by John Kumiski
"There's a fish, in that corner!" There had been a wake, tiny minnows flying through the air, and a series of small explosions in the shallow water next to the mangrove roots. Captain Joe McNichols, our guide on this trip, had kept his voice quiet but his excitement was obvious. "They're coming towards us up the shoreline, Joe! Cast, NOW!"
Joe Mulson launched his fly with a disarming ease, the type that only comes through long practice. His little deerhair popper began bubbling and burping in the path of the three onrushing redfish, and one zoomed up and grabbed it. The battle was joined...
"Daddy! I have a fish!" I stopped my packing, grabbed the camera, and ran down the beach. Maxx surely did have a fish. His rod bent over and the drag complained. A few moments later he pulled a beautiful seatrout, one of the largest I've ever seen come out of the Everglades, up onto the beach. His beaming smile said more about his pride in this catch than his words could ever describe, and I was surely one happy daddy.
Take a moment to examine a map of Florida. Pay special attention to the very southwest portion of the Gulf coast. This region, between Marco Island and roughly the mouth of the Chatham River, for thousands of years supported native subsistence fishermen, Mikkosukees and Seminoles, with the bounty of its rich and fertile waters. As evidence of the sea's productivity the Indians left behind huge trash mounds of oyster and clam shells. Those shell middens that haven't been carted off to build southwest Florida's roads are still the highest points of land in the entire area.
The richness of these waters wasn't lost on Florida's early white settlers, either. Men looking for adventure, men who disliked (or needed to escape from) the confinement of urban life a century ago survived by hunting and fishing in this watery mangrove wilderness. Early settlements along this section of the Florida coast were supported by fish and shellfish from these waters.
Some of these settlements, like Caxambas, are long gone, victims of a forgotten hurricanes' wrath. Others, like Everglades City and Chokoloskee, remain and thrive today. These towns attract modern anglers, who are drawn to the area for the same reasons as their predecessors. The waters of the Ten Thousand Island region are still rich, still filled with fish. They still beckon the angler looking for adventure.
10,000 Islands Tackle and Tactics
While Joe Mulson and I fished with Joe McNichols I asked him about tactics for finding fish in this maze of waterways, and enticing them to strike. First of all, he said a wide variety of gamefish is available. Snook, tarpon, and redfish are probably the most popular. Seatrout, pompano, mangrove snapper, sharks, crevalle, ladyfish, smaller grouper, and many other species are also present and you may run into any of these fish at any time. According to McNichols the pompano fishing has improved dramatically since the implentation of Florida's net ban.
When using conventional tackle Joe prefers using soft plastic baits, especially the Rip Tide line. He says their jigs are some of the finest on the market and work especially well with the Rip Tide curly tails or shrimp tails in smoke or chartreuse. He also likes the Dart Baits and Jerk Baits. These can be rigged weedless (a great advantage when fishing along dense mangrove shorelines) and used like surface plugs. Joe says they are very effective on larger fish like snook and tarpon.
Joe has three favorite flies he likes for flinging along the mangroves, all of which need weedguards. The first is a deerhair popper. He prefers these when the tide is up higher and the fish can't be seen in the deeper water. The steady "pop, pop, pop" attracts the attention of the predators and they respond by smashing it, resulting in some incredible surface action. The next is a Deceiver in chartreuse. He likes these when sightfishing on lower tide phases. When the finger mullet are thick, a Siliclone mullet imitation works well, according to Joe.
The best part of these particular lure selections is that whether we discuss conventional or fly tackle, these lures work on all of the major species of gamefish found in these waters. Anglers wanting sheepshead or pompano will have to use something else, but snook, redfish, tarpon, trout, and more will all take the baits just described.
Where and When
According to Joe, the location of the fish depends on the time of year and the water temperature. Like the rest of the west Florida coast, snook and tarpon exhibit distinct seasonal movements here. Summer finds the snook on the outside points, in the passes, and over flats such as the Rabbit Key Grasses. They can be caught in these types of places all summer long, although this fishery is strictly catch and release during June, July, and August.
Snook fishing in the islands themselves slows down considerably during the winter. As the water temperature drops in response to autumn's shorter days, the fish start moving up into the backcountry, searching for thermal refuges which will help them survive the cold weather. They can be found way up the creeks during the winter, and it's not unusual to catch a snook on one cast and a largemouth bass on the next. That, however, is the subject of another story.
Anglers wanting big tarpon (over 80 pounds or so) should try to be here during the spring. April and May are the prime months for the big boys, although strays can be found all summer. Smaller tarpon could show up at any time, although again the fish tend to move into the backcountry during the winter months.
Although the easiest way to find tarpon is to see them rolling, during the spring when the weather conditions are right Joe finds them laid up, sunning themselves right on the surface. A lure or fly placed close to the eating end of the fish provides action that will be the subject of fish stories for years to come.
For the smaller tarpon the same tackle used for snook and reds will work. For the larger fish Joe likes conventional plug reels spooled with 20 pound mono, or 11- or 12-weight fly tackle.
