cast for seatrout. Either method works.
Other Activities
For anglers with families that are not necessarily addicted to the pursuit of finned marine creatures, Flamingo offers many other outdoor activities. Birding here presents multitudes of opportunities to observe rare species, such as the bald eagle, great white heron, roseate spoonbill, swallow-tailed kite, and others. Water birds display spectacular seasonal exhibits. Ranger-guided activities such as hikes, canoe trips, tram tours, and campfire programs are held throughout the year. Of course hiking and canoeing are possible without a ranger's guidance. Bicycling is another popular activity in the park. There are boat excursions into Florida Bay and Whitewater Bay, and tram rides that explore the margins of Snake Bight.
Services and Accommodations
A wide range of accommodations are available for the visitor to Flamingo, including standard hotel rooms and efficiency cabins. These are operated by the Flamingo Lodge, Marina, and Outpost Resort. The Lodge also operates a full service marina and store, tram tours, gift shop, restaurant, gas station, and boat tours and rentals. Rental boats available include small outboard powered skiffs, houseboats, patio boats, and canoes. The marina also maintains a stable of knowledgeable fishing guides who fish the Park waters year-round and really know their stuff.
The National Park Service operates campgrounds throughout the park, the largest of which are in Flamingo. There are two types of sites here, drive-in and walk-in. These sites are equipped with drinking water, picnic tables, grills, tent and trailer pads, restrooms, and cold water showers. Recreational vehicles are welcome, but there are no electrical, water, or sewage hookups.
For the angler bringing a boat, Flamingo boasts two excellent ramps, one on the bayside, and one on Buttonwood Canal which allows access to the Whitewater Bay backcountry. Bait, charts, tackle, and advice are available from the marina. Florida's saltwater fishing license law went into effect January 1, 1990. Licenses are also available at the marina.
To obtain more information about the park, write, Everglades National Park, P.O. Box 279, Homestead, FL 33030; or call (305) 247-6211. For more information about hotel/cabin reservations, write Flamingo Lodge, Marina, and Outpost Resort, 1 Flamingo Lodge Highway, Flamingo, FL 33034, or call (813) 695-3101 or (305) 253-2241.
Have fun planning, and enjoy your trip.
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This article was written by John Kumiski of John Kumiski Outdoors and Travel. Contact him at his website www.johnkumiski.com or via email at john@spottedtail.com. Copyright 2007 John Kumiski.
John Kumiski 's most recent fishing guidebooks are How and Where to Catch Redfish in the Indian River Lagoon System (Argonaut Publishing Company), and Fishing Florida's Space Coast (Argonaut Publishing Company).
John Kumiski's newest book is Redfish on the Fly- A Comprehensive Guide.
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