Fishing Forum - Florida Keys Flats and Backcountry Repor

Capt. Barry Hoffman's fishing report for the Upper Keys and Florida Bay flats and backcountry. November 22nd, 2001 Mild weather, sunny skies and light winds made up much of our week. Thankfully the bonefish took advantage of it. For the most part, fishing in the morning was a bit slow due to the colder water temperatures. Most mornings the bonefish were moving fast and in search of warmer water. As the sun and water temperatures rose, the bonefish settled into their normal feeding patterns. A Chernobyl shrimp pattern or Clouser should do the trick on the slower moving fish. On the calmer days we found a surprising number of permit moving in as well. The backcountry flats back toward Flamingo have had high water conditions early in the day, making redfishing a tough choice. We were able to find redfish, but most times they were able to find us first. The fish we spotted were as skittish as a Shell Key bonefish on tournament day. Spanish Mackerel have moved into the Gulf. The outer banks are a good place to start. You can anchor or drift on a calmer day, a chum bag will get them started. Fly fisherman, utilize plenty of tinsel flash in a larger Clouser pattern. Red and white or a green and white with a trace of wire works well. A shrimp tipped jig or Clark Spoon is a good choice for spin fisherman. For those looking for easy action, there have been lots of pompano in the trout muds out back as well as some very large ladyfish. Of course you're apt to find a few nice trout also. Thursday I fished with Dave Mcintosh. We bonefished for a half day. With a slight breeze out of the NW, we found plenty of fish. Most were in schools of 40 to 50 in number. Although it was a bit tough for Dave and his wife to make the casts, we did pull the hook on one nice fish. Monday I fished with Capt. Bob Tiburzi and close friend Gill Murati. We fished outside of Everglades National Park, finding plenty of pompano, seatrout and Spanish mackerel to bend the lighter rods on. On Tuesday I fished with Jeff Jensen in search of bonefish. The morning was a bit slow, but the opportunites soon increased. We found several large schools of fish, some numbering 70 or more, mudding in the soft bottom. Permit also made a strong showing as the water warmed. We had 8 or 10 shots at permit at one favorite flat. Jeff caught one nice bonefish. Wednesday, I fished with Capt. Bob Rodgers. I hadn't been redfishing in a while, and was hoping to find a few spots for next week. The water levels were uncharacteristically high, which made finding them very tough. The few fish we found were extremely skittish. The silhouette of the fly line overhead sent them running. Hopefully next week we'll lose some of the water and find a few more. That's it! Good Luck to you. Practice your casting at every opportunity, and you'll be a much luckier fisherman. For more information please contact Capt. Barry Hoffman at: www.flatsguide.com / guide@flatsguide.com home 305-852-6918 cell 305-664-6460