October / November Everglades fishing report Capt. Alex Zapata November 27, 2019 Flamingo - Saltwater Fishing Report Greetings to all, it's been a while since my last report and is time to catch up with all you guys. I'm happy to say that I can't remember the last time I had a slow day fishing in the park (even during not so ideal weather) which speaks volumes about the great improvement in fishing and water quality around flamingo this year. My time is mostly spent on the flats between islamorada, key largo and flamingo, pushing my boat around in the shallows, sightfishing for redfish, snook, trout, sharks and tripletail among others. The redfishing has been as good as it has been in years. Days hooking 20 to 30 reds have been the norm. These fish have been in about a foot of water or less, tailing or cruising. Some big snook have been around as well. Although, the redfish appear to be taking over some of the areas that were once dominated by the snook, so catching quality linesiders has definitely taken additional planning and strategy, targeting different areas, under special conditions and techniques. With the arrival of the first cold fronts, the fish are adjusting and moving to their winter time places and patterns. Cold fronts usually come along with strong winds and some rain (pre-frontal condition). This makes the fishing tough in some areas but also makes the fishing easier at others. Once the cold front comes through, the wind usually shifts from West to East and it gets sunny and warmer (post frontal conditions) which makes the fish more active again. Great days can be had in winter time using the right approach at the right places. Most guides and anglers migrate to the traditional and effective jig and shrimp combination this time of the year. However, if you're not a fan of live bait and prefer sightfishing with lures and flies, great trips can be had in the backwaters of the glades. weather conditions such as wind direction, water temperature and cloud cover will dictate where to go and what our chances will be.....Your choice and preference as client is my choice. Give me a call and I will work my tail off to show you a great time on the water. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you are arriving in Miami and wish to fish in the Everglades, you need to be ready to travel and have transportation. Whether your captain chooses to access the everglades from the keys, flamingo marina or everglades city, all these locations are about 1 hour and 45 minutes from the usual tourist spots that most people stay at when visiting Miami (like south beach, key Biscayne and Miami Beach). Be ready to travel in order to meet your guide at the chosen location. Renting a car is the best way to go and way cheaper than using Uber, Lyft or taxi service. Car rental service in the USA is very convenient and cheap, specially when booked ahead of time. If you are coming ONLY to fish, you might want to ask your guide about the best location to look for lodging, according to the chosen area for your fishing trip. Capt Alex Zapata

The fishing in Biscayne bay was excellent in August to say the least. The highlight of the month was definitely the strong bonefishing we've been having. There have been some giant bonefish around, actively cruising, mudding and tailing in very shallow water. Some of these fish have been in the 10lb range and bigger....the type of fish that have made Biscayne bay and the keys world famous. These fish have been showing in nice groups of 10-30 fish. Some days, I've found them tailing right in the middle of the day, a somewhat unusual pattern in the hot summer months, as the fish tend to tail more in the early morning or late afternoon hours. The tricky part of bonefishing in the summer in the bay is fishing around stormy weather. A slick calm day with beautiful clear skies can turn into an ugly one in a matters of minutes. Lightning is nothing to play with and you need to look for shelter immediately after thunder starts developing . Also, make sure your skiff is 100% sea worthy in case you need to race a storm or to face heavy winds and waves, if getting caught in the middle of one. This is the time of the year when your bilge pumps, electronics and engine need to be running flawlessly. Be safe out there!. Now, the positive side of these storms..... after the storm is gone, the wind usually lays down to nothing, the water temperature cools down and.... those bonefish, permit and tarpon start tailing, finning and rolling like there is no tomorrow!!. If you know how to take advantage of these windows of opportunity, you can have the most amazing times of your life on the flats, in just a couple of hours. Permit fishing has been great as well. We've been finding them in the deeper edges, channels and shorelines. The tarpon have been patrolling the island moats and shorelines along with some snook. I've always said it.... the summer time months offer the best and most consistent fishing of the year for flats fishing in Biscayne bay, the keys and the Everglades. As we get into September we are gonna start seeing bigger tides, which can make tarpon, permit and specially bonefish difficult. The fish still have to eat and you can still find them and catch them if you follow the tides and understand how they work. The bait migration is right around the corner. Soon, we will start seeing schools of mullet and pilchards working their way south. This event will fire up the fishing for tarpon, snook, jacks, barracuda, sharks and my favorite, the mutton snapper and groupers. These fish also hit flies and lures with reckless abandon when chummed up with live pilchards. Needless to say, I'm ready and excited to get the dust off my cast net!. That's all for now, give me a call and let's go catch some! Capt Alex Zapata

Mild weather conditions for the past few weeks have kept the fishing in the park very good to say the least. I've been primarily poling my skiff in very skinny water, sight fishing with clients after snook, redfish and trout. The redfish have been tailing and throwing wakes during slick calm conditions along with laid up snook and trout on potholes. Also, spent some time fishing the creeks out west with a lot of success. We caught tons of mackerel, small to medium size snook and redfish. Got on some big tarpon as well but the fish were all spread out in a big area and not very interested in our offerings. The fishing for big tarpon in the back will be on any time now when the weather gets right. Needless to say, as always, I am eager and ready to put my fly and spinning anglers on some solid backcountry tarpon fishing this winter time season. Winter time is best for the angler that comes with an open mind, ready to adjust to whatever Mother Nature brings for the day of his/her charter. Northerly cold fronts affect fishing opportunities in some areas but also active it at others. Cold weather? Expect great creek fishing for snook, redfish, blackdrum, Jacks, Ladyfish, snapper and sheepshead. Mild weather? Fish come back to the shallows ready to chew. Tarpon, snook, redfish become available for the fly and sightfishing aficionado. Give me a call and let's go fishing Capt Alex Zapata Flats fishing guide IFFF certified fly casting instructor Miami, Everglades and the keys