Reds can be found in many different locations through the islands, often in the same types of locations that snook like. On lower tide phases you can search for fish along mangrove shorelines, sightfishing them in the discolored water. We found they showed up quite readily as long as the water was shallow.
Reds' affinity for oyster bars has been well documented. During the cooler months they like shallow areas with soft, silty bottoms, and can be found splashing and waking in areas too shallow for any boat other than a canoe. The water in these types of places warms quickly on a sunny day, attracting the fish and putting them in a feeding mood.
During our trip we found several fish at the mouth of a mud bottomed creek on the bottom of the tide. The water was too shallow to get the boat close enough for a cast. We watched helplessly as the reds frolicked and wallowed around in just inches of water, safely out of our casting range.
Although you can run into them almost anywhere, during warmer months seatrout will most commonly be found over grass flats. These flats are scattered along the shoreline all the way from Indian Key south to Lostmans Key. McNichols typically drifts with wind and current over these grass patches, tossing his favorite Rip Tide jig and tail combinations, or Clouser minnows if using fly tackle.
During the winter months the trout move into deeper areas in rivers, like trout all along Florida's west coast. McNichols says that regardless of where the trout are found, his observations indicate they feed better on an incoming tide.
Joe went on to say that in general he likes creek mouths and passes on outgoing tides, and grass flats on the incoming. Mangrove shorelines can be worked any time water is moving. He prefers fishing in lees, out of the wind, easy to do in the tangle of islands. He looks for concentrations of bait, or active birds, or of course obvious signs of feeding fish, and uses his eleven years of experience fishing here to look in places he knows attract and hold fish.
During our day together with McNichols I was impressed as I always am by the Everglades National Park's serene beauty. Wading birds, including egrets and herons, searched for minnows nearly everywhere we looked. Pelicans crashed into the water after diving from above. Ospreys soared overhead, looking for an easy meal of mullet. Dolphins cruised through the shallows. Everything that lives here feeds on fish, and finding all of these other creatures fishing in the same area is a good omen for the bipedal fishermen wielding a wand of graphite.
On My Own
I used Joe's advice to take my two sons fishing here a week after my trip with him. We camped on Pavilion Key. I wasn't as bold as Joe, not knowing my way through the maze like he does, and stuck to the easier to get to places. Also, my boys are five and seven years old and so we flung a lot of live finger mullet in addition to lures. We did quite well.
Maxx got a nice snook at the tip of Pavilion Key. He got the seatrout described at the beginning of this piece there as well. We found enormous bait pods moving north in the Gulf to the west of the outside points and went out and caught some nice jacks there. Alex got a juvenile jewfish in Rabbit Key Pass, again using a finger mullet for bait.
Redfish, mangrove snapper, a blacktip shark, and other species fell for our baits, proving that while a guide will shorten the time between bites, they're not necessarily needed by someone who's patient and willing to search for fish. The waters of the 10,00 Islands are fertile, and share their bounty with those willing to work.
If there really are 10,000 islands, all each island would need is 100 fish in order to have a total of one million. Ten thousand islands, one million fish? From what I've seen there I believe I'm being conservative.
Navigation in the 10,000 Islands
Clearly, it's easy to get turned around in the 10,000 Islands. Even folks who fish here all the time do. If you want to fish here as a do it yourself project, you'd better have a good compass. NOAA chart #11430, Lostmans River to Wiggins Pass, is the indispensable reference for navigation in this region.
First-timers ought to hire a guide who can show them around. Otherwise, stick to the periphery of the island mass. Once you learn your way around and have the major landmarks committed to memory, you can start venturing into the maze.
Florida Sportsman magazine and Top Spot Fishing Charts both publish a series of fishing charts which are copies of the NOAA charts at a smaller scale and which are quite helpful. On these charts many of the productive fishing spots are marked. The Florida Sportsman chart covering the 10,000 Islands area is FS-705. Another excellent fishing chart is produced by Top Spot. The one necessary for this area is N-204, Ten Thousand Islands. The Top Spot charts are available from Argonaut Publishing Company.
Where to Stay
Anglers fishing this area from anywhere but Naples probably won't be commuting. You can stay in a motel in Everglades City or Chokoloskee, or you can camp. In Everglades City the on the water motel is the Captain's Table. They feature a restaurant, swimming pool, and boat slips right on the water. For information/reservations call (941) 695-4211.
On Chokoloskee the Outdoor Resort offers all the amenities of a resort, again right on the water. Three recreation centers include a health club, sauna, tennis, shuffleboard, and swimming pools. The angler can keep his boat in a private slip, and bait, tackle, information, boat rentals, and guide services are all available. For more information/reservations call (941) 695-3338.
Lastly, you can go out into the islands and camp on a National Park Service campsite. In order to do this you must first stop in Everglades City at the National Park Service Headquarters and obtain a free backcountry permit. The phone number there for more information is (941) 615-3311.
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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 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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