For the past month, we’ve had good days and not so good days on the water. At times the weather has got the best of us and other times the fishing has been stellar. We had a few cold fronts move through late October early November and with cold fronts moving through, so does the wind and cloud cover. This always makes it tough for site fishing bonefish and permit especially while fly fishing when we need decent to good light conditions in order to see the fish. Most of the times I can spot the fish, but for someone fairly new to saltwater fly fishing, it can be challenging to spot fish. This is why I always recommend at least 2 or 3 days if you want to bonefish and permit fish.
Biscayne Bay Bonefish
Allot of times while spin fishing with a shrimp or 1/8 brown or tan jig, we can chum the bonefish up and catch them this way. Chumming works great if all the conditions work in your favor. This means wind, current and of course tides. There are times especially in Biscayne Bay where we can have double digit days while chumming for bonefish. My favorite time of year for doing so is in the winter months when the water temperatures start to drop. Chumming is always a good way to get they day started when you have low light conditions and the fish aren’t tailing. It’s also a great way to catch someone there first bonefish if they never bonefished before. My favorite jigs to use while chumming for bonefish are Backbone Lures. These jigs were designed to catch bonefish and redfish alike and are a great all around jig to use.
Flamingo Snook
Redfish
The fishing in Flamingo had been red hot. There are loads of small to medium size redfish everywhere along with plenty of trout. There has been a fair share of black drum and sheep head around while fishing for reds and trout. I’ve been using 1/8 to 1/4 ounce Backbone jigs sometimes tipped with a piece of shrimp and other times without.
Steve, Jeremy and Zack Familly Day
November and December is when someone usually breaks some kind of world record for bonefish in either Biscayne Bay or Islamorada and now is the time to come down if big bonefish is your thing. This takes allot of time and patients when hunting big bonefish fish, so giving yourself several days to target them is the key.
I also recommend that everyone especially if you are a fly fisherman, to practice your casting and your double hall as much as possible. I have mentioned this several times in my fishing reports and being ready is the key to being successful on the water.
At times I have new anglers that book me for one day or several days of fly fishing for bonefish and permit and they can get a little overwhelmed at times. The reason why I say this is because most of the time they come un- prepared. This sometimes results in a no fish day. I’m not saying you have to be an expert fly caster, but casting at least 50’ at a moving target is usually the norm in our neck of the woods.
I tell people sometimes, you’re not going on a safari hunt with a rifle you never shot before. You’re going to practice at your local gun range and sight your scope in so that you’re ready for the shot. This goes for bonefishing as well. Be ready and your success rate will increase dramatically.
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