and Miami. Fishing for Tarpon, Bonefish, Permit, Snook, Redfish and Sharks.
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Guiding The Keys, Biscayne Bay, Flamingo
Section Two - Whitewater Bay
Whitewater Bay area of Flamingo is made up of a large bay surrounded by thousands of Keys or islands, shallow creeks, deep rivers, mud flats and oyster bars. This area is so vast that it would take a lifetime to fish it all. The best time of year to fish Whitewater Bay is during winter and spring time. It's usually very windy at this time of year. But you can always find protected water where you will no longer be bothered by the wind. This is very important for fly fishing. It is difficult to manage your line and cast when the wind is blowing. Here we can get away from the wind.
Snook fishing is the first
thing that comes to mind when fishing the Whitewater Bay area. With miles
of mangrove shorelines, scattered fallen trees that provide Snook the
shelter they look for. It's very exciting to watch a top water lure get
sucked up by a large snook. Then battle to try to keep from getting back
into the mangrove roots. Sometimes, you will see a snook laid up or
sunning itself on a mud flat. To make the perfect cast and work the fly or
lure just right without spooking the fish. And see him take your plug or
fly is extremely satisfying.
Tarpon fishing in Whitewater Bay
during the winter and spring can be as good as it gets anywhere in the
world. The Tarpon will move into Whitewater Bay when the water temperature
gets right, sometimes staying in areas for weeks. Most of these fish will
weigh 60 to 150 lbs. Tarpon this size on light tackle or a fly rod is
extremely exciting. They may jump 10 or 20 times,
ripping line off your reel like a freight train.
If you want to catch a Tarpon over 100 lbs on a fly rod, Whitewater Bay is your best chance. Schools of Tarpon will move into these bays. You'll see them rolling (that's when they come to the surface to take a gulp of air). When they are close enough, you can hear them gulp air. Sometimes you see them free jumping. This is a strange behavior that you can only find in certain places. When they are free jumping, they usually eat artificial lures or flies very well. Also, you can find them laid up floating on the surface. This situation has to be the most exciting to see and fish. Just think of looking eye to eye with a 100+ lb Tarpon. Casting a fly or lure to him and seeing the fish take it! Then exploding out of the water, just feet in front of you.
Redfish are also very plentiful
in Whitewater Bay. You can find then in a lot of the same places you will
find Snook. You may see them cruising along a shoreline, singly or in
schools. They also like the mud flats in the winter. Red fish will take a
jig or fly very well and are not as spooky as
snook.
Sharks, lots of sharks can be found throughout the Whitewater Bay area. We can catch these easily with bait. I'll even find Bull sharks when I'm far up into the freshwater catching Snook and Bass. Alligators will just lay around in the sun on the shoreline. And then a large Bull shark swims by. They are the only specie of shark that can tolerate freshwater. Closer to the Gulf in the salty water, all species of shark are very abundant. I also will come across, with regularity, Sawfish. I don't know how large they can get. I've had a couple along side the boat that including their saw, were almost as long as my flats skiff - 18 foot Hewes Bonefisher.
Ladyfish, Sea trout, and Jack Cravelles are also caught throughout Whitewater Bay. Kids love to catch them. The lady fish hit like a ton of bricks and jump like Tarpon. They only get about 3 to 4 lbs, most are less than a pound but good action and lots of fun. Jack Cravelles in Whitewater Bay are small, most less than a pound but we will find some large jacks 4 to 10 lbs. These fish are very strong and everyone is amazed at how tough they are for their size. Sea Trout run from around 1 to 4 lbs, they're good fun. They don't fight hard but usually will come to the surface with some head shakes. They're a very beautiful fish and are good eating.
Jewfish or Goliath Grouper - They have been a strictly catch and release fish for the past 5 years and their numbers have grown. It's becoming common to catch one of these fish. You may find one anywhere from 4 to over 400 lbs. They will eat anything they want. I've had one take a fish my angler was lifting out of the water, run straight back down to the bottom and then just sit there. We were never able to move him on a 8-lb spinning rod.
Grouper and snapper can be found in Whitewater Bay. More of them are closer to the Gulf. These can be good fun and very good eating.
